Perdido Street School:
Perdido Street School Week
Common Core Texts Students Are Sure To Learn From
I left the following reply to a tweet by NYSED Commissioner John King:@JohnKingNYSED My favorite CC$$ text? Meeting minutes from Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Kids love 'em too!— realitybasededucator (@perdidostschool) July 19, 2014It's not the first time I've taken this jab at King or other Common Core supporters when they talk about all the exciting reading teachers can have students do
Building A Tea Party Of The Left
From Dave Weigel at Slate:The story of “Andrew Cuomo, closet right-winger” is well-known among progressives and obscure for everybody else. Cuomo won an easy 2010 race against one of the year’s most self-destructive Tea Party candidates, and when he’s made national news, he’s done it by driving left. He signed gay marriage into law. He signed a gun safety bill. He warned “extreme conservatives” no
Independent Democrat Jeff Klein Is Mobbed Up
Old timey corruption, Carlo Gambino-style!Development–formerly known as Hutch Realty Partners–kicked in the five figures in June. The donation brings the real estate group’s total contribution to Mr. Klein’s operation to a whopping $93,850 since 2006.Two principals of the company, Michael Contillo and Joseph Deglomini, were indicted in the 1990s of tax evasion, racketeering, and conspiring to raid
Was This The Best The LIRR Unions Could Do?
Given the leverage the LIRR unions had in their negotiations, it being an election year and all, if these reports are accurate, this is a pretty bad deal:"Under terms of the deal, current LIRR employees will receive a 17 percent wage increase over six-and-a-half years. The union had been seeking six years, and the MTA seven. To pay for the additional salary expenses, all employees will for th
Zephyr Teachout Opposes Common Core
From LoHud:In 2008 Microsoft founder Bill Gates, one of the world's richest men, decided that he should take charge of education policy. He promoted a single set of standards to measure our children's achievements in school. Since then Gates has spent more than $200 million to advance this idea, called the "Common Core." Gov. Andrew Cuomo, since taking office in early 2011, has supported
Some Of What Preet Bharara Will Find In His Cuomo/Moreland Investigation
Liz Benjamin puts today's Cuomo/Moreland news in perspective:US attorney's #morelandcommission investigation moves to new stage as assistant to ex-commish director gets subpoena. http://t.co/VaH0xgf1lv— Liz Benjamin (@CTLizB) July 18, 2014 Mylan Denerstein, counsel to @NYGovCuomo , agreed to be interviewed in early Aug by federal prosecutors about her involvement w the panel.— Liz Benjamin (@CTLiz
US Attorney Subpoenas Communications Between Assistant To Moreland Executive Director And Cuomo And His Aides
What do you make of this news?Federal prosecutors investigating Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s shutdown of an anticorruption commission have subpoenaed the assistant to its former executive director to testify before a grand jury in Manhattan, suggesting that the criminal inquiry has moved to a new stage, people briefed on the matter said on Thursday.Federal agents served the subpoena on the assistant, He
JUL 17
Cuomo Administration Uses Surveillance Cameras To Monitor State Workers
I bet you're not surprised by this news:A state workers union has filed a grievance over the Cuomo administration's use of surveillance cameras to gather evidence in cases of employees allegedly taking time off from work improperly.The Public Employees Federation, in a grievance filed this month with the Department of Environmental Conservation, said that using cameras to track work habits violate
Andrew Cuomo - The Dirtiest Man In The Albany Cesspool Of Corruption
So many Cuomo stories today.First, the games he's playing with the Tappan Zee Bridge plan.Then the story of how Cuomo, along with Chris Christie, used Christie's Bridgegate cronies to play games when they wanted to hike the Port Authority bridge/tunnel tolls.And now this one, as has been all over the Internet today:In early 2007, when he was state attorney general, Andrew Cuomo brought on a longti
Governor Cuomo Used Christie's Bridgegate Cronies For Port Authority Toll Hike Games
Earlier I posted a Star-Ledger article from the March that revealed the games Governors Christie and Cuomo played with Port Authority bridge and tunnel increases as well as a PATH fare hike.The gist was this:Both governors wanted to raise the tolls and PATH fare but wanted political cover to do it.So they had their Port Authority appointees play games with the fare and toll increases, releasing ou
Governor Cuomo Plays Pre-Election Games With Bridge/Road Toll Hikes
It is important that Governor Cuomo be made to publicly defend what his administration is doing here:ALBANY—The state Public Authorities Control Board on Wednesday approved a controversial loan for the Tappan Zee replacement bridge, but not before the amount was cut in half without explanation and officials admitted for the first time there would be a toll hike to pay for the project. The board vo
Rupert Murdoch Looks To Buy More Stuff
It seems the hacking scandal mess has not deterred Rupert Murdoch from owning much more of the world than he already does:The New York Times today is reporting that News Corp NWSA -0.22%. head Rupert Murdoch recently made a friendly bid to buy fellow media giant Time Warner TWX +17.07% for $80 billion. Time Warner’s Jeff Bewkes reportedly rejected the deal. News Corp. confirmed that it made the of
JUL 16
What Are The Chances Of An LIRR Strike Happening?
