Diane Ravitch's blog
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DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
Today this blog reached the number 12 million page views. That means that in the past two years of its existence, someone has read articles posted here. So were written by readers, some by me. Together, we have provided support and encouragement to one another, as well as resistance to privatization and attacks on students and educators.p But the number 12 has another meaning for me personally.
Bryan Ripley Crandall, director of the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield University, has high praise for teachers. He says they are the artists of our age. They deserve our praise, our gratitude, our admiration. He writes: “Teaching is a unique profession that requires an expertise in history, research, lived experiences, language, culture, sociology, psychology, mathematics and the huma
Paul Karrer: Who Are Those Bad Teachers?
Paul Karrer, who teaches fifth-grade in Castroville, California, takes a look at our policymakers’ obsession with bad teachers. Who are they? How can they be found out and fired? Here is one example of a bad teacher: “The Low Score bad teacher — Education reformers want high-stakes testing to be a prime determinant in teacher evaluation. But if one looks under the tests, interesting facts pop up
Anthony Cody: Why CTU Rejection of Common Core Matters
Anthony Cody hails the Chicago Teachers Union for its unanimous vote to reject Common Core. This vote is important for many reasons. First, it undermines the repeated (and false) claim that almost all teachers favor CC. Second, it recognizes that CTU is worried about the standardization and double-duty testing, as well as the loss of creativity that CC will bring. Third, Cody believes that the
Is TFA Recruiting in the Bathrooms at the University of Michigan?
A blogger named Democracy Tree reports that TFA is putting up recruitment posters in the toilets at the University of Michigan. Probably it is to recruit teachers for the financially strapped Educational Achievement Authority, where 27% of the teachers are TFA. The blogger reports: “Yep, that’s Teach For America (TFA) hustling young adults while they pee — Geez, talk about lowbrow recruiting ta
America’s Highest Paid Government Worker: Scandalous!
You have heard about the scandalous salaries and pensions paid to government workers. Here is the top-paid government worker in the nation: Ron Packard, CEO of online virtual charter corporation K12, founded by junk bond king Michael Milken and his brother. Packard was paid $19 million between 2009-13. Packard recently stepped down as CEO to start his own business. He remains on the board of dire
Anthony Cody: Why Computers Can’t Grade Student Essays
The new frontier of education consists of figuring out a way to cut costs. Or, failing that, figuring out a way to make money for investors while laying off teachers. That brings us to the subject of computer-graded essays. Think of the savings if a computer can grade essays so teachers can do something else or be laid off! Anthony Cody learned of a professor at MIT, Les Perelman, who has figure
YESTERDAY
One Aspect of the Charter Industry
A reader says this about charter schools: “Charter schools, which are investment tools for the wealthy are hijacking our public schools. One CEO of three charter schools in NYC makes $475,000.00 plus benefits. As an investment advisor I expect a return on my investment.. My property taxes and federal tax as well as state taxes are going to professional hijackers. We are all losing except the rich
Write Your Senator to Stop Charter Favoritism Bill Passed by House
Led by conservative Republican leader Eric Cantor, the House of Representatives passed a bill that grants new funding and exemption from federal laws to charter schools. The bill passed 360-45. Wrote the D.C. Paper, “The Hill,” “Republicans have touted the issue of school choice and access to charter schools as a way of limiting the federal government’s role in education policy. Charter schools r
GF Brandenburg: How Flat Are the NAEP Scores?
A brilliant post by G.F. Brandenburg about NAEP scores. Shows how little has been gained by the Bush-Obama demolition derby of testing, closing schools, firing teachers and principals, opening charters. It is all a mighty failure that has not improved test scores or education Hoax!
North Carolina: McCrory Proposes to Raise Teachers’ Salaries
North Carolina, once seen as the most forward-looking state in the South, has become an educational backwater in recent years, despite winning Race to the Top funding. The governor and legislature have skimped on public schools, cut their budgets, while expanding deregulated charters and introducing vouchers. They even eliminated their own NC Teaching Fellows program to prepare career teachers whi
Parent: Why I Refused the Tests for My Children
This New York parent decided the state tests were useless and worthless. She went to hearings and rallies and realized that state officials made only minor changes but that her children would continue to sit for 500 minutes of state testing in grades 3-8. She thought it made no sense. So she opted her children out of state testing. Here is her letter to the editor of her local newspaper. She writ
Arthur Camins: What if We Used Assessment to Learn Rather than to Judge?
