CORPORATE ED REFORM
News Corp. Sells Amplify to Existing Leadership Team | EdSurge News
News Corp. Sells Amplify to Existing Leadership Team | EdSurge News: News Corp. Sells Amplify to Existing Leadership TeamYesterday Amplify laid off upwards of 500 employees. Today Amplify has new owners.Or does it? News Corporation announced today that it has “sold its Amplify Insight and Learning businesses to a management team supported by a group of private investors.” These buyers include fami
Taking from the Middle Class, Giving to the Rich - It's the Malloy Way - Wait What?
Taking from the Middle Class, Giving to the Rich - It's the Malloy Way - Wait What?: Taking from the Middle Class, Giving to the Rich — It’s the Malloy WayAt yesterday’s State Bond Commission meeting, Governor Dannel Malloy’s plan to give $1 million in taxpayer funds to the private equity company MC Credit Partners so they could move to Stamford sailed through despite the fact that days earlier Ma
Charters with Broad support show only a mixed return on investment - LA School Report
Charters with Broad support show only a mixed return on investment - LA School Report: Charters with Broad support show only a mixed return on investmentIn building a case for creating 260 charter schools within in LA Unified eight years at a cost of $490 million, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has cited “significant” gains by three charter organizations that have received $75 million from th
“Profiting from Those Least Able to Resist”: On the “Promise” of Charter Schools | EduSanity
“Profiting from Those Least Able to Resist”: On the “Promise” of Charter Schools | EduSanity: “Profiting from Those Least Able to Resist”: On the “Promise” of Charter SchoolsDr. Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell provided a guest lecture at the University of ArkansasDay five of CIED 694V: Progressive Education Policy welcomed a guest lecturer from Louisiana State University to talk about charter school
CURMUDGUCATION: RI: This Is Why Tenure Is Necessary, Part 32,871,299
CURMUDGUCATION: RI: This Is Why Tenure Is Necessary, Part 32,871,299: RI: This Is Why Tenure Is Necessary, Part 32,871,299William Ashton is in trouble again.Ashton is an English teacher in Rhode Island. If you remember his name, it's because last spring, the Jacqueline Walsh School for the Performing Arts suspended him for allegedly badmouthing the PARCC. The "badmouthing" was the proces
Crimes against the people of Newark and their children | Bob Braun's Ledger
Crimes against the people of Newark and their children | Bob Braun's Ledger: Crimes against the people of Newark and their childrenNo, this is not Montclair or MendhamThe woman at the heart of this story doesn’t want me to use her name or her picture–or the names and pictures of her children. I can’t blame her for that. I don’t know anyone who wants to tell the world about her troubles, especiall
Ohio official who manipulated charter-school data helped win federal grant to take over public schools
Ohio official who manipulated charter-school data helped win federal grant to take over public schools - Break News - Ohio: Ohio official who manipulated charter-school data helped win federal grant to take over public schoolsA top Ohio Department of Education official who resigned in July after manipulating data to boost charter schools also participated in a successful effort to obtain $71 milli
Fresno Unified Superintendent Hanson admits to using Cyber Dust privacy app | Fresno Bee
Fresno Unified Superintendent Hanson admits to using Cyber Dust privacy app | Fresno Bee: Fresno Unified Superintendent Hanson admits to using Cyber Dust privacy appFresno Unified Superintendent Michael Hanson says he used a controversial privacy phone app to conduct school district business, but denies allegations that it was used to cover up his involvement in no-bid contracts that are now the s
Employee association plans “class-action” grievance against Dallas ISD evaluation system | | Dallas Morning News
Employee association plans “class-action” grievance against Dallas ISD evaluation system | | Dallas Morning News: Employee association plans “class-action” grievance against Dallas ISD evaluation systemThe National Education Association-Dallas is planning to file a “class-action” grievance with Dallas ISD over its new teacher evaluation system.The evaluation system, called the Teacher Excellence I
College and Career Readiness: An EdSource/CTA survey of teachers | EdSource
College and Career Readiness: An EdSource/CTA survey of teachers | EdSource: College and Career Readiness: An EdSource/CTA survey of teachersThis survey by EdSource, in partnership with the California Teachers Association (CTA), provides new insights into teacher attitudes toward preparing students for college and careers, a principal goal of all major education reforms being implemented in Califo
Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: BASIS Charter Schools make fraudulent use of Special Education designation
Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: BASIS Charter Schools make fraudulent use of Special Education designation: BASIS Charter Schools make fraudulent use of Special Education designationArizonans for Charter School Accountability is an amazing organization that is exposing malfeasance and fraud in one of the worst charter school states in the nation. We have opined here in the past that Arizona
¿COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BY ROBOCALL? - 4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit:
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: ¿COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BY ROBOCALL?: L.A. Unified wants to know when parents want school to be in session (Redux): ¿COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BY ROBOCALL?: L.A. Unified wants to know when parents want school to be in session (Redux)BY HOWARD BLUME | LA TIMES | HTTP://LAT.MS/1KLZR8Ralso see+hear:LAUSD SOLICITING FEEDBACK FROM PARENTS ON PROPOSED SCHOOL YEAR CH
New Maple Community Center Breathes New Life — Hmong Innovating Politics
New Maple Community Center Breathes New Life — Hmong Innovating Politics: New Maple Community Center Breathes New Life By Nancy Xiong, HIP OrganizerEarly this month, HIP joined La Familia Counseling Center for the 10th Anniversary of the Sacramento Hispanic/Latino Parade. On a street more known for its traffic, seeing families and children lined up along Franklin Boulevard was a welcomed change. T
Lawsuit says California budget violates school funding guarantee | The Sacramento Bee
Lawsuit says California budget violates school funding guarantee | The Sacramento Bee: Lawsuit says California budget violates school funding guaranteeStudents, administrators, teachers and board members participate a "listening circle" at Mesa Verde High School on Wednesday, March 25, 2015, in Citrus Heights, Calif. A recent lawsuit contends that the recent state budget improperly manip
NY Gov Cuomo creates a Common Core Commission that is too big to fail | lacetothetop
NY Gov Cuomo creates a Common Core Commission that is too big to fail | lacetothetop: NY Gov Cuomo creates a Common Core Commission that is too big to failGovernor Cuomo has once again tapped former Citigroup chairman Richard Parsons to lead his second Commission on education. The first one ended in a report ironically entitled “A Final Action Plan.” I wonder if this means a teacher will be taske
Schools Matter: Common Core and the Incredible Shrinking Imagination
Schools Matter: Common Core and the Incredible Shrinking Imagination: Common Core and the Incredible Shrinking ImaginationOne of the many technocratic mandates of the Common Core Standards comes in the form of an insistent rationing of the kinds and amounts of reading materials that schoolchildren should be exposed to at different grade levels. Below is the breakdown from the Common Core website
Co-opting the Movement? Get the inside story on the Education Town Hall BUS | Education Town Hall Forum: Weekly Broadcast Archives, Extended Discussion, plus Monthly BUS Ride
Co-opting the Movement? Get the inside story on the Education Town Hall BUS | Education Town Hall Forum: Weekly Broadcast Archives, Extended Discussion, plus Monthly BUS Ride: Co-opting the Movement? Get the inside story on the Education Town Hall BUSThis week on the Education Town: Organizing for Education Justice and Attempts to Co-Opt the Movement. The Education Town Hall BUS — BadAss Teachers,
National Education Association Says ‘Bernie Can’t Win’: We Will Endorse Hillary: Members Furious
National Education Association Says ‘Bernie Can’t Win’: We Will Endorse Hillary: Members Furious: National Education Association Says ‘Bernie Can’t Win’: We Will Endorse Hillary: Members FuriousAs the first Democratic debate approaches, members of the National Education Association – the largest labor organization in the US – is split over which candidate they should support in the upcoming presid
Federal grant boosts charters, management organizations too :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet
Federal grant boosts charters, management organizations too :: SI&A Cabinet Report :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet: Federal grant boosts charters, management organizations too(District of Columbia) As part of the federal government’s commitment to charter schools, the U.S. Department of Education announced this week an award of more than $157 million to states for
Exclusive: Bankruptcy Is a “Huge Opportunity” to Privatize Schools Says EdBuild | PR Watch
