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DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
Today, April 26, marks the two-year anniversary of this blog. When I began, I was not sure who would read it or how it would evolve. In these past two years, the blog has received some 11,645,000 page views. I have put up nearly 8,000 posts, and you have registered nearly 200,000 comments. My purpose when I started was to create a space where parents, students, teachers, principals, superintenden
A new poll from Siena College of voters in New York State produced some unsettling news for Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has presidential ambitions. While most see him as “effective,” only about 50% say they expect to vote for him in the fall election. When matched against his Republican challenger Rob Astorino, Cuomo has a lead of 58-28%. But when a third-party challenger from the left is added t
Arne Duncan and Barack Obama have this unbelievably incredible idea: grade teachers’ colleges by the test scores of the students taught by their graduates. Got that? It’s a stretch but where our Secretary of Education is involved there is no time or place where test scores don’t matter more than anything else. He loves test so much that I wish he would take the new SAT and publish his scores. Or h
I took a fall on April 5 and had the misfortune to land full-force on my left knee. At first the knee surgeon thought I wouldn’t need surgery, and that was reassuring. However, when he saw the MRI, he changed his mind. I had managed to tear not only my ACL but the meniscus ligaments in my knee. The surgeon recommended a total knee replacement. So that’s what I will do. The date for surgery is May
Believe it or not, the Public Editor of the New York Times–the newspaper’s ombudsman–published a letter by teacher Heidi Reich about the flaws of the Common Core. This was amazing and gratifying to see because up until now the “newspaper of record” has failed to print a single story critical of the Common Core or that reflected the views of informed critics, especially teachers. Instead the Times
Jaisal Noor and Nikole Hannah-Jones report on the alarming return of segregation in the schools of the south. Hannah-Jones describes a high school in Tuscaloosa that was successfully desegregated but then resegregated as the result of political decisions intended to attract white students by isolating black students. For many black students in Alabama, it is as though the Brown decision never happ
Schneider Corrects Ezra Klein about PARCC
Ezra Klein has set up a new website, vox.com, wherein he praises the federally-funded test Common Core test called PARCC—which is now being field-tested–and declares that it is “working.” Mercedes Schneider begs to differ. She says the main way it is working is to make millions for Pearson and ETS and to bleed public schools of funding. “If “working” is the cutting of non-tested (and therefore,
EduShyster: A Letter to TFA in Newark Who Are Replacing Veteran Teachers
This post was written for EduShyster by guest blogger Owen Davis, a former corps member of Teach for America. It is firmly tongue-in-cheek. He advises members of TFA headed for Newark not to back down. So what that Cami Anderson, one-time leader of TFA-New York, plans to lay off 1,000 experienced teachers–most of whom will be black–and replace many of them with TFA? He writes: Your ability
Laura H. Chapman: ALEC Provided Models for Kasich’s Agenda
Reader Laura H. Chapman looked at Governor Kasich’s education agenda in Ohio and recognized its source. What is startling is to see the overlap between ALEC and the Obama administration’s Race to the Top: “This is important work, and ALEC needs to be exposed as the source of Governor Kasich’s policies, along with the legislature’s eagerness to approve the Department of Education’s uncritical use
Will Camp Philos Exclude Public School Parents and Teachers?
Three public school teachers and parents signed up for “Camp Philos,” the meeting in the Adirondacks where Governor Cuomo plans to meet next week with other politicians committed to privatizing our nation’s public schools. The three say they were turned away. By limiting attendance at this event to those with deep pockets and to political sympathizers, the sponsors of the event— Democrats for Educ
YESTERDAY
News Flash from L.A.: Science Teacher Suspended for Teaching Science Now Back in Classroom
Strange things happen in Los Angeles. Maybe all that nonstop good weather rattles people. High school science teacher Greg Schiller was suspended after an administrator concluded that science projects made by two of his students were dangerous. Schiller has now been allowed to return to his classroom. “Both projects overseen by teacher Greg Schiller were capable of launching small objects. A st
Breaking News: Colorado Teachers Force Union to Join Fight Against High-Stakes Testing!
