Big Money Wins Big in LA School Board Race - LA Progressive : Big Money Wins Big in LA School Board Race Billionaires’ Hand-Picked Candidate Nick Melvoin Spent 71% of the Money to Get 57% of the School Board Vote O nce Nick Melvoin joins the Los Angeles Unified School District board, he’s going to require all high school civics teachers to add a new lesson plan to their curriculum: “How To Buy An
The highs and lows of Betsy DeVos’s first 100 days as education secretary - The Washington Post : The highs and lows of Betsy DeVos’s first 100 days as education secretary May 17 marks the 100th day of Betsy DeVos’s tenure as U.S. education secretary — and given that DeVos is the most controversial head of the Education Department in its history, it is no surprise that her first few months have b
CURMUDGUCATION: Petrilli Pokes Personalized Processing : Petrilli Pokes Personalized Processing Mike Petrilli, head honcho of the ever-reformy Thomas B. Fordham Institute, has taken a look at the future of Personalized Learning , and he has some concerns. He's read the PR, and he knows about the appeal of super-flexible differentiation, the varied student-customized pathways to excellence. Howeve
Schools Matter: The Silicon Valley Assault on Children's Learning : The Silicon Valley Assault on Children's Learning For almost 200 years, snake oil salesmen have hawked their wares to schoolmen and to educators, hoping to cash in on the public dollars that taxpayers have intended to help educate the young. Through the selling of textbooks, reading machines, TVs, test scoring equipment, audiovis
In Some States, Donating to Private Schools Can Earn You a Profit - The New York Times : In Some States, Donating to Private Schools Can Earn You a Profit In Georgia, taxpayers who want to help low-income students afford private school tuition are enticed by more than just an appeal to their good will. On its website, Whitefield Academy, a “Christ-centered” preparatory school in the suburbs west
CURMUDGUCATION: Rutgers Prof Beats NJ Charter Attack : Rutgers Prof Beats NJ Charter Attack I'm happy to provide a good news follow up to an old story. Two years ago, Rutgers University professor Julia Sass Rubin found herself under attack by the New Jersey Charter School Association. She had published research that contradicted the rosy charter picture in NJ, showing that, much to nobody's surpr
Profits and Prophets – Have You Heard : Profits and Prophets The wealthy have been looking for a way to opt out of paying for public schools as long as we’ve had them. Now with the help of religious activists – and an assist from Silicon Valley – they’re getting close to realizing that dream… During a recent talk to tech investors and *edupreneurs,* Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, the least r
Local Control of Schools: A Fanciful Democratic Endeavor | Dissident Voice : Local Control of Schools: A Fanciful Democratic Endeavor In a Connecticut State Superior Court decision on September 7, 2016, Judge Thomas G. Moukawsher ruled that while the state of Connecticut is providing adequate funding for its school districts, the methods by which those funds are being distributed violates the sta
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all : Wednesday Warriors Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all How to Protect Your Child’s Privacy 5 by dianeravitch / 1h Leonie Haimson and Rachael Stickland of the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy created a toolkit for parents to defend against the invasion of children’s privacy by commercial and governm
Major changes could come to L.A. schools after charter school movement's big win - LA Times : Major changes could come to L.A. schools after charter school movement's big win Supporters of charter schools appeared to win control of the Los Angeles school board Tuesday, a watershed moment with huge implications for how students are taught in America’s second-largest school district. The charter sc
Do education reform right — with an education adequacy cost study (By Jim Finley, CCJEF) - Wait What? : Do education reform right — with an education adequacy cost study (By Jim Finley, CCJEF) Despite all the fiscal and other challenges paralyzing Connecticut, there is an opportunity in the 2017 legislative session to take the first real step toward comprehensive, rational and constitutional educ
School Privatization in the Age of Betsy DeVos: Where Are We in Mid-May? | janresseger : School Privatization in the Age of Betsy DeVos: Where Are We in Mid-May? In a new analysis at Jacobin Magazine , Jennifer Berkshire reports that Betsy DeVos addressed a convention of tech investors and edupreneurs by pushing vouchers as the best form of creative disruption: “Apple, Uber, and Airbnb have worke
Central Park East I: A New Principal! Coming! | Deborah Meier on Education : Central Park East I: A New Principal! Coming! Dear Friends and colleagues, I got some encouraging news a couple of days ago that I thought I’d pass on. The Department of Education in New York City has decided to seek a new principal for Central Park East I. As many of you know the school has spent almost two years in a s
Schooling for Myths and Powerlessness | Dissident Voice : Schooling for Myths and Powerlessness All over America, school children are completing another academic year before their summer vacation. This invites the questions, what did they learn and what did they do with what they learned? I’m not talking about their test scores, nor the latest fads in rebranding education, like the STEM (Science,
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/16/17 Featured Post The Politics of Retribution This is the new Betsy DeVos speech everyone should read - The Washington Post by mike simpson / 2h This is the new Betsy DeVos speech everyone should read - The Washington Post : This is the new Betsy DeVos speech everyone should read Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made news (again) recently when she was
