All Week @ THE CHALK FACE
Looks Like Oklahoma Could Be First to Really Dump Common Core
On May 23, 2014, both the Oklahoma House (71-18) and Senate (31-10) voted to dump the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). All that is left is for Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin to sign the legislation, HB 3399, into law. (Fallin was not governor when Oklahoma signed on for CCSS as part of Race to the Top {RTTT} in […]
Check out this new #forthecore campaign on Twitter and…
… tell me that the Center for American Progress is not implying that you hate military families if you don’t support the Common Core. This is highly disappointing coming from a so-called progressive organization. Actually, it’s not disappointing at all, just predictable and hilarious. It proves that progressives are terrible on issues dealing with education […]
I am insulted by the promise of a “quality education”
The Washington Post recently reported that DC approved three new charter schools. What bothers me the most about this: do we really need any new charters? How can we have so many different operators in one city, with wildly different leadership styles and educational philosophies? Plus, one of these schools is being opened by a former […]
Inequalities perpetuated by progressives fills me with fury and sadness
I am a political liberal who is pro-union and supports public education. It is foul, however, to hear about the grossness of those with whom I’m politically sympathetic. I’ve been obsessed with this issue over the last week since I first heard about it. I’ve probably realized this subconsciously over the years and thought nothing […]
NCTQ Gets Caught in a Data Collecting Lie
The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) will be “grading” university-level, traditional teacher training programs again soon. Last year, 2013, they released this report on June 18. They “grade” in a superficial manner, relying upon program artifacts to form skewed judgments– judgments that they publish in US News and World Report and that are meant to damage the credibility of […]
“most people of high intellect have sought to serve power and not critique or question it”
“most people of high intellect have sought to serve power and not critique or question it”. via “most people of high intellect have sought to serve power and not critique or question it”.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
MAY 22
John White’s “Statewide Trends” of LEAP Supposed to be Publicized on May 27
When Louisiana State Superintendent John White withheld the Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP) scores on Friday, May 16, 2014– the day that these scores were supposed to be released, he chose to wait until midday to contact the schools. White offered no reason for the delay. However, by now, it is no secret that scores for White’s pet project, predominately-charter Recovery […]
REVIEW: An Untamed State, Roxane Gay
REVIEW: An Untamed State, Roxane Gay. via REVIEW: An Untamed State, Roxane Gay.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
Why Wait For College To Intervene?
WHY WAIT FOR COLLEGE TO INTERVENE?.Filed under: SHAUN JOHNSON, PHD: Musings from the Chalk Face
Segregation not about Proximity, but Equity
Segregation not about Proximity, but Equity. via Segregation not about Proximity, but Equity.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
MAY 21
The Return to Separate but Equal 60 Years Post Brown
Originally published by emPower Magazine on Wednesday May 22, 2014. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling Brown vs. Board of Education, which put an end to segregation of public schools, many have argued that the goals of that case have not been met as many black and brown students […]
America’s Billionaire-to-National-Debt Contradiction
In 1983, the Reagan administration published the now-infamous report, A Nation at Risk, a report that declares the American education experience is “eroding” due to “a tide of mediocrity.” Here are the opening sentences of that report: Our Nation is at risk. Our once unchallenged preeminence in commerce, industry, science, and technological innovation is being overtaken by […]
Why Did Cory Booker and Mark Zuckerberg Ignore Newark’s Families?
Dale Russakoff’s New Yorker profile “Schooled” is a wonderful account of Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million investment in Newark school reform, and how and why it failed. It implicitly asks what did the founder of Facebook, and other elites, not know about school improvement and if they will develop an interest in why they did not […]
MAY 20
Pearson Transcript Allows Me to Quote 400 Board-meeting Words
At the American Enterprise Institute in March 2014, billionaire Bill Gates explained why the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are necessary above and beyond individual state standards that might be better: You get more free market competition. Scale is good for free market competition. Individual state regulatory capture is not good for competition. [Emphasis added.] In […]
Post-apocalyptic Mindset in a Civilized World
Post-apocalyptic Mindset in a Civilized World. via Post-apocalyptic Mindset in a Civilized World.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
“A Sustained Critique of the Entire System”
“A Sustained Critique of the Entire System”. via “A Sustained Critique of the Entire System”.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
La. Superintendent John White Requires Districts to Embargo LEAP Summary Public Reports
When it comes to the 2014 Louisiana Education Assessment Program (LEAP) scores he was supposed to release on Friday, May 16, 2014, Louisiana State Superintendent John White has apparently found himself in an unfamiliar fix regarding his characteristic “water muddying.” It seems that in this instance, his Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) underlings have refused to airbrush […]
MAY 19
To those who would argue for flat funding for all schools
While so-called “priority” schools languish in Washington, DC, all from low-income black and brown neighborhoods, I am to understand that PTA/PTO/HSA organizations in more affluent areas of our nation’s capital are able to raise upwards of $500K additional funds to, for instance, hire full-time paraprofessionals in every class. A half-a-million dollars. Are you kidding me? […]
MAY 18
An Open Letter to TFAers Tempted to Diagnose ADHD, Among Other Issues
Dear Teach for America (TFA) Corps Member: In 1985, I graduated from high school. So did TFA founder, Wendy Kopp. She and I happen to be only five weeks apart in age. In April 2014, I published a book. Kopp has her own chapter. She attended college at Princeton from 1985-89. I also attended college, at […]
Free Reading Redux
Free Reading Redux. via Free Reading Redux.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
Autonomy Must Precede Accountabilty
Autonomy Must Precede Accountabilty. via Autonomy Must Precede Accountabilty.Filed under: PAUL THOMAS: Becoming Radical
MAY 17
A Review of My Book by Someone Who Had Never Heard of Me
D. Forman had never heard of me. She had never read my blog, and she did not know that I had recently published my first book, A Chronicle of Echoes, a well-researched whistle blower on numerous major players exploiting American public education in the name of “reform.” She found my book when perusing the Amazon.com site; read the […]