Did Arne Duncan help write the NEA denunciation of Arne Duncan? | Fred Klonsky : Did Arne Duncan help write the NEA denunciation of Arne Duncan? In an August, 2015 Politico article by Michael Grunwald called The Duncan Wars, Grunwald writes: “Dennis Van Roekel, who led the NEA in Obama’s first term, used to meet Duncan for breakfast every month, and says they actually agreed on almost every issue
THE COUP TO DESTROY THE AMERICAN DREAM | Dr. Edward F. Berger : THE COUP TO DESTROY THE AMERICAN DREAM Within the core of our freedoms, lie the avenues powerful individuals use to take away the rights of citizens and the controls of government designed and evolved to serve all. Americans are now aware of the reality that subversive forces have made excessive headway in destroying our rights. What
CURMUDGUCATION: Dear Lily. Re: Betsy DeVos & The NEA RA : Dear Lily. Re: Betsy DeVos & The NEA RA Dear Lily: Many news items came out of the NEA RA this year-- some pretty interesting, and some pretty routine, but I have one to cheer and one to complain about. Cheer There will be no photo op. After years and years of making compromises in order to keep an imaginary seat at a mythical table, this
Parent/Educator EDU | My Island View : Parent/Educator EDU I have long been a guest blogger for Edutopia, which has been both a challenge and an honor. I have always found it challenging to be provocative in promoting change in education in a blog post, while remaining positive in tone. That overriding positive tone however is one constant in Edutopia posts that engenders loyalty, trust and a rel
CURMUDGUCATION: What Bad Bosses Say : What Bad Bosses Say Forbes likes listicles with a business bent, but sometimes they seem applicable to other areas. School areas. For instance, here's their piece " Ten Things Only Bad Bosses Say." Let's see what portion of this resonates. Do we hear any of these from our on bad bosses-- and note that these are absolutely Forbes ten markers for bad bosses. Th
Education Law Prof Blog : Fifth Circuit Holds That Recitation of Mexican Pledge In Spanish Class Not Compelled Student Speech The Fifth Circuit held last week that requiring that students perform the Mexican Pledge of Allegiance as an assignment for a Spanish language class, and the school's actions afterwards, did not violate the First Amendment. In Brinsdon v. McAllen Independent Sch. Dist. , 1
Why students at an affluent school want to drop longtime mascot: The Millionaires - The Washington Post : Why students at an affluent school want to drop longtime mascot: The Millionaires At Lenox Memorial Middle and High School in the Berkshire region of western Massachusetts, the longtime mascot is the Millionaires — but if most of the students have their way, it won’t be for long. The decision
Women, minorities see barriers to schools' top job : Women, minorities see barriers to schools’ top job It has been “difficult” being a school superintendent who is female and African-American, said the departing leader of Reynoldsburg City Schools. Without getting into specifics — she can’t because of a legal settlement she signed with the school district — Superintendent Tina Thomas-Manning, wh
Examining the achievement gap between white and black students in Alabama | AL.com : Examining the achievement gap between white and black students in Alabama This is the first of several stories digging into one of the most challenging issues facing Alabama public schools---the racial achievement gap. Throughout the series, Tackling the Gap, we'll take a deep dive into the data and talk with tea
Red-state school leaders vent frustrations with GOP health bill - POLITICO : Red-state school leaders vent frustrations with GOP health bill They say Medicaid funding cuts would hamper their ability to serve low-income and special education students. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s health care bill is getting failing grades from red-state school leaders — even in his home state of Kentuc
Drilling “Rote Understanding” | Truth in American Education : Drilling “Rote Understanding” Over the last several years, the press and television have publicized many parents’ frustration with how math is being taught in the lower grades. On the internet, videos abound with examples of how procedures such as addition and subtraction are being taught to students using convoluted methods that are l
Go Public, Trauma Informed Education and EnCorps | tultican : Go Public, Trauma Informed Education and EnCorps Go Public Project - http://gopublicproject.org/ A story of intrigue, real education reform and wealthy ignorance. A film maker, Rita Grant, called asking me to join an expert education panel at San Diego State University (SDSU). She said she found me when reading Diane Ravitch’s blog and
How Electronic Devices Are Affecting Kids' Art - The Atlantic : The Diminishing Role of Art in Children's Lives Kids have fewer opportunities to do art in school and at home—and that could have long-term consequences. “ Ik ben ik ”—I am me—was the classroom theme when my son started preschool in the Netherlands two years ago. He painted a portrait of himself, with exaggerated teeth only on
