Los Angeles: Proof That Commitment Can Beat Big Money
On Friday, 73-year-old veteran educator George McKenna was sworn in as a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. He is filling the unexpired term of MargueriteLaMotte, who died in office. He will stand for re-election in 10 months. His opponent was Alex Johnson, 34, who worked for the County Commissioner and was supported by the charter industry. Johnson’s campaign s
Bob Braun: Cami’s Enrollment Plan in Newark Collapses in Chaos
As we know, the “reformers” love disruption, especially for other people’s children, not their own. On the first day of Cami Anderson’s “One Newark,” they got plenty of disruption. He writes: “The implementation of the deeply flawed “One Newark” student-dispersal program all but collapsed Thursday as the state administration’s highly paid bureaucrats kept hundreds of angry and frustrated parents
Connecticut: Does Anyone Supervise Charter Schools?
Given the recent scandal over Jumoke Academy and its sponsor, FUSE, you would think the State Board of Education and State Commissioner Stefan Pryor would be extra careful when authorizing new charters, but you would be wrong. Civil rights attorney Wendy Lecker writes here about the Board’s perfunctory scrutiny of applicants and the absence of any due diligence when someone wants a charter. The c
Sarah Garland: How a Reagan-Era Report Provides the Basis for Obama’s Education Policies
Sarah Garland, writing for the HECHINGER Report, says that the Reagan-era report “A Nation at Risk” (1983) laid the groundwork for today’s regime of high-takes testing, longer school hours, and tougher accountability measures. The conservative Republicans he quotes express satisfaction with the Obama administration’s embrace of their agenda. The enduring puzzle: who stole the Democratic agenda of
David Sirota: Microsoft Admits Keeping $92 Billion Offshore to Reduce Taxes
Writing in the International Business Times, investigative journalist David Sirota reports that Microsoft admits keeping $92.9 billion offshore to avoid paying $29.6 billion in taxes, according to the most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. He writes: “Microsoft Corp. is currently sitting on almost $29.6 billion it would owe in U.S. taxes if it repatriated the $92.9 bill
Vermont to the Nation: This Is What Good Education Looks Like
The Vermont State Board of Education adopted a resolution on assessment and accountability with a message: We will not let the federal government bully our children. We read research and incorporate it into our policy decisions. This set of principles and resolutions could serve as a guide for every state and school district about the appropriate uses of assessment and the true goals of education
New York Times Reports on Duncan’s Retreat from Test-Based Evaluations of Teachers
In the New York Times, Motoko Rich reported Arne Duncan’s scathing criticism of Arne Duncan’s policy of test-based evaluation for teachers. The story shows that Duncan dreamed up this policy, that he promoted it in Race to the Top, and in the waivers he offered states to avoid the onerous conditions of No Child Left Behind. Rich points out that Duncan borrowed the rhetoric of his most scathing cri
Three Important Florida Races
Rick Scott should not be the next governor of Florida. Nor should his leading challenger, Charlie Crist, who previously served as governor and who is a Republican turned Democrat. The candidate who is best on education issues is Nan Rich. The polls say she doesn’t have a chance. My friends in Florida say she’s the real deal. Better to throw away your vote on someone you believe in than to throw it
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONG Diane Ravitch's blog 8-23-14 #thankateacher #EDCHAT #P2
Diane Ravitch's blogLISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH ALL WEEK LONGDIANE RAVITCH'S BLOGAs Testing Frenzy Grows, So Does Opt-Out MovementHere is the latest summary of testing news from FAIRTEST: Across the U.S., students are returning to classrooms where even more time will be devoted to standardized exam preparation and administration. Over the summer, some districts developed hundreds of new tests to compl