This just in: Dear Colleagues: I write to you specifically to inform you of recent action taken at the Colorado Education Association’s delegate assembly. This past Tuesday, April 22nd, Pat Kennedy and I met here at my office at UNC to discuss what had recently transpired at the Colorado Education Association’s delegate assembly held earlier this month. The CEA adopted a new business item which r
North Carolina May Drop Common Core
The North Carolina legislature is deciding whether to back out of the Common Core standards. As a critic of the Common Core, I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I would be pleased to see a state that won Race to the Top funding telling Arne Duncan “No, thanks,” we don’t take orders from you. On the other, the North Carolina legislature is so extremist and so hostile to public educatio
CNN’s “Chicagoland” Was Fake Documentary, An Infomercial to Glorify Rahm
Bill Ruthhart, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, reviewed hundreds of emails about CNN’s “Chicagoland” and discovered that the “documentary” was an infomercial for controversial Mayor Rahm Emanuel. CNN honored him at the very time that he took the historically unprecedented step of closing 50 public schools. CNN has no shame. He writes: “If it seemed as though some scenes of CNN’s documentary
Milwaukee: Why Corporate Takeovers Make No Sense
The previous post reviewed the past history of Milwaukee. You might be tempted to skip past the report by Gordon Lafer on charters that is embedded in the press release. So I urge you to read the full (and short) report on why Milwaukee does not need more charter schools. Lafer writes: Upon examination, it appears that charter privatization proposals are driven more by financial and ideologica
EPI: Corporate Takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools Makes No Sense
Poor Milwaukee. It has a thriving voucher sector. It has a thriving charter sector. It has a struggling public sector, overloaded with the children with disabilities and the others that the two private sectors don’t want. Yet neither the voucher schools nor the charter schools get better test scores, and the higher graduation rate of the voucher schools relies on an extraordinary attrition rate
Obama and Duncan Plan to Control Teacher Institutions with Their Failed Ideas
With the Obama administration’s latest policy pronouncement, the federal grip on American education grows tighter and stupider every day. The latest: the administration plans to reward the best teacher-training institutions and drive the “worst” ones out of business. This is like Race to the Top for teacher preparation programs. What are their measures? Of course, student test scores loom large.
Randi to Pearson: Remove the Gag Order and Test Secrecy
Randi Weingarten, on behalf of the American Federation of Teachers, sent representatives to the Pearson shareholders’ meeting in London and wrote the following letter to the leaders of the world’s biggest testing corporation. By shrouding the tests in secrecy, Pearson denies information to teachers to help diagnose student needs. The tests become useless by having no diagnostic value. Speculation
Chris Rekydal of Washington State: A Hero of American Education
Washington State thoughtfully rejected Arne Duncan’s threat to cancel its waiver from the absurd demands of No Child Left Behind. The decision to say no to federal demands and intimidation was bipartisan. The Legislature refused to bend to Duncan’s insistence that the state adopt test-based evaluation, which has consistently failed across the nation and has been declared inaccurate by the nation’
Gary Rubinstein: Did Arne Duncan Find a Miracle School in Denver?
