Diane Ravitch's blog
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG
DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
TODAY
Art Teacher: Just Say “No” to Teaching to the Test
A retired teacher is happy that parents are opting their children out of state testing She writes: “I am a former elementary art teacher and I am thrilled parents are taking matters into their own hands. The testing culture is madness. I had to sit in too many staff meetings, and watch as the administrators devote all professional development time to students passing the standardized tests. It did
Common Sense and Common Core: One of the Best Posts Ever
Red Queen in LA writes a snappy and irreverent blog. This post is her best ever, or at least the best I have read. In it, she decimates the decision by Los Angeles school officials to spend $500 million on iPads–using money from bonds that will be paid off in 25 years–and another $500 million to upgrade the schools for Internet connectivity, plus $38 million for keyboards, plus untold millions for
Amanda Ripley Vs. Joel Klein
In the article in Sunday’s New York Times magazine about the introduction of Joel Klein/Rupert Murdoch’s Amplify tablet, Klein asserts that those who oppose his views on technology are ideological, not evidence-based. Klein asserts that we can’t hope to compete with Korea and other nations with high test scores unless we put kids on his tablets. But here is a contrary view, forwarded to me by Will
Klein’s Amplify Tablets Crack the $17 Billion Market
The New York Times magazine has a long article by Carlo Rotella about the first trial of the Amplify tablet in the schools of Guilford County, North Carolina. Amplify is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and run by Joel Klein, the former chancellor of the NewYork City public schools. Klein is certain that public education in America is a disaster and the only things that can save it are
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Testing Errors Widespread
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter Heather Vogell conducted a two-year investigation of standardized testing and discovered many errors in them. Yet with all these errors, the test scores are being used and misused to make life-changing decisions about students, teachers, principals, and schools. Standardized tests are a weak reed on which to base a decision for firing staff and closing sch
Troubled Charter Chain Plans to Open Three Schools in North Carolina
A charter chain that has run into legal problems in Philadelphia and Chicago plans to open three schools in North Carolina. Lindsay Wagner of the NC Policy Watch writes in the “Progrssive Pulse”: “The NC Department of Public Instruction received 171 letters of intent last week from charter school operators keen on opening up new schools in time for fall of 2015 — the highest ever received since la
YESTERDAY
KrazyTA on Arne Duncan’s Rhetoric
Our frequent commenter KrazyTA was not pleased when Arne Duncan told California it could not stop state testing while introducing Common Core testing. This was his observation: This latest statement by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan needs to be viewed in context. If you read his speech to the April 2013 American Education Research Association he is: for standardized testing and against it; it
A Science Teacher Writes to President Obama: Stop!
This letter was posted as a comment: “I just sent the following post to the White House: Dear David Simas, I have supported President Obama and the Democratic Party for some time. However, I’m totally fed up and dismayed by Arne Duncan and the US Department of Education’s assault on Public Education in America. There are a lot of subjects I don’t have much in-depth knowledge about. However, I have
Reader: The New York Times Violated Its Own Guidelines
A reader posted this comment in response to the article in the New York Times that was a profile of me: I wrote to the Times public editor. The “portrait” twice quotes unnamed “critics”, a practice I believe is forbidden under NYT editorial rules. The language used is loaded. Her words on her blog are “barbed” and convey “righteous anger”. She displays a “quick temper” and “skewers” individuals.
Herb Bassett: Why Louisiana’s Teacher Evaluation Is Invalid
Herb Bassett is a teacher in Louisiana. He teaches music, but like Jersey Jazzman, has the ability to understand statistics and how they work in real classrooms. This is a letter that he wrote about Louisiana’s new teacher evaluation system, which is as incoherent as teacher evaluation systems in other states: State Superintendent John White showed his true colors when he recently praised four F
Susan Ohanian: 28 Questions About Common Core
Susan Ohanian addressed this letter to the top officials of the state of Vermont. She asks straightforward questions about the claims made for Common Core: what is the evidence? Who wrote them? Where is TE evidence that Vermont schools were doing a poor job? What will it cost to implement the Common Core? What makes the new assessments better than current ones? Bottom line: where is the evidence?
