Steven Singer, like many other teachers, was stunned to see an article published by NEA that lauds the rise of technologies that replace teachers. This is what is known on this blog as “depersonalized learning.” When I wrote “The Death and
Gary Rubinstein was a member of Teach for America who has become an articulate critic of the organization. He objects to the use of the term “failing school,” because he has worked in schools with dedicated staff that were labeled “failing” based on test scores alone. He notes that TFA has benefitted by the use of this term because it sets up for closure, allowing charter schools and TFA to ride
I wish that everyone who sees the PBS program “School Inc.”–which airs nationally this month–knew who was funding this error-ridden attack on public education. Please watch my 10-minute interview with New York City’s PBS affiliate, WNET, where I gave a concise response to this meretricious three-hour program. It airs locally, not nationally. Public education today faces an existential crisis. Ove
Betsy DeVos has chosen Jim Blew, who is a veteran of the privatization movement, for one of the most important positions in the Department of Education. From Education Week: “Jim Blew, the director of Student Success California, a 50CAN affiliate, is a top contender to lead the office of planning, evaluation, and policy analysis at the U.S. Department of Education, multiple sources say. “Blew dec
In this latest episode of the “Have You Heard” podcast, Jennifer Berkshire and education historian Jack Schneider interview Michigan professor Rebecca Jacobsen about the role of big money in school board elections . Jacobsen has studied this relatively new phenomenon and identified 96 super-rich individuals who have decided that buying local school boards is fun. Others would call it the corrupti
After careful deliberation, the Network for Public Education Action Fund endorses Lt. Governor Ralph Northam in the Democratic Party run-off for Governor of Virginia. We were impressed by his strong support for public schools.
Eva Moskowitz’s Success Academy charter chain, known for its harsh discipline and cherryocking students, won the Broad Prize for Charter Schools. http://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?cid=25920011&item=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.edweek.org%2Fv1%2Fblog%2F129%2F%3Fuuid%3D72531 In the past year, the New York Times ran stories about a “got to go” list, identifying students who were supposed to be pushed out because o
In 2006, reporter Daniel Golden wrote a book called “The Price of Admission” about how uber-rich families buy places for their children at elite colleges. In this article published in ProPublica , Goldren says that the Kushner story was included in his book. He never dreamed that the Jared Kushner story would one day be a big deal. He writes: “My book exposed a grubby secret of American higher ed
Tom Ultican left the private sector to teach physics and mathematics in a California public school. He writes here about how setting targets for graduation rates has produced the same corruption as NCLB’s mythical target of 100% proficiency on tests. It is the inexorable workings of what is known as Campbell’s Law in social science: “The more any quantitative social indicator is used for social d
In my travels these past few years, one of the most remarkable people I met was Kipp Dawson in Pittsburgh. She is a middle school teacher who is dedicated to her work and her students. She is a warrior for social and economic justice. Before she became a teacher, she spent ten years as a coal miner. I knew about her before I met her and expected to meet an Amazon. But Kipp is diminutive in size w
William Mathis describes Trump’s education budget as a demonstration of Doublespea k, meant to mask its indifference to children. He writes: “In 1965, the federal government, driven by the obligation to provide equal opportunities to the least fortunate of our citizens, passed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It was intended to lift the nation by strengthening our poorest children and
A comment by a teacher: “Young students in kindergarten are now labeled as having specific learning disabilities if they do not receive a certain score on district universal screeners(STAR, iReady, MAP), which are taken on computers.
