Ken Previti: In Defense of Whoopi Goldberg
I the past few days, Twitter has been a twitter with tweets acclaiming or denouncing Whoopi Goldberg for her comments opposing tenure on “The View.” Ken Previti says that it is not reasonable to criticize Whoopi because she clearly doesn’t know much about what tenure is and why teachers defend it. It is a guarantee of a hearing, of due process, if a boss wants to fire you. Teachers earn tenure ove
Anthony Cody: Who Is the Real Music Man–Beck or Gates?
Anthony Cody notes that Glen Beck brought his tirade against the Common Core to parents in 700 theaters. A critic described him as the Music Man, trying to sell his wares to a gullible public. Cody says: “The funny thing is that Common Core itself is being sold by yet another version of Professor Hill, in the form of billionaire Bill Gates.” Cody writes: “While Beck warns about the dangers of big
Paul Thomas: Charter Success=Billionaires, “Studies,” Press Releases, Gullible Editorialists
Paul Thomas notes the success of the Walton-funded “reform” machine at the University of Arkansas. They pump out study after study proclaiming the superior results of school choice. Are you surprised? This is the idee fixe of the Walton Foundation. They want government out of our lives. It worked for them. With low taxes, little regulation, they pay low wages and outsource manufacturing to China,
The Launch of a Bold Néw Website for Teachers and Their Allies
When I heard from Randy Hoover about his new website called “The Teacher-Advocate.com,” I asked him to write a post explaining his hopes and goals. I knew that he could describe it better than I could. Hoover spent 46 years as an educator. Randy Hoover writes: A Project to Reanimate Teacher Advocacy (Teacher-Advocate.com) Randy L. Hoover, PhD Emeritus Professor, Youngstown State University I bega
The Failure of “Reform” in D.C.
Valerie Strauss shows in this post that there were NO gains in reading in the District of Columbia Public Schools during the tenure of Michelle Rhee and her successor Kaya Henderson. G.F. Brandenburg noted these facts on his blog on July 31. Brandenburg asks: “So where are all those increases that Michelle Rhee promised in writing?” Strauss writes that this is more than just a personal failure. Th
Rebecca Holcombe, a Hero of American Education
This is a good news story about a state commissioner of education who stood up and said, with quiet determination, that the emperor has no clothes. That state commissioner is Rebecca Holcombe of Vermont. She wrote a clear and eloquent letter to the parents and caregivers of Vermont, explaining the punitive and incoherent nature of federal education policy, which (under NCLB) requires that every s
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Congratulations to Sherry Gay-Dagnono on Michigan Victory!
Sherry Gay-Dagnogo won the Democratic primary in Michigan’s 8th House District. The Network for Public Education endorsed her because of her strong stand against over-testing and privatization. She is a former middle school teacher. Gay-Dagnogo also supports Congressional Hearings on the cost and misuse of testing. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo’s victory is a big win for students and public education in Mich
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 8-6-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Allie Gross: Detroit and the Charter School ProfiteersAllie Gross arrived to teach in Detroit as a Teach for America recruit. Her three years in a charter school opened her eyes. She saw classrooms without supplies, children promoted who were not ready and did not get the intervention they needed, she saw feckless leadership promot