Robert Berkman: The New York Times Stinks at Math
Robert Berkman, who has been teaching math for thirty years, takes issue with the article by Elizabeth Green in the New York Times magazine called Why Americans Stink at Math. While he has great admiration for Green’s writing skills, he thinks she is an American who is not good at math. He writes: “The first place where Green goes wrong is when she cites “national test results” about mathematics
Denver Teachers Suing District to Protest Forced Layoffs
In 2010, Colorado State Senator Michael Johnston took credit for a piece of legislation called Senate Bill 191, which he said would produce “Great Schools, Great Teachers, Great Principals.” Its main feature was tying teacher evaluation to their students’ scores, which counted for 50%. But it included other time bombs. One allowed districts to lay off teachers for various reasons. Now seven teache
North Carolina House Passes Bill to Shield Salaries of For-profit Charter Managers
Lindsay Wagner of the NC Policy Watch reports that the NC House passed a bill to guard the privacy of salaries paid to employees of for-profit charter management companies, even though they are paid with public funds. The bill also removes protection of LGBT students that had been in earlier versions. She writes: “While the bill, SB 793, or Charter School Modifications, clarifies that the salarie
Why the Election in Georgia Matters
Bertis Downs is a native of Georgia and a member of the board of the Network for Public Education. He writes: This is the best electoral news in a long time– Georgia Democrat Valarie Wilson won the runoff for state school superintendent, and it wasn’t even close: http://bit.ly/Us7qNi I am proud to be one of her supporters. And on the Republican side a longtime educator, Richard Woods, won in a
Lisa Graves: Will the Koch Brothers Buy American Politics?
Lisa Graves was one of the creators of the website ALECExposed. She has followed the money, and she here describes a dangerous threat to American democracy by the billionaire Koch brothers, ALEC, and others who seek control by the super-rich. They want to bust unions and privatize schools. Graves says that progressives must stand together. I agree. That’s why I grow frustrated when union members a
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 7-26-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGEduShyster: If You Could Ask Arne Duncan Just One Question……EduShyster’s guest blogger Patrick Hayes, a fifth-grade teacher from Charleston, South Carolina, asks a simple question: “If you could ask Arne Duncan just one question what would it be?” Try this one: “what would you get Bill gates for Boss’s Day? The man has ev