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Saturday, January 7, 2017

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/7/17


Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/7/17

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Protest the Confirmation of Billionaire Betsy DeVos - New U.S. Senate Education Committee Members | Truth in American Education




Will Trump and DeVos cripple education? – Cloaking Inequity
by mike simpson / 25min
Will Trump and DeVos cripple education? – Cloaking Inequity : Will Trump and DeVos cripple education? The president-elect’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education has no experience in public education. From all appearances, she seeks to use her philanthropy to destroy public schools. The Senate “HELP” (Health, Education, Labor & Pensions) Committee on examines her (lack of) qualification on Janu
Saturday With Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
by mike simpson / 37min
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all : Democrats Call for Delay in DeVos Hearing Until She Completes Financial Report Democrats in the Senate say that Betsy Devos’ hearing should be delayed because she has not completed her financial disclosure, which is required of all Cabinet appointments. Presumably, she has an accountant. Democrats are pushing to delay Betsy DeVos
Here’s Betsy DeVos’s financial disclosure form. Read what Trump’s billionaire education nominee included — and left out. - The Washington Post
by mike simpson / 6h
Here’s Betsy DeVos’s financial disclosure form. Read what Trump’s billionaire education nominee included — and left out. - The Washington Post : Here’s Betsy DeVos’s financial disclosure form. Read what Trump’s billionaire education nominee included — and left out. Congress has scheduled a Jan. 11 confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary
Jersey Jazzman: More Mapping "Kingdom Gain" Through School Vouchers
by mike simpson / 7h
Jersey Jazzman: More Mapping "Kingdom Gain" Through School Vouchers : More Mapping "Kingdom Gain" Through School Vouchers A few posts ago I made some maps that showed how school voucher programs around the nation invariably result in tax dollars overwhelmingly flowing to religious schools; specifically, Catholic and other Christian schools. Remember that our incoming Secretary of Education, Betsy
“How can anybody know/How they got to be this way?” | radical eyes for equity
by mike simpson / 7h
“How can anybody know/How they got to be this way?” | radical eyes for equity : “How can anybody know/How they got to be this way?” How can anybody know How they got to be this way? “Daughters of the Soho Riots,” The National It’s 7 January 2017, Zore Neale Hurston‘s birth day; Hurston passed away 28 January 1960, a couple days short of one year before my birth 26 January 1961. So my 56th birth d
Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION: How Privatization Works (Part 2,351,142) + The DeVos in the Details
by mike simpson / 9h
CURMUDGUCATION : Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION How Privatization Works (Part 2,351,142) 7 by Peter Greene / 50min Here's a recent story from the DC area Fox affiliate that shows how things play out when you privatize a public service. In this case, the service is roads. And this picture tells you what you need to know. That's right-- $30 to use the express lane. Express lanes are managed by Transu
Objects in Mirror are Closer Than They Appear | BustED Pencils
by mike simpson / 9h
Objects in Mirror are Closer Than They Appear | BustED Pencils : Objects in Mirror are Closer Than They Appear Objects in Mirror are… As lightning struck closer and closer, I looked to other parents who chatted casually on the sidelines. I felt almost embarrassed to be the one to raise the alarm as I sheepishly approached by daughter’s soccer coach and exclaimed as calmly as I could, “Coach, I th
Chris Emdin: Why are There So Few Black Male Teachers? | NewBlackMan (in Exile)
by mike simpson / 9h
Chris Emdin: Why are There So Few Black Male Teachers? | NewBlackMan (in Exile) : Chris Emdin: Why are There So Few Black Male Teachers? 'Why are there so few black male teachers? Chris Emdin of Columbia University suggests that a cycle of failure haunts students and their teachers. Students act out, so teachers tighten the rules; more restrictions combined with dull and irrelevant curricula caus
Cutting Our (Financial) Losses in the Public Realm: Running Schools Like a Business | educarenow
by mike simpson / 9h
Cutting Our (Financial) Losses in the Public Realm: Running Schools Like a Business | educarenow : Cutting Our (Financial) Losses in the Public Realm: Running Schools Like a Business Well, it’s beginning. Well, actually, it had already begun. So it continues. And the pace of it just might be picking up. School closings that is. Detroit Public Schools Community District has just announced that it
The Analog and Digital Lives We Live | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
by mike simpson / 10h
The Analog and Digital Lives We Live | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice : The Analog and Digital Lives We Live Did you know that new calendars, appointment books, and planners had increased sales of nearly 10 percent over 2014-2015 amounting to nearly a half-billion dollars? Did you know that over a half-billion print books were sold in 2015, nearly four percent more than the p
Fordham Institute Is Still Pitching Common Core. Big Surprise. | deutsch29
by mike simpson / 10h
Fordham Institute Is Still Pitching Common Core. Big Surprise. | deutsch29 : Fordham Institute Is Still Pitching Common Core. Big Surprise. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute (TBF) has been trying to sell the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for years. In October 2009, TBF received almost $1 million from the Gates Foundation “ to review the common core standards and develop supportive materials.”
Chaz's School Daze: Teachers And Stress, The Unseen Reason Why Good Teachers Quit.
by mike simpson / 10h
Chaz's School Daze: Teachers And Stress, The Unseen Reason Why Good Teachers Quit. : Teachers And Stress, The Unseen Reason Why Good Teachers Quit. As a second career teacher I know what it was like to work in an office and now in the classroom and the difference is night and day. In an office you interact with a dozen adult personalities. By contrast, most secondary school teachers interact with
Audio: Educators: parents will drive new bilingual education growth | 89.3 KPCC
by mike simpson / 10h
Audio: Educators: parents will drive new bilingual education growth | 89.3 KPCC : Educators: parents will drive new bilingual education growth Supporters of Proposition 58, the successful ballot initiative to overturn bilingual education limits in California, said more bilingual programs in public schools would better prepare students for future careers. Well, the changes aren’t moving so fast. “

