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Melissa Harris Perry: Fabulous
Friends, I was interviewed this morning on MSNBC by Melissa Harris Perry and was incredibly impressed by her. Unlike most TV journalists, she had actually read the book. She asked smart questions. She really gets it. This was the best conversation I have yet participated in on national TV, including the panel that followed. No “Gotcha” questions, just a thoughtful effort to assess some important
The Common Core in Florida: A Mixed Assessment
This is an interesting and even-handed report by Sarah Carr on the implementation of Common Core in the Florida schools. Clearly, the new standards will be easier for affluent students and harder for disadvantaged students. There is no indication that they will close the achievement gap. Maybe the bright students will arrive in college even better prepared for their English classes. Who knows what
A New Business Opportunity for Entrepreneurs
A reader spots a niche business: “How about the idea of online early childhood? Learning to play with virtual toys with virtual friends?” 40.693563 -73.991757
Teachers: How to Get a Seat at the Table
Paul Thomas has the advantage of nearly two decades as a high school teacher and now a teacher educator at Furman Uniiversity, one of only four teacher education programs given. High rating by the non -professional National Council on Teacher Quality. Thomas has already called for a moratorium on privileged white men pontificating about race, class, and gender. He previously made this recommenda
Pleasantville Schools Withdraw from Race to Top to Protect Student Privacy
The superintendent of schools in Pleasantville, New York, announced that the district was returning its Race to the Top funding and withdrawing from Race to the Top. The reason: the district wants to protect the privacy of its students. New York is one of the few states that has agreed to turn over all student data to inBloom, the Gates-funded data mining operation whose software was developed by
Albert Shanker on Charters: 1988
In the hagiography of the charter school movement, we often hear that Albert Shanker was one of the original proponents of the idea. Shanker was president of the American Federation of Teachers, and his imprimatur is supposed to persuade people that charters have a progressive patina. This is ironic, because 90% of the nation’s 6,000 charters are non-union and oppose collective bargaining. Some ch
Bill Gates Explains Why His High School Experience Was So Great
All students should have the high school experience that Bill Gates had. A wonderful campus with a rich curriculum, experienced teachers (79% with advanced degrees), small classes, excellent arts programs, great sports activities, up-to-date science laboratories. Everything that makes for success. So why does he say that, for other people’s children, class size doesn’t matter? Why does he suppo
Third Grader Prepares for the Global Economy
A mother sent this comment: “Here is a problem my third-grader brought home (I had to read it 3 times, and it took ME forever to work this–forget an 8 year old): “Easton has been raising vegetables in his garden all summer. He plans to sell some of his vegetables at a local farmer’s market. “He has selected 24 radishes, 30 onions, 16 heads of lettuce and 25 tomatoes to sell. He wants to display t
YESTERDAY
An L.A. Teacher on Deasy’s Enactment of Hamlet: To Be or Not to Be
A teacher in Los Angeles who calls himself Geronimo left the following comment on hearing that Superintendent Deasy planned to resign, then declared that he was only thinking about resigning and might not resign after all: “If the saga of LAUSD wasn’t soap opera-y enough, the Number One Diva of LA–no, not Kim Kardashian, but Superintendent John Deasy–is forcing the entire city this weekend to witn
NY Principal: These “Reforms” Destroy Love of Learning
Tim Farley is a principal. His wife Jessica is a veteran teacher. They are also parents. In the letter here that Tim wrote, he speaks as an educator and a parent of the damage done by today’s ill-conceived policy changes, mistakenly called “reform.” Tim Farley writes: My wife and I are the proud parents of four school aged children. They are in grades K, 3, 5, and 7. I happen to be a building Pr
Bombshell: Eli Broad Secretly Funded Anti-Public School, Anti-Union Initiatives
A state investigation revealed the identities of donors to a secret fund to oppose an initiative that would increase funding to public schools and to support an initiative to weaken the unions’ political influence. Among the donors to the $11 million secret fund was billionaire Eli Broad. He publicly supported Governor Jerry Brown’s measure to raise taxes to help the state’s struggling public sch
John Thompson Picks Apart Petrilli’s Attack on “Reign of Error”
John Thompson, historian and teacher, devoted several articles to reviewing “Reign of Error” with care. Then he read Mike Petrilli’s critique, in which he accuses me of being “a double agent,” having learned the secrets of the rightwing, and turning their research against them. Thompson did what a good historian typically does: He followed the evidence. “Another way of putting Petrilli’s criticism
My Life as a Double Agent
Fred Klonsky has an excellent summary and hilarious critique of Mike Petrilli’s review of “Reign of Error.” Mike suggests that I was “a double agent,” hiding in plain sight in rightwing think tanks for thirty years, so I could one day exposé them. This is funny. Checker Finn and I founded the Educational Excellence Network in 1981. We published screeds about declining standards for years. Note:
Students Leaving New Charter School in Florida in “Droves”
University Preparatory Academy in Pinellas County claimed it would outperform all the local public schools. But 69 students have left the school in the early weeks of school, complaining of bullying and other problems. They are returning to their local public schools. The Tampa Bay Times writes: Children are leaving University Preparatory Academy, the charter school that promised to do better than
Paul Karrer Writes an Open Letter to Hillary, Apologizing
Paul Karrer teaches fifth-grade students in an impoverished community in California. Here, he apologizes to Hillary because he voted for Obama in 2008. He realizes now that he made a terrible mistake. His students gained nothing from NCLB or Race to the Top. He wishes the president would understand the stress in his students’ lives. Testing is not helping them. It diminishes their lives. He write
Deasy Resignation Not So Certain After All
Although the Internet and my email box was ablaze within announcements that Los Angeles Superintendent John Deasy had announced his resignation, and that it was reported by the Los Angeles Times, the resignation was less certain and more conditional by this morning. Did he resign or just threaten to resign or just suggest that he might resign? Or was it part of a negotiation? Stay tuned.