Gary Rubinstein is quite the sleuth when anyone makes a claim about educational results that seem too good to be true. A few years ago, he helped me pin down some whoppers when Secretary Arne Duncan, President Obama, and then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg claimed they discovered miracle schools that had a 100% graduation rate, or miraculous score gains, or some other incredible statistic. His research
A Hero Superintendent in Oklahoma Defies the State, Exempts Two Students from Tests
Donna Dudley, superintendent of Moyers public schools in Oklahoma, made a conscious decision to defy the state. It should not have been an extraordinary decision because it was what a decent human being would do. Two of her students suffered a terrible loss the weekend before the state tests. Their parents were killed in a car crash. Superintendent Dudley asked the state for permission to ex
Bob Sikes: The Voucher Hypocrisy of Republicans in Florida
Republicans have been pushing vouchers in Florida, despite the fact that voters turned them down in 2012 by a decisive margin. Republicans have been calling for STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) at the same time that they want children to go to school where creationism is taught as science. Republicans claim they want more accountability but schools receiving vouch
Alexandra Miletta: edTPA: Good Thing or Bad Thing? Part 1
A few years ago, the Powers-That-Be decided that the biggest problem in American education was the teachers. McKinsey said that other nations attracted the top performing graduates of the most prestigious universities into teaching, while our own sorry teachers came from the bottom of the barrel. In the hunt for perpetrators of what was wrongly assumed to be a national education disaster (after al
APR 24
Breaking News: Tennessee Legislature Rolls Back Test-Based Teacher Evaluation Law
In a stunning reversal,the Tennessee Legislature overwhelmingly repealed a law to evaluate teachers by test scores, and the law was swiftly signed by Governor Haslam. On a day when Arne Duncan withdrew Washington State’s failure to enact test-based teacher valuation system, this is a remarkable turn of events. Joey Garrison of The Tennessean reports: “Gov. Bill Haslam has signed into law a bill
BREAKING NEWS: Duncan Withdraws NCLB Waiver from Washington State
Subject: POLITICO Breaking News The Education Department is pulling Washington state’s No Child Left Behind waiver because the state has not met the department’s timeline for tying teacher evaluations to student performance metrics. Washington is the first state to lose its waiver. The loss will give local districts less flexibility in using federal funds. For instance, they may now be required
A Former Charter Teacher Defends the Noble Network in Chicago
The Noble Network of charters in Chicago has come under criticism on this blog and elsewhere for various reasons. The network collected $400,000 in fines from low-income families, who are required to pay a $5 fine for disciplinary infractions. Noble network charters are named for the super-rich people who endow them, like billionaire heiress Penny Pritzker, now U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and bill
Reader Jim Explains Why Due Process Matters
Legislatures in various states are trying (and in many cases, recently Kansas, succeeding) to eliminate “tenure” for teachers, which means the elimination of due process. If a student makes a baseless claim against a teacher (“he touched me”) or a parent complains that the teacher discussed evolution or global warming or taught an “offensive” book, the teacher may be fired on the spot, without a
Save Our Schools NJ Complains That Public Schools Are Recruiting for Charters
Camden, New Jersey, is one of the state’s impoverished small cities that is under state control. It may be the poorest district in the state. It is rhe lowest performing. The Chris Christie administration appointed a 32-year-old inexperienced young man (Teach for America alum) with some time working in the New York Department of Education and Newark as Camden’s superintendent, and naturally, his g
Peter Greene: Did Connecticut Discover a Way to Measure Grit?
In the ever-ending boundaries of educational science, there is a new frontier: measuring grit. Peter Greene discovers a striking phenomenon: apparently Connecticut has unlocked the secret of Grittology. “I am sure that all of us, all around the country, want to know how this is done. I am sure that phones are ringing off the hook in CT DOE offices as other educational thought leaders call to ask
Teacher to David Coleman: Yes, What Children Think and Feel Does Matter
Veteran teacher Eileen Riley Hall has some advice for David Coleman, architect of the Common Core standards. Coleman famously said, in taped remarks at the New York State Education Department, that “As you grow up in this world, you realize people really don’t give a (expletive) about what you feel or what you think.” That remark, she says, typifies “all that is wrong with the soulless Common
Wendy Lecker: Why So Many Segregated Charter Schools in Connecticut?
Civil rights attorney Wendy Lecker calls out the charter sector of Connecticut for its unabashed practice of racial segregation. A new report from Connecticut Voices for Children finds that charter schools are hyper segregated and that they exclude children with disabilities and English language learners. Don’t expect the State Commissioner of Connecticut to care: he was co-founder of one of the
Does Data Matter to the Status Quo Defenders?