California Ignores Duncan Ultimatum
When California officials decided to skip its regular state tests while making the transition to the new Common Core tests, Secretary Arne Duncan warned them that he wouldn’t permit it. California’s leaders ignored Duncan’s warnings and threats. The state legislature passed the legislation to suspend the state tests. What a paradox! No one has pushed harder for states to adopt the Common Core (unt
Who ARE Those Guys? Do They Know Everything?
Butch Cassidy asked the Sundance Kid about their pursuers, “Who ARE those guys?” We could well ask the same about the posse now hoping to standardize the nation’s children and teachers. What qualifies Governor Cuomo, Chancellor King, and those others who are cheerleaders for the Common Core (e.g., Joel Klein, Jeb Bush, Michelle Rhee, Arne Duncan, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce) to know what children
Tennessee Superintendents Speak Out Against Kevin Huffman
Nearly half the superintendents in the state of Tennessee took the unusual step of signing a letter in opposition to State Commissioner Kevin Huffman. They were clearly frustrated by Huffman’s arrogant style of leadership. Huffman was chosen to be state commissioner even though he has only three years of experience as a teacher in Teach for America and no administrative experience. When he was hir
New Report: Race to the Top Is “Impossible” and “Damaging”
The Broader Bolder Approach released a 100-page report in conjunction with the American Association of School Administrators lambasting the Obama administration’s Race to the Top program. RTTT’s goals are “impossible” and may even be damaging schools, the report said. RTTT handed out $4.35 billion to 11 states to implement changes for which there was no evidence, like test-based teacher evaluation
SEP 12
My Next Talk in Néw York City
If you want to hear about my new book, I will be discussing it at the Century Foundation, 1 Whitehall Street, in Manhattan on Monday, September 23 at 6 pm. Admission is free but you must register. The moderator will be Greg Anrig, who writes thoughtfully about education issues. Some callers were told the event is sold out, but I understand that the foundation plans to add additional seating, so d
Tony Bennett Embroiled in Néw Scandal
The Associated Press reports that Indiana’s former superintendent Tony Bennett may have violated state law by using state offices and staff for political activities. “INDIANAPOLIS — Former Indiana schools chief Tony Bennett kept multiple campaign databases on Department of Education servers and ordered his staff to dissect a speech by his Democratic opponent for inaccuracies last fall in apparent
John Merrow: Why He Won’t Cover Rhee Anymore
John Merrow of PBS helped to make Michelle Rhee the national face of the privatization movement (often mistakenly called the “reform” movement). Merrow featured her on national television a dozen times, often adoringly. Like many others, he was impressed by her tough talk. But he came to realize that nothing she promised was happening. And he looked closer and found that the DC cheating scandal h
George Schmidt: How to Manufacture a Budget Crisis and Impose Harsh Remedies
George Schmidt, who taught for many years in the Chicago Public Schools but was fired by Paul Vallas for releasing test questions, edits Substance News. Here is his analysis of Chicago’s perennial budget crisis: Sorry this is very long, but I have a hunch that many people will want to know how the “austerity” lies that feed all those “necessary school closings” and teacher layoffs are created in t
What the New York Times Article Left Out
Yesterday, the New York Times published an article about my forthcoming book that turned out to be a profile of me. The reporter, Motoko Rich, did a good job of describing me, my dog Mitzi, and the basic facts of my unusual philosophical and political journey over the past few decades. The headline was wrong, however, and I know that reporters don’t write headlines. Whoever wrote it is out of touc
Can “Reform” Produce Illiterate Literacy?
