César Chávez, jail time and migrant justice today : Guest blog: César Chávez, jail time and migrant justice today The drinking faucet was attached to an overflowing toilet in the middle of the cell. There were no beds. Some of us slept on metal tables; some sat on the sticky floors. I was with a group of teachers arrested nearly a decade ago for demonstrating at the California State Capitol. We w
Diane's return to Texas. A must read and watch. - Network For Public Education : Diane’s return to Texas. A must read and watch. On Tuesday evening, I flew to Texas to keep a promise to myself. Three years ago, I was chosen for the annual award of the Friends of Texas Public Schools. The day I was supposed to fly to Austin, there was a huge blizzard in New York City and my flight was canceled. Al
Hitting Left with the Klonsky Brothers #9. | Fred Klonsky : Hitting Left with the Klonsky Brothers #9. Liliana Diaz and Aide Hernandez. Mike James and Katy Hogan. Download the podcast. Hitting Left with the Klonsky Brothers #9. First, a word about Logan Bay who has produced our show for the last eight episodes. Logan had a serious accident this week and will not be producing our show for a while.
NYC Public School Parents : MORE ON THE COLLEGE BOARD’S EVASIONS AND LIES ABOUT COLLECTING AND SELLING YOUR CHILD’S PERSONAL DATA College Board officials belatedly responded to Cheri Kiesecker’s post describing their practice of collecting and selling personal student data without parental consent –and and their response is included at the end of her article in yesterday’s Washington Post Answer
With A Brooklyn Accent: Whatever Party They Represent, Charter Supporters Love Tests : Whatever Party They Represent, Charter Supporters Love Tests As many of us having been warning for many years, support for charter schools crosses party lines. This is not only true in New York State where Governor Andrew Cuomo and State Senator John Flanagan take huge contributions from the charter school indu
Understanding Racism as Systemic and about Power | radical eyes for equity : Understanding Racism as Systemic and about Power You are an hourly worker in a non-union (euphemistically called “right-work-work”) state. Your immediate boss is abusive and unfair often, but in ways that are nearly impossible to prove. This is your first real job, and you develop a deep resentment for that boss—eventual
Why American Teachers Should Work Less - Teacher Habits : Why American Teachers Should Work Less A Facebook friend of mine (and my former Superintendent) posted an infographic yesterday that compared the number of hours worked by an American teacher to the number of hours worked by other professionals. Here it is: I took some issue with the 53 hours listed for teachers and said that the differenc
OKCPS budget cuts: Four thoughts on tough choices - NonDoc : OKCPS budget cuts: Four thoughts on tough choices W ith regard to ongoing talks surrounding OKCPS budget cuts, the Republicans who control the state government are telling us to eat our kids’ education. They — not the local leaders — would starve the schools that serve our poorest children in order to advance charters, vouchers and the
Patty Duke and Helen Keller: Similarities of Greatness : Patty Duke and Helen Keller: Similarities of Greatness The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me. I am filled with wonder when I consider the immeasurable contrast between the two lives which it connects. – Helen Keller I thought I would revisit a past post rememberi
How taxpayers pay for religious education : How taxpayers pay for religious education At Colonial Christian, an Indianapolis school on the northeast side that receives public funds through Indiana’s private school voucher program , students are warned they can be kicked out of school for “promoting a homosexual lifestyle or alternative gender identity.” At even more voucher-accepting schools, fam
CURMUDGUCATION: FL: Burning Down the Schoolhouse : FL: Burning Down the Schoolhouse Florida (Motto: If you can't make a buck from it, what's the point?) is taking steps to bring its public school system into the final stages of Death by Charter. It's time to spread some more gasoline and light yet another match. Because this is a purely political move, it has to have a ridiculously cynical name.
