Charter Schools Insist: We Are Private, Not Public
Last spring, the founders of a high-scoring charter school in California were convicted of misappropriating over $200,000 in public monies. According to the charges filed, the couple spent, for example, “more than $34,000 on meals, entertainment and gifts that they classified as business expenses or gestures of appreciation for teachers.” Also, “Some charges centered on the lease for the main camp
Jesse Hagopian Rocks Education Nation!
Jesse Hagopian was one of the leaders of the teacher boycott of MAP testing at Garfield High School in Seattle last spring. Watch him knock the socks off a question about testing at Education Nation. Well done, Jesse!
A Parent Writes New York Commissioner John King
This just arrived as a comment on the blog: Not only have I opted out my child, but I sent back her scores with the following letter to John King: October 1, 2013 Dr. John King Commissioner of Education 89 Washington Ave. Albany, NY 12234 Dear Dr. King, Enclosed please find my daughter’s recent ELA and Math NYS scores. I am returning them to you because they are invalid. The scores on these test
de Blasio Frightens NYC Charters
For the past dozen years, charter schools have been the golden children of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He gives them free space in public schools; he trumpets their superiority; he attends their functions; he constantly reminds the public that charters are far, far better than the public schools that he is directly in charge of. A paradox, is it not? In one night, the Robin Hood Foundation raises $80
Last Night, at CBE in Brooklyn….
CBE is Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn. I spoke to about 700 people who turned out for a book talk. The moderator was David Denby. David inspired me to write “Reign of Error” because he told me–while interviewing people for an article about me for The New Yorker–that my critics said I had no solutions. I said, “but you just heard me speak. You heard my solutions.” And he said, “write a book,”
Another Scary (and Wrong) Report about the Skills Gap
President Obama has often said that American workers are the most productive in the world. In his 2011 State of the Union address, he said: “Remember -– for all the hits we’ve taken these last few years, for all the naysayers predicting our decline, America still has the largest, most prosperous economy in the world. (Applause.) No workers — no workers are more productive than ours. No country
When Testing Becomes “Cruel and Unusual Punishment”
A principal in New York told me the following story. He is reliable. This is a true story. He wrote to tell me that the state is requiring a student with Down syndrome to take the state’s new Common Core test. It is an “alternative” test but just as “hard” as the regular test. She is almost certain to fail. Only 5% of students with disabilities passed the Common Core tests. Then he told me an ev
iPads in Lewisville, Texas, and LAUSD: How Did LAUSD Go Wrong?
This Los Angeles blogger contrasts the successful implementation of the 1:1 iPad policy in Lewisville, Texas, and the mess in Los Angeles. It seems that the educators in Lewisville thought through what they planned to do, how they planned to use the iPads, what might go wrong. And the educators in Los Angeles just bought them. Consider the differences when you look at the graph.
Mark Naison Reviews “Reign of Error” LINK added
Mark Naison is the tireless advocate who co-founded the BATs (otherwise known as the Bad Ass Teachers). Wherever I go, I find BATs. He has created a genuine force, an outlet for teachers who want to act and feel helpless. As BATs, they are ready to act and they do. Here he reviews Reign of Error. He says that if reformers were serious about choice, they would open more “portfolio” schools, that is
Mark Naison Reviews “Reign of Error”
Mark Naison is the tireless advocate who co-founded the BATs (otherwise known as the Bad Ass Teachers). Wherever I go, I find BATs. He has created a genuine force, an outlet for teachers who want to act and feel helpless. As BATs, they are ready to act and they do. Here he reviews Reign of Error. He says that if reformers were serious about choice, they would open more “portfolio” schools, that is
Mother: My Son Is Not a Test Score
I received an anguished letter from a mother of a child with autism. She here describes–very movingly–her efforts to help him and the efforts of his teachers to help him. And when she reaches the point where he is assessed by New York’s new Common Core tests, she is in a rage. The New York State Education Department says he is a failure. She knows he is not. She knows how hard he has worked to ach
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Geaux Teacher Reviews “Reign of Error”Lee Barrios in a national board certified teacher in Louisiana who blogs as Geaux Teacher. She writes an open letter to the state legislators, recommending the book as the necessary antidote to the fluff they are certain to hear from Bobby Jindal. She begins; “Dear Louisiana Senators/Representa