Obama Picks Leader of Privatization Movement to be #2 in U.S. Department of Education
Ted Mitchell is CEO of the NewSchools Venture Fund, one of the best funded and most aggressive organizations promoting charter school chains and for-profit ventures in public education. He is a key figure in the corporate reform movement to transform public education and transfer public funds to private management, as well as to spur entrepreneurial activity and the involvement of the for-profit
Watch the Network for Public Education Conference Livestreamed
The Network for Public Education national conference will meet in Austin, Texas, on Saturday and Sunday, March 1 and 2. You can join us by livestream. The direct link to the site hosting the livestream is here: http://www.schoolhouselive.org/ The conference hashtag is #npeconference. Nearly 400 activist parents, educators, legislators, and other supporters of public education from across the nati
Dueling Rallies in Albany on Tuesday
Albany, Néw York, will be the scene of two competing rallies on Tuesday. Eva Moskowitz is closing her charter schools on NYC and will bus thousands of children and parents to lobby for her charter chain. On the same day, allies of Mayor de Blasio will assemble to urge the legislature to permit NYC to tax the richest–those who earn more than $500,000 annually–to pay for universal pre-K. Place yo
New York Parents and Educators Plan Opt-Out Rally, March 29
Parents, teachers, administrators, and elected officials on Long Island in New York will rally to encourage families to opt their children out of the state tests. If the children don’t take the tests, the state can’t rank and rate them; their teachers won’t be evaluated based on their test scores; their principals won’t be evaluated based on their test scores; their schools won’t be rewarded or c
Linda Darling-Hammond: A Better Future for Assessments?
Linda Darling-Hammond describes the possibilities for the transformation of assessment in the Common Core era. Embodied in her analysis is a devastating critique of value-added measurement, which has been enacted by many states under pressure by the US Department of Education.
What Richard Rothstein Told NAGB About the History of NAEP
Did you know that the National Assessment Of Educational Progress used to test much more than reading and math, much more than academic subjects? Did you know that it was designed originally to assess student cooperation and behavior as well as skills? Did you know that the narrowing of NAEP testing is fairly recent? Richard Rothstein knows what NAEP was supposed to be and he explained its histor
The Mayoral Race in Newark: How to Fix Education is a Central Issue
The race for mayor of Newark, New Jersey, has narrowed to two candidates: Ras Baraka and Shavar Jeffries. It has become a referendum on the direction of school reform and whether Newark’s public schools will be turned over to private charter organizations. Baraka, a city councilman and high school principal, has received the endorsement of the Network for Public Education, based. On his support f
Momma Bears of Tennessee Salute a Valiant Teacher
The Momma Bears are one of the potent forces that will drive the corporate-style reformers out of business. You see, the Momma Bears are not in it for the money or the fame or the power or the control. They are Mamma Bears, and they don’t back down. They protect their cubs. They don’t particularly care whether Arne Duncan calls them names or whether the Governor likes them. They are in it for thei
Paul Horton: Common Core Standards Are Not About Education but About Profits
The next time that a supporter of the Common Core standards says there are no critics on the left, tell them to read this post by Paul Horton. Arne Duncan says that the opposition to the Common Core standards emanate from the Tea Party and other rightwing extremists. The media have bought that line, and in some states it is surely true. But recently the media have noticed that the Common Core has
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 2-26-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Who Is the Man Funding the Vergara Trial?David Welch is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who is spending millions of dollars in legal fees to try to strip teachers of any due process rights or job security. Who is he and who are his allies? This investigative report provides some answers, though no one can truly explain the animus tow