Reader Chiara Duggan says that study after study shows that charters and vouchers demonstrate that data don’t change their minds. She is right. The charters that get high test scores systematically exclude the most challenging students. Some public schools get higher test scores because they serve affluent districts. The differences between charters, vouchers, and public schools tend to be small i
“Common Core: Building the Machine”
This is an interesting documentary on the Common Core, featuring some of its strongest supporters at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute (as well as guest cameos by Jeb Bush and Bill Gates) and some of its strongest critics, notably Sandra Stotsky and James Milgram, both of whom served on the “validation committee,” but refused to sign off on the standards. It was produced by the Home School Legal Def
APR 23
Breaking News: NC Judge Blocks Anti-Tenure Law
A judge in Guilford County, North Carolina, ruled that the district and Durham Counties do not have to comply with a state law intended to take away tenure. It’s not yet clear whether e the ruling applies statewide or only to the districts that opposed the law. But for now, teachers view it as vindication of their claim that the law violates the state constitution. Districts were supposed to offer
Greet the Hedge Funders and Cuomo with a Picket in the Pines!
When the union-busting Wall Street crowd gathers with Governor Cuomo at their pretentious “Camp Philos,” there won’t be any public. School parents or teachers there. The few willing and able to fork over $1,000 were told they were not welcome. So Cuomo and his buddies want to “reform” public schools without the voices of those who matter most: Students, patents, and teachers. The New York State U
Hedge Fund Group Pours Money into Newark Mayor’s Race for Charter Supporter
According to the first filing of spending in the Newark race for Mayor, the hedge fund managers’ group Education Reform Now has given $850,000 to Shavar Jeffries, a charter school supporter. Jeffries’ spending is about triple the spending of his chief opponent Ras Baraka, and the gap is expected to grow given the deep pockets of Jeffries’ supporters on Wall Street. The Network for Public Education
Alex Pareene in Salon: Time to Fire Everyone on the New York Times’ Opinion Page
Alex Pareene does a demolition job on almost the entire staff of the New York Times’ opinion page. That page is the most valuable space in American journalism today, yet several of the regulars seem to have grown stale and lazy, recycling opinions based on little more than gossip they heard at the latest high-powered cocktail party or something that Bill Gates–who knows everything–may have said in
Pennsylvania: 1 of Every 6 Charters Succeeds; Cyber Charters Are Low Performing
A report released by Representative James R. Roebuck, chair of the House Education Committee, found that one of every six charters in the state is “high-performing. None of the state’s cyber charters is high-performing. Pennsylvania has 162 brick-and-mortar charters, with 86 in Philadelphia. It has 14 cyber charters. Representative Roebuck recommended that public schools might learn from the pract
The Day That Susan Ochshorn Nearly Dropped Her iPhone
Susan Ochshorn is an advocate for early childhood education who keeps track of the good and bad developments affecting young children. She is, needless to say, appalled by the increasing emphasis on academic activities and testing in the early years. So this is the reason she nearly dropped her iPhone. She opened her phone screen one day recently and discovered an article in Forbes magazine extol
Florida’s Largest For-Profit Charter Chain Under Federal Investigation
The Miami Herald reports that the U.S. Department of Education’s Inspector General is reviewing the business practices of the Academica charter chain, a for-profit and highly profitable charter chain. Ironically, at the same time, the charter-friendly Florida legislature is considering legislation that would weaken district oversight of charter school corporations. The charter industry makes sub
ALEC Model Legislation for the Third Grade Reading Guarantee
ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) is an organization founded in 1973 to promote free-market ideas throughout society. ALEC has about 2,000 members who belong to state legislatures. It is funded by major corporations. Its purpose is to write model legislation that members can bring back to their state, to spread the gospel of ALEC. It supports charters, vouchers, online charters–all
Wendy Davis Takes on The Testing Industry in Texas! Go, Wendy!
