NYC Parents Rally on September 18 for Full Funding of Public Schools
Parent! Students! Teachers!Community members! JUST CAN’T WAIT NYC SCHOOLS ARE OWED $2.5 BILLION DOLLARS! New York State has abandoned the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, resulting in devastating classroom cuts every single year. This has meant the loss of arts & music programs, after-school, valuable teachers, guidance counselors, Advanced Placement courses, an increase in class sizes and more. Jo
Bill Bennett Supports Common Core; CATO Scoffs, Hess Dubious
Caitlin Emma has a great story about Bill Bennett’s new-found advocacy for the Common Core standards in the Morning Edition of politico.com: “CONSTERNATION OVER COMMON CORE: The Wall Street Journal published an op-ed [http://on.wsj.com/1qJabHV] this week supporting the Common Core – and it wasn’t long before the author, Reagan administration Education Secretary Bill Bennett, was targeted by critic
Laura H. Chapman: The Common Core Standards Are Not Internationally Benchmarked
Laura H. Chapman is a frequent contributor to the blog and a curriculum consultant in the arts. Shortly after releasing the Standards with much publicity about international benchmarking, the CCSSO helped to fund a study that shows the Standards are not, in fact, closely aligned with the standards of nations that score higher on international tests. In mathematics, for example, the nations with t
Judge Merges Two Competing Vergara-Style Lawsuits in New York, Amidst Rancor
The judge overseeing the anti-tenure lawsuits merged the two that had been filed, over the protests of parent activist Mona David’s of the New York City Parents Union. “Outside the court, Mona Davids, the lead plaintiff in the first case, Davids vs. New York, made it clear that she wasn’t interested in forging a unified effort as she passed out fake $100 bills bearing the grimacing face of Campbe
Would Someone Tell Governor Deal of Georgia the Truth about NOLA?
Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia wants a statewide Recovery School District, just like Louisiana. He wants to be like Bobby Jindal. He wants all the low-performing schools turned into charters, just like Néw Orleans. Won’t someone tell him that most of the charters–excluding those with selective admissions–are rated D or F by the state? Won’t someone tell him that the RSD in Louisiana is one of th
How Clueless Can D.C. Bureaucrats Be?
Avery Gigliano recently turned 13. She is a world-class pianist who has won international competitions. To play in international competitions, it is necessary to travel. To the D.C. public school system, she is not a champion, she is a truant. I forebear from using the words that come to mind. The D.C. schools should be celebrating her success. Instead, they drove her out of the school system. Gre
Researcher: Success Charter Chain Built on Hyperbole
A data analyst who worked for the past several years in the New York City Department of Education wrote the following about Eva Moskowitz’s Success Academy charter chain. Most of the data he cites comes from public records maintained by the city or state education departments. His footnotes are at the bottom of the post. Building a Charter Chain, and a Mayoral Campaign, on Lies Over the past few
FairTest: Anti-Testing Movement Building
Here is the weekly update on the testing front. With so much popular sentiment opposing the testing mania, it is only a matter of time until some rising politicians figure out that this is a movement in search of leadership in the political arena: The school year is barely underway, but testing resistance and reform actions are already escalating across the nation. In an attempt to slow the mome
Los Angeles: Deasy Seeks Emails of Board Members
In an effort to take the heat off his own troubles, Los Angeles Superintendent John Deasy has hired a lawyer and now seeks access to any of his bosses’ emails that show relationships with tech companies. Deasy had to cancel a contract with Apple and Pearson when two-year-old emails showed that he had been in discussion with them about the plan. Deasy claimed it was about a pilot. Nonetheless, he
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-11-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Frank Breslin: A Moral Vision of SchoolingThese days we seem to have forgotten what schools are for. Our national leaders see them only as economic institutions, preparing students for careers and college. Business leaders see them as workplace training. Frank Breslin, a retired high school teacher of German, Latin, and history, ha