I Repeat: Vermont Is the Best Education State in the Nation
Yesterday, it was my pleasure to visit Vermont and New Hampshire, and to experience that wonderful bracing feeling of New England in the fall. It brought back long ago memories, when I was a naive young Texan, freshly arrived from the Houston public schools, and got my first sight of giant trees turning gorgeous shades of red, yellow, and orange, and breathed in the cool, crisp smell of fall. My
“Smaller Is Better” When You Exclude OTC Kids
A new study hails the success of Mayor Bloomberg’s small schools initiative. The mayor closed hundreds of schools and opened hundreds of schools. This study follows soon after the release of a study by the Annenberg Institute of School Reform showing the Bloomberg small schools excluded large numbers of the “over the counter” students, the late arrivals who often have the highest needs, such as n
Advice to the Opt Out Movement
A reader with knowledge of testing says: “If the opt-out movement wants to stop the testing they should focus on getting people to boycott the field tests. If the field tests don’t get enough student responses then there will be no questions for the operational tests.”
OCT 24
Breaking News: John Deasy Resigns
John Deasy, superintendent of schools in Los Angeles, announced he was resigning as of February.
John Owens Reviews “Reign of Error”
—- I’ve posted my review for Anton Community Newspapers, a chain of 18 weeklies covering New York’s Nassau County and the Gold Coast of Long Island. http://www.antonnews.com/features.html Stop The Educational Insanity Diane Ravitch’s new book combines heart with the ultimate fact-check If you want to do one thing this year for our children, our nation and our future, buy a copy of Diane Ravitch’s
Schneider Reviews Rhee’s Tax Forms
Mercedes Schneider here analyzes the tax returns submitted by Michelle Rhee for her two organizations. One engages in political activities, and the other is an advocacy group. Rhee gives generous contributions to those who seek the privatization of public education. Schneider notes the close connection between Rhee and the creators of Common Core. She concludes her review with these thoughts:
“Brave New World” in the Bronx
This teacher read about the student in Philadelphia who died of an asthma attack; there was no school nurse because of Governor Tom Corbett’s massive budget cuts. “I currently teach middle school in the South Bronx. These children raised in and in the shadows of dystopian housing projects and buffered by the emotional and societal detritus of poverty have seen the organizing and “purifying” fires
Angela Engel: Support Your Child by Opting Out of State Tests
What we have learned after thirty years or more of standardized testing, is that the tests mirror family income education: they measure gaps but do nothing to close them; our kids spend (waste) too much time preparing to take the tests; the test results are massively misused for rewards and punishments instead of for diagnostic purposes; the testing industry is rich and powerful and hires lobbyist
Sandra Korn, Harvard ’14, Says No to TFA
Sandra Korn, class of 2014 at Harvard, was invited to join TFA. She said no. She explains why here. “For one, I am far from ready to enter a classroom on my own. Indeed, in my experience Harvard students have increasingly acknowledged that TFA drastically underprepares its recruits for the reality of teaching. But more importantly, TFA is not only sending young, idealistic, and inexperienced coll
As Poverty Grows, the Claims of “School Reform” Fade
Remember all the times that “reformers” like Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, Wendy Kopp, and Joel Klein have said that the answer to poverty is to “fix” schools first? Remember their claims that school reform (more testing, more charters, more inexperienced teachers, larger classes, more technology) would vanquish poverty? For the past decade, our society has followed their advice, pouring billions into
Linda Darling-Hammond on the Common Core Standards
Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University is a highly respected figure in American education. She was Barack Obama’s spokesperson during the 2008 campaign, and many educators expected and hoped that she would be selected as Secretary of Education. How different the scene would be if that had happened! I have been trying to persuade Linda to learn how to tweet (I say, there is nothing to it, if
America’s Political Powerhouse: Teach for America
Jersey Jazzman has been following the money. He made an amazing discovery. The four candidates for the Atlanta school board who are alumni of Teach for America are collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in out of state contributions. Although maybe this massive outpouring of money to fund these candidates is not quite so amazing because we see the same thing happening in school board races ac
The Lessons of L.A.’s iPad Fiasco: Is Anyone Listening? Does Anyone Care?
