Public Employees Federation Endorses Teachout
As the New York Daily News put it, today was not a good day for Governor Cuomo. First the New York State United Teachers decided not to endorse him or anyone else. Then the Public Employees Federation endorsed Zephyr Teachout. He still has $35 million in campaign funds, but a steamroller he is not. He hoped to be re-elected with such impressive numbers that he would be seen as Presidential tim
This Was Michael Brown’s High School
Michael Brown, the youth who was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri, graduated from Normandy High School. You may recall reading here that the Normandy School District, which was 98% African-American, was merged by the state with the nearby Wellston School District, which was 100% African-American. Michael’s graduation picture was taken in March 2014. Why so far ahead of the graduation date?
NY Parent-Educator Group Outraged by Quality and Accuracy of Common Core Test Scores
New York released its 2014 test scores today. The proportion of students reaching “proficiency” English was flat, and there was a small increase in math. Unfortunately, in both subjects, a large majority of students in grades 3-8 were “not proficient.” As I have pointed out in earlier blogs, the Common Core tests in New York and elsewhere decided to adopt a very high bar for their definition of “p
New York State United Teachers Will Not Endorse Cuomo
The New York State United Teachers decided not to endorse Andrew Cuomo for re-election, nor anyone else. NYSUT has 600,000 members and a strong get-out-the-vote operation. It did endorse the Democratic Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. “Those who earn endorsements are friends of public education and labor,” NYSUT president Karen Magee said in a statement. “Over
Two Teachers Write a Letter to Whoopi Goldberg
Two teachers from Long Island, New York, wrote a letter to Whoopi Goldberg to explain to her that “tenure” means “due process.” Alicia Connelly-Foster of the Patchogue-Medford Congress of Teachers, NYSUT, AFT, NEA, and Viri Pettersen, President- Rockville Centre Teachers Association, NYSUT, AFT, NEA patiently explain that it takes a minimum of three years for a teacher to win tenure, during which
Oklahoma PTA Unanimously Calls for End to High-Stakes Testing
At its annual meeting, the Oklahoma PTA called for a ban on high-stakes testing. As parents and grandparents, no one can remember a world in which standardized testing is as important as it is today, thanks to No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top. Parents in Oklahoma said: Enough is enough.” The following was reported in the Oklahoma PTA journal. “July 18, 2014 – Tulsa: Over 340 delegates at
Stephanie Simon: The Inside Story of Why Michelle Rhee-Johnson Stepped Down
Stephanie Simon of politico.com reports on the story behind Michelle Rhee-Johnson’s decision to step down as leader of StudentsFirst, the organization she founded in 2010. Although she managed to raise some millions from big donors like the Eli and Edythe BroadFoundation, the Walton Family Foundation, and the Michael Bloomberg Foundation for her efforts to curb collective bargaining, eliminate te
Harvard Legal Scholar Laurence H. Tribe Joins Campaign Against Tenure
Politico.com reports this morning that Laurence H. Tribe, a legal scholar Harvard, has joined the campaign to eliminate teacher tenure. “Students Matter, which led the Vergara lawsuit to overturn teacher tenure and other job protections in California, will announce this morning that constitutional scholar Laurence H. Tribe is joining the group as senior adviser. Tribe, a Harvard law professor, wil
Laura H. Chapman on the Common Core Standards
Laura H. Chapman is a consultant on arts education who contributes frequently to the blog. Here is her response to the Common Core standards: Rather than simply “correcting” the inadequate Common Core standards, they should be reconstructed and redesigned from the ground up.” NO. No. No. They should be tossed–folded, stapled, mutilated, burned. They are based on lies about “college readiness,”
Missouri: Rex Sinquefeld Wants to Gut Local Control and Impose Unfunded Mandates
Multimillionaire equity investor Rex Sinquefeld doesn’t like public education. Apparently he doesn’t like teachers either. He doesn’t think teachers should be evaluated by their administrators but by the standardized test scores of their students. Evidently he doesn’t know that this method of evaluating teachers has failed to work wherever it was tried; evidently he doesn’t know that even the Dist
Rex Sinquefeld: Why Does He Want to Buy the State of Missouri?
Rex Sinquefeld is a billionaire (or maybe just a multi-millionaire) who has poured millions of dollars into political campaigns in Missouri. He is not satisfied with what he has. He wants lower taxes, less government, and the privatization of public schools. He doesn’t want workers to have any rights. Read about him and his political activities in these reports prepared by the Center for Media a
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-13-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Michigan State Board Calls for Sweeping Changes in Charter LawThe Michigan State Board of Education passed a resolution calling for reform of the state’s charter law. The vote was along party lines; the state board is dominated by Democrats but the legislature is not. The resolution was passed following a series in the Detroit Free