Pence Intensifies Effort to Marginalize Ritz
In a shocking affront to the democratic process and to conservative principles, Governor Mike Pence stepped up his efforts to strip away the authority of Glenda Ritz, the elected state superintendent of education. Her predecessor Tony Bennett was treated as a hero. Ritz is treated as an illegitimate outcast because she disagrees with the Governor’s radical plans to privatize public education and
Connecticut Governor Malloy: A Favorite of Corporate Reformer$
On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the three top performing states are Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Connecticut. You would think that the governors and legislatures of these states would shower praise on their successful educators and schools and protect and strengthen them. But none of these states is immune from the assault on public education by the privatization movement. T
Long Island: Parents Are Key to Fixing Common Core
Michael White, the editor of the Riverhead News-Review and the Suffolk Times in Long Island, attended one of the state’s open forums about the Common Core standards and tests. He got an earful, and he reported it here. He understands the larger context behind the creation of the CCSS: While nonprofits such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and political lobbyists like Students First flood s
A Teacher Who Is Evaluated by the Scores of Students She Does Not Teach
A reader writes: “I’m a special education teacher in New Mexico and I took this year off teaching, for medical reasons. The choice was made easier by the new teacher evaluations. Since my students have significant disabilities, they can not take the state tests. 50% of my evaluation would then be based on how the regular education students, who I do not teach, scored at our school. 25% of my evalu
Disgusting: Missouri State Commissioner Pushes Secret Plan to Privatize Kansas City Schools
Joe Robertson of the Kansas City Star reported that the newspaper obtained secret emails describing an effort by State Commissioner Chris Dicastro to wipe out public education in that city. “Backed by two of the most influential foundations in Kansas City, Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro and a state-hired consultant are planning the future of Kansas City Public Schools as a slate w
Jersey Jazzman on Chris Christie’s Education Legacy
Chris Christie is a leading candidate for the Republican nomination in 2016. Jersey Jazzman here reveals what Christie has done about the high school in the state Capitol, Trenton Central High School. Listen to the students. Watch the video. The high school sends kids to Ivy League colleges, but Christie rants about “failure factories.” He never acknowledges that New Jersey is one of the nation’
Charleston, S.C., Builds a Bridge to Nowhere–in Its Schools
Surprise! The school leadership of Charleston, South Carolina, has come up with some stale ideas and branded them as “reform.” Nothing like copying what was tried and failed everywhere else! The district calls it a “new” program of teacher evaluation, pay for performance, and reconfigured salary structure BRIDGE but in fact it is the status quo demanded by the U.S. Department of Education. Every B
Momma Bears: How to Get Stinking Rich Off Education
Some very smart public school parents in Tennessee who calls themselves Momma Bears have figured out the game plan of the education industry. Here is their plain and simple 10-step plan about how to cash in on the public school marketplace and get stinking rich. These are the first three steps (read the post to learn about the other seven steps that will make you a millionaire): Times are tough,
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 12-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: How to Evaluate a Teacher, ReallyThis is a terrific article that appeared on Huffington Post by Nicholas Ferroni. He speaks truths that every teacher will understand. This is what he did this week: This week of school, like every other week, was pretty normal: I gave out about fifty dollars to various students who didn’t have lunch