‘Broken schools’ – or broken debate over education?
Amy Laura Hall in the Durham Herald-Sun… “If you want effectively to undermine the complicated, daily work of teachers and custodians and counselors and school traffic cops, you first need to destabilize people’s confidence in the solvency of the overall system. You basically need to create the educational equivalent of a run on the bank. People are hearing through grapevines as disparate as Nat
Educators excluded from school reform conversation
James D. Mervilde in The Indianapolis Star… “Money spent educating our children is an investment. Our leaders have been penny-wise and pound-foolish in managing that investment. Their lack of wisdom has had dire effects upon children, despite the heroic efforts that educators apply every day in Hoosier classrooms. I would submit to Arnie Duncan that educators have been telling the truth about educ
Despite increased security, school shootings continue…
AP Education Writer Kimberly Hefling at PBS.org… “There’s been no real reduction in the number of U.S. school shootings despite increased security put in place after the rampage at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. In Pennsylvania and New Mexico, Colorado and Tennessee, and elsewhere, gunfire has echoed through school hallways, and killed students or their teachers in so
Funds meant for charters may be diverted to Pre-K…
Javier C. Hernandez in The New York Times… “New York City’s schools chancellor announced her intention on Friday to shift money away from charter schools to help pay for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s expansion of prekindergarten programs. The chancellor, Carmen Fariña, in describing the Education Department’s $12.8 billion capital plan, said she would seek to redirect $210 million that had been reserved
In Vergara vs. California, L.A. supt. a star witness — for both sides…
Howard Blume in The Los Angeles Times… “In a groundbreaking trial over teacher job protections, Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy was the early star witness — for both sides. The case, Vergara vs. California, challenges a set of laws that affect how teachers are fired, laid off and granted tenure. Advocates contend that these regulations hinder the removal of ineffective teachers, diminishing t
KY – Pension reform leaves out teachers…
An editorial in The Courier-Journal… “… And it’s important to note here that unlike other state employees, teacher arenot covered by Social Security. That’s worth repeating: Teachers are not covered by Social Security and get none of those benefits when they retire.When Social Security was established in 1935, public school teachers were excluded. And though states were allowed to opt in in later