In Newark, a shot across the school reform bow
Ras Baraka, a former high school principal, current councilman and son of the late poet Amiri Baraka, is the new mayor-elect of Newark and, much to the chagrin of school reformers, he can thank them for his victory. No, they didn’t support him. And they spent gobs of money to defeat him, especially in the […]
Charter schools ‘must’ comply with U.S. civil rights laws, Education Dept. says (finally)
The Obama administration has just released through the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights what it says is “new guidance confirming that the same federal civil rights laws that apply to other public schools apply equally to public charter schools.” For years, the administration has pushed states to allow the growth of charter schools through […]
Pushback on standardized testing around the country getting stronger
To get an idea of what is going on around the country in regards to the growing anti-standardized testing movement, look at the following collection of stories that have come out in the last week or about the growing resistance around the country to high-stakes standardized testing. This list was issued by the National Center for […]
5-14-14 The Answer Sheet
The Answer Sheet: Holder, Duncan asked to investigate ‘racially discriminatory’ school closings in New OrleansThis week marks the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that was intended to strike down the “separate but equal” doctrine that codified racism in America’s public schools. You can read a report here about what it has and has not accomplished. Fol