Wendy Davis is running for Governor of Texas. She is going after the testing industry, which spends big-time for lobbyists to make sure that no child is left untested, even children in pre-school. From: Wendy Davis for Governor Date: April 22, 2014 at 8:34:08 AM Subject: Davis Campaign Files Open Records Request on Abbott and Testing Industry Reply-To: press@wendydavistexas.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELE
EduShyster Visits Arne Duncan’s Alma Mater
EduShyster visited the University of Chicago Lab School, where Arne Duncan was a student from K-12, thirteen years. She met his favorite teacher, who has been teaching for 49 years. She searched for the secret sauce that makes him tick. She would have been better off searching for whatever ingredient led him to look upon public schools with such disdain. Perhaps she found it. It is just a ston
Who Wrote the Common Core Standards? Here is a List
There has been much debate about who wrote the Common Core standards. Here is a press release that lists the names of the writing teams for each subject as well as “feedback” groups. You will notice a large representation of people from the testing industry (College Board and ACT), as well as people from Achieve, a D.C. think tank. Notice that the statement says: “The Work Group’s deliberation
APR 22
FairTest: Computer Test Failures Are Common
Florida had widespread problems with its FCAT, delivered–or not–by Pearson. Pam Stewart promised to seek damages from Pearson. Remember the bad old days when teachers tested students, graded the tests, and students got immediate feedback. Now state officials trust Pearson more than teachers. Who peddled the idea that all testing should be done online? Here is a report from FairTest: FairTest Nat
Oklahoma: Reform Fatigue Sets In
After years of enacting reform after reform, and after years of defunding the public schools, Oklahoma legislators are stepping back and thinking twice what they have wrought. It is not pretty. They passed a law saying that third graders would be held back if they didn’t pass a test, but they are rethinking that. They adopted the Common Core standards, but they are rethinking that. They adopted A
Pearson Crashes in Florida During State Testing
I am getting reports of computer servers crashing in various states. Whose nutty idea was it that all testing must be online? Was it to make data mining easier? Ir to enrich the testing companies and vendors of software and hardware? News from Colleen Wood in Florida: Colleen Doherty Wood 904/591.3207 50thNoMore.org / @50thNoMore Diane – below is the email sent by our Commissioner of Education,
Peter Greene: The Sad Scientist Behind CCSS
Peter Greene feels sorry for Bill McCallum, one of the writers of the Common Core math standards. From what Greene has read, McCallum meant well but doesn’t understand what CC has become. He calls McCallum “a sad scientist.” Greene says he believes there are three types of people who support CCSS. “We have a tendency to characterize all CCSS backers as evil geniuses, malignant mad scientists, or
Time for an Anti-Testing Movement in Upstate New York
A reader sent this comment: Dear Diane, I was wondering if you could create a post to get the anti-testing movement that seems to be thriving downstate to garner some more support upstate. I teach in a suburb of Rochester, NY. My school is on the “west side,” where household incomes are substantially lower than they are on the “east side.” Today a colleague emailed me a link to a letter that the
NCAA Will No Longer Accept Credits Awarded by 24 K12 Virtual Charter Schools
The NCAA announced that it will no longer accept credits awarded by 24 virtual charter schools, all of which are operated by Michael Milken’s corporation K12. This is huge. All of these virtual schools are highly profitable. The K12 corporation, listed on the New York Stock Exchange, receives full tuition for each student; the district loses the tuition, and the student gets a computer and tex
Reader: Another Liberal Who Questions the Overreach of Common Core
This reader comments on earlier posts about why some liberals dislike Common Core, even though they find allies with whom they disagree on other issues. Arne Duncan has tried to create a narrative in which only the Tea Party is opposed to Common Core, but he neglects to mention that leaders of major corporate interests, plus Jeb Bush and Michelle Rhee– support the Common Core. Reasons for favoring
Reader: Can the Quest for Efficiency Be Stopped by the Pursuit of a Culture of Humanity?