So Los Angeles spent $1 billion on iPads, promising grand outcomes, closing the digital divide between rich and poor, the “civil rights issue of our time,” yada, yada, yada. But as this blogger points out, this move was made without the most elementary planning or forethought. Should anyone have been consulted before spending 25-year school construction bond money on iPads? Will voters ever agai
What Do International Test Score Comparisons Mean?
Uh-oh! Another study has appeared warning that we are falling behind other nations on international standardized tests. The National Assessment Governing Board released the results of a study comparing the performance of U.S. states to nations that participated in the 2011 TIMSS. Students in most US states were above the international average but the nations known for their test-taking culture d
OCT 23
Explanation of Strange “Password Protected” Post
A few minutes ago, you received a post from me with no content. It said it was “password protected.” I was puzzled and wondered if someone had hacked into my blog. But then I remembered that I had asked a friend to post a blog for me that contains a lot of graphs. I don’t know how to import graphics (sorry). I asked him to date it November 1, leaving me time to write the introduction and review
Aaron Barlow on “Reign of Error” and Higher Education
Aaron Barlow considers the implications of Reign of Error for higher education. After a full decade of the testing mania of No Child Left Behind, professors are seeing students less well prepared for college courses that in the recent past. After a decade of guessing the right answer to every question, it is not surprising that students are ill-prepared to think about complex issues with more than
A Test Writer Comments on New York’s Common Core Tests
This comment was posted yesterday: I am a former, part time item writer for a private testing company; I wrote for many different state standards under NCLB. I must say that poorly constructed, confusing, or developmentally inappropriate items undermine the validity of standardized scores and subsequent use in teacher evaluation. When standardized tests are properly constructed, such items which m
#2 at U.S. Department of Education Loves”No-Excuses” Charter Schools, Not Public Schools
A reader has done research on the new Undersecretary of Education. The “no-excuses” charters are known for their emphasis on strict discipline, conformity, and obedience to all rules. They typically have high rates of suspension and attrition. http://www.forbes.com/sites/nicoleperlroth/2011/09/19/newschools-ceo-ted-mitchell-my-best-idea-for-k-12-education/2/ Public school parents should know who A
A Certified Teacher-Librarian Expresses Sympathy for Dr. John King
Melissa Heckler, a certified teacher and librarian, wrote the following letter to the New York State Board of Regents. She feels sorry for Dr. King. She wonders why the Regents selected as state commissioner someone with so little experience as a teacher or administrator. She doesn’t blame him for his present predicament. She blames the Regents, who selected someone so young and so inexperienced,
Jeff Bryant on “The Empty Harvest” of School Reform
Jeff Bryant of the Education Opportunity Network surveys the wreckage of “test-and-punish” methods of reform. Such methods lead not to “reform,” but to bullied teachers, who are demoralized by their situation. Some leave, some hang on, but the results have been unimpressive. Bryant sees a slow-motion collapse of the coercive “reform” movement, as its bold promises turn out to be empty. The reforme
NC Leaders Abandon Any Pretense of Common Sense
Legislators in the far-right legislature of the once forward-looking state of North Carolina waste no opportunity to demoralize teachers with their wacky punitive policies. They just don’t like teachers. They seem certain that only 25% of the state’s teachers are worthy, even though 96% were rated effective by the state evaluation system. So the teacher-bashers in the legislature will make sure t
Teacher: Why I am Leaving Teaching
I recall many discussions in the rightwing think tanks to which I once belonged about how the schools and the teaching profession would be elevated if we could only judge teachers by the performance of their students and fire the lowest performing teachers every year. I recall asking, “where will the new teachers come from?” My colleagues said there would never be a shortage because there are so m
Minnesota Teacher of the Year: We Are Democracy’s Defense Against Tyranny of the 1%!