Arthur H. Camins, director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., is an insightful critic of contemporary “reforms.” In this post, he envisions a different way to use assessments. “Frequent high-stakes testing and its misuse for teacher evaluation are poisoning the assessment waters. Assessment should not be the g
Letter Protesting PISA Over-Emphasis on Standardized Tests Now Translated into Other Languages
I just received notice from the organizers of the letter opposing the league tables of PISA that the letter has been translated into Swedish and German. Hopefully, it will be picked up and translated worldwide. If you are in Korea or Japan or South America or anywhere else where the local language is not English, please translate the letter, send it to the local news media, and let me know abo
Peter Greene: How to Cash in on the Charter School Craze
It is National Charter School Week, President Obama issued a proclamation in their honor (did he forget National Teacher Appreciation Week?), and here is the best piece yet on what a sham industry this is. Peter Greene gives sound advice here on how to score big in the charter industry. It gets funnier as he goes on, so I am only posting the beginning. You have to read the whole thing to get
Literacy Expert to Obama on PARCC Test: Too Hard, Too Confusing, or Absurd?
Rebecca Steinitz is a literary consultant, writer, and editor in Massachusetts. She has a Ph. D. In English, coaches in urban districts, and has a daughter in seventh grade. She wrote a letter to President Obama about the PARCC Tests, which her daughter must take, but the President’s will not. Her daughter has always done well in school, but the PARCC test was a trial. Here is a typical questio
I Am in Surgery Today
I am getting a total knee replacement today. But don’t think for a minute you won’t hear from me! I have written several posts in advance to cover for my absence today and tomorrow. I will have my iPad in the hospital and in the rehab that follows. Several people asked if they could send flowers. In a word, no. If you want to make me happy, send a gift to the Network for Public Education
MAY 08
Republicans Reject Grijalva Efforts to Make Charters Accountable
The House Rules Committee, dominated by a conservative Republican majority, rejected efforts by Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva (D) to insert amendments into federal legislation to require charter schools to be transparent and accountable. Conservative Republicans want deregulated, privately managed charters to be the centerpiece of their privatizing education platform this fall. It is hard to understa
NAEP Scores for Seniors Are Flat Since 2009
This NPR report summarizes the 12th grade NAEP report: Scores for high school seniors are flat. Reading scores in 2013 were lower than in 1992. While there were small gains for each racial and ethnic group since 2005, there were no gains at all since 2009, when Race to the Top was initiated. Achievement gaps among racial and ethnic groups remain wide. Secretary of Education gnashed his teeth
House Debates Legislation to Help Charter Schools
Under the leadership of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the conservative-dominated House of Representatives is debating a bill today that would reauthorize federal support for the charter school industry and provide $300 million, some of which is for facilities. The members of the House will ignore, of course, the report issued this week showing that charter schools–which are deregulated by d
Esquire: Louis C.K. Is Right About Common Core
Louis C.K. opened the floodgates of debate about Common Core. Before he started tweeting his complaints, Arne Duncan and Bill Gates had pre-empted the national media coverage. Arne insisted that only crazy people questioned the CC, and Bill paid off every education organization to sing its praises. Who knew that the nation could be so easily bribed and intimidated? The story of Common Core is rem
NEPC: Charter School “Wait Lists” Are Overstated, Possibly Meaningless
A new report from the National Education Policy Center reviews the “wait lists” that charter advocacy groups regularly publicize and finds them to be vastly inflated. Charter advocacy groups claim that nearly one million students are wait-listed for admission, but they acknowledge themselves that the actual number may be about 400,000. NEPC authors Kevin Welner and Gary Miron say that even this n
The Incredible But True Story of the Plan to Destroy Public Education in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Jonathan Pelto tells the astonishing story of a calculated effort by Connecticut Governor Malloy and Bridgeport Mayor Finch to destroy public education in Bridgeport. First, starve the public schools of resources that they needed and to which they were entitled by state law; then declare the schools were failing and beyond help; finally, turn over the children to corporate charter chains that woul
Sign This Open Letter to Andreas Schleicher of OECD Against Too Much Testing!
