“The Roar of the Charters”: My Post in the New York Review of Books
This article, which I wrote for the New York Review of Books, connects the dots that I have been writing about these past few weeks. It shows how the charter lobby spent $5 million to attack Mayor de Blasio, completely derailing his own progressive reform agenda of universal pre-kindergarten and afterschool programs for adolescents. The charter schools serve 6% of New York City’s children, 3% of N
Parents in New York Tell You Why You Should Opt Out
Listen and watch as these parents in New York City tell you why your children should opt out of the state tests. The high-stakes standardized testing is a massive waste of time. The results come in long after your child has changed teachers. The teachers learns nothing of value from the tests: just the scores. The tests have no diagnostic value. It is a horse race with no point other than to
Watch Bill Moyers Tonight and This Weekend
I will be discussing privatization this weekend with Bill Moyers.
Jack Schneider: Public Schools Outperform Private and Charter Schools But No One Knows It
Jack Schneider, a historian of education at the College of the Holy Cross, writes that public schools actually outperform private and charter schools but it is a deeply kept secret. There is a reason. Private schools and charter schools build their brand. They aspire to be selective. They market themselves to create a sense of scarcity. Parents think they are lucky if their child is accepted. Publ
When Geronimo Met Joanne Barkan: Thoughts About Philanthropy in Los Angeles
I met a Los Angeles named Geronimo at the Network for Public Education meeting in Austin. Of course, that is a pseudonym. Geronimo, who often comments here, met Joanne Barkan, who wrote a post about philanthropy here. Here are Geronimo’s reflections: One of the great pleasures of my NPE experience in Austin was getting to talk to Joanne Barkan at length. In Los Angeles, we have felt the full b
Ohio: Denis Smith Explains the Charter Movement: Part 3
Denis Smith is a retired school administrator who worked both as a sponsor representative for charter schools as well as a consultant in the state charter school office. In this five-part series, he offers his perspective about charter school governance and how this mechanism designed to provide transparency and accountability for public entities is sorely lacking and may in fact be the “fatal des
New York Officials Tremble as Opt Out Movement Grows
The New York Daily News reports that the revolt among the state tests is growing among parents. State officials are doing whatever they can to tamp down the parent rebellion against the state’s obsession with testing. No one at the State Education Department ever speaks of the “joy of learning,” as New York City Chancellor Carmen Farina did when her appointment was announced. The state department
Billionaires Buy Charter Success in New York Legislature, with the Help of Governor Cuomo: UPDATE
Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters describes the deal to benefit the billionaire-funded charter schools that is being negotiated right now by the New York legislature and will be voted on next week. It is not too late to make your voice heard! Governor Cuomo, who received $800,000 for his re-election campaign from charter school advocates, is making good on his promise to take care of charters
Sarah Darrer Littman: Don’t Believe the Common Core Propaganda
Journalist Sarah Darrer Littman in Connecticut wondered why the legislature was so eager to shut off debate about the Common Core. Connecticut is not a state with a big Tea Party presence. Parents are trying to understand the issues surrounding the sudden shift to national standards whose effects are unknown. She knows that Arne Duncan and Governor Dannell Malloy and Connecticut’s commissioner Ste
Mr. Katzoff Writes an Open Letter to Chris Matthews and MSNBC
Howard Katzoff doesn’t understand why the commentators at MSNBC are so ill-informed about education issues. With the exception of Ed Schultz and possibly Chris Hayes, the commentators at MSNBC have swallowed the snake oil of corporate reform. Although they are usually out front on social and political issues, they sound like Fox News on education. When Education Nation opens in September, all of N
Teacher: How New Jersey Is Trying to Break Its Teachers
This letter arrived from: Douglas McGuirk English Teacher Dumont High School Dumont, NJ My Testimony about the AchieveNJ Act: The AchieveNJ Act is certainly doing its part to make a convoluted mess out of the art of teaching our children. In this testimony, I will address the most readily apparent of its many problems: data collection, Student Growth Objectives, Student Growth Percentiles, PARCC t
Anthony Cody: Why Do “Reformers” Hate Democracy?
Anthony Cody wonders why corporate education reformers hate democracy. They love mayoral control, but only if the mayor agrees with their privatization agenda. They hate local school boards, because they are elected and can be removed. They love private corporate control. They work to enact ALEC’s goal of removing local control from communities. Democracy is too messy. The reformers know how to b
Joanne Barkan: How to Criticize “Big Philanthropy” Effectively
Joanne Barkan has written several important articles for Dissent magazine on the role of big foundations in shaping education policy. She spoke at the Network for Public Education conference in Austin on March 1-2 about how to criticize the role of big philanthropies in reforming our schools. She prepared this draft of her remarks: How to Criticize “Big Philanthropy” Effectively by Joanne Barkan C
YESTERDAY
New York: Tax Breaks for Donors to Private Schools Dropped Out of Budget
Late-breaking news from Albany: according to this story in the Buffalo News, tax breaks for private and religious schools will not be in the state budget. “A plan promoted by the Catholic Church to give lucrative state tax breaks to donors to private schools has died in last-minute budget talks, lawmakers said Thursday night, as has a push by charter schools to get the state to reimburse them for
Good News! NYC Department of Education Issues Guidelines for Opting Out of Tests
Here is good news indeed! After a dozen years of test mania in New York City, Chancellor Carmen Farina issued instructions for testing that make clear that students will not be punished for opting out of the state tests that start next week. Here are key quotes: What should a principal do if parents express an interest in opting their children out of the State exams? “The principal should offer
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-27-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Karen Wolfe: Why Liberals Don’t Like the Common CoreKaren 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 federa