Mattew Iglesias has a dire view of the next four years. The federal government has vast powers with which to reward friends and punish enemies. And Donald Trump has made it clear that he will do both. A government that operates with these principles would be systemically corrupt, he says. The next 100 days are critical in demanding that Trump choose cabinet appointees whose qualifications are mor
Post-truth is reality today. Craig Silverman writes in Buzzfeed that more people linked to fake news sites than to real news sites in the final months of the election. “Of the 20 top-performing false election stories identified in the analysis, all but three were overtly pro-Donald Trump or anti-Hillary Clinton. Two of the biggest false hits were a story claiming Clinton sold weapons to ISIS and
Mike Pence attended the Broadway show “Hamilton” last night. The show is a remarkable re-imagining of America’s founding with a cast of actors of different races, mostly black and brown. I saw it a few weeks ago and was greatly moved by its vision of an inclusive nation. The cast and audience were aware of Pence’s presence. He received some applause but also loud boos. At the end of the show, the
North Carolina has two virtual charter schools, one operated by Pearson, the other by Michael Milken’s K12 Inc. Both have high attrition rates and poor student performance , as reported in state data. “Students at one of the state’s two brand new virtual charter schools are dropping out at a rate that exceeds the maximum allowed by state law, according to a report authored by the North Carolina O
NYSAPE (New York State Allies for Public Education) is the coalition of 50 organizations of parents and educators who have twice led successful opt outs from state testing, with more than 200,000 students refusing the tests for the past two years. They have become a powerhouse in state politics, not with
A settlement was reached between Donald Trump and former students at the now defunct Trump University, who claim the courses they paid for were a scam. Now Trump doesn’t have the embarrassment of testifying in a fraud case during his transition. Some plaintiffs will get a full refund. Others much less. Our president.
Jelani Cobb graduated from Jamaica High School, as did many other distinguished Americans. In a powerful story that appeared in The New Yorker, Cobb tells the history of Jamaica High School as a paradigm for the clash between race and reform. Jamaica High School was long considered one of the best high schools in New York City in the 1980s. As the city adopted reform after reform, the school went
The drama continues about who will lead Donald Trump’s Education Department. Education Week wrote that he will meet with Michelle Rhee. Rhee claims to be a Democrat but is a fierce opponent of teachers’ unions and an outspoken advocate for charter schools and vouchers. She has been the public face of the “reform” movement since she became chancellor of the D.C. public schools in 2007. However, sh
Jerry Falwell met with Donald Trump in New York City to discuss education issues . “Falwell said the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the U.S. Department of Education. He would not confirm or rule out whether he was being vetted as secretary of education but is confident after the meeting with the president-elect and “some of his top advisers” that he would work with the administration…. “Fa
Reading politico.com’s daily education brief today is like being trapped in a nightmare and wishing you could wake up. In this case, it is not a bad dream, it is an ugly reality with familiar faces intent on giving public dollars to private and for-profit schools. Add to that the reports of students fearful for their future, and the outlines of an frightening new world emerge. Politico reports th
Peter Greene went to visit his grandchild in Seattle. He learned some important lessons. http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-best-laid-plans-of-grown-ups.html?m=1 “It’s a well-flogged truism that children will throw away the toy and play with the box, that they will reject the finest plastic construction that the toy industry can muster in order to play with ordinary household objects.
The latest tabulation of the popular vote shows that Hillary Clinton received in excess of one million votes more than Trump, and her lead is expected to grow. https://www.thenation.com/article/hillary-clintons-popular-vote-victory-is-unprecedented-and-still-growing/ John Nichols writes: “Hillary Clinton now leads the national popular vote for president by roughly one million votes, and her victo
This article is alarming. It describes Mike Pence’s blend of religious and political views. I know that Pence was terrible for public schools. He fought State Superintendent Glenda Ritz at every turn. He created a parallel education agency to compete with the one in the state constitution in hopes of undermining her authority. He got the legislature to pass laws to whittle away her powers in offi
The credit rating agency Moody’s informed cities in Massachusetts that the recent vote not to add more charter schools was good for their credit ratings and will help key their borrowing costs lower. Voters defeated Question 2 by 62-38%. It won approval only in a few urban districts. The vote against the proposal was highest in districts with charters, where funding for public schools had decreas
Laura Chapman shares her research with us: The Gates Foundation has also announced that the creation of a centralized federal database to track students from preK through college, the workforce and beyond is one of their top