Nearly 100 educators from around the world signed a letter warning that the over-emphasis on testing inspired by PISA was killing the joy of learning. This unelected, unaccountable organization is driving international competition and bad education policies. It is time for parents, educators, students, and researchers to join together and say “Enough is Enough.” Focus on access to education; focus
Amrein-Beardsley: What Kind of States Won Race to the Top $$$?
Audrey Amrein-Beardsley noticed an interesting pattern among the states that won Race to the Top funding. Most were states with highly inequitable school finance systems, as noted by the Education Law Center of New Jersey. But Beardsley saw other correlations. She writes: “In this case, correlational analyses reveal that state-level policies that rely at least in part on VAMs are indeed more co
Anya Kamenetz at NPR: A Brief and Useful Guide to Testing
This piece by Anya Kamenetz is an excellent brief summary to standardized testing. It explains in lay men’s terms the difference between formative and summative assessment. It explains the concepts of reliability and validity. It points out that schools have tested students throughout history, but leaves out a few vital facts. Historically, most tests were written by classroom teachers for their
MAY 07
Breaking News: Chicago Teachers Union Opposes Common Core
The Chicago Teachers Union adopted a resolution opposing the Common Core. This is big news because the parent organization, the American Federation of Teachers, accepted millions of dollars from the Gates Foundation to support and promote the Common Core. Fred Klonsky posted the following account of the CTU action: Chicago Teachers Union adopts resolution opposing the Common Core State Standard
Chancellor Carmen Farina Sends a Note of Thanks to New York City’s Teachers
What a difference one election makes! For a dozen years, New York City had a Department of Education and a Mayor who viewed teachers with disdain. At best, they were checkers on a checkerboard controlled from “downtown,” doing the bidding of business-school graduates or TFA wonders who had little regard for veterans. Now, with a new mayor and a chancellor who is an experienced educator, the tone h
FairTest: 12th Grade NAEP Shows Failure of NCLB, Race to Top Strategies
FairTest comments on today’s release of 12th grade NAEP scores. Their conclusion: a dozen years of test-based accountability has had no discernible effect on the test scores of seniors. This accords with the 2010 report of the National Research Council, which released a report saying that incentives and test-based accountability are ineffective. Although I have never put much stock in 12th grade N
More on Florida Decision that Teacher Evaluation is Unfair But Legal
In Florida, teachers are given ratings based on the scores of students they never taught. Teachers in several counties challenged the law in court. The judge agreed that the system was unfair, but refused to overturn it. Where teachers are concerned, Junk Science is just fine. It is okay to rate a teacher based on the performance on tests of students the teacher never met, never taught.
A Common Core Disaster: Did the Holocaust Actually Happen?
