Connecticut: Charter School CEO Does Not Have Doctorate, As Claimed
Yesterday, it was revealed by the media that the CEO of one of Connecticut’s charter chains, Michael Sharpe, has a criminal background. Today the story emerged that he does not have a doctorate, although the chain’s website refers to him as “Dr. Sharpe.” Perhaps of greater significance is that his charter school in Hartford did not enroll a single bilingual student in six years. Sharpe says he nev
D.C. Suspends Use of Test Scores in Teacher Evaluations
The District of Columbia has suspended the use of test scores as part of teacher evaluations, a practice which was the hallmark of Michelle Rhee’s tenure as chancellor of that district and which led to the firing of hundreds of teachers. Chancellor Kaya Henderson said the district needs time to phase in new Common Core tests. “Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced the decision, saying officials ar
Poll: Nearly Half of Public Never Heard of CCSS
You know those national standards that were “developed by the governors” and “state-led”? A new poll shows that nearly half the public never heard of them. When asked whether they like the idea of standards that are globally competitive and the same everywhere, 27% said they “strongly support” the idea. Problems arise with implementation and testing. Also with early childhood education. And fla
Breaking News: Florida Governor Scott Signs Voucher Expansion Bill
Governor Rick Scott signed legislation to expand the state’s voucher program, despite the opposition of the state’s PTA associations, the NAACP, the teachers’ unions, and the League of United Latin American Citizens. Critics said the vouchers would drain resources from public schools. The voucher expansion was a high priority for former Governor Jeb Bush, who is a power in the state. Rita Solnet,
What Is a College Degree?
Eduardo Porter, a business columnist for the Nee York Times, writes enthusiastically about a new and inexpensive way to “skip college.” He writes: “This week, AT&T and Udacity, the online education company founded by the Stanford professor and former Google engineering whiz Sebastian Thrun, announced something meant to be very small: the “NanoDegree.” “At first blush, it doesn’t appear like
Pedro Noguera Defends Teacher Tenure in Wall Street Journal
Pedro Noguera went to the lions’ den, the Wall Street Journal, to explain why the corporate reformers’ crusade to eliminate teacher tenure is wrong-headed (the article is unfortunately behind a paywall). The WSJ, owned by Rupert Murdoch, is a bastion of anti-teacher, anti-public education thinking, whose writers consistently support vouchers, Teach for America, and anything else that disrupts publ
David Sirota: The Big Money and Profits Behind the Charter Movement
Investigative journalist David Sirota asks why so many of the super-rich love charter schools. The answer, with exceptions: profits and money and union-busting, all rolled in one. Take Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million gift to Newark. At least $20 million went to consultants. Consultants! Sirota writes: “But, of course, a lot of corporate execs working for the firms who got Zuckerberg’s money did
Alan Singer Responds to Supporters of edTPA
Alan Singer of Hostra University in New York wrote a critique of edTPA, a new assessment of student teachers, which was posted here. He called it “The Big Lie Behind High Stakes Testing of Student Teachers.” A group of faculty at the City University of New York wrote to explain why they support edTPA, and it was posted here. In a new article, Alan Singer writes that “edTPA is currently being imp
President Obama: We Must Strengthen Unions
This is one of the strangest stories of the week or month or year. President Obama spoke in Pittsburgh about the importance of strengthening unions. Unions are under siege and have been for several years, but I can’t remember when the President stepped up to defend them.
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-19-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Why Privatization of Public Services Harms SocietyYou will find this publication of great interest at this time. It is titled “Race to the Bottom: How Outsourcing Public Services Rewards Corporations and Punishes the Middle Class.” It was written by a group called “In the Public Interest.” The full PDF file is available for free. H