Palm Beach County Commission Allots $20 Million for New For-Profit Charter School
The Palm Beach County Commission allocated $20 million to enable a new charter school to borrow money for school construction. Some members of the commission opposed it, but the majority thought it was just another business that needed public funding. The County Commission voted in favor of allowing Renaissance Charter School at Cypress on Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach to borrow money
A Few Election Results
Andrew Cuomo won with 62% of the vote; Zephyr Teachout received 34%. Teachout had a great showing considering that she was a complete unknown with little name recognition, vastly outspent by Cuomo. Her $200,000 vs his $35 million. And his legal team kept her tied up in court challenging her residency; she won but lost two weeks of campaigning. Cuomo did his best to make Teachout invisible, never d
Laura H. Chapman on the Common Core Standards
Reader Laura H. Chapman has read the CCSS, unlike many others who support or oppose them. She writes: “Anyone who had READ the CCSS all the way to the footnotes, or looked at the website, and otherwise done due diligence before buying the spin would determine it is a fraud. “Consider this: Between 2000 and 2002, Achieve conducted interviews with prospective employers and higher education officia
Seth Sandronsky on Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson
Journalist Seth Sandronsky noted the progressive rhetoric of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson when he joined New York City Bill de Blasio at a national task force on turning cities into generators of opportunity. ““The purpose of cities is to lift up residents and build a community and economy that works for everyone,” said Mayor Johnson. “That means having a higher minimum wage, expanding the supp
Special Education: Duncan Sets Unreachable Goals
Beverley Holden Johns, a nationally recognized expert in the field of disabilities, strongly disagrees with Arne Duncan. Duncan wants children with disabilities to be able to perform on the highest level of NAEP tests. She points out that NAEP was not designed for this purpose. Duncan unilaterally changed the requirements of the IDEA act, without Congressional authorization. Having changed NCLB wi
An Illinois Superintendent Writes about What Matters Most
Superintendent Mark Cross joins the honor roll for his willingness to stand up and be counted on the side of students. Cross sent a letter home to parents in which he criticized high-stakes testing and Common Core. He spoke critically of federal and state initiatives whose purpose is to rank students rather than educate them. Many educators are fearful of saying what Mark Cross said because they
Director of Nashville Schools Wants More Charters
Jesse Register, the Director of Metro Nashville public schools, proposes to close a number of low-performing schools and replace them with charter schools, despite the fact that the state’s all-charter Achievement School District has not outperformed public schools. Parents, community members, and teachers are upset by his lurch to the corporate model. Where is the school board, whose majority sup
Florida Kindergarten Teacher: I Will Not Give the Test
Opt Out Orlando posted the following letter by Susan Bowles, a kindergarten teacher. For her courage and dedication to her students, Susan Bowles joins the honor roll. Her husband wrote this introduction: “I tried to share this post by my wife, Susan, last night. I just found out her privacy settings don’t let others see it. I am very proud of her stance and completely support her, even if it mean
Jersey Jazzman Corrects Pundit Jonathan Alter
A few years ago, I “debated” Jonathan Alter on a Denver radio show but soon realized that I had entered a zone where facts were irrelevant because Alter’s mind was made up. He loves charter schools. He thinks testing and accountability are the answer to the deep problems of education. He is contemptuous of public schools and the teachers who work in them. He thinks that unions exist to protect fai
Peter Greene: John Oliver Explains Student Debt and Scamming the Public
This is a must-see. Peter Greene here presents and discusses comedian John Oliver on student debt. Most students will leave college with heavy debts; some will spend years trying to pay it off. The arrangement was created by the federal government and state governments, which have steadily decreased their responsibility for subsidizing the cost of higher education, transferring the burden to stud
OECD: Competition Among Schools Not Associated with Higher Scores
A report from the OECD, which sponsors the international assessment PISA, finds that competition among schools for students (“choice”) is not associated with higher math scores but is associated with higher levels of social segregation. “PISA results…show that, on average across countries, school competition is not related to better mathematics performance among students. In systems where almost
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-9-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: McKinsey: The Global Powerhouse Behind “Reform”Which is the most powerful player behind the scenes in corporate reform? This article says, without doubt, McKinsey. Where did David Coleman, architect of the Common Core standards, get his start: McKinsey. Which firm pushes the narrative of a “crisis in education”: McKinsey. Which fir