Schooling in the Ownership Society
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Schooling in the Ownership Society
Taking back Chicago
I'm looking forward to next Tuesday, October 15th when a coalition of union and community groups will come together to "Take Back Chicago." Several thousand people are expected to take part in this community meeting at the UIC Forum. Things will start with a 5 p.m. march and rally and continue on with a forum.With local elections on the horizon, the goal of TBC will be to forge a common
OCT 10
The message is on the meter
I'm starting to see these stickers on city parking meters around the city. They are to remind us of the need to tell our Aldermen to support the Privatization Transparency and Accountability Ordinance. Check it out on Twitter #PTAO. CLOSINGSChicago school closings have crippled parent participation in their children's education, writes Catalyst editor Lorraine Forte on Huffington. She says that pa
OCT 09
New report shows how school closings, charters lead to more racial segregation
Chicago school closings and the district’s expansion of “school choice” further aggravate the city’s problems with neighborhood and school racial segregation. This according to a new report from The Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance. According to the report:Catalyst Chicago, an independent education research group, found that 40% of closed CPS schools are now privately run. However, charters have
OCT 08
Using Burke's Law to rip-off city schools
While Rahm Emanuel continues to blame school budget cuts on retirees' pensions, his machine partner Eddie Burke is getting fat ripping off the schools by helping corporate pals avoid paying property taxes. In doing so, Burke has the full cooperation of Rahm and his City Hall legal department which rarely challenges tax appeals from Buke's clients.14th Ward Alderman Burke, the man we used to call &
OCT 07
Weekend Quotables
Matt Damon and Diane Ravitch speaking at my alma mater, Cal-State Northridge.Matt Damon“I’m very honored to have the opportunity to introduce Diane tonight. She’s somebody that I have admired for a very long time. She’s an amazing person. She’s America’s foremost historian in the areas of education policy, she’s a champion of public education, she’s a courageous speaker and she’s a truth-teller.”
OCT 04
Stern crawls out from under his rock to attack Ravitch
I haven't heard much from ’60s ultra-radical turned far-right think-tanker Sol Stern since 2008 when he tried to paint Barack Obama as a commie symp and make Bill Ayers the focus of the presidential election debate. He used to write me letters, trying to befriend me. He says he went to the same summer camp as me as a kid but I can't believe that Kinderland would ever turn out a creep like Stern. H
Schools are broke but Rahm rolling in election dough
While he was busy closing public schools, shuttering public health clinics, and reaming the teachers pension fun, Rahm still found time to raise another $1.1 million last month for his election war chest. He hopes to be able to exceed the $14 million he used to buy the election the last time around.You won't be surprised to learn that the mayor got a $10,000 gift from the group, Stand For Children
OCT 07
'Vulture-Fund Billionaire' Paul Singer, big charter backer
Mother Jones overturns a rock and shines a light on neo-con "vulture-fund billionaire" Paul Singer, who has become congressional Republicans' most powerful fundraiser. He's been described as a "fundraising terrorist" for his persistence in twisting arms, a skill that has helped drive a major strategic shift among Big Finance donors, who favored Obama in 2008 but now overwhelmin
OCT 06
Testing the real estate market
Current testing policies which rank schools on the basis of student test scores, contribute to a two-tier school system, including the racial re-segregation of schools, and a widening of the gap between rich a poor. All these factors come together in a real estate market where home buyers pay a premium to live near top-ranked schools. Chicago Tribune real estate writer Mary Ellen Podmolik writes:H
Power philanthropy undermines democracy
Joann Barkan has an excellent piece, "Plutocrats at Work: How Big Philanthropy Undermines Democracy", in the Fall Issue of Dissent.She Writes:Because they are mostly free to do what they want, mega-foundations threaten democratic governance and civil society (defined as the associational life of people outside the market and independent of the state). When a foundation project fails—when