Connecticut: Another FUSE Employee Has a Criminal Record
A community outreach for a Bridgeport charter school organization managed by FUSE has a criminal record. “The record of Mack Allen, 49, of Bridgeport, surfaced in a confidential background check that FUSE had a law firm perform in January after he had begun working. But the organization didn’t inform Bridgeport schools Supt. Frances Rabinowitz about it until Tuesday night, after she requested bac
Connecticut: Who Endorsed Jumoke Charter Schools and FUSE?
Mary G. of Connecticut offers the following insight into the charter mutual support network. Jennifer Alexander of ConnCAN was quoted in this post extolling the superior performance of charters as compared to public schools. In this post, Jennifer Alexander said that the scandal surrounding Jumoke and FUSE should provide an opportunity to discuss not only accountability and transparency but fundin
Louisiana Carnival: State Auditor Investigating DOE for Payroll Fraud
While Governor Bobby Jindal and State Superintendent John White continue to slug it out over Common Core and PARCC testing, a new wrinkle has been added. Blogger Louisiana Voice reports that John White’s office is being investigated for payroll fraud: “LouisianaVoice has learned the Legislative Auditor’s office is conducting an investigation of DOE that could involve payroll fraud, according to
Connecticut: Will Jumoke Charter Scandal Lead to New Oversight?
The Jumoke-FUSE charter scandal in Connecticut has become “an important moment” to reconsider the state’s warm embrace of charter schools. As readers may recall, the CEO of FUSE, Michael Sharpe, was found to have a criminal record and to have falsely claimed to have a doctorate. Sharpe’s organization had collected $53 million in state funds since 1998. The fact that Governor Malloy appointed Stefa
The Shame of Connecticut: Charters with Nepotism, Uncertified Teachers, Conflicts of Interest
Governor Dannel Malloy and Commissioner Stefan Pryor love charter schools, but now they have egg all over their faces after the revelations about the Jumoke/FUSE leadership. Michael Sharpe, the CEO of FUSE resigned after revelations of his criminal record and his false claims of having a doctorate. The fact that Governor Malloy chose Stefan Pryor as his state commissioner of education is the first
Gary Rubinstein Remembers the Day That TFA Booed KIPP
Gary Rubinstein was one of the earliest members of Teach for America. He is today its most incisive critical friend or friendly critic. In this post, he remembers the days that Dave Levin and Michael Feinberg presented their KIPP plan to a TFA audience and were boed off the stage. Now, however, they are superstars. Gary reviews KIPP’s current record. Currently, he says, KIPP has an attrition rate
Microsoft Cashes in on Common Core and Online Testing
Are you ready for the new standards? Check out how Microsoft can help your school.
Michigan: A One-Woman Truth Squad for Charter Accountability
This article tells the story of Mary T. Wood, a woman in Michigan who has devoted nine years to tracking the spending and management of the state’s charter schools. She is not a public official. No one pays her. She took on this mission when she enrolled her daughter in a charter school in 1999, which did not have approval of its building so spent the first month doing field trips and other outdo
Wendy Lecker: How “Disruptive Innovation” Harmed the Children of Hartford
Wendy Lecker shows in this important article how corporate reformers impose “disruptive innovation” on struggling schools and communities. They close schools, take over schools, and fire staff instead of making needed improvements. The reformers are following the advice of a writer who argues that disruptive innovation works in the business world. But, she says, it doesn’t work in the business wo
New Republic: The Harris v. Quinn Decision Is a Terrible Decision
Moshe Z. Marvit, a labor lawyer who has written several articles for The New Republic on unions, here analyzes the Harris v. Quinn decision and maintains that it sets an impossible standard for unions to meet. He believes that it is a preliminary to reversing decades of Supreme Court precedent and completely crippling unions. Marvit was co-author of “Why Labor Organizing Should Be a Civil Right.”
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-1-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Paul Bruno: What if There is No Crisis in U.S. Education?Paul Bruno, a science teacher in California, assembled a few charts to show that there is no “crisis” in American education. What we have today was aptly named “a manufactured crisis” by David Berliner and Bruce Biddle, in their book “The Manufactured Crisis: Myths, Fraud, an