Jonathan Pelto Running for Governor of Connecticut, Speaks to Working Families Party
Jonathan Pelto supported Dannell Malloy in the last election,but is now running against him as a third-party candidate. Pelto was not invited to address either the AFT or the AFL-CIO, but finally got his chance to speak to the Working Families Party. Will WFP in Connecticut follow the example of its counterpart in New York, which toyed with a progressive candidate but then endorsed Governor Cuom
Gary Rubinstein: How “Reformers” Responded to Vergara, Gates’ Moratorium on VAM
Gary Rubinstein wondered how the “reform” sector reacted to the two big events of the past two weeks: the Vergara decision and the Gates Foundation’s advice to suspend test-based evaluations for teachers for two years. Reformers like Arne Duncan, StudentsFirst, and The New Teacher Project were delighted by the Vergara decision, which strikes at job protections for veteran teachers (more openings f
Arizona School Chief Admits Posting Anonymous Internet Comments
John Huppenthal, state school superintendent in Arizona, admitted that he had posted many comments on conservative blogs using a pseudonym. Some of his comments were inflammatory. “He likened welfare recipients to “lazy pigs.” “He blamed the Great Depression on Franklin D. Roosevelt and said FDR’s economic policies gave rise to Hitler. “He said Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger was respon
Tulane Professor: Néw Orleans Choice Experiment Failed
J. Celeste Lay, a professor of political science at Tulane University, reviewed the results of the Recovery School District—which replaced all public schools with privately-managed charter schools—and concluded that the story of “the Néw Orleans miracle” is a Big Lie. She writes: “The Louisiana Department of Education’s recent release of the results of the LEAP and iLEAP testing is incontroverti
Stanton Lawrence: How Missouri Killed the Normandy School District
Sixty years after the landmark Brown decision, school segregation is on the rise. The nation prefers to mark the anniversary of the decision every ten years but to neglect its promise to end racial segregation. One of the most egregious examples of malign neglect occurred recently in the Normandy school district in Missouri. That district had been a high-achieving all-white district in the 1950s.
EduShyster Interviews Jose Luis Vilson about His New Book
EduShyster interviewed Jose Luis Vilson, New York City teacher and blogger, about his new book, “This Is Not a Test.” Vilson has woven together the story of his own life with narratives about his students and classroom experiences. My impression, when I read his book, is that he has a fresh voice, a style all his own, and a compelling way of bringing together issues and personal stories. In resp
The Secrets of Success at Nashville Prep?
Nashville Prep boasts some of the highest test scores in Tennessee. Its singular goal is college preparation. Fortunately, we can see what the school considers good instruction by looking at a video that is posted on its website. It is called “6 Minutes with Ms. McDonalds’ 5th Grade Social Studies Class.” Watch it and decide for yourself. Are these students being prepared to be successfu
Paul Thomas: How Allegory Teaches Us Life Lessons
Paul,Thomas writes here about what we learn from fiction–some fiction–about life. Why do we keep reading George Orwell’s “1984″ or Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”? They teach us important life lessons, which we value. In this post, he writes about other books, books that teach us lessons about scarcity and about our willingness to accept harsh conditions as inevitable. This is the book he explore
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 6-21-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGRobert Reich: The Three Biggest Right-Wing Lies About PovertyA coalition of billionaires, millionaires, corporations, and hedge fund managers have decided that the best way to cure poverty is to fire teachers whose students don’t get higher test scores. This coalition–whose leaders include Arne Duncan, Michelle Rhee, ALEC