New Post: Duncan Says Racial Segregation Has Worsened, But No one Is Accountable
I posted this on my trip home from the hospital earlier today. I made a mistake and hit “publish” before I wrote the post. Here is the post that was supposed to accompany the title! In a speech to the Education Writers Association, Arne Duncan said that racial isolation has gotten worse in the past two decades, including (one assumes) during his own tenure in office. An article in Education Daily
Teacher in Palm Beach County: How I Am Evaluated
Thanks to Arne Duncan, almost every state now has an elaborate teacher evaluation plan. There is no evidence that the pans identify teachers correctly, but they are widespread because Duncan believes and he is Secretary of Education, with more certainty than any of his predecessors. What hath Arne wrought? Here is an account I hope he reads. It shows what a mess he has made in thousands of school
Maryland: A Teacher Tells a Candidate for Governor Why She Won’t Vote for Him
Brenda Payne, who teaches in Baltimore County, wrote the following open letter to Douglas Gansler, a candidate for governor of Maryland. It was published in the Baltimore Sun. We need more teachers like Brenda Payne, fearless, articulate, activist, to set this country on the right track. By Brenda Payne Updated May 20, 2014 An open letter to Douglas Gansler, attorney general of Maryland and candi
Long Island: Housing Segregation Causes School Segregation
Sixty years after the Brown decision, and despite federal and state anti-discrimination laws, residential segregation not only persists but is growing. Long Island, Néw York, has highly segregated communities and schools. As this article in the Long Island Press sows, this at term is not accidental. Nor is a reflection of the incomes of black and white families. Even when black families can affor
Gary Rubinstein: Who Is the Real Michael Johnston?
Gary Rubinstein writes in this post about Michael Johnston and his long association with him. Today Johnston is known in Colorado as the state senator who wrote the most punitive, anti-teacher law in the nation. At present, Harvard students are protesting the invitation to Johnston to speak at commencement Gary knew him from Teach for America. He describes a young man who understood and cared ab
Agassi Charter Firm Plans to Raise $1 Billion for New Charters
The firm created by Andre Agassi with investors plans to an additional $1 billion to build new charters in urban districts. Investors say the offer is appealing because of the returns. Agassi formed a new investment partnership with capital investor Bobby Turner called Turner-Agassi. It has already built 39 charters. “Among the Turner-Agassi fund’s investors is the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundatio
Bob Shepherd: How We Perpetuate Racial Inequity
Bob shepherd responded to the sixtieth anniversary of the Brown decision with these thoughts: 1. Today, a century and a half after the end of slavery, 38.2 percent of African-American children live in poverty. 2. Today, a century and a half after the end of slavery, we routinely jail or imprison people for breathing while black. A recent study in California found that white teens in that state use
Michelle Obama: The Arts Raise Test Scores (!)
A reader sent me this story with this comment: “Bizarro world.” First Lady Michelle Obama promotes arts education because the arts raise test scores. The administration said 35 schools would get federal turnaround funding for the arts because early evidence shows that the arts lead to higher math and reading scores. Time to stop and think. The Bush-Obama high-stakes testing policies have diminish
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-22-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Rick Cohen: What Happened to Zuckerberg’s $100 Million?Rick Cohen admired an article in The Néw Yorker about Cory Booker and Chris Christie’s grand plan to overhaul the schools of Newark, which inspired Cohen to write his own reflections. Cohen has written an informative article about the fate of Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million gift