NYSUT Supports Districts That Opt Put of State Field Tests
The New York State United Teachers issued a statement supporting th districts that are opting out of state field tests. “ALBANY, N.Y. May 30, 2014 – As tens of thousands of students statewide prepare to begin vfield testing” questions for future state exams, New York State United Teachers President Karen E. Magee said today more time should be devoted to teaching – not testing – and called for an
ConnectEDU Goes Bankrupt, 20 Million Student Data Files at Risk
Leonie Haimson, leader of Class Size Matters and a student privacy hawk, reports on the bankruptcy of ConnectEDU. Data mining is big business. She writes that: “ConnectEDU was one of the three data dashboard companies chosen by the NY State Education Department to receive a statewide set of personal student data through the inBloom data cloud, as part of their “EngageNY Portal.” Now ConnectEDU h
Cuomo Plays Hardball with Working Families Party
Governor Cuomo is trying to persuade other statewide candidates to refuse the Working Families Party endorsement if they choose an independent to run against him. His goal is to punish the party if it does not endorse him. There is a battle going on for the future of the Democratic Party. Will it be a progressive party, or will it vie with Republicans to hold the line on taxes and budgets? Will i
Business Group in NY Pledges $500,000 Campaign for Common Core
Who supports the Common Core standards? who opposes them? Are the critics right or left? A new group in Néw York has been created to spend $500,000 to promote Common Core. This article says the group consists of business organizations but its prominent supporters are the Gates Foundation, the Helmsley Foundation, Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst, and the Gates-funded Educators for Excellence. Allege
Teachers in New Mexico Burn Their Evaluations
New Mexico recently released teacher ratings, 50% based on standardized test scores. The teachers are hopping mad, because they know that the evaluations do not truly measure their quality, and the tests are not good measures of what students know and can do. In Taos, teachers burned their evaluation reports. Teachers in Albuquerque also burned their evaluations as a sign of protest. During the
Who Is Zephyr Teachout?
The Working Families Party, a small party in Néw York state, will hold its convention Saturday in Albany. At that time, the party will decide whether to endorse Governor Cuomo for re-election or run its own candidate. Polls show that Cuomo wins easily if he does not face a credible challenger on the left. He has lined up Mayor Bill de Blasio’s support and is wooing labor leaders who are active in
Parents in New York: Say NO to Field Tests!
Parents, there is one sure way to stop the testing mania that is devouring your child’s education: Say NO to the next round of field tests, scheduled for June 2 to June 11. Don’t let Pearson and the State Education Department steal more time from your child that should be spent learning, playing, dancing, singing, and studying. Want to learn more about the campaign to Change the Stakes? Open this
The Hidden Benefit of Charter Schools
Jersey Jazzman goes through the reasons why the corporate elites and rightwing think tanks love charter schools. It is not because they get better results. They don’t. It is not because they save money. They don’t. They are very effective at busting unions. Nearly 90% of the nation’s charters are non-union. This makes possible a flexible workforce that works long hours, accepts whatever pay man
An Important New Study on Efforts to Privatize Teacher Education
Teachers College Press has published a major study of venture philanthropy and its efforts to introduce market forces into teacher education. It was written by Kenneth Zeichner and Cesar Pena-Sandoval of the University of Washington in Seattle. The article focuses on the key role of the NewSchools Venture Fund in promoting legislation to authorize charter academies to train teachers and principal
New York City’s Teachers Adrift, Victims of Reform
During the decade or so in which Mayor Michael Bloomberg totally controlled the public schools of New York City, he relied on test scores as the measure of students, teachers, principals, and schools. His was a managerial mindset devoid of any philosophy of education or of any concern for the lives of individuals or communities. Collateral damage was unimportant, and many people fell under his whe
Carol Burris: Anybody But Cuomo
Carol Burris eloquently explains why she will vote for Anybody But Cuomo. She remembers when Democrats fought for good public schools for all. She remembers when Democrats saw funding public schools as a civic obligation, not as “throwing money at the problem.” She wants a governor who believes in public schools, and that is not Andrew Cuomo. She writes: “I stood with one thousand others on a
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-29-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Oregon Educator: When Did the Federal Role Change from Equity and Integration to Control?Oregon Educator, a high school principal in that state, poses some hard questions about the federal role in education. The federal government puts up about 12% of the cost of public education but has grown increasingly assertive about exercisin