LA Times Blames LAUSD School Board for Deasy’s Mistakes
Howard Blume of The Los Angeles Times has done a remarkable job of reporting about Superintendent John Deasy’s huge problems in managing the school system, the most monumental of them being his decision to borrow from a construction bond issue to buy Apple iPads loaded with Pearson content for every student and staff member at a purported cost of $1.3 billion. Bad enough that he was raiding the bo
Ohio: Concept Charter Chain, Under FBI Investigation Gets $48.5 Million a Year
A message from Donald Cohen of “In the Public Interest,” which follows news about privatization of public services. “Cashing in on Kids, a joint project of In the Public Interest and the American Federation of Teachers, is working to ensure that parents, teachers, students and taxpayers continue to have a strong voice in how we run our schools and educate our nation’s children. Below is an action
Two More Ohio Charter Schools Under Investigation
An investigation of Concept Schools charter chain in Ohio was expanded, adding two more schools where allegations of test tampering and misuse of public funds have been made. Some 400 supporters of the schools rallied for them at the Statehouse. “COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The state said Tuesday its inquiry into alleged misconduct inside an embattled charter school chain has expanded to two additiona
Ohio: CEO of StudentsFirst Says Most of Ohio’s Charters “Stink” and Should Be Closed
Stephen Dyer has some amazing news in his excellent blog. I recently reposted his analysis of charter school performance in Ohio, which is mostly dismal. Nearly half the charters in the state earned a grade of F on their state report card. Now he reports the following: “StudentsFirst Ohio’s Executive Director Greg Harris has made some pretty important statements. Last year, he said in the Akron
Poll: Americans Want Better Trained, Certified Teachers
The following was reported at politico.com: “AMERICANS CALL FOR STEPPING UP THE TEACHING PROFESSION: Americans want better prepared teachers in the classroom – and a vast majority think educators should be required to pass board certification and submit to licensure standards like doctors and lawyers. Those views come from a PDK/Gallup poll, released today. Seventy percent of respondents said new
Kristen Buras: Message to York City, Beware of For-Profit Charter Chains!
When Kristen Buras read that the leaders of York City, Pennsylvania, were considering turning their schools into an all-charter district, she didn’t think it was a good idea. When she read that all the students in Muskegon Heights, Michigan, had been turned over to for-profit charter operator Mosaica, she thought it was necessary to issue a warning. This is the comment she left on the blog: Hm
Anthony Cody Explains and Supports Peer Assistance and Review
Anthony Cody notes a rift among allies. Mark NAISON wrote critically about PAR–Peer Assistance and Review. Writing from his experience, Cody explains how PAR works. The bottom line is this: If choosing how to be evaluated as a teacher, would you rather be evaluated by the rise or fall of test scores (VAM); by the principal, acting alone; or by a committee of peers and administrators whose first
Ohio: Most Summit County Charters Rated F
The letter grades for Ohio schools were posted recently, and most charter schools in Summit County were rated F. Across Ohio, 47% of 251 charters saw a drop in scores. In Summit County, with 9 charters, only two improved. The only charter to receive an A grade is run by the county, not entrepreneurs. The other 7 charters in Summit County were rated F. “Charter schools managed by for-profit comp
Ohio: More Charters Failing than Public Schools
Stephen Dyer, education policy fellow at Innovation Ohio, has analyzed the latest state report cards. The state’s Governor, John Kasich, is pro-charter, pro-voucher, and pro-market forces. He is no friend to public education. The legislature is the same. They want more schools that are privately managed. As we saw in a post yesterday, Ohio has a parent trigger law, and (as I posted yesterday) the
Amy Prime Moore: Is There Evidence that Too Much Testing Hurts Children?
Amy Prime Moore taught second grade in Iowa. Now she teaches fifth grade. She believes too much testing hurts her students. Then a friend asked, How do you know? And she wrote this article for the Des Moines Register. She writes: “But then I began to get resentful of the idea that I should even need to offer this proof. Why should I have to do this? Why is it that we can’t take the word of our e
Business Leaders Grade Louisiana: Great on Choice, Poor Academics
A new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce gives Louisiana high marks on providing choice but low marks for academics. It should be noted that Louisiana has higher levels of child poverty than other states, but the U.S. Chamber of Commerce does not go into that. “A new U.S. Chamber of Commerce report gives Louisiana’s public education system very low marks on academic achievement, internation
Bob Braun: Newark’s Barringer High School in Chaos
Bob Braun, veteran education reporter, says that Barringer High School is in chaos, due to poor planning by the district leadership, i.e., Cami Anderson. The school, intended to hold 600 students, has been divided into two schools, each with 700 students. The principal of one school was fired by Anderson, and the principal of the other quit before school started. He writes: “Barringer High
YESTERDAY
Breaking News: Missouri Education Commissioner Retiring
State Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro is retiring at the end of the year. I don’t know whether that means the end of 2014 or the end of the school year, but it doesn’t matter. We will know more tomorrow.
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-15-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Amy Frogge: A Novel Idea for Real Education Reform!Everyone wants to reform education. Everyone went to school, so everyone has ideas. But Amy Frogge, a member of the Metro Nashville School Board, has a truly novel idea: Let experienced educators lead the way. Think of it. Who knows best what children need? Experienced teachers. Wh