In this letter, the executive director of the Tennessee Council of Teachers of English reflects on what literacy means in the age of “reform.” Is literacy the goal? Is literacy possible? Can we ignore “reform” and just talk about Frost and Whitman and literature? Or does “reform” require something else? The unspoken here, if I may interpret, is that the future of literacy is at stake; that “reform
Corporate Reform Has New Setbacks
A great article in Politico.com by Stephanie Simon acknowledges that the primary election in New York City was a rejection of Bloomberg’s education policies of the past decade. The rejection of corporate reform in New York City has national implications, as NYC was held up as one of the “stars” of the privatization movement. Similarly, the election of the insurgent slate in Bridgeport, Connecticut
How Many Teachers Leave the Profession and Why?
A regular reader has posted several comments that seem to imply that not enough teachers are being fired. Or that a system with a small number of teachers fired was not up to par, assuming that there are many “bad” teachers who have not been found out yet. This seems to be the assumption behind Race to the Top and the Gates’ approach to evaluation: stack ranking, from top to bottom. Fire the botto
Arthur Camins: What Matters Most?
Arthur Camins is director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. When Camins read Paul Thomas’s latest commentary about the lack of evidence behind reform strategies, he wrote the following: “Over the past several years I have read countless articles and books all saying basically the same thing: The foundati
Barbara Miner: The Voucher Boondoggle in Milwaukee
Barbara Miner is a veteran journalist and photographer who has been writing about education and Milwaukee for many years. Her most recent book tells the history of public education in Milwaukee: Lessons from the Heartland: A Turbulent Half-Century of Public Education in an Iconic American City. In this blog, she explains the history of vouchers in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is the poster district for vo
Is There a STEM Shortage?
We hear repeatedly about the shortage of qualified engineers and the need for more science, technology, and mathematics majors. I am all for that. I would also like to see more majors in the arts, philosophy, history, government, literature, and world languages. This reader–who signs as “Democracy”–offers thoughts about “the STEM crisis”–and examines the role of Lockheed Martin’s Norman Augustine,
SEP 11
Our Hero Charter Teacher Responds to Your Letters
I honored Chris Weaver, a charter school teacher in North Carolina who spoke out against the governor and legislature’s wanton attacks on public schools. He even rejected his local paper’s effort to honor him. Here he responds to those who wrote letters about his actions. Dear Diane & Readers, Terry Kalb, my NY friend who sent my newspaper letter to Diane, sent me the link, and it’s the first
Breaking News: EduShyster Unmasks Herself!
EduShyster is one of the most brilliant, clever, and downright funny bloggers in the pedagogic blogosphere. She is one of the very few bloggers who is consistently able to make me laugh out loud. For reasons she will explain here, she has decided to reveal her name. When I met her a year ago, she reminded me that we had first met in 2010, when I came to Boston to talk about my last book. She tol
Was Tony Bennett Exonerated?
Rick Hess believes that a report on the Tony Bennett grade-fixing scandal exonerated him. But Indiana parents and friends of public schools don’t agree. Here they explain that no one understood the school grading system and that Bennett was voted out of office because of his policies, not his style. Somehow I suspect we haven’t heard the end of this matter. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Was Tony Bennett Exonerated?
