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LA Times on the Botched Implementation of iPads
Howard Blume of the Los Angeles Times wrote a scathing description of the failed implementation of the $1.3 billion iPad boondoggle, which shows poor planning, a thrown-together program that amounted to buying gadgets with no preparation for using them. “In the first formal evaluation of the troubled iPads-for-all project in Los Angeles schools, only one teacher out of 245 classrooms visited was
Palm Beach County School Board Passes Resolution Calling for Testing Overhaul
Faced with unfunded mandates by the Legislature that require the creation and use of hundreds of new tests, deployed primarily to evaluate teachers, the Palm Beach County school board passed a resolution that basically says “Whoa!” The PBC school board will be sharing its resolution with other members of the Greater Florida School Board Consortium, which includes the state’s largest districts and
AIR report on Los Angeles’ Botched iPad Pilot Project
American Institutes for Research released a study of how iPads were used in a subset of schools that adopted them. This is the first phase of Superintendent John Deasy’s $1.3 billion plan to give an iPad or similar device to every student and staff member in the district. Things are not going well so far. AIR found a need for more technical support. “School staffers working on the project that s
Chicago: Guess Who Endorsed the Privatization of Custodian Jobs?
Mike Klonsky reports on the deal that preceded the privatization of the jobs of custodians in Chicago. It’s a shocker. “It was SEIU Local 73 leader Christine Boardman who first signed onto Rahm’s $340 million sub-contracting deal with Aramark and SodexoMagic (magic, my ass) in the first place. These two contracts combined make it one of the largest privatization moves of any school district in th
LA Times Again Defends Deasy, Accuses Critics of Fronting for Union
In an editorial, the Los Angeles Times again defended Superintendent John Deasy from critics who were appalled by the appearance of rigged bidding on a $1.3 billion tech contract. The editorial shifts the debate, saying that somehow the disgruntled members of the school board are actually stooges for the teachers’ union, which the editorial writer obviously despises. “At L.A. Unified, tensions a
Larry Lee: Guess Who Is Bashing Alabama’s Teachers?
Larry Lee is a writer in Alabama who has studied rural schools. He writes: “Teacher bashing” has become as common as bugs on a car windshield. It’s just something we’ve come to expect from the misguided and uninformed. However, I do not understand why universities, like Troy University in Alabama, spew venom at educators. Troy has been around for nearly 130 years and like many regional college
Rocketship had planned to open 8 new charters in Milwaukee, but, according to this report from the Milwaukee Teachers’ Union, the expansion has been scaled back dramatically due to low enrollment. The company’s financial plan shows only one charter school in the year 2019. Teachers opposed the introduction of 8 Rocketship charters because they would drain more resources from the public schools, an
Nashville: Parents Complain that Rocketship Charter Is Grabbing Students’ Records
A post in the Tennessee Parents blog complains about the “Rocketship Charter School Nightmare in Tennessee.” Parents say that anyone who attended an informational session about the Rocketship Charter School discovered that their child’s records were pulled and moved to Rocketship. When they went to their zoned school, they were told that they had enrolled in Rocketship, even though they had not.
Dienne Anum Reviews Whitmire’s “On the Rocketship”
Dienne Anum, a parent and a regular contributor to the blog discussion, read and reviewed Richard Whitmire’s “On the Rocketship,” about Rocketship charters. She posted her review on Amazon and shares it with us. She writes: In his own words: “arrogant, elitist, myopic and willfully naïve” Back when Rocketship was little more than a twinkle in John Danner’s eyes, author Richard Whitmire was b
Join The Network for Public Education for Our Historic Event: Public Education Nation!
The Network for Public Education will hold a major event on October 11 in New York City called “Public Education Nation.” This is not to be confused with NBC’s annual Gates-sponsored “Education Nation.” Nope, this will be a low-budget, high-interest opportunity to meet education activists who are fighting corporate education “reform” and working for better public schools. The event will be live-
Advice to Fellow Floridians
Chris in Florida writes in response to the news that Broward County may give as many as 1,500 tests to satisfy a new law that requires tests in every subject and every grade—to evaluate teachers: “The Florida Legislature is famous for making poor, spur of the moment decisions when passing laws, never thinking through the longterm results and implications. “If ALEC says do it, they do it and smil
Teachers as Conscientious Objectors
A group of teachers at a progressive public school in Néw York City have formed “Teachers of Conscience” and written the Chancellor of the school system to say that they could no longer administer the state tests to their students. For their willingness to act on the demands of their conscience rather than serve as compliant enforcers of actions intended to rank and rate their students, I place th
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-17-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Jersey Jazzman: Governor Christie Should Be Held Accountable for Failure in State-Controlled DistrictsJersey Jazzman says Governor Christie has complete control of education in four urban districts in his state, and his appointees have haughtily introduced changes without community consultation or consent, sowing chaos and dissensi