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Robert Rendo: Why Are We Destroying Education? For What?
Now here is a first for this blog. A comment that appeared on the blog by Robert Rendo was picked up and posted by blogger Jonathan Pelto. It was indeed a brilliant statement, and somehow I failed to turn it into a post. So I am taking the post from Jonathan Pelto’s blog and posting it here so everyone can read it. Rendo explains how Common Core and the high-stakes testing mandated by No Child Lef
Rothstein and Carnoy: A Re-analysis of International Tests
One of the favorite complaints of the corporate reformers is that we are “losing” the international test score race. Richard Rothstein and Martin Carnoy put that canard to rest in a report released earlier this year. It did not get the attention it deserved because it challenged the conventional wisdom. Since the Obama administration’s education policy rests on the conventional wisdom, and since
Jersey Jazzman: How Is Merit Pay Working in Newark?
In an impressive analysis, Jersey Jazzman pulls apart the numbers associated with the Newark merit pay plan. He is no fan of merit pay. Neither am I. Merit pay has been tried again and again for nearly 100 years, and it has never made a significant difference, nor have merit pay plans lasted. The Newark merit pay plan is funded by Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, and we may safely assume that
YESTERDAY
Rothstein: A Critique of Duncan’s View on Racial Integration
Richard Rothstein of the Economic Policy Institute was part of a radio program that began with an interview of Secretary of Education Duncan. Rothstein, who has written extensively about how government policies created and preserved segregated neighborhoods, was taken aback by what Duncan said. He called it “backsliding.” Rothstein says that Duncan doesn’t understand why government must act force
A Great New Tool in Fight Against Corporate Reform
Progressive Magazine has created a wonderful new website called Public School Shakedown to cover the news about the privatization movement. Please subscribe to stay informed about the shams, scams, frauds, boondoggles, and assorted scandals connected to today’s faux-reform movement. And to keep Public School Shakedown alive, subscribe to the reborn Progressive Magazine, which understands what is h
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
Scott Kuffel: I’m No Hero
A few days ago, I named Scott Kuffel to the honor roll for his courage in speaking out against the state’s arbitrary decision to raise the cut scores on state tests, thus lowering student grades, in preparation for Common Core testing. Anytime a superintendent is willing to stand up for what is right and to defend students and teachers from misguided policies, they are heroic. We need many more of
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
SEP 05
Parent: My Son Suffered Psychological Abuse
This 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 another version. I welcome its response to this article. I will post it. She writes: “On my first visit to
Rich Néw Yorkers Offended by de Blasio Plan to Fund Pre-K Education
Bloomberg News reports that the city’s corporate leaders and super-wealthy are offended by mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio’s plan to raise taxes on those earning over $500,000 a year to fund universal pre-K and after school programs for middle school kids. The head of the business leaders’ group was astonished by de Blasio’s indifference to the needs of corporate executives. ““It shows lack of s
Crazy Crawfish Says CREDO New Orleans Study Is Not Credible
Jason France, aka Crazy Crawfish, used to work for the Louisiana Department of Education.,he worked in research and statistics. He helped to assemble the data on New Orleans charter schools before he left. He has concluded that CREDO is not credible. First, he realized that CREDONis a pro-charter organization. Then, he looked at the methodology, and was disturbed to see that the NOLA charters were
Charter Advocates Try to Buy Bridgeport Election
Jonathan Pelto reports that charter advocates have dumped at least $50,000 into the Bridgeport school board elections in hopes of maintaining a board that will create more charters and defend Paul Vallas. Expenditures of this magnitude are still fairly rare in school board elections, except in cases where the privatization movement has decided that they want control, like the Louisiana, Indiana, I
Schneider vs. Hirsch: Is Core Knowledge Free…or Not?
Mercedes Schneider, who teaches in a public high school in Louisiana and holds a Ph.D. in research methods, wrote a post about the transaction in which Rupert Murdoch’s Amplify bought the rights to Core Knowledge ELA for 20 years. She wrote: A quick summary: A 2012 American Educator article notes that CK materials are free for teachers both in New York and across the nation to download. The CK web
A Brave Superintendent in Long Island
Steven Cohen is superintendent of the Shoreham-Wading River Central School district on Long Island in Néw York. At a time when others quietly acquiesce, Superintendent Cohen spoke out in “Newsday.” He wrote that the schools are being swamped by a tsunami of untested “reforms,” at the same time that their budgets are restricted by Governor Cuomo’s 2% tax cap, which voters may override only by winn
Cody: Will Education Nation Allow Dissenting Voices?