Rick Hess believes that a report on the Tony Bennett grade-fixing scandal exonerated him. But Indiana parents and friends of public schools don’t agree. Here they explain that no one understood the school grading system and that Bennett was voted out of office because of his policies, not his style. Somehow I suspect we haven’t heard the end of this matter. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Eduardo Andere: What Is Happening in Mexico
Eduardo Andere is an education researcher and lawyer in Mexico who has published widely about international trends in education. After reading articles about teachers demonstrating in the streets, I asked Andere if he would explain what is happening in Mexico. He sent the following post: What is real and what is rhetoric in the Mexico’s 2013 Education Reform? Eduardo Andere For you to get a cl
What Mario Savio Said 50 Years Ago
Funny, I kept thinking about this famous speech of student leader Mario Savio, who led the Berkeley student protests in the 1960s. And a reader read my mind after reading Liz Rosenberg’s post where she explained that she and her partner would not look at their child’s test scores. They don’t care. They don’t matter. They don’t care if their child has higher or lower scores than children of the sam
A Datapoint Writes a Letter to Arne Duncan
Almost a year ago, I posted a letter from a sixth-grade student in the DC public schools who wrote about herself as a data point. She identified herself as Noa Rosinplotz. The letter was so articulate that many readers were certain that it was not written by a child. In time, I received letters from well-known journalists, including her mother, attesting to the fact that Noa exists and that she re
James Milgram on the Common Core Math Standards
James Milgram is a professor emeritus of mathematics at Stanford University. He served on the validation committee for the Common Core mathematics. He did not agree to approve the standards. He sent me the following letter. He has spoken out against the standards in various states. See here and here. Dear Diane, In your own writings you mention that the biggest issue with Core Standards is th
Bridgeport: What Last Night’s Upset Victory Means
We turn to our favorite Connecticut blogger, Jonathan Pelto, for an analysis of the upset win of the insurgent slate in Bridgeport. Suffice it to say that the primary was a big loss for the corporate reformers who control the state. Step by step, the tide is turning. As the public understands what is happening, they join our struggle to save public education.
California Vs. Duncan on Testing
California officials want to end state testing as they prepare to phase in Common Core testing. They don’t want students subject to double testing. Now the state is locked in a showdown with Arne Duncan, who has warned the state that he might cut off federal aid if it stops state testing. Yesterday the state senate ignored Duncan’s threat and passed a bill to move forward with the plan to end curr
Parents: How to Advocate for Your Child
Nancy Carlsson-Paige, professor emerita of early childhood education at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, prepared this short guide for parents about child-rearing. It was written in collaboration with United Opt Out.
Why Corporate Reform Will Lose and Disappear
I know that it is hard to feel hopeful when the corporate reformers have so much money and are in control at the top of both parties. But never lose hope. The fact is that corporate reform policies have failed wherever they are applied. Here is something from Fred Smith, a testing expert who now advises the anti-testing group Change-the-Stakes: In the words of Langston Hughes: Hold fast to dr
SEP 10
Insurgent Slate Wins in Bridgeport by Large Margin
The candidates endorsed by the Network for Public Education and the Connecticut Post won a stunning upset victory over the Democratic machine candidates in Bridgeport, Connecticut. This is another loss for the corporate reformers who tried to abolish the elected board and give control to the mayor. “The challenger slate won by a two to one margin over the party’s endorsed slate, easily winning in
The Message of Bill de Blasio’s Victory in New York City
Bill de Blasio won an amazing victory in the New York City Democratic mayoral primary. Not long ago, he was in fourth place but last night he ran decisively ahead of former Comptroller Bill Thompson (the UFT’s candidate) and Christine Quinn (who was tarnished by her close association with Mayor Bloomberg). In exit polls, voters said their leading concerns were jobs and education. Of the three lea
Paul Thomas Offers Writing Lessons to Rick Hess
Paul Thomas has an incredibly wide-ranging intellect. In this article, he takes pundit-blogger Rick Hess to task for his sloppy effort to put down books he does not agree with, namely, my new book and those of David Cohen and Chris Lubienski and Sarah Lubienski. Hess has decided we are opposed to reform because we have actual evidence-based solutions, as opposed to his belief in the magic of the m
Peter Goodman: Will Cuomo’s “Death penalty for Schools” Derail His Ambitions?
Governor Andrew Cuomo has an unfortunate habit of spouting off about education, a subject where he is woefully uninformed. When New York won a Race to the Top grant, the original proposal called for a 20% cap on test scores as part of teachers’ evaluations. Cuomo insisted, after the deal was struck, that it had to be 40%. If he knew anything about research on teaching, he would have said 20% was t
Are TFA and TNTP Teachers Better than Traditional Teachers?
