Wait What?:
Wait What? All Week
Malloy’s proposed budget underfunds public magnet schools while increasing money for charter schools
Although many parents, teachers and public school advocates already know that Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy is the most anti-teacher, anti-public education Democratic Governor in the nation, Malloy’s proposed budget drives the message home in a very big way. Last month Malloy proposed a new budget plan for the fiscal year that starts on July 1, […] The post Malloy’s proposed budget underfunds publi
As Diane Ravitch explains on her blog, “Bill Moyers is one of my heroes. He is one of the few people in the media who is as concerned about the privatization and monetization of the public sector as I am. He has a long memory, and he has not forgotten that a good society needs […] The post Diane Ravitch on Bill Moyers Show appeared first on Wait What?.
An Open Letter to Parents from a Connecticut Parent
An open letter to parents, Over the next few weeks, children will spend countless hours taking new tests that have no meaning. As a parent, I’ve decided that my sixth grade daughter will not be one of them. The new test, called the SBAC in some states and PARCC in others, goes hand-in-hand with the […] The post An Open Letter to Parents from a Connecticut Parent appeared first on Wait What?.
YESTERDAY
Malloy says he is running – But he can’t win – Nor should he
Earlier today Governor Dannel Malloy sent out an email saying that he was announcing that he would be seek re-election this year. (see email below). But as public opinion research as consistently shown, Malloy has alienated significant Democratic constituencies and implemented policies that will make it impossible for him to garner the support of many […] The post Malloy says he is running – But h
SURPRISE: Malloy administration’s back room deal to hand Hartford’s Clark Elementary School to an out-of-state charter school company is back
As Wait, What? readers have known for months, the Malloy administration has been engaged in a campaign to force the City of Hartford to turn their Clark Elementary School over to a private, out-of-state private charter school chain based in Washington D.C. Initially Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, tried to “persuade” the City of […] The post SURPRISE: Malloy administration’s back
Commissioner Pryor on Common Core Test – Nothing to look at, just keep moving
Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education has been spinning the media about how well the implementation of the Common Core Smarter Balanced Field test of a test has been going well. Pryor told the Courant, “We are very pleased.” However, the situation in the real world tells a different story. Juniors at one Connecticut southeastern Connecticut […] The post Commissioner Pryor on Common Core Tes
MAR 27
A Big NO to Malloy’s re-election prospects from Wait, What? Readers
Wait What? readership has been increasing significantly over the past year. The number of visits have reached as high as 10,000 a day with a total of 27,000 visits over a recent weekend. Daily posts are reaching thousands of readers. Earlier this month Wait, What? readers were asked to participate in an online Gubernatorial Election […] The post A Big NO to Malloy’s re-election prospects from Wai
The war on students who are opted out of the Common Core Test
For weeks the Malloy administration has been engaged in an immoral and unethical campaign to mislead parents into believing they do not have the right to opt their children out of the Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Field Test of a test. Now it appears that some school districts are punishing those students who were […] The post The war on students who are opted out of the Common Core Test
MAR 26
In the Malloy administration’s fantasy world, Common Core Test a success
In a news article entitled, “A Fairly Smooth Start On Computerized Test’s First Day,” Governor Malloy’s Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor told that Hartford Courant that, “We are very pleased, but it’s too soon to be confident that the system is working smoothly,” Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor said late Tuesday afternoon. “The signs are positive […] The post In the Malloy administration
Teachers: Don’t Give Up (Please Don’t Give Up)
Yesterday was an especially difficult day for many public school teachers (and students) in Connecticut and across the country. The corporate education reform industry’s war on public education and public school teachers took a major step forward with the introduction of the new Common Core Smarter Balanced Field Test of a test. Late in the […] The post Teachers: Don’t Give Up (Please Don’t Give
MAR 25
Arrogance, Ignorance and the Myth of the “High Stakes” Test (Guest Post by Dr. James D. Trifone)
Anyone who has been following Jonathan Pelto’s Wait What? Blog has read several posts regarding the botched rollout of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), and most recently the software SNAFU that resulted in an eleventh hour rescheduling of the start up date for administering the SBAC test. Many, including this blogger, have criticized the […] The post Arrogance, Ignorance and the Myth of th
How much time and money can Malloy and Pryor Waste on the Common Core Test of a Test
Maybe they really don’t understand how public schools function or maybe they really don’t understand the impact inadequate state funding has on Connecticut’s public schools. Or maybe they just don’t care… When you see one of state’s elected officials you might want to give them a big “thank you” for putting Connecticut’s public education system […] The post How much time and money can Malloy and P
Reports stream in about problems using Google Chromebooks for Common Core Test
As the Malloy Administration’s Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Test of a test scheme kicks into high gear this week, reports are streaming in that Connecticut schools districts are discovering that despite assurance from Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor’s State Department of Education and the national the entity that is producing the Common Core Test, students […] The post Reports strea
MAR 24
Guinea Pigs (aka Connecticut students) – it is time to log into the Common Core Test of a test
Today is the day… In nearly every public school in Connecticut students will put aside the learning process during the coming weeks in order to become guinea pigs for the Common Core Smarter Balanced Field Test of a test and the entire corporate education reform industry. In some states only 10 percent of students were […]The post Guinea Pigs (aka Connecticut students) – it is time to log into the
MAR 23
Teacher Barth Keck adds his voice to the debate about the Common Core and related testing
As Connecticut’s public school students begin taking the Common Core Balanced Assessment Field Test of a test this week, more and more serious questions are being raised about the Common Core and its associated testing charade. As evidenced during the recent public hearing held by the General Assembly’s Education Committee, apologists for the Common Core […]The post Teacher Barth Keck adds his voi
Another MUST READ comment from the Wait,What? reader known as jrp1900
One of yesterday’s Wait,What? posts was entitled, “Election Year: Incumbent or challenger – You MUST READ this column.” The article re-posted a column written by Sarah Darer Littman and began with the statement. In a stunning piece written by pro-public education advocate and CT Newsjunkie columnist Sarah Darer Littman, Connecticut’s elected officials and anyone considering […]The post Another MUS
Legislative Leaders’ failure to act leaves many parents in limbo on Common Core Testing
For weeks the Malloy administration has been engaged in an outrageous public relations campaign to mislead parents of Connecticut’s public school students into believing that they did not have the right to opt their children out of this year’s Common Core Smarter Balanced Field Test of the test. Rather than stand up for the rights […]The post Legislative Leaders’ failure to act leaves many parents
MAR 22
Election Year: Incumbent or challenger – You MUST READ this column
In a stunning piece written by pro-public education advocate and CT Newsjunkie columnist Sarah Darer Littman, Connecticut’s elected officials and anyone considering running for office are provided with a MUST READ substantive, educational and powerful piece entitled, “Politicians Underestimate Common Core Opposition at Their Peril (by Sarah Darer Littman). While parents, teachers and public school
Charter Company: We’re from the Bronx, NY and we are here to help
When it comes to Governor Malloy, his Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor and the corporate education reform industry, perhaps the most absurd, inappropriate, insulting, and anti-local control privatization scheme is playing itself out in Stamford, Connecticut. Fellow pro-public education advocate columnist Wendy Lecker lays out the facts about Bronx Charter School for Excellence effort to open