Conservative bloggers and pundits are raging against Minnesota’s Teacher of the Year. Science teacher Megan Hall made an audacious statement. As we all surely know by now, only conservative bloggers and pundits are allowed to make audacious statements. Hall told the annual gathering of Minnesota teachers: “There is one other thing that I think about when I think about generosity. I think about
New York Regent Kathleen Cashin Releases Statement About Testing Fiasco
I received a copy of this statement by Regent Cashin, which was released to the media this morning. Unlike most members of New York’s Board of Regents, Dr. Cashin is an experienced educator, who was a teacher, principal, and supervisor over a long career: Dr. Cashin wrote: “Statement by Regent Cashin Monday, October 21, 2013 “I did not want this moment to pass us by without referring to what has
Cost of L.A. iPads Continues to Rise
School officials in Los Angeles are still trying to figure out the actual cost of the iPads for all students. The price goes higher unless the district buys 600,000 devices. The cost of keyboards was not favored in. Another problem arose in hearings on discovery that the Pearson content loaded into the iPads is licensed for only three years. Will it disappear or will upgrades cost more? District
Why Are Students and Parents Driven Mad by Data?
New York principal Carol Burris here explains that Commissioner John King is obsessed by test scores and that he has no clue about the meaning or purpose of education. Districts across the state are expected to purchase a book that will indoctrinate them into King’s particular obsession. He truly can’t understand why parents and educators do not share his love of test scores. Of course, he draws t
The Testing Madness in Rhode Island
Carole Marshall is a retired teacher in Rhode Island who explains how State Commissioner Deborah Gist’s insistence on standardized testing has discouraged educators and students across the state. The most pernicious effect of this policy, Marshall shows, has hurt poor and minority youngsters the most. In an article in the Providence Journal, Marshall writes: The Oct. 15 Commentary piece (“R.I.’s d
An Answer to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Part 2
The reader who calls himself or herself “democracy” has written a two-part response to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which continues to market the tired cliche–how 30 years old–that our schools are failing and our nation is at risk. The critics like to cherry-pick international test data to buttress their call for “reform.” I suppose if –– like the Roundtable and the Chamber – you’re willing gam
An Answer to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Part 1
A regular reader who signs his (or her) posts “democracy” has a two-part response to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which dumbly continues to repeat the discredited claim about the crisis in American education, a crisis they have helped to perpetrate by crying wolf for thirty years. Here is Part 1: Education in a democratic republic has a special place and purpose. At least it’s supposed to, an
Authors Tell President Obama: Too Much Standardized Testing Kills Imagination
FAIRtest released the following statement, endorsed by some of the nation’s leading writers; Public Letter about Standardized Testing by 120+ Children’s Authors & Illustrators Submitted by fairtest on October 21, 2013 - Dr. Monty Neill (617) 477-9792 Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 for immediate release — Tuesday, October 22, 2013 120+ CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATORS TELL PRES. OBAMA, “
#2 Job at US DOE Goes to Charter Promoter
According to Politico.com, the crucial #2 job at the U. S. Department of Education will go to Ted Mitchell, CEO of the NewSchools Venture Fund, the nation’s leading promoter of charter schools. NewSchools strongly supports private sector control of public schools with dollars. It is heavily funded by Gates, Broad, Walton, and technology entrepreneurs committed to “disrupting” public education. A
Global Scandal: If You Can’t Teach Them, Test Them
A reader who works for an international agency sent me this essay about a pressing problem. For obvious reasons, he will remain anonymous, but his sources are cited. Learning Metrics Taskforce: If you can’t teach the students of poor countries, just test them! Much has been written about testing problems and corporate interests in the US. Could similar forces be operating outside the US? Here is
Jason Stanford: What Alternative to Standardized Testing?
