Latest from Los Angeles: Deasy Will Stay
I feel as though I am reporting election returns. First, the candidate is up, then he is down, winning, then losing, then the absentee ballots came in….and….. The latest report from Los Angeles is that John Deasy has been offered a new contract that runs through mid-2016. This may be true. It also may be false. This is an unfolding drama worthy of Hollywood, but unworthy of the more than 600,000 c
Deasy Offers to Resign–At Full Salary–Maybe
After days of turmoil–will he or won’t he?–the Los Angeles Times reports that Deasy and the board are negotiating the terms of his resignation. Maybe. If it happens, it will be a very soft landing. Stay tuned.
Tisch Says Blooomberg School Support Networks Have Failed
Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, harshly criticized one of Mayor Bloomberg’s signature initiatives, the school support networks. “Me, if I were going to take over the school system, I would look heavily to change the networks,” Tisch said during a panel discussion hosted by the nonprofit group, PENCIL. “I think the networks have basically failed children who are [En
The Link for Melissa Harris-Perry Show Is Working!!
As many of you have noticed, the link for the Melissa Harris-Perry Show was down for the past three days. It was a technical glitch. It is working again! Here is the link. This segment was followed by a panel discussion and a third segment about poverty. I will post them again too.
Links Are Working on All Three Segments of Melissa Harris-Perry Show on Poverty and Privatization
Thanks to the hardworking technical team at MSNBC, and thanks to your alerts, MSNBC now has all three links working again on the great show with Melissa Harris-Perry. Don’t miss the good discussions with me, Pedro Noguera, and MSNBC’s Trymaine Lee.
Castle Bridge Parents Speak Out Against Standardized Testing
The parents of Castle Bridge Elementary School said no to state testing. They refused to allow their little children in grades K-2 to take a standardized test. The test was canceled. The parents drafted the following statement, which was sent to me by a parent leader, Dao Tran: Statement of Castle Bridge School Parents on New State-Mandated K–2 Testing October 28, 2013 When we first heard in Sep
New York Parent and Educator: Common Core Is Killing My Child’s Love of Learning
I have met the writer of this letter. I know he is real. He requested anonymity. In New York, it is not safe to question authority: “It is time for parents to speak out against the Common Core standards. They are destroying the love of learning in our children. My eight-year old son is in the third grade. He is a very strong student, particularly in Mathematics. Despite that strength, he recently
Virginia School Boards Pass Anti-Testing Resolutions
According to Valerie Strauss, about 30 of Virginia’s 130 local school boards have passed resolutions against excessive testing. The school boards say “there is “little research” that shows that students “will be better prepared to succeed in their careers and college” by taking the 34 standardized tests the state gives to each child between grades 3-11. The resolutions in Virginia — where there a
I Support Edward Johnson for Atlanta Board of Education
Following the allegations of widespread cheating, the AtlantaBoard of Education needs new members and independent thinking. The person who fits the bill is Edward Johnson. I have never met them but I have read many blogs in which he made sense. He understands that school closings are harmful to the community. He understands the necessity for collaboration, not competition. Here is a good descript
The Biggest Obstacle to Punitive “Reforms” Is…
Jonathan Lovell, who teaches writing at San Jose State, believes that it is time to stop the punitive reform train that seeks to crush public education and brand it a failure with phony metrics. The Krytonite of our cause: Passion and Practice. Lovell writes: Please bear with me for a moment as I place our five years of work in producing Passion and Practice within a larger picture. It’s one I
Parent: “These Reforms Are Not About Education”
This parent testified at the state’s public hearing in Portchester, Néw York. She concluded that John King must resign. Read her explanation: “Dear Diane, Last night I attended the Common Core Forum in Port Chester, NY. I was number 6 to speak.It was an incredible feeling to finally be able to look Commissioner King in the eye and say what I have been wanting to say to him for the past 6 months, a
NC: The Great Tablet Mess
A reader in North Carolina updates us on the great tablet fiasco, the recriminations, and the eternal question: who is making a lot of money? Hint: not the teachers. The reader writes: Add to this fiasco ANOTHER one from North Carolina. (Greensboro’s NEWS AND RECORD has created a page for the great Tablet Deal Gone Wrong): http://www.news-record.com/news/schools/collection_9555d386-2551-11e3-a120-
New York Principals: Why the Common Core Tests Failed Our Students and Your Children
This is a very important letter from the New York principals who have led the fight against high-stakes testing and the state’s invalid educator evaluation system. Here is an important excerpt. Read the letter in its entirety. Here’s what we know: 1) NYS Testing Has Increased Dramatically: We know that our students are spending more time taking State tests than ever before. Since 2010, the am
10-28-13 LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Jason Stanford Has News for Arne DuncanJason Stanford listened to Arne Duncan’s put down of the “armchair pundits” who oppose Duncan’s obviously brilliant plan to reform American education. How can we forget how Duncan saved the Chicago public schools? But I digress. Stanford, a veteran journalist in Austin, describes himself as an