Anthony Cody writes another brilliant column, this time questioning NBC’s Education Nation about whether it truly intends to sponsor a dialogue about education issues or just another Gates-funded celebration of “reformers” who don’t like public schools. Since Anthony asked, I told him I was invited to be a part of Education Nation—as a member of the audience. Unless I am invited to speak, I won’t
FairTest Fact Sheet About Common Core Tests
FairTest released the following fact sheet about the Common Core tests: Common Core Assessment Myths and Realities: Moratorium Needed From More Tests, Costs, Stress Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB), each state set its own learning standards and developed tests to measure them. But NCLB’s failure to spur overall test score gains or close racial gaps led “reformers” to push for national,
FairTest: Common Core Tests Are Same Old Standardized Tests
FairTest says that the new Common Core tests do not live up to the claims by proponents about a new era of tests that measure higher-order thinking and really show what students know and can do. FairTest National Center for Fair & Open Testing for further information: Dr. Monty Neill (617) 477-9792 Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 DISSECTING COMMON CORE ASSESSMENT MYTHS AND REALITIES; DESPITE HYP
Duncan: “Not Familiar” with Voucher Lawsuit
When questioned about the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Louisiana’s voucher program, Secretary of Education Duncan said he was “not familiar” with it. DOJ is suing to block vouchers in districts that are under desegregation orders. DOJ recognizes that vouchers will exacerbate racial segregation. This was reported on politico.com’s morning education edition, a valuable resource for
Indiana Governor Determined to Make Elected State Superintendent Powerless
Governor Mike Pence was elected last fall with fewer votes than State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz. Ritz, you may recall, beat Tony Bennett, despite his 10-1 advantage in money. Bennett was the author of the state’s A-F grading system, which fell into disrepute when it was revealed by the Associated Press that Bennett rigged the grades to favor a politically connected charter s
SEP 04
Interpreting Those Indiana E-Mails
From now on, public officials will be more careful about what they write in emails. Tom Lobianco, the investigative journalist, hit a treasure trove when he filed a Freedom of Information Act request for government emails. But what does it all mean? Karen Francisco, the editorial page editor of the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, explains it here. The fix was in. The backroom deals were made. The plan
Krazy TA’s Reading List
In response to another reader, our frequent commenter Krazy TZ offered his reading list: let me give my advice by [painfully] putting a few books into first, second and third groups. These are based solely on those that have been the most helpful for me because they were well-written and meant for a broad audience, generally jargon-free, shorter and smaller, and [not the least important conside
The Daily Howler: Another Take on the Massachusetts Miracle
Bob Somerby, who writes The Daily Howler, covers the media. He is especially good on education. When the TIMSS results came out, showing that the US made a strong showing, he was quick to call out the major media for the usual doom-and-gloom headlines. Today, he critiques the New York Times article about the Massachusetts miracle. It is an entertaining and insightful critique of our nation’s most
A Hero Superintendent in Illinois
Scott Kuffel is the superintendent of the Geneseo schools, District 228, in Illinois. He has been superintendent of schools there for five years. When he learned that the State Education Department had decided to raise the passing marks (cut scores) so that more students would be rated as failing, he was not at all pleased. The state claimed it was lowering scores to get students and teachers read
How Did Massachusetts Become Number 1?