This reader, a lawyer in Mine, asks important, thoughtful questions that go to the heart of the current debate over the future of education–from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. Is technology now promoting the demand for objective, measurable means and ends? Is the technological culture at odds with the humane goals of the Western intellectual tradition? Do we treasure only what can be me
Jay Greene on the Common Core: Why Total Victory Often Leads to Total Defeat
I don’t often agree with Jay Greene because he is a proponent of school choice, especially vouchers. I disagree, as I see no benefit to giving public money to religious schools and tossing aside one of our important traditions, i.e., separation of church and state. Greene is chair of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, which is funded in part by the Walton Family Foun
APR 21
Laura Chapman on the Gold Rush at A$U in $cottsdale
Reader Laura Chapman has done some research on the education entrepreneurs now meeting in Scottsdale to learn more about how to profit from the public education industry. Note that tickets for the event ranged from $1,000-2,000. In addition, there were many sponsors. Whatever comes from this conference, it is a gold mine for its organizers: I was also doing research on this. My direct quotes co
inBloom Closes Down Due to Parental Objections to Data Mining of Students
Education Week reports that inBloom is going out of business. The company was started with a grant of $100 million from the Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation, to gather confidential student data and store it on an electronic “cloud.” The technology for collection and storage of student data belonged to Wireless Generation, a subsidiary of Amplify, run by Joel Klein and owned by Rupert
The Netherlands: Not a Model for Chile or for the U.S.
A reader from the Netherlands noticed the recent post by Mario Waissbluth in Chile. Waissbuth said that Chileans were looking to the Netherlands as a possible model as Chile tries to extricate itself from decades of privatization. The privatization was launched by the dictator Pinochet, whose advisors admired the libertarian ideas of Milton Friedman. Our reader from the Netherlands commented:
Education’s Gold Rush Is On!
Starting today, the nation’s leading entrepreneurs will gather for their annual conference at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, to exchange ideas about the ongoing monetization, privatization, innovation, and profits in the education “industry.” This summit was originally organized by Michael Moe, who has for years predicted that the education sector could be monetized. He was right. H
Colorado: RAVE, A New Organization Unites to Strengthen Public Education
If you live in Colorado and care about the future of our society, join this group of students, educators, and citizens, meeting on May 1. Join the fight to reclaim our schools for learning and resist the corporate takeover. RAVE: Re-igniting Association Values for Educators BY PEGGY ROBERTSON Welcome to RAVE. The RAVE caucus in Colorado has been created in a determined effort to unify Colorado t
New York: Why is Governor Cuomo Stripping Rural Schools of Basic Resources?
An editorial in the Glens Falls (NY) Post-Journal deplores Governor Andrew Cuomo’s disastrous policies, which are stripping rural public schools of resources and driving them into economic calamity. Governor Cuomo is not just balancing the state budget on the backs of poor school children, the editorial says, he is literally standing on their backs in his reach for the presidency. So eager is
Alan Singer: The Dishonorable Governor Cuomo and the Charter School Zombies
Alan Singer gets credit for one of the most creative headlines of the year. He calls his article “The Dishonorable Andrew Cuomo Meets the Hedge Fund / Charter School Zombies.” Governor Cuomo has indeed dishonored his office by selling out the public schools, which enroll the vast majority of children in New York State, and paying court to his campaign contributors who love charter schools, which e
How New York State Discourages Immigrant Children by Inappropriate Tests and Labels
A teacher wrote this comment in response to a post asking why English language learners, who barely know any English, are required to take the state English test. I agree, it is painful to watch our English Language Learners struggle with these ridiculous tests, tests which label students 1,2,3,or 4. I have worked with refugees, many of whom arrive with little or no formal education, for over
Another Charter Teacher Tells Her Story: “Tame the Savages”
In response to “Confessions of a Teacher in a ‘No Excuses” Charter School,” this comment was posted: Thank you for writing about your experience. I taught at a “no excuses” charter school in Brooklyn for a year. It was the most frustrating and disturbing experience of my life. The ridiculously punitive disciplinary system enforced by a teaching staff of young white recent college graduates felt
Julie Vassilatos: Something in Me Snapped Today…And…
