Florida Teacher Donates His Bonus to NPE to Fight Testing Craze
Kevin Strang, a high school music teacher in Orange County, Florida, won an $810.87 bonus for teaching in an A-rated school. He is donating his bonus to the Network for Public Education to fight high-stakes testing, school grading, merit pay, and the other corporate reforms that treat teachers as donkeys in need of carrots and sticks. Kevin is a professional, and he expects to be treated as a pro
Vivian Connell: How She Will Play the Hand Dealt to Her
I earlier posted Vivian Connell’s letter in which she described her reaction when she learned she has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Vivian here tells us of her continuing journey and reminds us of her boldness of spirit, her determination to squeeze out of life all she can without self-pity but with courage. I really liked her opening epigram: “I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frod
Good News! Helen Gym To Be Honored by White House
Helen Gym, one of our heroes of public education, will be honored by the White House as a “champion of change.” “Gym has been named a Chesar Chavez Champion of Change – one of 10 community leaders nationally who have “committed themselves to improving the lives of others in their communities and across the country,” people who “represent the values and steadfast determination of Cesar Chavez to o
Chris Thinnes: His Moving Description of the NPE Conference
In this post, Chris Thinnes movingly describes his reaction to the first national conference of the Network for Public Education. Most powerful to me was his reference to the absence of hierarchy. All of us–students, parents, educators, citizens, old, young–met as equals. It was, from all accounts, a great and empowering experience. The words I heard often were, ” I am so glad to know that I am no
Shame on the New York Times
The New York Times published a story about the political consultants to Mayor de Blasio who have been paid $236,000 to lobby in Albany for universal pre-kindergarten, which would help poor children across the city. The New York Times has not written a story about the more than $4 million spent by hedge fund managers to gain preferential treatment for privately managed charter schools and to guar
A Letter to Chancellor Farina: Next Steps in Reforming the New York City Public Schools
Chancellor Carmen Farina has taken on a massive challenge by stepping into a central office shaped by people who were mostly non-educators, who had a faith-based reliance on test scores, and who believed that the way to “reform” schools was to close them. This strategy didn’t work, by any measure. By the end of Bloomberg’s term, the overwhelming majority of parents were opposed to his “reforms,” a
Andrea Rediske Reacts to Political Maneuvering to Eliminate “Ethan’s Act”
I received the following statement from Andrea Rediske about the political games now being played in the Florida legislature. “An open letter to Florida Legislators: “When Orange County Public Schools required a letter from the hospice company overseeing the end of Ethan’s life justifying the extension of the FAA waiver, two thoughts came to my mind. The first was: “This is absolutely shameful
Hedge Funders Spend Over $4 Million on TV Ad Campaign to Slam de Blasio
The front group misleadingly called “Families for Excellent Schools” has added nearly another $1 million to the $3.6 million it has spent on television advertising to slam Mayor Bill de Blasio and to press Albany to expand funding for charter schools. Of course, none of the families of the children in the ads are paying for the ads. Four of the five founding board members of “Families for Excelle
Florida: “Ethan’s Act” Disappears, But Survives in Another Bill
Andrea Rediske, the mother of Ethan Rediske, worked tirelessly to persuade the State Legislature in Florida to pass an act that would have eliminated the state’s relentless demand to test Ethan as he lay dying in hospice. Ethan was born with profound disabilities; he was blind and suffered from cerebral palsy, yet the state tormented him to take its standardized tests. Read Andrea Rediske’s testim
Karen Wolfe: Why Liberals Don’t Like the Common Core
Karen Wolfe, a parent in Los Angeles, tries to understand why liberals and progressives find themselves opposed to Common Core and lumped together with the Tea Party, with whom they otherwise have no agreement. While the Tea Party opposes the Common Core because they fear a federal takeover of public education, liberals and progressives have different reasons to oppose the Common Core. Karen Wolfe
What Makes a Great Teacher? This Is What Students Think
Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, Michelle Rhee, and the National Council on Teacher Quality think they know what makes a great teacher. A great teacher is the one whose students got higher test scores this year than last year. A great teacher, they think, brooks no excuses. In the no excuses charter schools, the teachers snap their fingers and demand immediate compliance with commands. Nicholas Ferroni, w
NYC Elected Officials Rally Today to Denounce “Corrupt Budget Deal” with Charter Lobbyists
As the New York Daily News broke the news that hedge fund managers behind a front group called “Families for Excellent Schools” spent more than $4 million for attack ads against de Blasio and for protection of privately managed charter schools–which are not subject to public audit because they are not public schools–parent advocates announced an emergency rally to protect the public schools and th
Robert Shepherd Does a Close Reading of the Common Core and Doesn’t Like What He Sees
Robert Shepherd, a regular commentator on the blog, has a long career as an author and a developer of curriculum, textbooks, and every other aspect of education publishing. From his comments on this blog, we know he has strong feelings about the Common Core. Let’s be blunt: He is not a fan. He has seen the future and he does not like what he sees. Shepherd writes: Dear Common Core Curriculum Commi
Confessions of a Teacher in a “No Excuses” Charter School
This manuscript was sent to me by a teacher who worked in a “no excuses” charter school in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York. Her descriptions of the classroom practices there are vivid and often chilling. The children are treated in a manner that demands robotic responses. What is demanded of them is total obedience. They are being trained like seals or parrots, not educated. The account
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-26-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Pre-K Makes Sense, But Some on the Right Don’t Want to Believe the EvidenceGrover Whitehurst of the Brookings Institution has become the GOP’s go-to guy for proclamations against universal pre-kindergarten. Whitehurst was education research director for the George W. Bush administration, and he provides the ammunition for those who