DeVos announces Education Department hires - The Washington Post : DeVos announces Education Department hires Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday announced the names of personnel who will serve in key leadership positions at the Education Department, a move that comes after she spent the first two months of her tenure operating with a skeletal beachhead team. Serving as chief of staff is
Organize! | Deborah Meier on Education : Organize! I wish we had our own form of ALEC (The American Legislative Exchange Council, the right wing billionaire funded group dedicated to influencing state and national policy), a collective of organizations whose efforts overlap in the fight to save democracy. It is great to have “too many” allies, but not if they are crippled by overlapping marches,
CURMUDGUCATION: PA: Charter Reform Sort of Revisited : PA: Charter Reform Sort of Revisited Pennsylvania charter law is rather a mess. In April of 2016, State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale issued a blistering report, dubbing PA charter law the " worst in the nation ." There have been occasional legislative attempts to address the issue, but these bills have often confused "reform" with "give
Is repeating third grade — again and again — good for kids? - The Hechinger Report : Is repeating third grade — again and again — good for kids? A state makes students repeat third grade, sometimes more than once, to help them learn to read Thousands of Mississippi’s third graders will sit in front of computers later this month to take the statewide reading test, but the eyes of teachers and admi
The biggest loss in education is the loss of teachers’ voices | Eclectablog : The biggest loss in education is the loss of teachers’ voices I received the note below from a former student who is now a teacher. For obvious reasons, I won’t identify her or where she teaches, but–shockingly–her story is becoming all too common… We had a union meeting yesterday where they warned us that the governor
Teacher Shortage as "Shock Doctrine" Part II | BustED Pencils : Teacher Shortage as "Shock Doctrine" Part II Since writing a letter to my teacher education colleagues and then posting it to my blog some things have happened. I shared it with some legislators . One remarked, “he’s right but….” Great. I’m right. But that’s not enough to stop the crazy train ? That tells me that this issue will only
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan's latest donut. He claims that kids drop out because school is 'too easy' : Duncan's latest donut. He claims that kids drop out because school is 'too easy' "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." -- Mike Tyson In yesterday's Tribune op-ed piece , Arne Duncan jumps in behind Rahm Emanuel' s call to make every kid "have a plan" and to make
The DeVos Family: Meet the Super-Wealthy Right-Wingers Working With the Religious Right to Kill Public Education | Alternet : The DeVos Family: Meet the Super-Wealthy Right-Wingers Working With the Religious Right to Kill Public Education By now you've surely heard of the Kochs. Meanwhile, the powerful, wealthy DeVos family has remained largely under the radar, while leading a stealth assault on
Governor Jeb Bush to deliver keynote address at AFC’s annual Summit - American Federation for Children : Governor Jeb Bush to deliver keynote address at AFC’s annual Summit The American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice, is pleased to announce that school choice champion and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will deliver a keynote address at its annual National Pol
What you need to know about immigration enforcement in schools | MLive.com : What you need to know about immigration enforcement in schools Aggressive immigration enforcement A push by the Trump administration to more aggressively pursue the deportation of undocumented immigrants , have stoked fears in immigrant communities nationwide, advocates say, including at schools that serve students who a
Success Academy wrong to suspend special needs kid for 45 days - NY Daily News : Success Academy marks big failure by suspending special needs student for 45 days Based on the facts of the case, Success Academy’s decision to suspend a student with a disability for 45 days cannot be condoned. Even if the child had no special needs, the child has a right to an education and a 45-day suspension seem
New Study: Why Teachers Created a New Genre: The “I Quit” Letters | Diane Ravitch's blog : New Study: Why Teachers Created a New Genre: The “I Quit” Letters There is a photograph circulating on Twitter of a teacher recruitment fair in Michigan, in a large room with many tables staffed and ready for recruits. But the room is empty. It is a sad picture, dramatizing the effect of the current policy
For-Profit School Chain Camelot Suffers Setback Following Abuse Allegations - ProPublica : For-Profit School Chain Camelot Suffers Setback Following Abuse Allegations After our reporting on alleged physical abuse of students at alternative schools run by Camelot Education, a Georgia school district delayed awarding a $6.4 million contract to the company. This story was co-published with Slate. Th
Where Corporal Punishment Is Still Used In Schools, Its Roots Run Deep : NPR Ed : NPR : Where Corporal Punishment Is Still Used In Schools, Its Roots Run Deep Robbinsville High School sits in a small gap in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Green slopes dotted with cattle hug in around the school before they rise into a thick cover of pine trees. David Matheson is the principal here. And he'
Don’t Buy Bluster from Teacher Quality VAM-pires | radical eyes for equity : Don’t Buy Bluster from Teacher Quality VAM-pires The responses are predictable online and through social media any time I address teacher quality and policy focusing on teacher evaluation such as my recent commentary on Charleston adopting value-added methods (VAM) . How dare I, some respond, suggest that teacher quality
Rahm Emanuel's Graduation Rule Is 'Neoliberal School Reform Fantasy' : CHICAGO TEACHER: RAHM EMANUEL’S GRADUATION REQUIREMENT SHOWS HE HAS ‘NO INTEREST IN UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES’ Incoming high school freshman will soon face a new graduation requirement thanks to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: provide the Chicago Public School District with evidence of an acceptance letter to a university, communit
Blaine Amendments Protect Religious Liberty, Prohibit Establishing Religion via School Vouchers | janresseger : Blaine Amendments Protect Religious Liberty, Prohibit Establishing Religion via School Vouchers So-called Blaine Amendments in many of the state constitutions prohibit the diversion of taxpayer dollars to religious schools. Over the weekend, The Hill published a commentary on the state
NYC Educator: Happiness and Teaching : Happiness and Teaching Yesterday I wrote about a young teacher who was happy when she ate lobster. Today I'm going to look at something a little more broad--what exactly makes teachers happy? That's a tough question, because there are a lot of variables. I know a lot of unhappy teachers, and the reasons for their unhappiness are varied, with some more valid
La. Supt. John White Falsely Credentials Himself with BESE Member James Garvey’s Help | deutsch29 : La. Supt. John White Falsely Credentials Himself with BESE Member James Garvey’s Help In order to have his or her contract renewed, a state education superintendent in Louisiana must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the state board of education every time a new state board is elected every four
CURMUDGUCATION: Corporations versus Human Persons : Corporations versus Human Persons The story of United Airlines and the Shameful Assault on a Paying Customer has been more thoroughly covered than almost anything this week (congrats, Beloved Leader Trump, on a widespread distraction from your latest screwup). We've had lessons from the airlines in free market delights before, but this is an eve
A Story About The High Expectations Conversation [The Art of the Professional Insult] | The Jose Vilson : A Story About The High Expectations Conversation [The Art of the Professional Insult] “Mr. Vilson, how do you feel about us opting out because I’m thinking about it.” “Let me tell y’all something, and this is real talk: if you have good grades and decide to opt out of this test, I ain’t mad a
Seattle Schools Community Forum: More Thoughts on Gifted Education : More Thoughts on Gifted Education At last Wednesday's Board meeting, one person (whose name I missed) speaking on the need for Ethnic Studies said that there were five people working in the Race & Equity office while there were seven in Advanced Learning. (It's unclear why she picked that example.) Two comments. One, I checked w
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 4/11/17 Featured Post Join us for the Brooklyn filming of Defending Public Education in the Era of Privatization - Network For Public Education What to expect from Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch | Seattle Education by mike simpson / 17min What to expect from Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch | Seattle Education : What to expect from Supreme Court Ju