Schools Matter: KIPP Houston Forces Parents to Pay $2.3 Million in Unallowable Fees : KIPP Houston Forces Parents to Pay $2.3 Million in Unallowable Fees While the KIPP Foundation has hundreds of millions of dollars in banks and investments, KIPP's individual schools are forced to send the Foundation $30,000 per year for using the KIPP name. Where does the fee collecting stop? With the parents of
This story reveals what’s wrong with how kids learn science (and other subjects) - The Washington Post : This story reveals what’s wrong with how kids learn science (and other subjects) The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides. How many of you remember learning the Pythagorean theorem? But did you also learn that Pythagoras organized hi
'A Failed and Damaging Experiment:' NEA Takes on Unaccountable Charter Schools : ‘A Failed and Damaging Experiment:’ NEA Takes on Unaccountable Charter Schools At its annual meeting on Tuesday, the educators of the National Education Association drew a sharp new line between charter schools that have a positive effect on public education and those unaccountable, privately managed charter schools
The last time the NEA adopted a policy on charter schools W was president and the towers were still standing. | Fred Klonsky : The last time the NEA adopted a policy on charter schools W was president and the towers were still standing NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia at the 2017 Representative Assembly The Representative Assembly of the National Education Association, 7,500 delegates meeting i
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all : Holiday Hump Day Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all Is Texas the Future of America? Let’s Hope Not! by dianeravitch / 19min This is a fascinating and funny and scary article about politics in Texas, written by Lawrence Wright, a Pulitzer Prize winning author and staff writer for The New Yorker. The ti
Take Two® | Meet LAUSD's new school board member Kelly Gonez | 89.3 KPCC : Meet LAUSD's new school board member Kelly Gonez Kelly Gonez is a former teacher and the incoming LAUSD school board member for District 6, which covers the east of the San Fernando Valley. Gonez's term begins July 6, and her win was cast as a victory by those who back charter schools . In a sit-down interview with KPCC ed
Affluenza — The 20th Anniversary | The Merrow Report : Affluenza — The 20th Anniversary (Originally written for the blog of my Secular Franciscan Order fraternity in Mishawaka, Indiana) This is the 20 th anniversary of the broadcast of a documentary that has lodged itself in my heart and my mind. May I recommend it to you as a powerful reminder of the wisdom that comes to us from St. Francis, as
With A Brooklyn Accent: Confidential Conversations With People Who Work in NYC Charter Schools : Confidential Conversations With People Who Work in NYC Charter Schools During the past few months, I have had several confidential conversations with people who work in some of the major charter school chains in New York City. Here is what I have come away with from those conversations. 1. There is a
Reform Lessons from Skeptical But Not Cynical Veterans | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice : Reform Lessons from Skeptical But Not Cynical Veterans Eleven years ago, Jane David and I wrote “Cutting Through the Hype: A Taxpayer’s Guide to School Reforms.” A short book inventorying 20 popular reforms (many are still around now), sliced away the “truthful hyperbole” and parsed them
The Risk of Overselling Workforce Readiness | Truth in American Education : The Risk of Overselling Workforce Readiness Dr. Gary Houchens, a member of the Kentucky State Board of Education and associate professor of educational administration, leadership, and research at Western Kentucky University, in a recent article , talks about the swing from overselling college readiness in K-12 education t
Breaking News: NEA makes STRONG, patriotic statement on charters – Cloaking Inequity : Breaking News: NEA makes STRONG, patriotic statement on charters I am not able to blog as much as I have in the past because of my faculty responsibilities at California State, public speaking engagements and contributing behind the scenes to game-changing projects. One of the game-changing projects that I have
Badass Teachers Association: The Pipeline by Matt Prestbury : The Pipeline by Matt Prestbury Privately run schools and privately owned prisons We live in the fruition of Orwellian visions Our children are chattel gettin lost in the shadows And being held hostage in political battles The rhetoric's high while teachers' morale is low Everyday public schools get dealt another death blow Then another
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 7/4/17 Featured Post Happy the 4th of July - The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all. Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rahm's new grad requirements an 'empty