Massachusetts has consistently scored at the top of the National Assessment of Educational Progress in recent years in fourth and eighth grades, in reading and mathematics. Massachusetts and a few other states participated in the TIMSS, an international test of math and science, and Massachusetts did very well, so well that its 8th graders placed second in the world, behind only Singapore, in scie
Koch Brother Pours $$ into NYC Mayoral Race
The New York Times reports today that David Koch, one of the rightwing billionaire Koch brothers, is buying broadcast ads to support the candidacy of Joseph Lhota, who is running for mayor as a Republican. The Koch brothers can be counted on to subsidize almost any effort that privatizes the public sector and guts government programs that help people. After all, they don’t need government programs
Sara Mosle: Being a Parent Made Me a Better Teacher
In a continuing fall-out from Motoko Rich’s article in the New York Times about charter teachers who plan on a two-or three-year career, Sara Mosle reflects how her own views about teaching have evolved. When she joined Teach for America some 20-plus years ago, she was part of a cohort that thought that youthful enthusiasm was superior to experience. It was not uncommon for her and her colleagues
New Book Analyzes Roots of Testing Movement
This is a book you should read if you want to understand how assessments are now being misused. It sets a valuable political and historical context for understanding the mess that is now federal education policy. The Mismeasure of Education by Jim Horn and Denise Wilburn should be on your shelf. The publisher just dropped the price to $27.50. With new student assessments and teacher evaluation
Cuomo’s Teacher Evaluation
New York won $700 million in Race to the Top funding, which involved a commitment to measure teacher effective meant in significant part by test scores of their students. This theory, which Arne Duncan has imposed on the nation’s schools by using federal funds as a lure, has not worked anywhere. It has failed everywhere. Its main consequence is to demoralize teachers, like the one who wrote this c
My Fall Schedule
My new book will be officially published on September 17. It is titled Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools. The publisher is Alfred A. Knopf, the nation’s most distinguished publishing house. It will dispel many of the myths and half-truths that have been repeated again and again in recent years in an effort to discredit public educatio
SEP 03
E.D. Hirsch, Jr.: What Am I Trying to Sell?
E.D. (Don) Hirsch, Jr., submitted the following essay to the blog. He is the founder of the Core Knowledge curriculum and has written several books explains the ideas behind it, beginning with “Cultural Literacy,” and including “The Schools We Need,” and “The Knowledge Deficit.” He writes: Diane kindly offered me a blog slot on her site – a great opportunity to explain what I’m about. I intend to
Words to Remember and Believe In
Our frequent commenter who signs in as “KrazyTA” gave us this inspirational gem: “Always take things with a grain of salt, but Mahatma Gandhi was not far off when he said: “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–alwa
Why Is L.A. Spending School Construction Bonds to Buy iPads?
A reader wants to know the answer: “The LA Unified School District is going to spend $1 billion on iPads at a cost of $678 per device, more than the tablets cost in stores. They come with “partially developed” educational software and are being paid for by school construction bonds. “There are currently over 16,000 repair requests across the District that have yet to receive a response. The Venic
Experience Matters for MY Children: Not THEIRS
Jersey Jazzman finds a reformer who is delighted that the new superintendent of the Camden, NJ, schools has no experience. Her proof: she names experienced educators who did not succeed. But JJ points out that this reformer is president of the school board in Lawrence Township. In her district, experience is very important. Not so much for less fortunate districts
LA Times: $500 Million for iPads Did Not Include Keyboards
Howard Blume reports in this morning’s Los Angeles Times that the school district’s $500 million purchase of iPads did not include the keyboards that will be necessary when the students use them to take standardized tests. The district has also committed to spend another $500 million to install wireless Internet in every school. The iPads were purchased for testing students on the new Common Core.
Paul Thomas: What We Know Now and Why It Doesn’t Matter
In this excellent analysis, Paul Thomas lists the many education policy ideas that are at the core of corporate reform–and how they have been proven wrong. At first glance, it is infuriation to realize that no part of the corporate reform agenda works. But on second thought, it is encouraging to realize that the policies the reformers are pushing ARE the STATUS QUO and IT IS FAILING. It is failing
Breaking News: Mayoral Candidate de Blasio Attacks Co-Location of Charters
New York City mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio attacked the Bloomberg administration’s policy of placing privately managed charter schools in public school buildings. Not only does this cause overcrowding and increased class size, but it creates a two-class system, with privileged charters sited alongside public school students who must make do with less access to their library, their playground,
What Is a “Failing School”?
