Peter Greene Explains to Bill Gates Why Education is not Like a Railroad Gauge
Peter Greene knows, unlike Bill Gates, that children are not like toasters that Ned to be plugged into an electrical outlet that is everywhere the same. But then Gates brings in the metaphor of a railroad gauge. Ah! A fresh metaphor! New writer? Who knows? Greene explains why it is a bad metaphor that has nothing to do with students or teaching. And he asks the $64 question: if standardization an
Los Angeles and the Endless Saga of Dr. John Deasy
Los Angeles’ school politics is beginning to sound like a soap opera. Tune in next week to see if long-suffering Superintendent John Deasy, much admired by billionaire Eli Broad, survives yet another unjust attack at the hands of the brutes who disapprove of the $1.3 billion iPad fiasco, the bungled computer mess, the other snafus unjustly laid at the feet of a man guilty only of caring too much.
Question of the Day, Borrowed from Bill Gates
As we noted previously, Bill Gates compares the Common Core to standardization of electrical plugs and outlets, and to the gauge of railroad tracks. This is not a new metaphor from him. He used it several months ago when he explained the need for Common Core to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The question of the day, therefore, is this: is your child an electrical outlet,
This Is Not News! Bill Gates Loves Common Core and Arne Duncan
Stephanie Simon reports on Bill Gates’ latest explanation of why the Common Core standards are a wonderful idea. We need standardization. Maybe we need a national curriculum so that everyone learns exactly the same thing at the same time. Bill Gates loves the Common Core because it is like a standard electrical outlet that we can plug children’s brains into and get standard electrical current. Tha
New York State School Boards Association Cancels Poll about Common Core
Yesterday I learned that the New York State School Boards Association was running a poll about the Common Core. When I logged on, responses were running heavily against the Common Core. Most respondents said that CC “hinders” education instead of improving it. Some 85% said that it was not liked by local parents. I posted these results, and the NYSSBA canceled the poll on grounds that the respon
National Urban League Hangs Out For-Sale Sign
There’s is a lot of money to be made in education but not by teachers. “In the Publiic Interest” reports on privatization scams. Today it wrote: “Politico reports that the National Urban League “is stepping up its advocacy in support of the Common Core with new radio and TV spots narrated by CEO Marc H. Morial.” In July, Black Agenda Report reported that “the National Urban League got a $1 mil
Kathleen Sharp: Who Ripped Off Los Angeles for $1 Billion?
Journalist Kathleen Sharp summarizes the incredible iPad fiasco in Los Angeles in Salon. The article is called “Rotten to the Core.” Let’s face it: the gold rush is on, and tech companies will clean up. She writes: “Technology companies may soon be getting muddied from a long-running scandal at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the nation’s second-largest system. A year after the
Privatization Scams: Failure and Fraud
“In the Public Interest” reports: 1) National: A report released last week by the Institute for College Access & Success says that former students of for-profit colleges account for nearly half (44%) of all federal student loan defaults. “For-profit colleges also continue to have a much higher average default rate than other types of schools: 19.1 percent, compared to 12.9 percent at public c
Colorado Springs Votes to Opt Out Most Students
The school board of Colorado Springs District 11 has voted to opt most students out of Common Core state testing and to seek permission from the state to administer sample tests. “The Board of Education in Colorado Spring District 11 is taking a different approach than Lee. It voted to opt most students out of Common Core testing and then ask the state government for permission to assess a random
Robert Reich: On Schooling and Income Inequality
Robert Reich clearly explains the importance of poverty on educational achievement. He writes (see his article for the links to sources): “American kids are getting ready to head back to school. But the schools they’re heading back to differ dramatically by family income. “Which helps explain the growing achievement gap between lower and higher-income children. “Thirty years ago, the average gap
For Friends of Catholic Schools
I admire Catholic schools. I like the moral and ethical basis of their teachings, rooted in faith. I admire our nation’s public schools, which enroll nearly 90% of our children. They teach not only academic skills but citizenship and tolerance, the arts of living with those who are different from oneself. I believe in the separation of church and state. Those who seek a religious education should
Mercedes Schneider: How Did AIR and Fordham Grade State Standards?
Mercedes Schneider here compares two organizations that graded state standards: the American Institutes for Research and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. When AIR reviewed state standards and assessments, it concluded that the stands were so variable that common national standards and assessments were necessary, that is, the Common Core standards. She notes that AIR is very “scientific,” but recom
Who Loves Teachers Most?
Back to politico.com: Instead of scapegoating teachers, politicians are competing to claim they raised salaries. How short are teachers’ memories? Vying and usually lying: “TEACHERS’ PETS?: Forget soccer moms. This election cycle, candidates across the country are scrambling to get teachers on their side – or at least, to convince voters that they stand with educators. - In Alaska, Republican Se
Politico.com: Education is a Major Issue in Elections
Politico.com reviews a number of governor’s races around the country, and here is the takeaway: governors who cut education funding are on the defensive, even insisting that they didn’t do it. Consider this: ” The fight is fierce in Pennsylvania, where Democratic challenger Tom Wolf is accusing Gov. Tom Corbett of cutting $1 billion in education funding, forcing 20,000 teachers out of the classr
Ruth Conniff: The Charter School Con Artists
Ruth Conniff, editor of the Progressive, has gathered here some of the most recent charter scandals, and they just keep coming. There are some good charter schools but they are increasingly overshadowed by the con artists who sean easy way to cash in on public dollars. For links, open the article. Conniff only scratches the surface. If she looked in Florida, Michigan, or Ohio, she would find a lo
Laura H. Chapman: What Federal Law Says About the Role of the Federal Department of Education
Laura H. Chapman provides here the relevant federal statutes that restrict the role of federal officials to prevent federal intrusion and control of public education. The prohibition of federal employees exercising any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum, instruction or personnel of public schools was enacted when the U.S. Department of Education was created in 1979. Secretary D
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 9-28-14 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Veteran Teacher In California Named Teacher of the YearGlendale Unified School District in California named math teacher Win Saw its teacher of the year. The son of two teachers in Burma, Win Saw never expected to be a teacher. But while in college at Santa Barbara, he realized that was his calling. He has been inspiring students f