Julie Vassilatos, a Chicago parent, blogs about school issues. In one of her latest posts, she realized she could no longer use the term “education reform” because it was a complete phony and misrepresentation of reality. She writes: Something in me snapped today and I realized that I am finished using the phrase “education reform.” That’s how folks refer to the constellation of ideas fir
APR 20
Chile: Dismantling the Most Pro-Market Education System in the World
The following post was written by Mario Waissbluth, President of Educación 2020 Foundation, a Chilean citizen’s movement founded in 2008. Its latest reform proposals (in Spanish) are called “La Reforma Educativa que Chile Necesita”, and were published in April 2013. A book on this subject (in Spanish) is also available. These proposals were mostly adopted by and included in the educational program
Swedish Experiment in Privatizing Schools Floundering
Scholars such as Henry Levin have earlier warned that the Swedish experiment in privatization is promoting greater social segregation and not improving education. Reader Chiara Duggan adds this recent Reuters article, with her comment on the failure of market-based reform. Will anyone tell Arne Duncan or will he continue to follow the guidance of (Sir) Michael Barber of Pearson? Duggan writes:
A Remarkable Teaching Experience
Read this teacher’s account of her experience in the D.C. public schools before they descended into test-prep obsessive policies. She raised the money to take her class to her native state of Montana. And what a trip they had! After you read it, ask yourself this question: Would they have learned more by prepping for the standardized tests or by their extended and amazing field trip?
More on Chile’s Education Reforms
I wrote to Professor Mario Waissbluth, who has previously written for the blog, about the new turn of events in Chile. In his previous posts on the blog, Professor Waissbluth explained that Chile’s free-market system had been an educational disaster. In his last post, before the recent elections, he wrote: Previously, I wrote in this blog a 3-part sequence describing the Chilean educational syst
Peter Greene: TNTP’s Brilliant Néw Idea
If you have an eye for quackery, as Peter Greene does, you will never run out of material in the world of reform tomfoolery. In this post, Greene has fun with TNTP’s brilliant new way to identify better teachers: multiple-choice test. I kid you not. TNTP used to be called The Néw Teacher Project. According to legend, it was founded by Michelle Rhee, although partisans of Wendy Kopp say it was he
Why Doesn’t the New York Times Understand the Controversy Over Common Core?
In story after story, the New York Times consistently misses the essence of the controversy surrounding Common Core. Today’s New York Times gives its lead article on page 1, column right, top of the fold, to the battle raging within the Republican party, about the Common Core. On one side is Jeb Bush, standing up for the Common Core standards (presumably a moderate, let’s not talk about his figh
Vivian Connell’s Journey: On Her Way
You have read here about the courageous journey of Vivian Connell. She lives in North Carolina, where she was a teacher for many years. In 2010, discouraged by the state legislature’s hostility to teachers and low salaries, she left the classroom to enter law school. She graduated last May with honors. Vivian recently learned she has ALS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and she returned to teaching for what
Advice from a Charter Teacher in Ohio: Regulate Us!
This teacher read the post about Gulen charter schools and wrote the following comment: This is so eerily similar to my job-it is a shame that there is poor oversight in these types of schools. I work in a Ohio-based charter school. I’m under great stress due to this under performing school. Misleading marketing leads unsuspecting parents to the school with inaccurate curriculum/academic expecta
Matt Farmer: Graze to the Top, or How a $4.35 Billion Federal Program Became a Laughing Stock
Matt Farmer, a lawyer and public school activist in Chicago, wrote a brilliant satire of the Obama administration’s Race to the Top. You may recognize Matt Farmer as the brilliant litigator who cross-examined and tried billionaire Penny Pritzker in absentia. At the time, Pritzker was a member of the Chicago Board of Education, merrily cutting services for the children in public schools while raisi
A Gift to Readers of This Blog
Every once in a while, I come across something so delightful that I want to state it with you. Here it is.
What Myra Blackmon Learned in School About Restorative Justice
Myra Blackmon, a regular columnist for The Online Athens Banner-Herald (Ga.), frequently substitutes in her local elementary school and enjoys it. One day recently, the class of second-graders was rude and undisciplined. When the regular teacher returned, she did not discipline or punish the students. She had each of them write a letter of apology to Ms. Blackmon. Ms. Blackmon was moved. She wri
APR 19
BREAKING NEWS: Chile to End Public Funding of Private Education!
