Do Charters Beat the Odds? This Reader Says No.
In response to a debate about charters in Minneapolis, this reader says the comparison is unfair. The charters enroll different students from the public schools. Moreover, as the charters exclude students with disabilities, the public schools enroll larger proportions of the students with the highest needs. He writes that charters do NOT beat the odds. They stack the deck in their own favor while
A Mother Responds to Newsday’s Claim That Common Core Is Right No Matter How Many Protest
This letter came from a mother and teacher on Long Island in New York, which has been a hotbed of resistance to the Common Core and the testing. Newsday ran an editorial today saying that it is time to “Stop the testing tug-of-war.” the editorial insists that Common Core is needed no matter how many teachers and educators object. The editorial is accompanied by a cartoon showing a tug-of-war with
New Yorkers Denounce Cuomo’s Stacked Panel to “Review” Common Core
After the past year’s troubled rollout of Common Core standards and tests, parents and legislative leaders spoke out against the New York State Education Department’s rush to impose and test standards that neither students nor teachers were prepared for. On the botched tests, passing rates fell to only 30% across the state. Only 3% of English learners passed the test, along with 5% of students wit
EduShyster: Who Is Mercedes Schneider?
Here are two of my favorite bloggers in conversation. Jennifer Berkshire–aka EduShyster–went to a bloggers’ convention in New Orleans and stayed with Mercedes Schneider. Jennifer spent a day with Mercedes, then interviewed her here. As it happened, they were meeting on the first anniversary of the start of Mercedes’ blog.
Teacher in Mississippi: Praying for a Pay Raise
This appeared on a Facebook page and was sent to me (I am one of the few people on the planet not on Facebook). “I’m getting ready to go to bed b/c I have to get up at 5:00 in the morning for early duty. I plan to pray tonight for our Elected Officials b/c that is what it says to do in the Bible to pray for them b/c they are placed in authority. I have a lot of emotions going through my mind but I
Ohio: The High Cost of “Choice”
Below is a letter to the editor published in the Akron Beacon Journal by a long-term suburban board of education member. February 1, 2014 – 10:54 PM “High cost of choice.” In response to the Jan. 30 letter “Thanks for the choice,” I’m pleased that the writer’s children “thrive in the home-school environment.” I firmly believe, however, that most young people would benefit more from interacting wi
Schneider: State-by-State Update on Common Core Controversies–Part 2
Schneider here provides part 2 of her state-by-state review of controversies over the Common Core standards and testing. This one includes the following states: Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee. Her part 1 appeared yesterday. She describes the entire mess as a textbook example of how NOT to cre
Public Schools Across NY See State School Aid Decline Due to Cuomo Budget
I can’t find a link for this story, but I have the newspaper in front of me. (Thanks to a reader, here is the link: http://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/84-of-li-school-districts-to-get-less-aid-than-6-years-ago-under-cuomo-budget-plan-1.6973979) It is dated February 7, 2014, Newsday (published on Long Island, New York), and it is the front-page headline: “School Aid Slide: 84% of LI Distr
Deborah Meier: Follow the Money!
Deborah Meier, one of the great education thinkers of our time, says we were duped. The corporate reformers stole the good words like “reform” and “choice,” to cover their intentions. They borrowed language from the civil rights movement but not its noble goals. What do they want? Bust the unions. Make money. Their favorite vehicle: charter schools. She writes: “However, the idea of Charter School
Joseph Featherstone: A Thoughtful Review of “Reign of Error” in the Nation
Joseph Featherstone has been writing about education for decades. He was a progressive back when I was infatuated with accountability and other useless ideas. In the current issue of the Nation, Featherstone has an interesting and provocative review of my latest book “Reign of Error.” What was especially gratifying to me is that he understands the dangers of privatization, he sees the larger conte
Attention, Arne and Jeb: Why Does a Dying Child Have to Take the Test?
This is a horrifying story about educational policy gone mad, gone cruel, gone inhumane. Ethan Rediske, an 11-year-old boy, died in hospice in Florida last Friday. Before he died, his plight gained national attention. Valerie Strauss wrote about him, and so did Laura Clawson in the Daily Kos. Ethan was blind and had brain damage and cerebral palsy. As he lay dying in hospice, the state demanded wr
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 2-8-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGJames Meredith: Time for an American Child’s Bill of RightsCivil rights hero James Meredith is worried about the future of American public schools. He fought so hard to integrate them, but now he sees new forces seeking to take control of them, and not for good reasons. He wrote recently, as reported in Valerie Strauss’s