Leonie Haimson: Come to NYC Hearings to Fight for Class Size Reduction
Leonie Haimson of ClassSizeMatters calls on NYC parents and concerned citizens to attend public hearings about allocation of money. Starting Tuesday of this week, the NYC Department of Education will hold mandated hearings in each borough on the use of more than $500 million in state Contracts for Excellence funds – which, according to state law, is supposed to include a plan to reduce class size
Gary Rubinstein: Did Kane’s Testimony in Vergara Make Sense?
Gary Rubinstein notes that the two expert witnesses for the plaintiffs were Raj Chetty, the nation’s leading advocate for VAM (basing teacher evaluation on student test scores) and Thomas Kane, who led the Gates’ Measures of Effective Teaching study. Chetty throws in his speculation about how much money an entire class loses by having even one “ineffective” teacher, and Kane speculates that stude
Corporate Reformers Hope to Bring Vergara-Style Litigation to Connecticut
Spokespersons for the corporate reform movement hope to launch legal attacks on tenure and seniority in Connecticut, following the example of the Vergara case in California. Even though the laws in the two states are quite different, the corporate reformers object to any job security at all for teachers, and they assume that low scores anywhere must be caused by teachers who should be fired. Her
Florida: Parent and Educator Groups Urge Governor Scott to Veto Voucher Expansion
Parents and educators are urging Governor Rick Scott to veto the expansion of vouchers, which drains money from public schools. Scott is up for re-election. “Members of the Florida PTA, grass roots parent groups, the Florida Conference of NAACP, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the statewide teachers union have launched a campaign against the bill, which they say will drain taxpa
When Philanthropy Replaces and Controls the Public Sector
Ethan Corey explains in the journal “In These Times” that there is a conflict between big-time philanthropy and democracy. He describes recent conference where the tech industry wrung its collective hands about inequality without acknowledging that it is a source of frowing inequality. “Indeed, there seems to be a trend of billionaires and tech firms making private donations to public institution
Peter Greene: A Catologue of Anti-Teacher Trolls on the Internet
Peter Greene observes that the Vergara decision has brought out a deluge of comments by anti-teacher trolls. Read any article on the Internet about the decision, and it will be followed by an outpouring of vitriol towards teachers. It is useful to read Greene’s classification of the teacher-haters. You will encounter them almost everywhere. What accounts for teacher hatred? Maybe these are t
Andrea Gabor: An Inspection of New York State’s Secret ELA Tests
Somehow, Andrea Gabor got a copy of most of the New York State English Language Arts Common Core-Aligned State tests. She describes them here. She writes: Once again I am in possession of a bit of educational contraband. For the second year in a row, I have received a copy of the New York State English Language Arts tests for grades 6 to 8, which were administered in April. (Though, this yea
EduShyster Names the Big Winners in the Vergara Trial
EduShyster has figured out who were the real winners in the Vergara trial. First, of course is the public relations firm behind Students Matter, which is now the go-to group for civil rights issues, just as if the Brown decision had a PR firm and was bankrolled by one wealthy guy. Then there are the lawyers, who will clean up as litigation to replicate Vergara moves from state to state. Also the
Florida: Special Education Students Get Vouchers for Schools with No Special Education Staff
Florida has a voucher for program for students with disabilities, called McKay scholarships. A story in Florida’s “Sun-Sentinel” revealed that a sizable number of these students with vouchers attend schools that do not have any full-time teachers with special education training or certification. Dan Sweeney of the “Sun-Sentinel” writes: “Learning disabled students can get up to $19,829 of taxpay
Peter Dreier: Brat is the Worst Kind of Libertarian
Peter Dreier of Occidental College writes that David Brat, who beat Eric Cantor, is the worst kind of libertarian. He is so far to the right that he doesn’t believe in any minimum wage. He is a follower of Ayn Rand. Imagine electing a man to Congress who doesn’t believe in government. Dreier predicts Brat will be a reliable ally of crony capitalism and big banks, all celebrating selfishness. He ma
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 6-14-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGSuperintendents: Slow Down CCSS ImplementationAmerican Association of School Administrators say the Common Core must be slowed down. “Dear Colleagues: As we move forward in advocating on behalf of school superintendents, one of the hottest topics right now is the Common Core State Standards. I am pleased to share with you