Detroit Emergency Manager: Increase Class Sizes to 43 to Save $$
Just remember: It’s all about the kids. Just remember: The children are our future. In Detroit, where they enroll thousands of children who need a great education, the state-appointed emergency manager has decided to save money by increasing class size to 43. Students will not get individual attention. Students will not get the support they need. Teachers will spend time on crowd control instead
You Are Invited to Meet and Honor a Hero of American Education!
You are invited to a major event honoring Leonie Haimson, a brilliant, fearless leader. Please make plans to attend and meet her and other allies in the fight for better education! Haimson led the fight to block inBloom from gaining access to the confidential records of millions of children. Thanks to her leadership, inBloom went out of business even though it was backed by the Gates Foundation, t
Florida Education Assocoation Sues to Block Voucher Expansion
The Florida Education Association filed suit to block the expansion of vouchers. In their legal challenge, the teachers’ union said the law was passed at the last minute and “violates the constitutional requirement that legislative proposals be limited to a single subject.” “The lawsuit from the Florida Education Association raises concerns about the way SB 850 became law. Some of the bill’s more
New Mexico Welcomes Floundering, Profitable Virtual Charters
If data and research matter, the worst reform in U.S. education is the virtual charter school. The League of Women Voters–one of the few national organizations with integrity about education issues (I.e. has not been bought by the Gates Foundation) issued a report about these floundering “schools,” that typically have low test scores, high dropout rates, and low graduation rates. Only a devotee o
Kipp Dawson Reflects on AFT Convention
KIPP Dawson teaches middle school in Pittsburgh. She is a brave union activist; she began her career as a coal miner, and worked underground for ten years. She has worked even longer in the classroom, where she brings with her the same courage, integrity, and determination. Here are her initial reflections on the AFT convention on Los Angeles. I hope we will hear more: KIPP writes: Dear friends,
Georgia: Jason Carter vs. Nathan Deal for Governor
Jason Carter, grandson of President Jimmy Carter, is running for governor of Georgia against incumbent Nathan Deal. Carter, elected to the state senate in 2010, is a graduate of Duke University who served in the Peace Corps in South Africa, the graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law. His wife is a high school teacher. Carter has made education a centerpiece of his campaign and has
Lloyd Lofthouse: Why We Need Unions
Regular reader and commenter Lloyd Lofthouse explains why we need unions: Let me add something one of my uncles told me. He was 96 when he died about ten years ago. As a young man, he remembered going to the railroad yard hoping to get work to earn enough to buy food. There was no union then. He said hundreds got up early every morning to show up. The manager in charge of loading and unloading th
Peter Greene: Take More AP, Build Revenue $Tream for the College Board
Peter Greene takes a hard look at AP (Advanced Placement) courses and wonders how the U.S. Department of Education got involved in pushing a for-profit product as a mark of distinction. He notes that: “AP tests are a product of the College Board, the same people who bring you the SAT, and although the name seems to suggest a group of college scholars who gather together on some altruistic missio
Blogger: Close Reading Wrongly Ignores Students’ Thoughts and Feelings
David Coleman, the architect of the Common Core standards, believes that students should analyze difficult text as written, without reference to context or their personal reactions. This blogger disagrees. His blog is vigornotrigor, though you might be tempted to call it Wag the Dog. However, if you google Wag the Dog, you will never find it. He includes a video of David Coleman, New York State C
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-15-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Jeanne Kaplan: Why Teachers Are Sick of DuncanJeanne Kaplan served on the Denver school board for years and watched with a heavy heart as fake “reformers” took over Denver and Colorado. Now Colorado has the most punitive teacher evaluation law in the nation, thanks to Arne Duncan and Colorado’s State Senator Michael Johnston. When