NOTE: I cross-posted this piece on Huffington Post. Be sure to leave comments there too. Two years ago, Kevin Kosar, a former graduate student of mine, conducted an Internet search for the term “failing school.” What he discovered was fascinating. Until the 1990s, the term was virtually unknown. About the mid-1990s, the term began appearing with greater frequency. With the passage of No Child Left
Jon Pelto: Teaching Obedience Above All
In this post, Jonathan Pelto describes the rigid discipline at the Jumoke Academy in Connecticut. The astonishing thing about this school is who is not enrolled. First came the Jumoke Academy, a Hartford based, discipline oriented charter school that over its history failed to take a single bilingual or non-English speaking student since it opened, despite the fact that one in five Hartford studen
Special Education Teacher: As I Begin My Final Year of Teaching
Arthur Getzel has been a teacher of special education in New York City since 1978. On his blog, he describes his preparations as the school year begins. It is his last year. He goes shopping for supplies and spends $200 of his own money for necessities. He cleans the classroom to get it ready for his students. He knows everything is supposed to change this year because of Common Core. But, he wri
Common Core Tests in NY Widen Achievement Gaps
I first learned about the Common Core standards while attending a briefing for Congressional staff at a conference sponsored by the Aspen Institute in 2009. it was held at Wye Plantation, a lovely and isolated conference center in Maryland. Dane Linn of the National Governors Association described the development work. I was invited to talk about the history of standards in the U.S. In the discus
SEP 02
Miletta: Lessons from Harry Potter for Teachers
Alexandra Miletta is a teacher, like her mother, in New York. When I was in graduate school at Teachers College in the late 1960s, Maureen Miletta and I were in classes together. I am happy to see Alexandra carrying forward her mother’s legacy as a devoted educator. Alexandra thinks we can all find inspiration in this particular Harry Potter story. Thoughts on education from a teacher educator. D
More Secret Emails in Indiana about Privatization
From a reader who read the emails gathered by investigative reporter Tom Lobianco of the Associated Press, insights about the back room discussions to impose “reforms” without talking to legislators. She wrote: “Todd Huston, Tony Bennett’s Chief of Staff, Indiana Department of Education is clearly in collusion with a small circle of deformers to destroy public education in Indiana. Al Hubb
Geoffrey Canada, Will You Help the Children in Philadelphia?
This note came from a reader, who may know that Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone has $200 million in the bank and two billionaires on its board. The reader wonders if Canada might help restore the library in the school where she worked in Philadelphia, which is closed due to budget cuts: “Saw a group of charming students from Canada’s program at the 50th anniversary March on Wednesday. Sta
Pete Seeger: “Which Side Are You On?”
“Which Side Are You On?” is one of the most popular union songs. According to Alan Lomax, who collected folk songs for the Archive of American Folk Songs at the Library of Congress, this song was written by Florence Reece, the 12-year-old daughter of a miner who was on strike in Harlan County, Kentucky. Lomax wrote that she sang it to him in front of the family hearth of a log cabin in 1937. This
The Shredding of Job Security and the Status of American Workers
Economist Robert Samuelson describes the relationship between labor and business as three eras. He says that over the past century, there were three broad labor regimes. “The first, in the early 1900s, featured “unfettered labor markets,” as economic historian Price Fishback of the University of Arizona puts it. Competition set wages and working conditions. There was no federal unemployment insura
David Sirota: Why We Celebrate Labor Day
David Sirota calls us away from our picnics and barbecue to remember why Labor Day was created. He reminds us that there are corporations today that fight to keep unions out, to pay their workers the bare minimum, to deny sick days, and yet pay their CEOs in the millions. He writes: “Today, from Wal-Mart to Amazon to fast food chains, the largest and most famous American brands are often the most
Union Maid by Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was born in Okemah, Oklahoma. He left home as a teenager to hitchhike, ride freight trains, live in hobo camps, and follow migrant workers. He saw the effects of the Dust Bowl, followed the Okies to California. He died a lingering death of Huntington’s chorea, a hereditary degenerative disease. He wrote “Union Maid” in 1940, and it became one of his most popular songs (he
A Song for “Reformers”
Sheila Resseger, who taught deaf children for many years, wrote to say there will be a Labor Day rally today in Providence, Rhode Island. “In Honor of Labor Day, the Coalition to Defend Public Education (Providence), and the RI Badass Teachers are holding a rally in downtown Providence–Labor Day Rally for Justice in Public Education. We will have speakers from the community–teachers, retired teach
Joe Hill: The Preacher and the Slave
Joe Hill was known not only as a labor organizer but as a songwriter. This was his best known song, “The Preacher and the Slave.” There are different versions, but the music is set to “Sweet Bye and Bye.” The words are more or less like this (not exactly the same as what you heard if you clicked the YouTube link): Long-haired preachers come out every night, Try to tell you what’s wrong and what’s
Pete Seeger: I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night
Joseph Hillstrom (1879-1915) came to the United States from Sweden in 1902, drifted for a time, then joined the radical Industrial Workers of the World in 1910. The IWW was known as the “Wobblies.” They opposed the AFL, which refused to organize unskilled labor. Joe Hill was an organizer for the IWW. He was arrested in 1914 on murder charges and convicted on the basis of circumstantial evidence. A
Beth from Indiana: What Labor Day Means to Me
A reader posted this comment about Labor Day: “Because my father, a lineman at the local electric company, was able to collectively bargain a contract, my sister, brother & I were able to live a middle class existence. My dad was able to send three kids to public universities in Indiana without acquiring debt. Did we all work to make it happen? Absolutely! The State of Indiana also helped by s
Samuel Gompers: What Does the Working Man Want?