Exclusive: Bankruptcy Is a “Huge Opportunity” to Privatize Schools Says EdBuild | PR Watch: Exclusive: Bankruptcy Is a “Huge Opportunity” to Privatize Schools Says EdBuildThe school privatization movement has long sought to consign public schools and locally elected school boards to the dust heap of history to usher in a brave new world of “free market” schools instead of free and universal public
Education Research Report: Review of Report on the Effectiveness of Teacher Development Programs
Education Research Report: Review of Report on the Effectiveness of Teacher Development Programs: Review of Report on the Effectiveness of Teacher Development ProgramsA recent report from TNTP, formerly known as The New Teacher Project, argues for fundamental changes in the way public school districts think about teacher professional development (PD) and growth. But a new review of that report exp
Thousands of Charter Schools Close: Rip Off Taxpayers, Steal Students’ Future | janresseger
Thousands of Charter Schools Close: Rip Off Taxpayers, Steal Students’ Future | janresseger: Thousands of Charter Schools Close: Rip Off Taxpayers, Steal Students’ FutureLast week I received a press release about a new report: Center for Media and Democracy Publishes Full List of 2,500 Closed Charter Schools. What to do with this information? What does it really mean? Isn’t the threat of possib
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: SpEd cuts delayed? If you don't hit it, it won't fall
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: SpEd cuts delayed? If you don't hit it, it won't fall: SpEd cuts delayed? If you don't hit it, it won't fallWinston jukes stats. Ignores CPS's own report on SpEd needs.At yesterday's board meeting... Parent Wendy Katten of Raise you hand says, "My son's school lost four positions, they have no change in their enrollment there. You are going to face lawsuits.&quo
A Bureaucrat Testifies to Where Student/Teacher Data is Sent & For What Purpose. Confirmed: It’s Cradle to Grave. » Missouri Education Watchdog
A Bureaucrat Testifies to Where Student/Teacher Data is Sent & For What Purpose. Confirmed: It’s Cradle to Grave. » Missouri Education Watchdog: A Bureaucrat Testifies to Where Student/Teacher Data is Sent & For What Purpose. Confirmed: It’s Cradle to Grave.The blueprint for data retrieval has been in plain view for quite some time now if legislators and citizens were curious to know how/w
How much do big education nonprofits pay their bosses? Quite a bit, it turns out. - The Washington Post
How much do big education nonprofits pay their bosses? Quite a bit, it turns out. - The Washington Post: How much do big education nonprofits pay their bosses? Quite a bit, it turns out.The Securities and Exchange Commission recently finalized a rule forcing businesses to share data with workers that expose how much more their chief executives make than they do.In that spirit, let’s take a look at
The Troubling Link Between School Funding and Race - The Atlantic
The Troubling Link Between School Funding and Race - The Atlantic: The Data Are Damning: How Race Influences School FundingResearch shows that in Pennsylvania’s public schools skin color, not economics, determines how much money districts get.PHILADELPHIA—In America, schools with a lot of minority students are chronically underfunded. Is that the case because these students are poor, and poor comm
Alfie Kohn: Do This and You'll Get That: A Bad Way to Defend Good Programs - Education Week
Do This and You'll Get That: A Bad Way to Defend Good Programs - Education Week: Do This and You'll Get That: A Bad Way to Defend Good ProgramsWhen we're not sure people will support our cause, it's tempting to link it to something more popular. Because an idea may be controversial or lack broad support, we hitch a ride on an outcome that reflects mainstream values. It's a strategy widely used in
"A People's History" of the Opt Out Movement - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform
"A People's History" of the Opt Out Movement - UNITED OPT OUT: The Movement to End Corporate Education Reform: “A People’s History” of the Opt Out MovementThe following post was written by Tim Slekar, one of the founders of United Opt Out National.Howard Zinn talked about the writing of history and the intentional omission of certain facts and the strategic use of other facts in composin
National Governors Association, Teachers Unions to Congress: Finish Work on NCLB - US News
National Governors Association, Teachers Unions to Congress: Finish Work on NCLB - US News: Governors, Teachers Unions to Congress: Fix NCLBThe push comes just days after Speaker John Boehner, an original architect of NCLB, said he plans to resign.Governors and major education groups urged Congress Tuesday to complete its work to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act – commonly known
