Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:
Schooling in the Ownership Society
Schooling in the Ownership Society
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk
Schooling in the Ownership Society
We thought we were done with Vallas but... he's back
Look out. Vallas is back in town. We tried to finish him off back in 2001 but...No sooner had I finished posting about how the Working Families Party and allies were running Paul Vallas out of Bridgeport, than I get the news that he has been selected as Gov. Quinn's running mate here in Illinois. Yes, the master of the disaster in from Philly to New Orleans and from Haiti to Chile, the buster of t
Racing to the Top?
Socrates: "We're all mortal", even Diane. AMAZING DIANE RAVITCH, still blogging from her hospital bed. But she has to cancel her Chicago talk. First Free Church would have been packed to the rafters.This week I realized that Socrates was right: All men are mortal. So are all women. I am going to take some time off and rest: Doctor’s order. And I will take better care of my health. I’m re
NOV 07
Parent Engagement
CPS parent volunteersLatest from CPS -- All parent school volunteers will now be required to be fingerprinted. Accurate Biometrics has been given the $650,000 contract (no board approval required) to do the fingerprinting and parents will have to travel to one of their four centers in the city to have it done. According to Brother Fred, Accurate Biometrics' President is Peggy Critchfield. Her prev
NOV 06
Victory in Bridgeport. Pro-Vallas forces spanked.
Democrats an Connecticut Working Family Party members tally election returns last night at the Red Rooster Deli, in Bridgeport, Conn. Photo: Ned Gerard“As I’ve gone around the country, I always point to Bridgeport as one of the signs that the people can beat the power.” -- Diane RavitchIn yesterday's school board elections, the majority of the nine-member school board tipped in favor of the Conn
NOV 05
Chicago under Rahm is becoming a second-rate city
The loss of manufacturing combined with corrupt mis-leadership in Springfield and City Hall, is rapidly turning Chicago into a second-rate, parasitic city that produces little but where public space is reduced and insatiable corporate interests suck up more than their share of the resources.The biggest victim of Daley's and now Rahm's post-industrial strategies have been Chicago's black community
NOV 04
School reform and the gentrification of our cities
The now-closed Alfred David Kohn Elementary, 10414 S. State Street in Roseland.As someone who has long been involved with urban school reform, I have tried to make the case that current top-down, corporate-style "school reform" policies have more to do with the gentrification of cities than it does with improving education. Those policies, including mass school closings, mayoral control
Weekend Quotables
CAROL MARINI asked each to name their political heroes.Will Guzzardi said, among others, the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Toni Berrios answered, “My dad.” -- Sun-TimesDANNY SCHECHTERThe super spyboys have had a good run, but now the real world is bursting their bubble with pushback and ridicule. Something’s gotta give and it will. -- The News Dissecto
NOV 01
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
How the D.C. charter hustlers play the game
Charter school hustlers in D.C. have come up with an innovative way to funnel public funds into their own pockets. In this case they used the services of a local news personality, J.C. Hayward. to divert millions from Options Public Charter SchoolAs the school’s board chairwoman, Hayward allegedly signed contracts and approved bonuses for the former managers. He was also a paid consultant” for Ex