Under the dictator Pinochet, Chile became devoted to the free-market theories of libertarian economist Milton Friedman. It adopted a voucher system and embrace choice. Over the years, the schools experienced growing social segregation and little or no improvement. A vigorous and outraged student movement in Chile demanded changes. Just today, a news story appeared saying that Chile intends to end
Ras Baraka Praises Newark Clergy’s Call for Moratorium on Cami’s “One Newark” Plan
Ras Baraka is a high school principal and City Council member in Newark. He is running for mayor of Newark against a candidate funded by hedge fund managers and corporate reformers. Baraka was endorsed by the Network for Public Education. Contact Frank Baraff (914) 469-3775 fbaraff@optonline.net For Release Friday, April 18th Baraka praises Ministers Fight for a Moratorium on One Newark School Reo
Newark Clergy to Cami: Listen to the People of Newark!
77 members of Newark’s clergy signed a joint statement to Cami Anderson, who was appointed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to run the schools of that city. Newark has been under state control for 20 years. Anderson’s “Ne Newark” plan will close many public schools and turn them over to charter corporations. Anderson refuses to attend meetings of the elected (but powerless) school board becau
Schneider to David Brooks: Common Core Does Not Encourage Opinion Writing Like Yours (UPDATE)
On Friday, Néw York Times’ columnist David Brooks wrote a column excoriating critics of the Common Core standards as “clowns.” He didn’t seem aware that his personal opinion piece, devoid of documentation other than anecdotes, is precisely the kind of writing that David Voleman abhors. In his most famous statement about the Common Core, Coleman said that when you grow up, no one gives a &$@&am
A High School Student’s View of the Common Core
Abby White is a junior at Shaker Heights High School in Ohio and an editor at her high school newspaper. She researched the Common Core, read the standards, interviewed faculty, and developed her own views about their strengths and weaknesses. She wrote this article for her school newspaper, the Shakerite. She has done more research than many newspaper reporters, who like to quote what people sa
A Free Market in Schooling?
Advocates for school choice like to say they believe in a free market in education. They say, let the consumer choose, let the market decide. And with this ideology, they merrily seek to undermine public education. But is there a free market? I received this comment from a reader: “There is absolutely nothing “free market competitive” about the charter school movement. The only thing they are co
Representative Raul Grijalva Warns that Obama’s Market-Based Policies Endanger Public Education
Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) is co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He sees right through the Obama education policy and recognizes that it is a continuation of George W. Bush’s failed No Child Left Behind. In this astonishingly candid interview with Josh Eidelson in Salon, Rep. Grijalva lacerates Race to the Top, high-stakes testing, privatization, and the other features of
Did Brandeis Abandon its Commitment to Debate and Reason?
Jon Zimmerman is a colleague of mine at New York University and a fellow historian of education. He uses his deep knowledge of history to write on many topics. He is amazingly prolific. Zimmerman writes: NEWSDAY April 16, 2014 Brandeis Betrays its Educational Mission Jonathan Zimmerman In 1949, Wayne State University president David Henry blocked an invited speaker from appearing on campus. The
Robert Shepherd: A Tribute to David Coleman
From our friend Robert Shepherd, who may have watched the famous video in which David Coleman–architect of the Commin Core standards, now President of the College Board, which administers the SAT, original treasurer if Muchelle Rrhee’s StudentsFirst–uttered his immortal line about how no one “gives a &@(@” what you feel or think. This was his strong denunciation of personal expository writing.
Carol Burris: Please DON’T Stay the Course
Award-winning high school principal Carol Burris reports here on Arne Duncan’s latest foray into New York, where he highly praised the state’s controversial Commissioner of Education John King, disparaged disgruntled educators and parents as a mere distraction, and urged the state to “stay the course.” Burris, a leader in the effort to expose and reverse some of the worst aspects of Race to the T
