Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:
Schooling in the Ownership Society
Schooling in the Ownership Society
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk
Schooling in the Ownership Society
The privatization of science replaces public good with super-profits
INTEL billionaire Gordon Moore and his new Thirty Meter Telescope which will sit on a Hawaii mountain top.In Washington, budget cuts have left the nation’s research complex reeling. Labs are closing. Scientists are being laid off. Projects are being put on the shelf, especially in the risky, freewheeling realm of basic research. Yet from Silicon Valley to Wall Street, science philanthropy is hot,
Killing rats and beavers
Word is that the mayor is freaking out and berating his staff over being outflanked by Ald. Fioretti in the rat fight. "The rat problem in our city is out of control," Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) said Wednesday. "They carry diseases that negatively impact our communities. We urgently need to do more to stem the population growth. This is a quality-of-life issue that we should be dealing
MAR 13
A Two-Tier School System
“This is a city blessed with such diversity. Our schools, especially our particularly exceptional schools, need to reflect that diversity.” -- Mayor de Blasio.But black students continue to be pushed out or excluded altogether from top-tier urban schools and re-segregated charters as cities increasingly become whitenized. New York's selective-enrollment schools are a great example.This from the N.
MAR 12
Test boycott support grows. Berrios takes a vow of silence.
There's 3 good letters and one crappy one in this morning's Trib. Julie Woestehoff writes re. the ISAT test boycott calling on Rahm, BBB, the Board and ISBE to "respect parents' rights to direct our children's education, to treat students who opt out respectfully and ethically, and, most important, to change the fundamental values in this district and this state that continue to prioritize te
MAR 11
untitled
At yesterday's Let Us Teach rally in Pilsen protesting CPS threats to punish teachers who support parents and boycott useless standardized testing (h/t Michael Harrington)Moses... Good news from DePaul College of Ed Dean Paul Zionts. Civil Rights leader and Algebra Project founder Bob Moses will be this year's commencement speaker.THANKS to Bill Ayers for being an inspiring guest speaker in last n
MAR 10
Weekend Quotables
Team Englewood at LTABTeam Englewood Spoken Word Team"Hide Your Schools, Hide Your Homes, Hide Your Children, 'Cause [Rahm's] wrecking it all." -- Louder Than A Bomb Fran Spielman, Sun-Times reporter"What is the one thing that trumps money? Movement." -- Rahm’s re-election and GOP gov raceFox Business commentator Todd Wilemon"If You’re Poor, Stop Being Poor." -- Truth
School-to-prison pipeline
Former judge Mark Ciavarella was sentenced to 28 years in federal prison for his involvement in the Kids for Cash scandal;NEW FILM...Robert May's documentary Kids For Cash, tells the story of the Zero Tolerance scandal that rocked northeast Pennsylvania, and led to the 2011 conviction of former judge Mark Ciavarella for funneling thousands of children into for-profit prisons in exchange for kickba
True 'grit'
The next of my fellow academics who mentions the word "grit" to me is going to feel the wrath of my electric sander on their behind. This latest in a long line ed clichés, has become the buzzword du jour of the no-excuses, corporate school reformers like University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth, who claim that grit is the critical ingredient to academic success. The notio
MAR 09
Was Rahm lying about a deal with Preckwinkle?
Last week's interview with S-T City Hall reporter Fran Spielman, Rahm claimed Toni Preckwinkle has promised him that she won't run against him.“She has said that and I believe she’s a person of her word. … I believe she’s not running.I wrote (prophetically?) : "If he's telling the truth (big if)..." A big IF indeed. Now Preckwinkle's people are denying that she ever made such a promise.
MAR 08
Oh mama, can this really be the end...?
Sens. McConnell & Coburn at CPACNow the senator came down hereShowing ev’ryone his gunHanding out free ticketsTo the wedding of his son-- Dylan, Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
I can almost hear Bill Gates saying, "What do you mean you don't want our money?"
Vicki Phillips, who runs the Gates Foundation’s education division, said her team is “disappointed by Randi’s decision.” -- Politico Our big investment in school reform. "hasn't led to significant improvements." --Bill Gates I have some idea what it was that prompted Randi Weingarten and the AFT leadership to reject millions of dollars in Gates funding. Politico's Caitlin Emma with help
MAR 10
No Austin City Limits at Rahm's fundraiser in Texas
Cash cow for Rahm's Texas pals.What else? He's stuffing his election war chest at an Austin fund-raising party put on by a group of heavy-hitters who do business in Chicago. According to Sunday's Trib:The event will be held Monday evening at the home of Charlie Jones, one of the co-founders of C3 Presents, according to an invitation to the fundraiser that Emanuel campaign consultant John Kupper pr
MAR 06
Big shake-out in the test-prep industry predicted as SAT is revamped
The College Board is going to "radically revamp" the SAT — with the goal of putting SAT test prep companies out of business and aligning the test to the Common Core academic standards. But as long as Common Core is chained to high-stakes standardized testing, test-prep will continue to trump authentic classroom teacher and assessment.According to Politico,The overhaul reflects deep conce