GREATER SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: The Legacy of Cesar Chavez : The Legacy of Cesar Chavez When we are really honest with ourselves, we must admit that our lives are all that really belong to us. So it is how we use our lives that determines what kind of people we are. ..I am convinced that the truest act of courage..is to sacrifice ourselves for others in a totally nonviolent struggle for
What the Charter School Industry Can Learn from Enron - Before It's Too Late : What the Charter School Industry Can Learn from Enron – Before It’s Too Late The CEO of a large energy corporation takes advantage of lax accountability mechanisms and deregulation to funnel company assets into other business interests. These transactions are teeming with conflict of interest and hidden from stakeholde
Partnership for Equitable Access to Public Schools - Los Angeles : New Astro Turf Trojan Horse for Lausd The Partnership for Equitable Access to Public Schools in Los Angeles (PEAPS-LA) works to ensure every child in Los Angeles has access to high quality public schools through an equitable enrollment process. Beware of AstroTurf Ed Reformers Astroturf lobbying refers to political organizations o
DeVos to Use State Accountability Plans to 'Encourage' School Choice | Education News | US News : DeVos to Use State Accountability Plans to 'Encourage' School Choice The Education Department is clarifying recent comments from Betsy DeVos, who said accountability plans could be a mechanism for pushing states to provide educational options for parents and children . The Department of Education’s a
Betsy DeVos thinks schools could not get much worse. : Betsy DeVos’ American Carnage Echoing her boss, she sees horrendous decline in America’s schools—but even the numbers she cites undermine her point. Throughout the 2016 campaign and since his election victory, Donald Trump has been spinning Americans a bleak yarn of a nation teetering on the brink of collapse. On the campaign trail, he repeat
Former Oakland charter schools director charged with fraud - SFGate : Former Oakland charter schools director charged with fraud Benford “Ben” Chavis, 59, who ran the American Indian Model Schools in Oakland , faces six felony counts of mail fraud and money laundering, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in San Francisco. Chavis allegedly applied for and received more than $1 million in feder
March Grassroots Education Network Newsletter - Network For Public Education : March Grassroots Education Network Newsletter For many grassroots public education activists around the country 2017 has been jam packed with one challenge after another. We know how hard you’re working. Please continue to let us know what we can do to support you in your work. Our email addresses are at the bottom of
Exclusion of Music & The Arts In Delaware’s ESSA Plan Results In Awesome Letter To Delaware Legislators – Exceptional Delaware 2017 : Exclusion of Music & The Arts In Delaware’s ESSA Plan Results In Awesome Letter To Delaware Legislators The Delaware Music Educators Association sent a letter to every single member of the Delaware General Assembly earlier this week urging the Delaware Dept. of Edu
At Brookings, DeVos Restates Her One Belief: School Choice Will Take Care of Everything | janresseger : At Brookings, DeVos Restates Her One Belief: School Choice Will Take Care of Everything On Wednesday, Betsy DeVos, our U.S. Secretary of Education, went to the Brookings Institution to make a big speech on school choice. This was guaranteed to be an audience sympathetic to her ideas, as the eve
The power of a myth - The Washington Post : The power of a myth Ashley Lamb-Sinclair is the 2016 Kentucky Teacher of the Year and she teaches high school English and creative writing. Lamb-Sinclair, who authors the www.beautifuljunkyard.com website, took a sabbatical during the 2015-16 school year and worked with the Kentucky Department of Education. She is also the founder and chief executive of
How Dumb Do We Want Prospective Teachers To Be? | Truth in American Education : How Dumb Do We Want Prospective Teachers To Be? Not much smarter than the dumbest students they will teach, it seems. But the exact answer will depend on the “research” read by those few who still read. If this National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) publication is accorded the status of research, they may
Betsy DeVos’ Mother’s Brief Stint as a Public School Teacher: Some Details | deutsch29 : Betsy DeVos’ Mother’s Brief Stint as a Public School Teacher: Some Details In her US Department of Education (USDOE) bio , US ed sec Betsy DeVos advertises that her mother was “a public school teacher”: Secretary DeVos has been involved in education policy for nearly three decades as an advocate for children
Ethnic Studies Now!: Seattle students ask, “Why aren’t we learning this in school?” | I AM AN EDUCATOR : Ethnic Studies Now!: Seattle students ask, “Why aren’t we learning this in school?” From disproportionate discipline rates to its hyper-segregated schools, Seattle is a tough place to be for students of color. The city has an alarming pattern of segregation both between and within schools, and
More on the College Board’s evasions and lies about collecting and selling your child’s personal data | Parent Coalition for Student Privacy : MORE ON THE COLLEGE BOARD’S EVASIONS AND LIES ABOUT COLLECTING AND SELLING YOUR CHILD’S PERSONAL DATA College Board officials belatedly responded to Cheri Kiesecker’s post describing their practice of collecting and selling personal student data without pa
Turtle Learning: March is nearly over and I didn't do anything for WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH : March is nearly over and I didn't do anything for WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH I was inspired when I saw this meme I guess it can be called of WOMEN IN STEM and "IT'S OKAY TO BE SMART" And I began thinking about how the only subject I really loved as a young girl was science. I wanted to be a scientist and later a
Children should not be a number.: Educators: Are You Complicit? : Educators: Are You Complicit? Dear NYS Educators, Did you attempt to bribe, coerce, or scare your students into "opting in" to this week's NYS ELA Assessment? If so, you are complicit in the attacks on your students, profession, and our public schools. Many parents across NYS are disappointed in the educators who offered candy, tre
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/30/17 Featured Post NEWSFLASH: Betsy DeVos Opens Mouth. Nonsense Falls Out | gadflyonthewallblog Progress made on making Connecticut’s teacher evaluation system fairer - Wait What? by mike simpson / 6min Progress made on making Connecticut’s teacher evaluation system fairer - Wait What? : Progress made on making Connecticut’s teacher evaluation system