Will Fitzhugh, the peerless founder of The Concord Review, sent me this astonishing article. The Concord Review is a marvelous journal that publishes the original research papers of high school students. If anyone happens to know a hedge fund manager or philanthropist or billionaire in search of a worthy cause, tell him or her to contact Will Fitzhugh so that our great high school students who lov
John Thompson: Our Education Spring Is Coming
John Thompson, historian and teacher, understands the long view of history. He thinks deeply, tries to see different sides of issues, and given his training in the study of history, knows that bad things eventually collapse, wither, die, fade away. And so I am glad to see his support for my belief that the current ungrounded attacks on public education and on teachers will not survive. It is such
AIR Files Lawsuit Against Pearson Multi-Billion $$$ Contract to Score PARCC
Now begins the struggle for billions of dollars for Common Core testing. Bear in mind that this is public money that should be spent on reducing class sizes, providing arts programs, hiring librarians and counselors, and supplying other necessary services to students and schools. The next time you hear some politician or pundit complain about the cost of public education, remind them of the billio
Duncan Proves That Common Core Is a Federal Mandate by Threatening to Punish Indiana for Backing Out
Over the past few years, as almost every state adopted the Common Core standards, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan insisted they did so voluntarily. He insisted that the creation of the standards was “state-led” and that the federal government had nothing to do with it. No part of these statements was true. The states adopted the CC because they would not be eligible to compete for a share of ne
Patrick Walsh on the Death of Philosophy in a World of Philistines
Many bloggers have commented on the pretentiousness and vacuousness of the gaggle of politicians, entrepreneurs, and hedge funders who have gathered in the Adirondacks of New York and audaciously dubbed themselves the “thought leaders” of our time. They called their meeting “Camp Philos,” to claim association with such intellectual giants as Ralph Waldo Emerson. Their goal, they said, was to discu
Teachers of Conscience Speak Out Against Market-Based Reforms
A group of teachers in New York City wrote an impassioned plea against the market-based reforms of the Bush-Obama era. It has since been signed by parents and educators from across the nation. It takes a strong position against high-stakes testing and the standardization of the Common Core. Read this letter and consider signing it. ############# This is the beginning: “We have patiently taught un
Gary Rubinstein Writes a Letter to Mike Petrilli
Gary Rubinsten has written a series of “reformers,” questioning their claims. In this letter, he writes to B list reformer Michael Petrilli. Understand that a reformer these days is someone who hates unions, views teachers with contempt as lazy and greedy, blames teachers if schools don’t achieve perfection, and welcomes school privatization. Mike is interesting to Gary, mainly because he occasion
North Carolina: The Negative Impact of “Read to Achieve” for Third Graders
North Carolina is a state where the Legislature have been actively revising education policy to promote privatization through vouchers and charters, while passing laws to make teaching more rule-bound and less rewarding. The state has experienced a large outflow of veteran teachers, from the profession and from the state. One of the more problematic legislative incursions into education is the new
MAY 06
Florida Judge: Teacher Evaluation Unfair but Not Unconstitutional
A federal judge in Florida dismissed a lawsuit against the state evaluation system, declaring that it was unfair to rate teachers based on the scores of students they never taught but not unconstitutional. The evaluation system may be stupid; it may be irrational; it may be unfair; but it does not violate the Constitution. So says the judge. An article in the Florida Education Association newsle
Governor Malloy Stops Bashing Teachers Long Enough to Wish Them “Happy Teachers’Day”
Jonathan Pelto notes the hypocrisy of Governor Dannell Malloy, one of the most anti-teacher governors in the nation, issuing a smarmy proclamation in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week. The trick is to bash teachers day after day, but say really kind (if insincere) things this week and right before the election.
And Now a Word about Teacher Appreciation Week
Laurel Sturt, a teacher, sent this note, responding to an email from StudentsFirst founder Michelle Rhee. The teacher has Michelle wrong. Michelle doesn’t hate teachers. She just wants to see more of them fired, lose their teaching license, lose their mortgage, and suffer grievously unless they raise test scores every year. Let’s be clear. She appreciates some teachers. The winners. Don’t you get
Ras Charges Secret Newark Slush Fund
Below is today’s press release. Representatives of Newark First showed up to this press conference to disrupt and agitate the Newark residents who attended. This is another indication that Shavar Jeffries and his backers lack positive ideas to change Newark, and so they have to rely on negativity and cynicism to cut into Baraka’s lead. With YOUR help, they will not succeed! NEWS For Release: Tuesd
