NC Approves 26 New Charters, $$$$$ Boon for Founders
Lindsay Wagner of NC Policy Watch reports that the State Board of Education in North Carolina approved 26 new charter schools today, with little discussion. The most controversial decision was this one: Among those approved today is South Brunswick Charter School, a fourth charter school to be run by Baker A. Mitchell, Jr. Over the past several months, Brunswick County school district officials ha
John Thompson: Is Market-Based Reform “Working”?
In mid-December, Matt di Carlo of the Shanker Institute reviewed the year’s production of research about charters, teacher incentives, and other aspects of the market-based approach to schooling, that is, the use of incentives and sanctions to produce higher test scores. Schools Matter has published critiques by John Thompson of di Carlo’s review. Di Carlo is known for his scrupulous nonpartisansh
What Makes a Classic Joyful?
Here is a personal note. I went to a Broadway play Wednesday at matinee. While driving in the car a few weeks ago, I heard someone on the radio raving about Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and she couldn’t contsin her enthusiasm. I impetuously ordered tickets. When the bill came, I wondered if I had made a mistake. Why was I seeing this play? I had seen it before at least twice. Why see it again? Th
Cuomo Supports Failed Ideas of Corporate Reformers
Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York put himself squarely in the camp of corporate reform with a proposal for merit pay based on value-added metrics. He proposes to pay a bonus of $20,000 to teachers who are rated “highly effective” on the state’s controversial and unproven value-added evaluation program. The fact that merit pay failed in New York City, where schools were offered a bonus for raising
The Friedman Foundation, named for free-market economist Milton Friedman and his wife Rose, is the nation’s most fervent advocate of vouchers. It commissioned a national poll to ascertain the depth of support for vouchers, and much to its surprise (and, no doubt, embarrassment), the public prefers smaller class sizes far more than vouchers. Furthermore, the least favored option among those present
Reactionary Legislature in NC Set for Big Charter Expansion
The governor and legislature in North Carolina are determined to privatize as many public dollars as possible. They have approved vouchers for religious schools, private schools, and even home schools. But their main privatization strategy is charter schools. They are set to expand the number in the state, thus creating a consumer mentality and simultaneously draining funds from the public schools
Gary Rubinstein: An Open Letter to the New Leaders of TFA
Gary Rubinstein was one of the original members of Teach for America. He has been involved in TFA from the outset. However, he became a critical friend of TFA when he attended the corporate-funded 20th anniversary celebration, bringing together the leaders of the “reform movement” who were attacking the nation’s public schools and their teachers, closing public schools, and promoting charters. He
A Brilliant Idea for Raising and Improving Standards: Open Source Them
A comment arrived on the blog with a link to a great idea for standards: Open source them. Right now, the Common Core standards are mired in controversy, and the controversy seems likely to grow worse as more states begin to test the standards and most parents discover that their children have failed. The criticisms come from right and left and middle, from parents and educators of all stripes. Th
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 1-8-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Richard Rothstein: Time for the Truth About Racial SegregationIn this article, Richard Rothstein is critical of high school textbooks–and of our media in general–for failing to identify the true causes of de facto segregation. Either they barely mention the role of government in segregating neighborhoods by race or they imply that