This question comes up again and again, and different studies reach different conclusions. Typically, TFA teachers get better than usual results in math, but not in reading, which is less susceptible to test prep and more influenced by home life. Mathematica Policy Research released a new study today, saying that TFA and TNTP teachers get better results in math than traditionally prepared teacher
A Hero Educator Who Teaches in a Charter School in North Carolina
A regular reader informed me about an amazing charter school teacher in North Carolina. Chris Weaver was selected as “The Best Teacher” by Mountain XPress, a local newspaper, and he rejected the honor. Read here to learn why he rejected it. He is committed to the common good, not to self-interest. He understands that educators must work together towards common goals, not compete. Congratulations,
Jersey Jazzman Has Read “Reign of Error”: His First Thoughts
I can’t wait to read Jersey Jazzman’s review of “Reign of Error.” Here is an excerpt from the book. It appears next week. Can’t wait!
Jon Pelto: the Power of a Student’s Voice
While the adults struggle over the future of education in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the students are tested and tested and their voices are seldom heard. This student’s voice will be heard, thanks to Jonathan Pelto. The student feels buried in a deep hole while adults keep shoveling dirt on him. Today is Election Day for the school board in Bridgeport. Time to elect those who extend a helping han
Liz Rosenberg: We Refuse The Test Scores
Liz Rosenberg, New York City public school parent, has a new idea about her daughter’s test scores: she ignores them. This is what she wrote: Refusing our Daughter’s Test Scores Earlier this month, New York state made headlines when it revealed how poorly schools and districts had fared on the state’s new Common Core-aligned standardized tests. Beginning August 26, families of the roughly 400,000
An Encouraging Word from Los Angeles
What do you think about Los Angeles spending $1 billion on iPads, money taken from school construction bonds approved by voters for……school construction. The iPads will be obsolete in 3-4 years. The bonds won’t be paid off for 25 years. Really disturbing, but here is a hopeful comment, suggesting that there is some oversight: “●●smf responds: I am a member of that selfsame bond oversight committee
What Are Class Sizes in LAUSD?
Are there large classes in Los Angeles Unified School District? Some commenters say yes, some say no. The average for the district does not answer the question, because students with special needs may be in a class of 5 or have a teacher assigned only to her because of the severity of her disability. The LAUSD board recently passed a resolution directing Superintendent John Deasy to reduce class
Bruce Baker: Hold Cuomo Accountable for School Failure
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called for the “death penalty” for failing schools recently, setting off a war of words between those who believe in closing struggling schools and those who want to kill them and fire the staff. Bruce Baker takes a different view. Here he demonstrates that Néw York has a funding system that is unfair to the schools with the neediest students. Instead of vilifying
What You Need to Know about Virtual Charter Schools
I often receive questions, on and off the blog, about virtual charter schools. This post will summarize the key things that you need to know to be an informed consumer. Begin with the politics and money promoting virtual charter schools. Colin Woodard won the prestigious George Polk award last year for this expose of the effort to bring virtual charter schools to Maine. It is a stunning piece of i
The Original Purpose of Teacher Evaluation Was….
Dr. Stephen Mucher is an assistant professor of history and education at Bard College. In this public radio interview, he explains the original (and still valid!) purpose of teacher evaluation. Professors visited classrooms not to grade teachers, but to learn about instruction and how to improve it. It was a mutual endeavor, intended to help, not to destroy and punish and fire. History has much t
SEP 09
The Opt-Out Movement Is Gaining Traction
One of the most effective ways to throw a monkey wrench into harmful mandates is to resist. Say no. Refuse to participate. When they tell you to walk the plank into a sea of sharks, don’t do it. In the case of high-stakes testing, a growing number of parents are keeping their children home on testing day. If enough parents opt out, the numbers for the school and for the district become invalid. Th
Teacher in Connecticut: Why Not Do What Works?