Samuel Gompers delivered this speech in 1890. Gompers was a cigar maker by trade; he became the head of the cigar makers’ union. He was leader of the American Federation of Labor from 1886 to 1924. It was an era of hostility to labor unions when employers sought court injunctions to break strikes and boycotts. Gompers sought to prove that trade unionists were not dangerous radicals; that they soug
Ralph Nader: Labor Day Is a Time to Organize
A good article by Ralph Nader today describing what has happened to working people in recent years. He writes: “Labor Day is the ideal time to highlight the hard-fought, historic victories already enjoyed by American workers, and push for long-overdue health and safety measures and increased economic benefits for those left behind by casino capitalism. After all, it was the labor movement in the e
Labor Day 2013
Today is Labor Day. Many states bar collective bargaining. Many have passed laws intended to extinguish or cripple labor unions. Today, union membership in the United States has fallen to the lowest point in 97 years, according to the New York Times. “The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the total number of union members fell by 400,000 last year, to 14.3 million, even though the nation’s overall e
SEP 01
Duncan Tightens Federal Grip on Nation’s Public Schools
Education Week reports that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has tightened the screws on states and districts that get a waiver from NCLB issued by him. They must comply with his interpretation of teacher quality and must reaffirm their commitment to Common Core (“college=and-career-readiness standards”), while upping the ante on accountability. Based on his experience in Chicago, Duncan seems c
E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Replies to Randall Hendee
In an earlier post, retired high school English teacher Randall Hendee expressed his opposition to the Core Knowledge curriculum, which contains specific knowledge that students are expected to learn. Here, E.D. Hirsch, Jr., the founder of the Core Knowledge curriculum, responds to Hendee. Full disclosure : I was a board member of Hirsch’s Core Knowledge Foundation for several years. He has been
A Music Teacher Remembers Her Kids
A reader writes: “I retired from teaching music K-5 two years ago. Still cannot read the children’s goodbye letters and artwork. When the children heard (from a snarky colleague) that I as leaving they cried and protested for 2 weeks. I remember a 3rd grade boy in his music class who spontaneously dropped to his knees and said, “You can’t leave! You are our only hope!” The person hired after me p
How to Get an Autographed Copy of “Reign of Error”
If you would like to get an autographed copy of “Reign of Error,” you can order it through the Network for Public Education. If you want it to be personalized, with a greeting to you, you can order that too. All proceeds benefit the Network for Public Education. I am contributing the books, so will make no profit fom this offer. The goal is to support NPE. See the offer here: Make a contribution
Secret Emails: Indiana Takeover Planned Behind Closed Doors
Tom Lobianco, the investigative journalist of the Associated Press who uncovered the Tony Bennett grade-fixing scandal, has opened up another treasure trove of emails in Indiana. What he learned was that the plan to introduce rightwing reforms was hatched in secret by GOP power brokers and did not include legislators or open hearings. He writes: “…emails and other documents obtained by The Asso
John Wilson: Who Is America’s Most Deceptive Governor?
John Wilson, formerly executive director of the NEA, now writes in “Education Week,” where he posed the question above. Which governor ran as a moderate, then revealed himself as an anti-government, anti-teacher, anti-public school extremist as soon as he was elected? Perhaps you think of Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Paul Page in Maine, John Kasich in Ohio? Or your own governor? No, says Wilson, t
Are You a Hero Superintendent?
Over the past several months, I have honored several superintendents who have stood up for their students, their staff, and their community schools. I have identified hero superintendents in Michigan, New York, Oklahoma, Illinois, and elsewhere. We need to find them and thank them. These are men and women who have upheld their ethical responsibility to their profession and to children. They have
Miami Herald: Cashing in on Charter Schools
Sit back in your favorite chair and set aside 15-20 minutes to read a stunning story about how the charter school idea has been captured by ambitious wheeler-dealers who are making millions off the taxpayers. This series in the Miami Herald is an outstanding example of investigative journalism. The articles were written two years ago by Kathleen McGrory and Scott Hiassen but they remain timely. Th
AUG 31
Prop 30 in California: Where Will the Money Go?
