Scathing Purple Musings
Color me purple in Florida ALL Week
Charlie Crist At-Odds With State Democrats on Charter School Policy
From Matt Dixon in the Florida Times-Union: An opinion on charter-school funding by then-Republican Attorney General Charlie Crist is at odds with a portion of the Democratic base whose help he now needs to become the next governor. Crist’s 2004 advisory opinion was requested by a two-term chairman of the state GOP who has evolved into a charter-school lobbyist. Crist concluded that state law dic
The Creepy, Incestuous, Conflicts-of-Interests Involved in Florida’s School Grade System
The editors of the Lakeland Ledger have complete grasp of the timeline of events concerning Florida’s school grade system. They aren’t impressed: After all the changes made to Florida’s school grading system, it’s hard to have a good sense of what grades should be given to schools. The grade that should be given to lawmakers and state officials who developed the system is clear: a big, fat F. T
FEB 06
Florida’s Race-Based Goals and Test Reliance Slammed in Senate Chamber
A remarkable press conference was called by an influential Florida state senator yesterday to highlight contradictions in its accountability system. Bill Cotterell writes in the Florida Current: A state senator, a civil rights attorney and the mother of a young student said Wednesday the Florida Department of Education is sending a bad message to public school children and their teachers by having
FEB 05
Will Costs Crush Common Core?
Perry Chiamamonte of FOX News reports that “states are learning the cost of Common Core is uncommonly high.” States will spend up to an estimated $10 billion up front, then as much as $800 million per year for the first seven years that the controversial program is up and running. Much of the cost is on new, Common Core-aligned textbooks and curriculum, but the added expenses also include teacher
FEB 04
Common Core is promising “tests worth teaching to.
From John Thompson in the Huffington Post: Test-driven reform has largely failed but, until recently, it was as great of a public relations success as anything that the billionaires’ bounty could buy. They branded teacher-bashing and union-busting as the “21st century civil rights movement.” High-stakes bubble-in test prep was spun as “High Expectations!” Defenders of the principle of public educa
FEB 03
State Education Chiefs Can’t Withdraw for Data Sharing – Even If They Wanted
Writes Dr. Karen Effrem, President of Education Liberty Watch and co-founder of the Florida Stop Common Core Coalition in Truth in American Education: On January 23rd, 2014, thirty-four chief state school officers sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan trying to reassure the public that individual student test data will not be given to the federal government and that data is safe
FEB 02
Corporate Educatio Reform Continues to Lose Conservative Intellectuals
Many conservative republicans are considering the once unthinkable: The Bush’s were wrong about education. President George W. Bush with No Child Let Behind and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush with his corporate financed foundations are more responsible that anyone for imposing today’s education reforms that are anchored in test data. The two enjoyed total buy-in by members of their own party; an
FEB 01
Florida’s “Orwellian” Common Core Cover-Up
From Florida Current reporter James Call: It’s not as Orwellian as making a person’s existence disappear from the public record but Winston Smith would recognize the maneuver. A Florida House committee on Wednesday will discuss a proposed committee bill that expunges the words “Common Core” from state law. The K-12 Subcommittee is working on a bill, basically a housekeeping measure, repealing term
How Rick Scott’s School Voucher Agenda Will Be Used to Defeat Charlie Crist
A Quinnipiac poll released late this week revealed that former governor Charlie Crist leads current governor Rick Scott by a whopping 12 points – 48 to 36. One in four republicans support Crist, too. Then there is this: The former governor holds a strong lead among independent, women, black and Hispanic voters, while Scott leads among white voters and Republicans. A 2012 Pew Research study found t
Mavericks Charter School President Frank Biden Says “We’re Going to Take You Down”
Scathing Purple Musings was pretty hard on redifinED editor Ron Matus this week for his charter school cheerleading, but he played it straight in reporting on a National School Choice event held on Coral Springs Thursday. The part of this event that will be noteworthy to readers of this blog were the comments from Frank Biden. Thursday’s event also featured two high-profile figures in the charter
There’s a Chance for Pausing Florida’s School Grades
Tampa Bay Times reporter Jeff Solochek sought out the leaders of Florida’s legislative bodies to gauge their positions on the state’s school grade system. While Senate President Don Gaetz remains firm and wants no pause, House Speaker Will Weatherford sees things differently: Florida schools might deserve a pass on state grades this year, House Speaker Will Weatherford said Friday. “We know the cu