Jason Stanford, who lives in Austin, reports here on the efforts to 23 school districts to develop a sensible alternatives to the standardized testing that everyone hates, except for the testing industry and their lobbyists. He writes: Despite the difficulty in chasing two tails, Dawson Orr, Consortium co-chair and superintendent of Highland Park ISD, pledges to press on to find an accountability
David Greene: The Sound of Silence
David Greene, experienced teacher and mentor, was out of the country for afew weeks. When he returned, he was excited to hear echoes of our struggle against high-stakes testing, privatization, the theft of public schools, and data piracy in the mainstream news. Is the silence over? Are we on the cusp of the change we have all been hoping for? An informed public will not permit a corporate takeover
Another Broad-trained Superintendent Sowing Discord
Over recent years, I have received complaints from parents about superintendents “trained” by the uncertified, unaccredited Broad Superintendents Academy. Eli Broad is a multi-billionaire who freely admits that he knows nothing about education but everything about management. He firmly believes that when school systems have good managers, tests scores rise and the system gets better. He also puts
Note to John King: What Teachers Really Care About
When State Commissioner John King released the teacher ratings, he said that teachers should be relieved because only 1% were found to be “ineffective.” The implication: You have nothing to worry about; you won’t lose your job based on my untested evaluation system. Some reacted by wondering why the state had spent hundreds of millions of dollars to determine that only 1% of teachers were ineffect
OCT 22
More on Ritz Lawsuit Vs. Governor Pence in Indiana
This news article explains the background of State Superintendent Glenda Ritz’s lawsuit against Mike Pence, Governor of Indiana. The state board–whose members were appointed by former Governor Mitch Daniels and his successor Mike Pence–moved to strip control of the state’s controversial A-F grading system from the office of State Superintendent Ritz and turn it over to the Republican-controlled le
Glenda Ritz Sues Governor Mike Pence for Violating State Constitution
Governor Mike Pence, in his continuing efforts to make sure that the duly elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz is stripped of her constitutional authority as chair of the state board of education, has encouraged the state board to hold secret meetings when Ritz was not present. At a recent meeting, the Pence board voted to transfer authority over the A-F grading system fr
EduShyster Crashes Jeb Bush’s Party
Some party! EduShyster crashed it and couldn’t find many happy events. Hanna Skandera, one of the shrinking number of Jeb’s Chiefs for Change, was a no-show. Tony Bennett, ex-Indiana chief, ex-Florida chief, was not sure whether to lecture on A-F grading systems. Rahm Emanuel insisted he was not a reformer, maybe just a passerby. Was anyone happy? Sounds more like a wake than a party. Are the
A Message from an Educator Where the School Shooting Occurred
This comment just arrived. Read it and weep for two lost lives. Think of the children whose social and emotional needs are ignored in pursuit of test scores “Dear Diane, “I do not know if you will get this or not; however, I am so grateful to receive this particular communication. You have done an excellent job of explaining the purpose of charter schools. “I am writing from Spark, NV, where the
Only 1% of NY Teachers Rated Ineffective
Hoping to calm teachers’ fears about the state’s new, untested, and probably invalid teacher evaluation system, Commissioner John King announced that only 1% of teachers were rated ineffective. NYC scores were omitted due to failure to reach agreement on time. “ALBANY—More than 90 percent of teachers outside New York City have earned high ratings in the state’s first year of mandated performance
Ohio: The Biggest Problem in Education Today Is….Charter Schools
Charter schools were supposed to be creative sources of innovation. They were supposed to show what could be accomplished when government got out of the way. The newcomers would give lessons to the professionals, who couldn’t be trusted. But it hasn’t worked out that way. In Ohio, charter schools are some of the worst schools in the state. 83 of the lowest performing 84 schools in the state are ch
Critics Are Wrong About Value of Pre-K
Two different conservative critics have lambasted me for saying in “Reign of Error” that early childhood education was a research-based way to improve the achievement of low-income students and narrow the achievement gap. Mike Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute called such a proposal “pie-in-the-sky,” as did a reviewer for the (ironically named) “Public Sector,” published by the conservat
A Report from the Sinking Ship at NYC’s DOE Headquarters
With the Bloomberg era winding down after twelve long years, top executives are fleeing or rewriting their history. No one at Tweed knows how to help schools that are struggling. They know only how to close them and open new ones. Then they close the new ones when they fail. Here is an inside report: “Anyone who follows the debates on the best ways to improve education in America has to wonder: do
Commissioner King Opts Out
Commissioner King and the New York Board of Regents have scheduled 16 events around the state to tell parents how terrific the Common Core is, how good they should feel about their child’s failing grade on the Common Core tests, and how overall magnificent the State Education Department is. There are 12 hearings and four televised presentations. No hearings are scheduled for Néw York City, althoug
Mother of 2nd Grader: Does This Make Sense?
This mother has adapted a question that she says appears in her child’s homework assignment. Is she exaggerating? If you have a child in this grade, please chime in. “Second grade question: If Jack and Jill go up the hill, and a bucket of olives is $5.00 then how much tapenade can John concoct with boughten oil. (Actually not far off from actual 2nd grade math homework – infer that Jack=John, unde
Wendy Lecker: Common Core Uses Our Children As Guinea Pigs
Wendy Lecker, who is a civil rights lawyer, writes here that the Common Core standards have been rolled out without any forethought. Children are being tested on materials they have never been taught. States do not have a curriculum that aligns with the Common Core standards. The federally-funded tests are being developed independent of the curriculum, which does not exist. Teachers are not prepar
THIS IS HUGE!!! No Testing at This School! Parents Say NO!
