Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:
Schooling in the Ownership Society
Schooling in the Ownership Society
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk
Schooling in the Ownership Society
They're packing 50 students into L.A. high school classes
Arne Duncan green-lighted it. Remember?"Class size has been a sacred cow and I think we need to take it on," Duncan told his pals at the American Enterprise Institute over croissants back in 2009. Now fast forward. Here's what's become of the "sacred cow."In Dennis Danziger’s English class at Venice High, they play musical chairs every day; if you come in late, you don’t get a
The Children Left Behind
Thanks to journalist Debbie Nathan writing for In These Times, for putting a human face on the disaster that is No Child Left Behind.Students began to notice weird goings-on at the international bridge near campus—specifically, Bowie administrators stationed there with cameras. What the students didn’t know was that García had ordered an employee to take photos of students crossing in the morning
OCT 31
Despite all their boasting, charters missing from today's top-scoring schools list
Missing from today's published list of the top 50 highest performing list of Chicago area schools are any charters. All 50 of the top-listed schools (based solely on AP test scores of course), whether selective-enrollment or suburban, are public schools with union teachers.OK, so where are over-hyped Chicago charters? Noble Street? Urban Prep? KIPP? Chicago Int'l? Well, you won't find any of them
Coach's notes: Playing field is uneven
“I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” --Michael JordanToday is the first day of freshman basketball tryouts. I wish they let me keep all the kids who try out for the team. I hate cutting kids. But CPS has sliced
OCT 30
Byrd-Bennett reshuffles her bureaucracy. Yes, that'll do it.
It seems like every year CPS leaders come up with a new, top-down bureaucratic management structure to keep local schools in line. And every year we have to learn the new names for the sub-district or regional managers, ie. AIOs, Network Managers, Underbosses, Capos, etc... who are there to transmit and enforce the party line and report back on any principals who aren't team players.Yesterday's me
Remember, Byrd-Bennett's promise(s)?
One of my favorite quotes comes from Mark Twain who said, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything." The problem for Rahm and Byrd-Bennett is that they lie and we remember.We remember, for example, Byrd-Bennett's promise that schools would be closed only if the displaced children could be sent to better schools.But back in April, we knew something was amiss. The Sun-Ti
OCT 29
Grassroots Collaborative calls on Aldermen to act for working families
GRASSROOTS COLLABORATIVE637 S. DEARBORN, THIRD FLOOR CHICAGO, IL 60605www. t h e g r a s s r o o t s c o l l a b o r a t i v e . o r gPRESS RELEASEFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 29, 2013Contact:Nathan Ryan, Communications Organizer, 920-445-3920, nathan@thegrassrootscollaborative.orgCOMMUNITY CALLS ON ALDERMEN TO ACT ON CRITICAL LEGISLATION FOR CHICAGO’S WORKING FAMILIESHALLOWEEN BURIAL PROTEST HIGH
Obama comes to Brooklyn. Warns students, 'the Chinese, Indians, Russians... are coming.'
Obama arrives at JFK on route to BrooklynS.T.E.M. schools are the latest flavor of the month and Pres. Obama took the opportunity, while stumping for Bill de Blasio (not that de Blasio needs it), to make a speech at his favorite, Brooklyn's P-Tech. P-Tech bills itself as, "the first school in the nation that connects high school, college, and the world of work through college and industry par
OCT 28
Weekend Quotables
From left are Gap Chairman Bob Fisher, investor Charles Schwab and philanthropist Eli Broad. A state investigation found that the three were among secret donors to right-wing, anti-public school, anti-union group, Americans for Job Security. (Times Wire Services)Anthony YorkSan Francisco investor Schwab gave more than $6.2 million to the same group [Americans for Job Security]. Broad gave $1 m
Moody's -- Charters are expanding at the expense of public schools
A new Moody's report finds that charter schools have expanded at the expense of urban public schools, especially on those districts confronted with a shrinking tax base and government funding cuts.Municipal finance analysts at Moody’s recently took a look at the impact of charter school growth on public finances, finding “while the vast majority of traditional public districts are managing through
OCT 26
Investigators reveal Eli Broad's under-the-table support for right-wing groups
New York TimesWell-known corporate chiefs, including power philanthropist Eli Broad, funded illegal "dark money" contributions to groups in the Koch brothers' political network that were involved in Thursday's record campaign finance settlement in California, according to settlement documents. A report in the L.A. Times shows that Broad posed as a liberal supporter of Gov. Brown's tax in