Amrein-Beardsley: Why the Houston Lawsuit Could Demolish VAM
Audrey Amrein-Beardsley has been consulting with the seven Houston teachers who filed a lawsuit in federal court against the use of value-added metrics in their evaluations. She has conducted extensive VAM research in Houston and concluded it was arbitrary and inaccurate. “Houston, the 7th largest urban district in the country, is widely recognized for its (inappropriate) using of the EVAAS for
Anthony Cody Interviews Ras Baraka about Newark
In this post, Anthony Cody interviews Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka. Newark has been under state control for nearly 20 years. During that time, democracy has been suspended. Ras is running for the restoration of democracy in Newark. He is a high school principal and City Councilman. He is running against Cami Anderson’s plan to turn more public schools into charter schools. Cami is Chris
Tony L. Talbert: It’s Time to Take Back Our Public Education System
Tony L. Talbert, a professor of social/cultural studies education and qualitative research in the Baylor University School of Education, writes in the Waco News that we as a nation have failed to recognize “the reality that our students, our teachers and our entire system of pre-K-12 public school education has been significantly and negatively impacted by the very tests we allowed to be enacted o
Florida: Republicans Sneak Voucher Law Through at Last Minute
Florida Republicans, aided by three rogue Democrats, rammed through voucher legislation in the closing day of the legislative session. The vouchers are supposedly for the benefit of children with special needs. The Republican legislators’ alleged concern for children with special needs is especially hypocritical in view of their failure to act on the Ethan Rediske legislation, would have exempted
Rick Hess Blasts Duncan’s Waiver Policy
Rick Hess of the conservative American Enterprise Institute wrote a hard-hitting and sensible column critical of Arne Duncan’s NCLB waivers. The column is especially pertinent in light of Duncan’s decision to withdraw his waiver from Washington State for daring to defy his will. Duncan will punish the state of Washington because it failed to adopt a way of using test scores to evaluate teachers, a
How TFA Buys School Board Seats
From a parent in East Nashville: “Oh, yes, I know all too well about TFA buying, I mean winnng, seats on BOEs. I live in Nashville, TN, where a seat on our local board in my district was “won” by Elissa Kim in 2012. She took her seat from the former board chair and long-time dedicated community member, Gracie Porter. From the City Paper: “With her $81,414 fundraising mark, Kim outpaced Porter, th
Oklahoma: Ms. Bullen’s Data-Rich Year
Blue Cereal Education is the name of an educator-blogger in the Tulsa area. He or she has helpfully reproduced a graphic from the website of the Oklahoma State Department of Education that will show you, in a flash, how teaching and learning are being systematically destroyed in this country by robots who pretend to be humans. It is called “Ms. Bullen’s Data-Rich Year,” but it might as well be ca
Walton-Funded group Says Charter Schools Underfunded
The one thing we know for sure about the Walton Family Foundation is that it loves school privatization, I.e., charters and voucher. The other thing we know for sure is that WFF does not like public schools. So, no surprise that the Walton Family Foundation funded a study claiming that charter schools are underfunded. This is actually very funny, because when the idea of charters was first float
MAY 05
Bombshell Report: $100 Million in Taxpayer $$ Wasted or Stolen by Deregulated Charter Industry
A new report reveals massive waste, fraud, and corruption in the charter industry, where private corporations control public funds with minimal oversight or accountability. “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2014 CONTACT: Kyle Serrette: KSerrette@populardemocracy.org, 202-304-8027 Sabrina Stevens: media@integrityineducation.org, 720-295-0238 A new report released today reveals that fraudulent charter
Politico: DFER Meets “Pickets in the Pines” at Camp Phalos
On Politico this morning: “OF PHILOSOPHERS AND PICKETS: Democrats for Education Reform planned a nice quiet retreat this week at the luxurious Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid, N.Y. where top strategists of the education reform movement could map out their next moves at seminars such as “Living to Tell the Tale: Changing Third-Rail Teacher Policies” and “Rocketships, Klingons and Tribbles: Charters
NYC “Charter School Gold Rush” Begins, Thanks to Governor Cuomo
A story in today’s New York Daily News reports that charter schools will flock to New York City, thanks to Governor Cuomo’s preferential treatment of them in a state law that applies only to New York City. Charter students account for only 3% of the state’s enrollment, and only 6% in the Big Apple, but Cuomo made clear that he was taking care of the hedge fund managers who put $800,000 into his ca
Good News from Philadelphia!