Almost everyone agrees that high-stakes testing for little children is a huge mistake. The parents not only wrote their elected officials, they took direct action. More than 80% of the parents of the children at the Castle Bridge Elementary School in New York City refused to allow their children to be tested. They opted out. The tests were canceled. NO TESTS. NONE! The parents knew that the only
Susan Ochshorn: It Is Wrong to Test Small Children!
Susan Ochshorn, who advocates for early childhood education, is aghast at the idea that children as young as four or five are expected to take standardized tests. She explained that experts in early childhood education were appalled by the idea of testing young children with bubble tests. Then she discovered a school where anti-testing sentiment had grown to include not only the principal and the
OCT 21
New York Regents Prove They Are Tone Deaf, No Changes Planned
Faced with a widespread parent rebellion against the Common Core testing, the New York Board of Regents declared they have no intention of making any changes. It’s full steam ahead! Stay tuned. Rough waters, unseen obstacles, captain not at the helm.
Seattle School Board Race Dominated by More than $200,000 from Wealthy Few
Sue Peters, parent activist, is running for the school board in Seattle. She has raised $28,289. Her opponent, Suzanne Dale Estey, has raised over $100,000, plus an independent PAC has raised more than another $100,000 for Estey. That means that Sue Peters is outspent about 7-1. Estey has raised more money for her contest than any school board race in the state’s history. Read the list of Estey’s
Deasy, Aquino, a 25-Year Construction Bond, and Apple iPads with Pearson Content: What Next?
Is anyone minding the store? Los Angeles superintendent John Deasy made a commercial for Apple long before his board voted support for a $1 billion purchase of iPads for every student. His deputy Jaime Aquino worked for Pearson-owned America’s Choice. He was in charge of the iPad purchase, which became a major embarrassment for Deasy and the LAUSD board. Aquino resigned his $250,000 a year job, bu
Coming to Cambridge October 24
Harvard Yard, here I come! I will be sponsored by Citizens for Public Schools and accompanied by the famous EduShyster. CPS Presents Diane Ravitch in Cambridge, Oct. 24 Citizens for Public Schools is proud to present Diane Ravitch, speaking on her new book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools. Reign of Error picks up where Diane left of
Teach for America: Political Juggernaut for Privatization
Stephanie Simon has written a blockbuster article that describes how Teach for America has enlarged its goals. It is no longer just an organization that trains young people to teach in low-income schools. It is, as she puts it, “a political powerhouse” that is seizing control of education in district after district, state after state, funded by rightwing millionaires and billionaires. The far-righ
Scholars: Oklahoma Grading System Deserves a Solid F
A group of scholars in Oklahoma reviewed the state’s A-F grading system–borrowed wholesale from Jeb Bush–and found that it was fundamentally flawed. The Oklahoma Center for Education Policy at the University of Oklahoma and the Center for Research and Evaluation at Oklahoma State University reviewed the state’s A-F system and found that it consistently mislabeled schools. Please read this short an
A Rocketship Teacher Warns: Stop the Expansion
Rocketship charter schools have a goal of expanding to enroll one million children. Their model relies heavily on technology and inexpensive, inexperienced teachers who work long hours and have no union. Their schools are focused on test scores and leave out the arts and other “non-essentials.” The San Jose, California, board of education will decide tomorrow about whether to send more children an
Ex-DC Principal Adell Cothorne: Don’t Believe the Hype About IMPACT
Adell Cothorne, DC whistle-blower extraordinaire, offers a warning: Don’t believe so naive as to believe the hype from the District of Columbia public schools about its teacher evaluation system. Cothorne was there. She says that the principals were not trained; that school secretaries often did the crucial paperwork. That the IMPACT system is so complicated that no one, not even its designers, co
Schneider on DC IMPACT Study: Already Obsolete
Despite the glowing hyperbole in the media, Mercedes Schneider says there is nothing new in the results. The study is dated, there is missing data, the effects of the cheating scandal remain unknown, and the investigation of the cheating was turned over to an accounting firm with no experience in investigating cheating. Mercedes is not impressed.
