Nominee for New London, Connecticut, Superintendent Job Will Not Step Down
Jon Lender of the Hartford Courant, who has broken story after story about sham practices in the state’s charter industry, describes the process of trying to verify the “doctorate” of Terrence Carter, the nominee for superintendent of the New London schools. The search firm hired by the school board seems to have conducted its research via Google. Despite the damaging stories about his educationa
Michael Klonsky on the Charade in Rahm’s Chicago
Michael Klonsky covered the crucial Board of Education meeting about the budget for Chicago schools and says it demonstrated why mayoral control is a failure. The board decided that one way to deal with the fiscal crisis is to hire more press secretaries! “The budget once again cuts funding for neighborhood schools and programs serving kids with special needs, while funneling millions more into th
Wendy Lecker on Charlatans in Connecticut
Just when you think things can’t get worse in Connecticut, another “reform” scandal pops up. Civil rights attorney Wendy Lecker writes here about the clear pattern of hiring unqualified people to run impoverished districts. Their modes opera do: cut services, bring in Teach for America, install unproven programs. She writes: “It is becoming painfully clear that in Connecticut, the refrain that
Los Angeles Judge Keeps Gulen Charters Open During Investigation
A judge in Los Angeles halted school officials’ efforts to close two Gulen related schools despite claims of millions of dollars missing. The schools have high test scores. The investigation continues.
As The Koch Brothers Lobby for Vouchers in Tennessee, a Parent Joins the Honor Roll
The Koch brothers arranged a panel discussion about vouchers and why they are beyond wonderful. It wasn’t a debate. All four members of the panel supported vouchers. No one was there to say that voucher schools have never outperformed public schools, that voucher schools promote segregation, and that voucher schools divert money from public schools. The controversial Steve Perry from Connecticut,
Mercedes Schneider Explains the Louisiana Circus
Well, I gave you an update on the latest episode in the Louisiana battle over Common Core. But of course I don’t know as much as Mercedes Schneider, who teaches in the state and stays abreast of the latest news and gossip. So here is the scoop, from the inside. Who will sue whom? What tests will be used? Will the governor beat the superintendent that he once loved and the board he appointed?
Michael Deshotels: Why I Oppose the Common Core Standards
Advocates of the Common Core standards have promoted the myth that only the agitated and uninformed extremists oppose the standards. But this is not true. Michael Deshotels is a respected veteran educator in Louisiana who explains here why he opposes the Common Core and the related high-stakes testing. This is the heart of his dissent: “Many educators who have carefully studied the Common Core St
Another Super-Hot Los Angeles School Board Race
In District 1 in Los Angeles, a well-funded, politically-connected candidate–Alex Johnson– squares off against an underfunded, highly qualified educator–George McKenna. McKenna won 44% of the vote in the primary to Johnson’s 26%. The run-off is August 12. But Johnson has raised almost eight times as much as McKenna in individual contributions ($48,000) to less than $6,500 for McKenna. In addition,
How to Spin the Charter Message and What Subjects to Avoid
Someone sent EduShyster a copy of a pamphlet about how to put a positive message on privately managed charter schools. The message is, of course, upbeat and positive. But it is not honest. There is no confronting the number of charter schools that are low-performing or the number that close. Nothing is said about charter schools that are run for-profit, squeezing out dollars from the classroom to
Paul Horton Writes a Letter to President Obama
The following letter appeared as a guest post on Anthony Cody’s blog: Paul Horton’s Open Letter to President Obama: Listen to Committed Dear Mr. President, Like thousands of experienced classroom teachers throughout our great country, I am very concerned about how you decided to go the way that you did with your Education policies. I was recently told by a close friend of the yours that “Arne’s
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Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: FAIRTEST: The Weekly Round-Up on Resistance to TestingParents, educators, students and activists in many communities are using the “quiet” summer months to plan campaigns that will build the assessment reform movement’s power once schools reopen. Across the country, more and more media outlets are reporting on the impact grassroots