Helen Gym sent the following report. The parents at Steel Elementary School voted to remain a public school, despite an aggressive campaign to turn the school over to a charter chain. But the school’s advisory council voted 9-8 to hand the school over to privatization. The final decision will be made by the city’s School Reform Commission. “Happy news for Monday morning! “On May 1, 176 parents at
Tennessee: “Parents Know Best”—–Help This Letter Go Viral
Today I came across a letter from a Tennessee parent that went viral. The theme, quite simply, is: Parents know best. In it, this parent explains why she is opting her child out of state testing. Please click on the link so that Alicia Maynard and other Tennessee parents know you support them in their determination to end the testing madness. **************************************************** “
NYC Parents, Elected Officials To Protest Preferential Treatment for Charters on May 6
Another protest against the law sponsored by Governor Cuomo to give preferential treatment to the billionaire-sponsored charter schools. the Cuomo law was enacted at the same time that New York City’s public schools are overcrowded, with class sizes at their highest point in fifteen years. The Cuomo law guarantees that privately-managed charters get free public space; that the city must pay for th
Warning Alarms at Camp Phalos! Infiltrators Within!
I usually don’t worry about the hedge fund managers when they are hanging out with VIPs like Andrew Cuomo, but I just received inside information that the Camp has been infiltrated! Hedge fund managers! Watch what you say! Trust no one! There is a public school teacher—more than one, actually–who has entered the sacred grounds of Camp Phalos. I know you have security. But they slipped up and
Jonathan Pelto Reports on Wendy Lecker’s Critique of Governor Malloy’s Failed Teacher Evaluation System
Jonathan Pelto here reports on a great new piece by civil rights lawyer Wendy Lecker. He writes: “In her latest MUST READ commentary piece, fellow public education advocate, Wendy Lecker, lays out the facts about Governor Malloy’s unfair, inappropriate and fatally flawed teacher evaluation system. Like the junk bonds that helped take down Wall Street, Connecticut’s teacher evaluation system is b
Obama Selects Robert Gordon, Early Proponent of VAM, for Top Policy Post in Department of Education
President Obama chose Robert Gordon, who served in key roles in the first Obama administration, as assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development in the U.S. Department of Education. This is a very important position in the Education Department; he will be the person in charge of the agency that basically decides what is working, what is not, and which way to go next with pol
Lloyd Lofthouse: Obama ‘s Mindless Education Reforms
Reader Lloyd Lofthouse finds President Obama’s education reforms to be as unrealistic as those of George W. Bush. The basic theory of action is to set I reachable goals and to punish those who can’t reach them. He writes: “The Common Core high stakes testing that judges teachers, gets them fired and public schools closed took public education systems that operated based on individual state legis
MAY 04
Happy Birthday, Horace Mann!
Thanks to Bertis Downs of Athens, Georgia, a public school parent and a director of the Network for Public Education, for sharing this nugget of inspiration about one of the primary founders of public education: “From Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac daily email: http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/ It’s the birthday of the man who said, “Education is our only political safety. Outside of th
Teachers United Against TFA
The resistance to teach for America continues to grow. Here is another organization bringing together teachers against TFA. Here is their Facebook page. The leading group of college students organized to resist TFA and to foght for professional teachers is SUPE: Students United for Public Educatuon. SUPE has a mission: “Students United for Public Education (SUPE) evolved out of the work of col
If You Love Dogs As I Do, This Video Is for You
This is the Ultimate Dog Tease. It will make you smile.