Given what happened to Mario Cuomo over an LIRR strike in 1994, the chances that Andrew Cuomo let's this one happen this year are pretty small.My sense is, the governor will jettison into the negotiations and force a settlement before the strike starts.What say you out there?Does the strike go off?Or does Cuomo jettison in as "savior"? And if you think Cuomo does jettison in and force a
What Does Move By US Attorney In NJ Mean For Governor Andrew Cuomo?
From the Wall Street Journal:New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman has asked a legislative committee investigating the George Washington Bridge lane closures to hold off on calling nine important witnesses, according to people familiar with the matter.The people Mr. Fishman wants to question first includes Mike DuHaime, a top political strategist for Gov. Chris Christie ; Charles McKenna, the gove
Cuomo Takes $60,000 From Charter School Backer On Same Day He Spoke At Charter School Rally
Via State of the Politics, this shows up in the NY Times piece on how much Governor Cuomo has raised for his re-election campaign:He also got $60,800 from Stanley Druckenmiller, a charter school backer and former hedge manager, on March 4, the day the governor spoke at a pro-charter rally in Albany. By the end of the month, he had pushed through a bill giving charter schools in New York City some
JUL 15
Common Core Considered "Radioactive" And "Toxic" These Days
The AFT leadership may have decided that the Common Core still holds "promise" but much of the rest of America is looking to bury the standards in the same place they put nuclear waste:The National Governors Association (NGA) owns the copyright – along with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) – to the Common Core State Standards. When the nationalized standards are mention
Why I Want Arne Duncan And John King To Remain In Power
The NEA has called for Secretary of Education Privatization Arne Duncan's ouster.The AFT put him on some kind of improvement plan (a lame way of saying they were calling for his ouster without actually calling for his ouster.)Many rank-and-file teachers across the country have called for Duncan to step down or be fired.But you know who hasn't called for Duncan's firing?The functionaries on the cor
JUL 14
Weingarten Criticizes Astorino For Common Core Dodge Even As She Pulls Another CCSS Dodge At The AFT
Jessica Bakeman at Capital NY:ALBANY—American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten said Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob Astorino is using an anti-Common Core campaign to “cloak” his other positions on education issues that would be far less palatable to public school advocates. Weingarten, the former president of New York City's United Federation of Teachers, said during a tele
Is Chris Christie In An "Unholy Alliance" With Andrew Cuomo Over The Bridgegate Scandal?
Fred Dicker raises the question in his NY Post column today:One of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s jobs as this year’s head of the Republican Governors Association is to help elect more GOP governors, but don’t tell that to people working on Astorino’s campaign. “Chris Christie has done diddly squat to help the Astorino folks,’’ said a highly knowledgeable Republican insider. “Either Christie has
JUL 13
Business As Usual At AFT Convention: Pro-CCSS Resolution, Lame Arne Duncan "Development Plan" Pass
I wrote yesterday that I wasn't going to be all that impressed if the delegates at the AFT convention voted to call for Secretary of Education Privatization Arne Duncan's ouster.See, even if Duncan goes, his boss, Barack Obama - the guy whose education policies Duncan implements - will still be in power.Nonetheless Norm Scott and others thought the AFT leadership would probably let such a resoluti
Bill Gates Plans For Wireless Remote Controlled Contraception
I'm sure this couldn't have any downsides:First Bill Gates brought us a better condom. Now, the billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft founder is taking birth control to an even more amazing level.Gates is backing a long-lasting implantable birth control device that can be turned on and off with a remote control. With this device -- a tiny hormone-emitting microchip -- women who decide they are
JUL 12
AFT Will Call For Duncan's Resignation Too
Norm Scott at Ed Notes:Former Chicago TU Pres Debbie Lynch Calls for Arne Duncan Resignation.Lynch, who was CTU president from 2001-04 and ran and lost in '07 and '10 and is now a delegate from a college, made a special resolution calling for Duncan resignation. This came as a surprise to Randi and pretty much everyone in the house it seems since there was already a planned similar reso, as pointe
Buffalo Teachers Union Backs Cuomo Challenger, Zephyr Teachout - Why Won't The UFT?
State of Politics:The President of the Buffalo Teachers Federation, Phil Rumore, said the BTF decided to pass petitions for Teachout and her Lt. Governor candidate Tim Wu, to send a message to Governor Cuomo. “He’s supported charter schools, cut funding for public schools, and has said failing schools should face the death penalty. Our members don’t support those positions,” Rumore said....“It’s a
Tommy Ramone
And so the last surviving original member of The Ramones has died: Drummer Tommy Ramone, the last member of the original 1970s punk band the Ramones, died Friday of cancer, according to Variety. He was 62. The Ridgewood, Queens, resident had been in hospice and suffering from bile duct cancer, the trade publication reported. Ramone, born in Budapest, Hungary, was a drummer and producer who perform