This comment was posted in response to Richard Rothstein’s critique of Arne Duncan’s laissez faire approach to integration: As a teacher in an extremely poverty-ridden neighborhood school in an urban district in CT and a parent who sent my children to an integrated school in Evanston, IL, (where white children were from generally affluent families and black/Hispanic children were from generally po
Wendy Lecker: Our Orwellian Education Policy, part 2
Wendy Lecker extends her analysis of reformer actions and policies and how they purposely do the opposite of what they say. In part 1, she quoted Orwell’s definition of doublethink: “To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed,
Chicago Bombshell! TFA Plans to Staff 52 New Charters as 50 Public Schools Die
Edushyster obtained internal planning documents from Teach for America in Chicago. The document displayed on her website shows plans for 52 new privately-managed charters that will open over the next five years. These charters will be staffed largely by TFA’s young recruits, with five weeks of training. Just weeks ago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed 50 public schools, claiming they were “underutilized.
Jack Schneider: What Do Students Remember about Their Favorite Teacher?
This is an excellent article by historian and former high school teacher Jack Schneider. He writes about the students who remember him fondly many years after graduation. What do students remember? Here is a sample: My best teachers taught me how to read, write, and cipher. But they also treated me with kindness and humanity. They made me feel like I was welcome in their classrooms. They instil
New York Principal: “I Am a Nine”
This principal works hard to support his staff and inspire them. This principal protects the children in his school. This principal learned that the State rated him as a 9. Nine out of twenty. That meant that no matter how many more points (out of 80) he might accumulate, he could never be rated “Highly Effective.” So, in the spirit of evaluation madness, he decided to offer nine suggestions for S
NYC Teacher: How to Improve the Public Schools
This teacher began her second career during the Bloomberg era. She writes: “I started working as a teacher for the NYCDOE during the Bloomberg regime (“second” career). It is, unfortunately, the ONLY regime that I worked as a teacher in. Previously, I had worked in the corporate world. “From the beginning, it was obvious to me what Bloomberg was trying to do. I had seen it in the business world.
“Connecticut Post” Endorses Pro-Public Education Slate in Bridgeport
Bridgeport’s only newspaper, the “Connecticut Post,” endorsed the same three candidates as the Network for Public Education. The newspaper wants to see an end to the rancor and it wants the board members to be independent. Their goal, like that of NPE, is to elect a board that cares about the students, their community, and their public schools, and is not subject to dictation by politicians and ou
NPE Endorses Pro-Public Education Candidates
The Network for Public Education has endosed candidates in several crucial local school board elections. NPE has a process that involves surveys of all candidates in each contest. We give our endorsement to those who support their community public schools and oppose privatization and the pernicious misuse of high-stakes testing. We don’t have money, but we count on the help of all those who care a
Love Letter to a Teacher
Kimberly Blanton sent this to me. She wrote: “I am a former Boston Globe/ Economist reporter who now writes a blog at a Boston College think tank. I recently met and fell in love with a teacher. I am so amazed at how hard he works for his students, and I am even more puzzled by why teachers have become so vilified.” Now, if only all the editorial writers and pundits had a real teacher in their liv
This Is Why We Will Win: We Have the Best Humorists
We will win for many reasons: First, because everything the “reformers” have tried is failing, and they keep doing it again and again, and failing again and again. Second, because the public really likes their local public schools and hates all that excessive standardized testing (see the latest PDK/Gallup Poll). And third, we have the best humorists. We already have Edushyster and StudentsLast. N
Who Is Killing Democracy in Education?
Paul Horton, who teaches history at the University of Chicago Lab School, wrote the following essay for this blog: “Democracy and Education: Waiting for Gatopia? “John Dewey arrived at the University of Chicago in the middle of the Pullman strike. He wrote his wife, still in Ann Arbor, that he had met a young man on the train who supported the strike very passionately: “I only talked with him for
Student Who Spoke Up at Michelle Rhee’s Teacher Town Hall Tells Her Story
Hannah Nguyen reports what happened at the “teacher town hall” in Los Angeles that featured Michelle Rhee, George Parker, and Steve Perry. The event was tightly controlled and scripted, and most of the discussion among the panel consisted of complaints about unions. Yet this student managed to be heard. There is a link to the video embedded in her story. What a brave and articulate young woman!