This Is What Is Wrong with American Education
In Jefferson County, Colorado, the state’s largest school district, there is an opening for a school superintendent. Representative Mark Waller, who dropped out of the Attorney General’s race, has applied for the job. Waller has no educational credentials. He has never been a teacher, a principal, a supervisor, or a scholar of education. But all his references say he is a really swell guy who gets
Why the Anti-Teacher Book Is Not Selling, Explained
At first I thought that Paul Peterson’s new book about how teachers are blocking school reform was selling poorly, despite a vigorous public relations campaign, because people actually like teachers. Now, I am not so sure. Look at the recommended reading levels and grade levels for “Teachers Versus the Public.” If you know any one-year-olds or first-graders who want to read polling data about vouc
Arthur Goldstein: Why I Don’t Like the New Teachers’ Contract in NYC
Arthur Goldstein is a high school English teacher and chapter chair of the United Federation of Teachers at Francis Lewis High School. He is part of the opposition to the Unity Caucus that leads his union, the UFT in New York City. In response to my post praising the recent contract agreement between New York City and the UFT, Goldstein wrote this dissent: ************ It’s been almost six yea
My Visit to Louisville and the Grawemeyer Award
I was thrilled to learn last winter that I had been chosen to receive the Grawemeyer Award in Education for 2014. To me, the Grawemeyer Award is the most important recognition of work in the five fields it honors: education, music, religion, world order, and psychology. I was especially honored because the award had previously gone to my friends Linda Darling-Hammond and Pasi Sahlberg for their
MAY 03
Answer Sheet Reposted My Reply to Alexander Nazaryan
Several readers asked whether my reply to Alexander Nazaryan of Newsweek would be reposted where more readers might see it. Nazaryan took Louis C.K. to task for criticizing Common Core. I explained patiently to Alexander why I agreed with Louis. Happily, Valerie Strauss saw the post (which I spend a few hours writing at a time when I should have been icing my damaged knee), and she reposted in on
Good News! Mercedes Schneider’s New Book is Way Ahead of Peterson’s Screed Against Teachers on amazon.com
Mercedes Schneider’s hard-hitting new book–A Chronicle of Echoes: Who’s Who in the Implosion of American Public Educations–which explores the persons and organizations behind the attacks on public education– was officially published on April 22 by Information Age Publishing. She has no public relations campaign, no marketing budget, no press release, no press conferences, no webinars, no flyers, j
Jonathan Pelto: The Origins of ConnCAN
In an earlier post, I referred to ConnCan, the organization that was the inspiration for 50CAN and lots of state CANS. I said it was founded by hedge fund managers. Leonie Haimson then wrote in and corrected me, saying it was founded by Jonathan Sackler. Now comes Jonathan Pelto of Connecticut to set us both straight. He says we are both right. Here is the story of the origin of ConnCAN: Jonat
“Looking for an Argument”: Does This Course Meet Common Core Standards?
This article by Emma Sokoloff-Rubin, posted at NY’s Chalkbeat, describes a course where students debate a proposition. They are asked to argue about ideas and explain their views. The course has been taught for nearly two decades at Urban Academy, one of the two dozen or so New York City Performance Assessment Consortium high schools that are exempt from most state tests. The argument of the day:
Schneider: Big Surprise (Not): Pearson Wins PARCC Contract
Mercedes Schneider reports the news: Pearson has won the contract for the Common Core test called PARCC. Remember all the promises about how national standardization would clear the way for competition and innovation? Why does it look instead like monopolization? Why are we not surprised? She writes: “Here is the reality of “free market competition” in this time of unprecedented education pro
Bias in Reporting at Chalkbeat?
Chalkbeat is a news organization that covers New York City and recently expanded to Memphis. It was previously called Gotham Schools. Daniel Katz of Seton Hall University recently complained that Chalkbeat is biased in favor of charter schools. He notes that it is funded by the Gates Foundation and the Walton Foundation, both of which are strong supporters of charter schools. Katz quotes a letter
Teach for America: Is the Magic Gone?
This article in The Hechinger Report looks at the current turmoil surrounding Teach for America. It is sending young people to take jobs away from experienced teachers. There is a growing movement to resist TFA on college campuses, started by young people who aim for a career in teaching, not a bullet point on their resume. Meanwhile, the key staff jobs in Congress are held by former members of TF
What Happens When a Retired Superintendent Has Common Sense
Howard Malfucci is a retired superintendent. On his blog, which he calls “Common Sense NY,” he deconstructs the claims of an active superintendent who is defending Common Core. Are we really swamped by failure? Isn’t it important to look closely at who is failing to finish high school and why they are not? Why assume they are failing to graduate because the standards were too low? To the cla