Andy Spears: 20 Years of Value-Added Assessment in Tennessee, No Improvement, Zip, Nada
Race to the Top placed a $4.45 Billion bet that the way to improve schools was to tie teachers’ evaluations to their students’ test scores. As it happens, the state of Tennessee has been using value-added assessment for 20 years, though the stakes have not been as high as they are now. What can we learn from the Tennessee experience. According to Andy Spears of the Tennessee Education Report, well
Perdido Street Blogger: The Increasing Desperation of the “Reformers”
The blog known as Perdido Street notes that Merryl Tisch, the chancellor of New York’s Board of Regents, took control after her hand-picked State Commissioner John King stumbled. Tisch announced 16 parent forums to explain and build support for the Common Core. There will be no back-tracking! The Regents will not be moved, no matter how much parents or teachers object to their plans to rush the im
OCT 20
Grading Rahm Emanuel
NPR says Rahm Emanuel gets a “mixed” grade at midterm. On education, his grade is not mixed. It is a big fat F. He will remembered long after his term ends as the mayor who closed 50 public schools. He will be remembered as the mayor who showed callous indifference to the children of Chicago. He will be remembered for putting Rich Investors First. He will be remembered for his contribution to
Time for a Laugh Out Loud Moment
Alright, boys and girls, time for a standardized test. Sharpen your #2 pencils. There is a time limit. There will be no accommodations for those with disabilities. If you do well, your teacher gets a bonus. If you fail, your teacher will be fired and your school will be closed. Here is the test. Good luck!
NYC UrbanEd Blogger Reviews “Reign of Error”
This teacher blogger decided to review the book by selecting his or her favorite quotes. What do you think? Do you agree with the method or the choices?
Teacher in L.A.: John Deasy is the Educational Equivalent of Dick Cheney
This teacher, who requests anonymity for obvious reasons, has noticed a peculiar tendency on the part of editorial boards and business leaders to shower praise on educational leaders who act brusquely, with a maximum show of contempt for those they lead. He calls this the “Dick Cheney” style of leadership. Those of us in New York have recently seen this kind of leader in our State Commissioner Jo
Mother Crusader: Open Schools, Close Schools, How Nutty
This is a puzzling story, reported by Mother Crusader. The Solomon Charter School was approved to open in 2012 and just announced a few weeks ago that it was closing. Just like that. It is a cyber charter. It teaches Hebrew and Chinese. Why was it approved to take taxpayer dollars? Why did it close? Follow the twists and turns of Pennsylvania’s powerful charter lobby. 41.049054 -72.494872
Louisiana State Board Passes Buck on Common Core
When faced with public demands about how Common Core would be implemented, about professional development and student privacy, the state board of education in Louisiana passed the problems off to local district. They ducked. Fact is, they don’t have a clue what to do, but they do know that Governor Bobby Jindal wants Common Core. He wants more evidence of failure so he can justify more vouchers,
Chicago’s UNO Charter Chain in Big Legal Trouble Again
There is no charter chain in Chicago with stronger political connections than UNO, whose founder Juan Rangel served as a campaign co-chair for the election of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Rangel is widely viewed as a leading figure–if not THE leading figure–in the Hispanic community, the guy whose blessing delivers votes. Naturally, he runs one of the largest charter chains in the city, and the state and
Who Is Funding the Campaign to Defeat Sue Peters for Seattle School Board?
