Stunning Upset in Colorado: Educator Beats DFER Candidate
Valentina (Val) Flores, a career educator, won a surprising and decisive victory for a seat on the state board of education in Colorado. Flores won by a margin of 59-41, beating a candidate who was supported by the hedge funders’ Democrats for Education Reform, Stand for Children, and Education Reform Now. Her opponent had two years experience in Teach for America. Flores has more than 40 years
Breaking News: Oklahoma Superintendent Loses Republican Primary
Janet Barresi, state superintendent in Oklahoma, was defeated in the Republican primary by Joy Hofmeister, a former teacher and state school board member. Barresi was a member of Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change (which dropped from seven to six with Barresi’s defeat). . She supported Jeb’s A-F grading system for schools, which Hofmeister opposed. Like Jeb, Barresi supported Common Core until Oklahoma
Former Obama Spokesmen Join Attack on Teacher Tenure and Seniority
Stephanie Simon reports at politico.com that former high-level Obama advisors will help the fight against teacher unions and due process rights. Campbell Brown, a former CNN anchor who is highly antagonistic to teachers’ unions, is creating an organization to pursue a Vergara-style lawsuit in New York against teachers’ job protections. Her campaign will have the public relations support of an agen
The Onion on the New Charter Lottery System
The Onion has created a new system for selecting charter students that is even faster and more effective than a lottery. So much for those old-fashioned public schools that let anyone at all enroll.
NYC Educator: Why We Don’t Need Common Core
New York State is a hotbed of parent opposition to Common Core standards, but no one in charge in the state or in the city of New York seems aware of it. Governor Cuomo loves the Common Core, as does State Commissioner John King, most of the state Board of Regents, and the di Blasio administration. The conventional wisdom is that “the implementation was flawed,” but it may be more than implementat
Belleville, N.J.: Why Teachers Need Tenure
Belleville, New Jersey, is the scene of a major battle between a heavy-handed supervisor and the district’s teachers. Although the district has a financial deficit, and many classes lack up-to-date technology and textbooks, the administration spent $2 million to install a state-of-the-art surveillance system for students and teachers. Jersey Jazzman writes: “Perhaps the worst decision the distric
Louisiana: Untangling the State from CCSS and PARCC–or Not?
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced that he was withdrawing the state from Common Core and the PARCC test for Common Core. State Commissioner John White said that the governor was wrong and that the state is proceeding with both Common Core and PARCC. Governor Jindal cut the funding for PARCC. Mercedes Schneider tries to untangle the elaborate political standoff.
Detroit Free Press: Weak Charter Law Enables Scams, Nepotism
In a continuing series of articles about charter schools in Michigan the Detroit Free Press reports that the state’s weak charter legislation enables unscrupulous charter organizations to engage in self-dealing and conflicts of interest. The article yesterday said that Michigan’s nearly 300 charter schools collect about $1 billion and have almost no accountability. The Michigan charters do no ou
CCSS Writer Blasts CC Basic Reading Standards
Dr. Louisa Moats was part of the team that wrote the foundational reading standards for the Common Core. In “Psychology Today,” she strongly criticized the standards. Among other things, she said: “I never imagined when we were drafting standards in 2010 that major financial support would be funneled immediately into the development of standards-related tests. How naïve I was. The CCSS represent
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 6-23-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: BATS Vote “No Confidence” in Arne DuncanOn the eve of the national conventions of the two major teachers’ unions, the BATS–a voluntary association of 48,000 teachers–voted “no confidence” in Arne Duncan and called for his replacement. This is their statement: “Badass Teachers Association Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 22