How the Seattle Teachers’ Union Got Tough and Got Popular - Seattle Weekly
Seattle News and Events | How the Seattle Teachers’ Union Got Tough and: How the Seattle Teachers’ Union Got Tough and Got PopularThe Seattle teachers’ strike shifted the public image of teachers’ unions—both in Seattle and across the country.Three years ago, Jonathan Knapp took the helm of a Seattle Education Association that had taken its share of defeats. Teachers were dissatisfied with the con
Civil and Human Rights Groups Gearing Up for ESEA Conference
Civil and Human Rights Groups Gearing Up for ESEA Conference: Civil and Human Rights Groups Gearing Up for ESEA ConferenceWASHINGTON –– In the lead-up to the House and Senate conference on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, civil rights groups have continued to work with potential conferees to ensure that vulnerable students aren’t left out of the final legislation. The Leadership Confere
YESTERDAY
Illinois (Chiefly Chicago) Charter Schools: From the 2014 Biennial Report | deutsch29
Illinois (Chiefly Chicago) Charter Schools: From the 2014 Biennial Report | deutsch29: Illinois (Chiefly Chicago) Charter Schools: From the 2014 Biennial ReportI have been reading the 84-page Illinois Biennial Charter School Report (2011-12 and 2012-13), which was released in January 2014.Illinois has a charter school law that offers charters “significant flexibility” (pg. 3).Here are some notable
Rowe, Butkovich tackle testing during southeast Denver school board debate | Chalkbeat
Rowe, Butkovich tackle testing during southeast Denver school board debate | Chalkbeat: Rowe, Butkovich tackle testing during southeast Denver school board debateDenver school board candidate Kristi Butkovich and incumbent Anne Rowe wait for a televised debate to begin Tuesday. ( Photo by Nicholas Garcia )Denver school board member Anne Rowe and opponent Kristi Butkovich sparred in a debate Monday
Oregon Save Our Schools: New english-learners test rolled out, though not ready and harmful
Oregon Save Our Schools: New english-learners test rolled out, though not ready and harmful: New english-learners test rolled out, though not ready and harmfulOn September 24 at the Oregon Department of Education’s Title III Directors webinar, the directors heard about some changes in the ELPA21 test that could potentially discriminate against English Language Learners.This slide from the meeting
How to Combat Child Poverty in the U.S. | Bruce Lesley
How to Combat Child Poverty in the U.S. | Bruce Lesley: How to Combat Child Poverty in the U.S.Our nation's leaders must do better than simply accept or ignore that 14.7 million, or 20 percent, of our nation's children are living in poverty. The consequences of poverty and depravity to a child's health, their education, safety, nutrition, and overall well-being limits their opportunity and future.
NYC Public School Parents: Ghosts of NYC past return to haunt the news: the Rise and Fall of Amplify
NYC Public School Parents: Ghosts of NYC past return to haunt the news: the Rise and Fall of Amplify: Ghosts of NYC past return to haunt the news: the Rise and Fall of Amplifycredit; LindamarieUpdate 9/29/15: the Observer reports an estimated two thirds of the Amplify staff were just laid off.Many ghosts from Tweed and NYC’s education past have re-appeared in the news the past few weeks, some of t
Second Lawsuit Asserts Breach of Common Core Opt-out Rights - Pacific Justice Institute
Second Lawsuit Asserts Breach of Common Core Opt-out Rights - Pacific Justice Institute: Second Lawsuit Asserts Breach of Common Core Opt-out RightsVentura, CA--On the heels of a groundbreaking lawsuit challenging a school district in Los Angeles for failing to inform parents of their opt-out rights, a similar lawsuit has now been filed in neighboring Ventura County. Pacific Justice Institute file
The Impact of a Portfolio = Mission-Driven Investing in Education
The Impact of a Portfolio — Baltimore EdTech — Medium:The Impact of a PortfolioMission-Driven Investing in EducationImpact, mission-driven, or mission-related investing begins with discretesocial goals and aims to yield tangible, scalable social + financial returns. To me, it is focusing on what you know, what you love, and where you know you can make a measurable difference.“Impact investing is a
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/29/15
CORPORATE ED REFORMCalifornia denied renewal of federal funding for charter schools | EdSourceCalifornia denied renewal of federal funding for charter schools | EdSource: California denied renewal of federal funding for charter schoolsCalifornia, which received $250 million in federal money over the last five years to foster the growth of charter schools, will get none of the $125 million that wil