SEP 08
Gary Babad: Obama Threatens to Use Educational Weapons of Mass Destruction in Syria
Gary Babad is a New York City parent who enjoys fame for his parodies, which he posts from time to time on the NYC Parent blog. He has created his own news service (GBN), which gets scoops from improbable and often non-existent sources. This is one of his best. According to informed sources, President Obama will turn the Syrian situation over to the Department of Education if he doesn’t get cleara
Advice from a Money Manager
This comment was just posted in response to an earlier piece today: I’m also a money manager and have noticed the same phenomena remarked upon by your correspondent. It is certainly true that moneyed oligarchs, their children, or their friends never have to suffer the consequences of the education mayhem they are unleashing. They are chefs that do not eat the cooking. They know the answers and a
What Direction for NYC’s Public Schools?
The New York Times published an online debate about what is needed next in NYC. Pedro Noguera, Geoffrey Canada, So Stern and I weigh in. Who is defending the status quo? You decide.
Teacher: a Letter to My Union Leader
Randi, Dennis, I have a B.S. in Biology from UCLA and have a M.S. from Texas A&M University. I decided to go into public school teaching to share my love of science with children . However, ever since I entered the public schhols in NYS, I have been placed in the most economically challenged school districts (South Bronx and now Newburgh NY). My evaluations based upon observations have been, s
NC Teacher: Time to Stop Blaming W for the Impossible Mandates and Wishful Thinking
A teacher in North Carolina left this comment: NC has requested a waiver that even though we are now on the new evaluation system (which, interestingly, is continuously being reworked (Home Base) because Pearson is still getting kinks out—-possibly another one of those airplanes being built in the air)—anyway, the waiver would allow that even though the online evaluator system (which I assume fact
My Opinion: Time to End the Status Quo in NYC
I was invited to write about the changes that the next mayor of New York City should. Make in the education system. This is what I wrote. I begin thus: “My grandson starts second grade in a Brooklyn public school, so I hope to see real change in the city school system, not just for his sake but for the benefit of all the 1.1 million students. “By real change, I mean a new vision for education.
South Bronx Charter School Accused of Firing Whistleblower
John Marzulli of the New York Daily News reports that the ex-project manager of the South Bronx Classical Charter School is suing the school for $1 million for firing her for reporting financial and academic wrong-doing. She allegedly told supervisors that the school was billing the city for special education students who were not enrolled and that some exams were plagiarized. She also complained
Los Angeles Teacher: We Don’t Need iPads, We Need Help
A letter from a teacher in Los Angeles about the decision to spend $1 billion to buy iPads. “How could the bond oversight committee actually approve this deal when we (a specific school in LAUSD) still have classrooms with chalkboards, desks from the 1950s, an internet infrastructure that constantly lets us down – we can NEVER play video because there is never enough bandwidth, a library with a bo
The Two Nations That Learned From Us
Two nations were influenced by our thinkers and example: Finland and Chile. Finland learned its lessons from John Dewey. Its schools are child-centered. It prizes the arts and physical education. It has no standardized testing. Its schools are noted for both excellence and equity. It is a top performer on international tests. Chile learned its lessons from Milton Friedman. It has vouchers and test
How Bill de Blasio Could Become a National Leader
In this article published at The Daily Kos, the writer describes Bill de Blasio’s forceful demand for a moratorium on new charter “co-locations.” As the author explains, “co-location” is a euphemism for a hostile appropriation of public space, which is given rent-free to private charter operators, some of which have billionaires on their board. When a charter school is “co-located” with a public s
Welcome to Charterland: The Game
The National Opportunity to Learn campaign has created a game called Charterland, based on the popular children’s game Candyland. Test your skills. Would you make it to the finish lime?
