Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:
Schooling in the Ownership Society
Schooling in the Ownership Society
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk
Schooling in the Ownership Society
Questions my media friends need be asking
President Obama -- You've often called education, "the civil rights issue of our time." Where do you stand on Civil Rights Movement hero James Meredith's call for an American Child’s Education Bill of Rights?IEA Pres. Ken Swanson (right) applauds passage of SB7NEA President Dennis Van Roekel -- You're standing up with Colorado teachers in fighting back against SB191, a bill which makes t
JAN 30
An American Child's Bill of Rights
James Meridith confronted by hostile, racist mob as he tries to enter the Univ. of Mississippi in 1962.Billions of dollars now spent on standardized testing and “so-called education reforms” can be better spent to help children. -- James MeridithI'm always taken aback when corporate-style school "reformers", from Ed Sec. Duncan to voucher proponents and even school re-segregationists, cl
JAN 29
Ctu Responds To Gov. Quinn'S State Of The State Address
STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Stephanie Gadlin 312/329-6250 January 29, 2014 CHICAGO - In today’s State of the State address, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn made multiple references to “getting the job done” and also claimed to have ended the culture of instability that existed in Illinois government. He highlighted the strides that the state has made
Rahm sputters through defense of new charters
The Mayor sounds downright goofy as he tries to defend his hand-picked school board's vote to open new charter schools in the vicinity of the 50 schools they closed.From the Tribune:“That’s not how this city in the past has looked at it, and in the future, and this is in areas primarily, not exclusively, where there’s overcrowding, which we have also a challenge,” said Emanuel, before bringing up
Obama calls for even more testing madness
The maddening Race To The Top continuesNot much for educators to get excited about in last night's speech. It's that time again when Dems give us a slight head-fake to the left-center to keep their base in line. I did like the focus on income inequality and the promise to raise the minimum wage for fed-contracted workers by executive order. That alone has the Republican wing-nuts in a frenzy. They
JAN 28
Chicago newest church-affiliated charter school
School planner, Donnita TravisSometimes even cynical me can be found gasping at the audacity of Chicago's charter school hustlers. My latest gasp came after reading about the newest church-affiliated charter approved by the mayor's hand-picked school board last week, targeted for the Austin neighborhood on Chicago's west side.It's called By The Hand Charter School, situated within the By The Hand
JAN 27
Selling us junk
“They are saying this is choice, yet they are not advertising any public schools at all,” said protester Rousemary Vega. “That doesn’t give any parents choice.” -- NBC 5 ChicagoRahm and Byrd-Bennett have turned into junk salesmen. Their New Schools Expo was little more than a flea market of mostly inferior goods being sold to desperate shoppers driven to the fair by the debasement and threats of c
Weekend Quotalbes
For some reason, I read this as School Choke Week.Maine's Republican Governor Paul LePage“If you want a good education, go to private schools. If you can’t afford it, tough luck. You can go to the public school.” -- NPQ, Republican Gubernatorial Campaigns Play the Charter School CardGeorge Will His latest column attacks Obama's calls for expanded early childhood education, an increase in the minim
Suit: D.C. charter oprators dumping 350 special needs kids after diverting funds to their for-profit company
Options former chief executive Donna MontgomeryIn D.C., Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan filed a civil lawsuit against several Options Charter School managers and a former board member accusing them of diverting millions of dollars from the school to two for-profit companies they owned and operated.He's trying to stop the Public Charter School Board (PCSB) from closing of the school, which would
JAN 26
California corporate 'reformers' file suit so they can fire teachers without due process
WelchStudents Matter, a front group for corporate-style school "reformers" has filed suit in Los Angeles in an attempt to undercut statewide collective-bargaining agreements and to make it easier to fire teachers without due process. The L.A. Times describes Students Matter as a group founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur David F. Welch, a research scientist who went on to co-found Infi
Why was Pearson invited?
Mixed in with the college presidents and philanthropists at the WH Ed Summitt were a handful of business leaders, including executives from Chegg, iMentor, Khan Academy, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and Pearson. Other businesses, like the textbook publisher McGraw-Hill Education, said they were aware of the event but did not attend. The madfloridian's Journal raises good questions about why P