YESTERDAY



Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/6/17
by mike simpson / 1d
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/6/17 Featured Post Embedded Assessments: An End Around Parental Opt-Outs | Truth in American Education Protest the Confirmation of Billionaire Betsy DeVos - New U.S. Senate Education Committee Members | Truth in American Education by mike simpson / 10min 

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Will Trump and DeVos cripple education? – Cloaking Inequity

Will Trump and DeVos cripple education? – Cloaking Inequity:

Will Trump and DeVos cripple education?

The president-elect’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education has no experience in public education. From all appearances, she seeks to use her philanthropy to destroy public schools. The Senate “HELP” (Health, Education, Labor & Pensions) Committee on examines her (lack of) qualification on January 11. Tens of thousands of citizens, including educators of many backgrounds, have already contacted the Senate to ask that they #DumpDeVos.
cropped-cropped-wareth6January’s BUS — BadAss Teachers, United Opt Out, and SOS March — discussion looks at what next?
Jitu Brown, National Director, Journey for Justice Alliance (J4J), argues that the next steps include local organizing, “building meaningful alliances in our communities,” and an “analysis of the failure of the progressive movement on education.” In particular, J4J plans a strong presence at next week’s HELP hearing and encourages activists to learn about and emulate grassroots organizer Ella Baker (1903-1986).
Julian Vasquez Heilig, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at California State Sacramento and a board member from the Network for Public Education, suggests making sure that leaders know — and cannot later deny knowing — what a DeVos education administration will do to our public schools and communities. (See prior conversations about Devos here on Cloaking Inequity)
To both ends, Denisha Jones, professor of education and national leader with BATs, UOO and SOS, encourages involvement in upcoming campaigns to increase awareness about DeVos’ background.
Listen to the discussion here:



The Education Town Hall broadcasts from Historic Anacostia in Washington, DC, Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on We Act Radio.
Listen live via TuneIn.
Shows are archived for convenient listening shortly after broadcast.
The Education Town Hall BUS is a monthly program organized by BadAss Teachers, United Opt Out, and SOS March. The program regularly airs on the 4th Thursday of each month.

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Saturday With Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Democrats Call for Delay in DeVos Hearing Until She Completes Financial Report


Democrats in the Senate say that Betsy Devos’ hearing should be delayed because she has not completed her financial disclosure, which is required of all Cabinet appointments. Presumably, she has an accountant.
Democrats are pushing to delay Betsy DeVos’ confirmation hearing next Wednesdaybecause the billionaire philanthropist’s finances haven’t yet been cleared by ethics officials, nor has she signed an agreement addressing possible conflicts of interest.
Sen. Patty Murray, the committee’s top Democrat, says that she’s concerned about the “extensive financial entanglements and potential conflicts of interest” of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Education secretary.
An aide to Murray told POLITICO that “it would certainly be concerning if nominees break from standard practice and don’t submit their ethics paperwork in advance of a hearing.”
Although DeVos submitted her financial disclosures to the Office of Government Ethics on Dec. 12, she is still in discussions to finalize the paperwork and sign an agreement addressing possible conflicts of interest, according to her spokesman, Ed Patru.
The ethics office, in coordination with the Education Department, is responsible for identifying any conflicts of interest that DeVos might have and striking an agreement with her to recuse herself from certain decisions to avoid future conflicts.
Senate HELP Chairman Lamar Alexander indicated he plans to move ahead with the Jan. 11hearing, regardless of whether the paperwork is finalized. Committee rules don’t require the ethics office to clear a Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:


Jared Kushner, Trump Son-in-Law, Working on Big Deal with Chinese Investors
by dianeravitch / 1h
Money, money, money! Watch who gets richer over the next four years. It will be a bacchanalia that make the Robber Barons look like pikers. The New York Times reports that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is pursuing a big deal with Chinese investors. On the night of Nov. 16, a group of executives gathered in a private dining room of the restaurant La Chine at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Midtown
Betsy DeVos Has Funded Senators Who Will Vote on Her Nomination
by dianeravitch / 2h
The Washington Post reports that Betsy DeVos has been very generous with several of the senators who will vote on her nomination. Emma Brown writes: Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary, is not just a prospective Cabinet member seeking confirmation from the U.S. Senate. She is also a billionaire Republican donor whose family’s donations have funded the campaign
Republicans Prepared to Spend Billions for Trump’s Wall on Southern Border
by dianeravitch / 2h
Republicans have decided that they are prepared to spend billions to build the “big, beautiful wall” that Trump promised on the southern border. When it comes to investing in our children and our future, there is no more money. But when Trump promised to build a wall across the southern border, which he said Mexico would pay for, well, the Republicans must follow through. They may bankrupt other
Angie Sullivan: Why Nevada Ranks Last in the Nation
by dianeravitch / 3h
Angie Sullivan, second-grade teachers in Clark County, Nevada, wrote the following missive to the state’s legislators and journalists: Behold! The Nevada Plan! Report: Nevada Schools Place Last in Nation The national grade and the grades for individual states are based on three custom Research Center indices that look at the role of education in promoting an individual’s chance for success over t
Democrats Call for Delay in DeVos Hearing Until She Completes Financial Report
by dianeravitch / 4h
Democrats in the Senate say that Betsy Devos’ hearing should be delayed because she has not completed her financial disclosure, which is required of all Cabinet appointments. Presumably, she has an accountant. Democrats are pushing to delay Betsy DeVos’ confirmation hearing next Wednesdaybecause the billionaire philanthropist’s finances haven’t yet been cleared by ethics officials, nor has she si
Matt Wyatt: Invest in Public Schools, Not Charters
by dianeravitch / 6h
Matt Wyatt is president of the school board in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. He knows that the new Republican governor and Republican legislature are eager to launch charter schools, using the same tired promises that have failed everywhere else. No, charters will not close achievement gaps. No, charters will not produce innovation. No, charters are not public schools. Charters will drain resources fr
Ed Eiler: How Vouchers in Indiana Are Attacking the Common Good
by dianeravitch / 7h
Ed Eiler was superintendents of the Lafayette, Indiana, schools. In this article, he explains how corporatist Republicans have tried to turn education into a commodity instead of a common good that belongs to all. He writes: “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” – Elie Wiesel Three recent newsworthy items deserve o
Connecticut: Legislator Proposes Bill to Eliminate Student Privacy Protections
by dianeravitch / 7h
Jonathan Pelto reports that Steven Harding, a Republican legislator, has proposed legislation to roll back Connecticut’s Student Privacy Act. When it comes the Connecticut General Assembly and education policy, one of the most important developments was the passage, last year, of a new Connecticut Student Data Privacy Act that requires school districts to institute reasonable safeguards when sell
STOP: Our Government Wants to Create a National Database about Everyone, Including YOUR Children
by dianeravitch / 8h
The Missouri Education Watchdog blog has collected some frightening news: There is a bipartisan push, funded by the Gates Foundation, to create a national database for every citizen, violating the privacy of every one of us. Until now, this has been illegal. Gates and his allies want to lift the ban. For anyone who has ever filled out a college application, or scholarship or grant application, yo
Christopher Cotton: Hail to the Tweeter-in-Chief
by dianeravitch / 9h
Christopher Cotton, who teaches high school English in Illinois, wrote the following: It is all about the Id! When people register their anger on Twitter, they are truly nasty. When the target is female, a large number of men become truly vile. It’s partly the anonymity. But many of the most despicable tweeters use their real names. It’s not just the rush of mob violence, ganging up on a defensel
John Merrow: Educators Must Stop the Bullying or Face the Consequences
by dianeravitch / 9h
John Merrow reminds his readers that bullying is illegal. It is not enough simply to react or to comfort students after the fact. Only in the era of Trump would this conversation take place. Just because the president does it, doesn’t make it either right or legal. Merrow writes: As schools reopen in the New Year and Donald Trump’s inauguration draws near, the reality of dramatic increases in hat


Jan Resseger: Parents and Concerned Citizens In Ohio Are Appalled by DeVos and Resolve to Fight Her Nomination
by dianeravitch / 10h
Jan Resseger is the kind of activist that every community needs. She is devoted to the Common Good and she takes action. Read here about her efforts t o alert and mobilize her local community to stand up against privatization. She begins: 
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:
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