Everything You Wanted to Know about Teacher Evaluation But Were Afraid to Ask
This is a terrific new book with essays showing what a farce the current test-based evaluation of teachers is. It includes the work of several distinguished scholars who understand that it is farcical to judge teacher “quality” by using the scores on standardized tests. I was happy to write the introduction. Read the description and you will want to read the book. One major finding: No state is us
Yevonne Brannon: A Hero of Public Education in North Carolina
North Carolina is one of several national hotspots for the “reform” movement’s campaign to privatize public education. With extremists in control of the Legislature and the Governorship, public education is under siege. The governor has cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the public schools, while claiming that his cuts were actually increases. Acting with the Legislature, the governor has e
The Secret Thoughts of a Florida Teacher: “Get Out of My Room and Leave Me Alone!”
This comment came from an elementary teacher in Florida–who is a National Board Certified Teacher– whose school got an F on the state’s useless and invalid grading system: I have no doubt that the whole point of what the conservative Republican NC legislature has done and what the “reformers” nationwide are doing is make sure that as many of us as possible leave the profession so that the NEA and
South Carolina Teacher: What Keeps Me in the Classroom
Kay McSpadden is a high school teacher in York, South Carolina, and also a columnist for the Charlotte Observer. In this post, she writes about the students she has taught, the difficult lives they lead, the courage they display. Even as the kids are grappling with hard lives, the legislators in North and South Carolina are wreaking destruction on one of the few stable institutions in the children
Insider at Bloomberg DOE Spills the Beans About Failed Policies
Mayor Michael Bloomberg will leave office on January 1 after 12 years as mayor of the nation’s biggest city. His legacy will not be the transformation of the school system. If anything, he blew up the system, eliminated supervisors, closed schools, opened new schools, cheered the growth of the charter sector (which ironically is out of his control), opened hundreds of new schools, and used test sc
SEP 07
Bill de Blasio Is NOT Running a Racist Campaign
In an interview with New York magazine, outgoing Mayor Michael Bloomberg accused frontunner Bill de Blasio of running a “racist” campaign. He graciously conceded that de Blasio is not a “racist” personally, just that his campaign is racist. He accused de Blasio of appealing to the black vote by showing off his biracial family. The website Buzzfeed was quick to point out that Bloomberg knew how to
Michelle Rhee’s Teacher Town Hall: A Student Stands Up and Disagrees
Michelle Rhee has started her three-city “teacher town hall” meetings, where she will meet with teachers. She is accompanied by George Parker, former head of the Washington, D.C., teachers union, who now works for Rhee’s StudentsFirst, and by Steve Perry, the former education commentator at CNN who runs a no-excuses magnet school in Connecticut. She held her first town hall in Los Angeles. Apparen
Why Are Hedge Fund Managers So Interested in School Reform?
A few years ago, as the charter movement began to grow and get stronger, it became clear that it had attracted the enthusiastic support of a large number of super-wealthy hedge-fund managers. The New York Times noticed this in 2009 and 2010 and published two different prominent articles ( see here and here )about how charters had become the hottest charity in the hedge fund world. One of these art
Cody to Van Roekel: Standardization=One Size Fits All
Anthony Cody chastises Dennis Van Roekel, president of the NEA, for his enthusiasm for the Common Core standards. Cody warns that standardization does not enhance teacher autonomy. One size fits all is not a recipe for professionalism. He writes: Mr. Van Roekel seems to want us to inhabit some alternative universe where teachers can teach according broad guidelines, and high stakes tests are on h
Principal in Louisiana: They Force Us to Help Them Destroy Public Education
Bridget, a frequent commenter, added this thoughtful note. She reminded me of how often I have wondered whether President Obama or Secretary Duncan care about public schools and whether they are determined to standardize children and call it “reform”: Part of this problem, as I have stated before, is that we as educators are being forced by legislators to participate in this demise of public edu
Robert Shepherd: How Corporate Monopolies Control What Students Learn
Robert Shepherd posted this explanation of how the publishing industry has changed and how a small number of corporate giants control what students learn: I think it important to distinguish between entrepreneurs attempting to bring new products to market that will succeed or fail in the market based on the merits of those products and monopolistic corporate giants attempting to rig the market fo
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