Voters approved Proposition 30 in California to raise taxes to fund schools. Where will the money go? This teacher thinks she knows: California districts will pay for the gigantic costs associated with Smarter Balanced CCSS testing using the Prop 30 money that the voting public intended should go to actual instruction. Teachers put in countless hours and much energy convincing the public to vote
Randall Hendee: Why I Disagree with E.D. Hirsch, Jr., about Common Core
Randall Hendee is a English teacher in Illinois. He wrote the following comments about E.D. Hirsch’s views about the Common Core. Hirsch is the founder of the Core Knowledge curriculum and author of several books on the importance of establishing a sequential, specific, knowledge-based curriculum. Hendee writes: “I hope everyone who reads Hirsch’s article on Common Core testing also reads his st
An Inside Joke for Readers of This Blog
This came from a reader: A talking pineapple standing on a ziggurat sees a half built plane flying through the air and losing altitude. The plane has three people, the smartest man in the world, a hippie, and a pilot, but only two parachutes. Who should go? Obviously the smartest man says he should. That leaves the pilot and the hippie and the pilot asks if they should flip a coin. The hippie sa
David Coleman, the Most Influential Man in U.S. Education?
Joy Resmovits has posted an admiring article about David Coleman, architect of the Common Core standards and now head of the College Board. It tells you much of what you need to know about the man whose ideas are reshaping what almost every public school students in the United States will know and be able to do. Note that Coleman tried to be a teacher, he says, but didn’t get hired. And now he wil
NC Teacher: Who Will Want to Teach?
A reader in North Carolina reflects on the Legislature’s many punishments imposed on teachers: “As a teacher in NC, I am disappointed yet not surprised by the recent cuts. Another year without a raise while our health insurance premiums continue to rise, the demand increases, leadership decreases, and class size balloons. The people who make the most money on the district and state level are so di
Is New York Paying Too Much for Education?
Governor Cuomo likes to complain that New York spends too much for education. That was one of his reasons for wanting a “death penalty” for schools with low test scores. Instead of doing anything to help them improve, like expanding Pre-K or reducing class sizes, he wants to “kill” those schools by eliminating democratic control of education–that is, by state takeover, mayoral control, or privatiz
A Brilliant Article by a Retired Superintendent: Please Read It and Help It Go Viral
If you read about education, you are sometimes tempted to think that all common sense has departed this nation, its leaders, and its mass media. They keep looking for quick fixes, miracles, turnarounds, and magical answers as “solutions” to education problems. Here is Ray Strabeck, a retired school superintendent in Mississippi, who reminds us that there are still people who know what they are tal
What in the World Were State Officials Thinking?
Howard Schwach taught for more than 25 years, developed test items for the state, and worked on curriculum development for special education students. He recently reviewed sample items from New York’s Common Core tests and professed astonishment. He wrote: From the first moment that I looked at some practice tests for the English Language Arts tests that were given recently, I knew that the ki
Ghost Schools in Ohio=$$$
Ohio is the for-profit Capitol of US education. Here is one of the profiteers’ secrets: They collect tax dollars for no-show students. This is from Bill Phillis of the Ohio coalition for education and adequacy. Ghost schools 8/30/13 About five years ago, Scripps Howard News Service published, Ghost Schools-A special investigative report by Scripps Howard News Service finds taxpayers paying mill
An Educator Awakens to the Grim Realities of Life
This teacher left a powerful comment about how he became educated about real life by teaching. The myths he had learned in his youth fell away when confronted by the children whose lives are burdened by poverty. Please tweet this comment. It should go viral. Add your voice. This reader said in a comment: “People harass me for talking about poverty all the time. I come from a middle class, white fa
Help the U.S. Department of Education Evaluate State Tests
The U.S. Department of Education on its official blog asked for help and advice in evaluating state testing systems aligned with the Common Core. Forget the fact that the U.S. Department of Education is barred by law from doing anything to control or direct curriculum and instruction. How about offering your help? Here is a suggestion posted as a comment: “First of all let’s address the standards
NC Teacher: Walk in Our Shoes
This teacher in North Carolina has an invitation for the legislators cutting the schools’ budget and the pundits who applaud them: Walk in our shoes. She writes: “I’d like to put out a call to every politician who had a hand in passing NC’s new budget. To every policy maker who thinks this is a good (or even just acceptable) idea. To every parent forsaking public education. To every taxpayer