I noticed that in the past two or three years, a number of extremely rich people are bundling funds and pouring them into local school board races. Often the people making the campaign contributions do not live in the state or local community. I wrote about this strange and new phenomenon in my book Reign of Error. It is a deliberate and coordinated campaign to seize control of education at the l
Robert D. Shepherd on inBloom
Robert D. Shepherd, curriculum writer and author, left the following comment following Andrea Gabor’s post about the data collecting and data mining business called inBloom. He writes: “There were 55,235,000 K-12 public school students in the US in 2010. At $5.00 apiece for inBloom, that would amount to $276,175,000 a year. And if inBloom had a large existing database, it would become a monopoly
One of the “Best and Brightest” Has a Message for Jeb and Other Reformers
A comment on the corporate reformers who say they want to attract “the best and brightest” into teaching: “Attract the “Best and the Brightest” – please !!! I have 2 masters and have taught for 18years – in Miami – I make less than $44,000 … . Thanks Jeb – teachers are now starving and losing their homes in Miami * was told last week we may get a big $2000 – $4,000 dollar raise … Please, after FL
A Brilliant Post Wherein “Hamlet” Exposes the Guilty Conscience of NY’s King
We have heard numerous calls for NY’s Commissioner of Education John King to resign. He disrespects parents. He brooks no dissent. He accuses them of refusing to engage in dialogue after they sit patiently through his hour-plus monologue. And when they boo and hiss him, he storms away and cancels all future scheduled meetings with parents, fearing, no doubt, the same humiliating response. This blo
New York Study: Teacher Evaluations Are Flawed
A study commissioned by the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents found that the state’s educator evaluation system is flawed in multiple ways and does not produce reliable ratings. The state’s formula gave less credit to teachers serving disadvantaged students, judged some teachers on the performance of too few students, failed to measure key variables such as student mobility and did no
Bruce Baker: Teacher Evaluation Is Still Junk Science
Bruce Baker has watched the evolution of the effort to create that magical metric that will identify the best and worst teachers so they may be evaluated, rewarded, warned, and/or fired. He concludes that the great “value-added and growth score train wreck is here.” Despite the billions that Arne Duncan has thrown into them, and despite the hundreds of millions that Bill Gates has targeted on a fe
OCT 19
Why Charter Schools Do Not Close the Achievement Gap
This article in the Buffalo News by two distinguished scholars analyzes recent charter studies and concludes that charter are unlikely to close achievement gaps. Adeline Levine and Murray Levine review the studies and conclude: “Charter schools are protected by powerful, wealthy individuals and foundations that profess free-market choice and hold anti-union sentiments and pro-privatization belie
New York Commissioner King and Regents Plan 16 Meetings to Sell Common Core But Skip One City
Having been thoroughly embarrassed by his haughty showing in Poughkeepsie, where parents booed him as he lectured them and brushed off their questions, Commissioner John King and the State Board of Regents want to prove they are not afraid to meet parents. They have scheduled 16 meetings across the state. With only one exception: there are no meetings scheduled in New York City, where 1/3 of the
New York Regent: We Will Not Fire John King
The New York Board of Regents has demonstrated that they are out of touch with the people they serve. One of the few independent-minded Regents, Harry Phillips of Westchester, said recently that the Regents would not fireccommissioner John King despite his arrogant, dismissive treatment of parents at a community forum in Poughkeepsie. Leave arise for the moment that nearly half the principals in
Why School “Reform” Fails
A reader attended my presentation last night at Politics& Prose, a great DC bookstore that regularly hosts authors p. y The reader explains that the reform movement ignores science, which dooms it to failure: “Dear Diane, As a loyal follower of your blog I enjoyed your last evening’s visit to Politics and Prose in D.C. I would like to add, because I am a Professor of Neurology, Pediatrics and
When Should Students Use Calculators?
Far be it from me to reignite the Math Wars of the early 1990s, but I found this article–and the underlying debate–so interesting that I decided to share it. The question is, when should children use calculators for solving math problems? Thoughtful people are on opposing sides. On one side are those who say that students learn to do the calculations themselves, without the aid of a device, or t
Did Laporshia Massey Die Because of Pennsylvania’s Budget Cuts?
This post is a letter written to Governor Tom Corbett’s wife. Corbett is the governor of Pennsylvania. A 12-year-old child died of an asthma attack because there was no school nurse that day; the school has a nurse only two days a week, due to the state budget cuts. The letter begins: ““Dear Susan Corbett, I hope this note finds you doing well in the governor’s mansion you share with your husband,
Elaine Weiss: Rhee vs. Ravitch
Elaine Weiss of the Broader Bolder Approach appraises the dichotomous views of Michelle Rhee and me. Which is fact and which is fiction? Come to the Economic Policy Institute in D.C. this Friday at noon to hear these issues discussed. I will be there with Elaine Weiss and Randi Weingarten.
What Public Schools Do for Communities
A reader explains why public schools matter to the life of communities: “Public schools are not panaceas for poverty or crime or any of the other ills of our society, but they can provide a place for a community to come together, to learn to get along with each other, to watch out for each other. They can create a sense of security and predictability for our children. Privatization of our schools
WSJ Writer Opposes Early Childhood Education, Almost Alone
To certain ideologues, evidence doesn’t matter. The overwhelming scientific consensus supports high-quality early childhood education. It would be hard to find an expert in the field of child development who opposes it. Yet the Wall Street Journal managed to find a non-expert to speak out against this evidence- based policy, apparently because Néw York City Democratic candidate Bill de Blasio sup
Edward Berger’s Moving Analysis of “Reign of Error”
Edward Berger is a blogger who lives in the southwest and is passionate about preserving public education and democracy. In this post, he writes an eloquent tribute to “Reign of Error” and expresses his understanding of the organic connection between communities and their public schools, an insight that seems to elude those who call themselves “reformers.” He writes: “American communities are de
