A Note About My Schedule
In an earlier post, I shared with you the fact that I took a bad fall, landed on my knee, and tore the ACL ligament. The MRI showed the damage was even more extensive than it first seemed. I not only tore my ACL, I managed to take out several other ligaments as well that provide stability. So much for enthusiasm and striving boldly into the challenges of life. As a result, this is the new schedul
Please Help Send EduShyster to Camp Philos!
EduShyster needs our help to go to Camp Philos to hear the great thoughts of such brilliant educational philosophers as Governor Andrew Cuomo, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson (Michelle Rhee’s husband), Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and Whatz-is-name the mayor of Denver. She has raised $600. She needs $400 more. I made a contribution. Will you? EduShyster promises to share with us all she le
Sara Stevenson: Watch Out, Texas: VAM Is a Sham
Sara Stevenson, librarian at O. Henry Middle School in Austin, published an article in the Austin American-Statesman, written as a warning to Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams. The article appeared on April 11, amd it is behind a paywall is I have no link. Stevenson did an excellent job of reviewing the research literature on value-added measurement and warned Commissioner Williams tha
Paul Thomas: Cynicism or Skepticism about the Obama Education Agenda?
Paul Thomas has been a consistent critic of the Obama education policies of standards, testing, accountability, choice, competition. Rightly so, since those policies are no different from those of the Bush era, only worse. He now wonders if the administration’s criticism of zero tolerance might be a hopeful turn. But he does not note that the administration does not associate “zero tolerance
Vivian Connell Asks for Your Support
A while back, I posted a moving statement by Vivian Connell about her discovery that she has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and a limited life-span. I called it “Vivian Connell: The Face of a Hero,” recognizing the grace and dignity with which she was facing a dread diagnosis. She wrote about her plans to do good works in whatever time was left to her, and one of her goals was to take a group of stude
Peter Greene on Arne’s Néw Message
Peter Greene has a large appetite for listening to our educational leaders. In this post, he describes speeches given by Arne Duncan and John King, defending the status quo. They want all children tested, they all teachers evaluated by test scores. They want everyone to stop making so much noise. They want everyone to listen to them. Now. As Greene puts it, Arne’s new message is: “Shut up.”
Billionaires Rule! How Governor Cuomo and Hedge Fund Managers Protected Charter Schools
I am late posting this article because it appeared about the time I started dealing with health issues (a bad fall that took out the ACL in my left knee). It deserves wide reading because it is an accurate portrait of the money and power behind the charter school movement. I commend the writers, Javier C. Hernandez and Susanne Craig for getting the story that took place behind closed doors in Alb
Ohio: Extremists in Legislature Seek to Change Constitution
Just when you think the attacks on public education can’t get worse, some rightwing legislature has a new bad idea. It is probably intended to pave the way for more money for charters, vouchers, and the online industry, which make generous campaign contributions to the GOP. Did this come from ALEC? The following report comes from Bill Phillis of the Ohio Equity and Adequacy Coalition, which fight
Leo Casey: Is New York the Mississippi of Our Time?
Leo Casey, director of the Albert Shanker Institute, writes here about the recent report of the UCLA Civil Rights Project. That report found that Néw York has the most racially segregated schools in the nation. Casey writes: “Last month saw the publication of a new report, New York State’s Extreme School Segregation, produced by UCLA’s highly regarded Civil Rights Project. It confirmed what New
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 4-12-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGDavid Berliner on PISA and PovertySince there is always a lot of chatter about what international tests scores mean, I invited David Berliner to share his views. Berliner is one of our nation’s pre-eminent scholars of education. Dear Diane, A few weeks ago you asked me a question about recent PISA test results and t