Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, October 21, 2018

DeVos on ballot - enrique baloyra

DeVos on ballot - enrique baloyra



Despite not appearing on any ballot this November, Betsy DeVos sure is having a big impact this election cycle. Her corporate agenda has long been the object of scorn among activists. But now as secretary, her name has become a rallying cry for progressive candidates everywhere.
In Texas, Democratic nominee for US Senate Beto O’Rourke is running an ad that calls Ted Cruz “the deciding vote on putting Betsy DeVos in charge of our children’s public education.”
In Alaska, education advocate Alyse Galvin, who gained notoriety for pressuring Senator Lisa Murkowski to vote no in the secretary’s confirmation hearing, is running for the seat Rep. Don Young has held for 44 years.
If Democrats want to regain control of Congress on November 6, they’ll have to win big in Midwestern states where the president won just two years ago. And that’s exactly where DeVos is least popular.
In Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, and especially her home state Michigan, Democratic candidates are hammering their Republican opponents for supporting DeVos and her policies.
In Michigan, where DeVos and her family have spent $14 million supporting Republican candidates this year alone, Democratic nominee for governor Gretchen Whitman promises “to stop the dismantling of public education and put an end to the DeVos agenda…”
https://twitter.com/gretchenwhitmer/s...
“[DeVos’] political legacy has had disastrous consequences for Michigan children. After decades of unlimited charter growth — dominated by for-profit charters — the state ranks dead last in the nation in growth of academic achievement as measured by standardized test scores and is in the bottom 10 states in key measures of academic achievement.”
https://www.salon.com/2018/10/20/educ...
DeVos made it priority number one to gut civil rights protections for children with disabilities and LGBT students. Her attempts to roll back Title IX protections for sexual assault victims come as the
#MeToo movement has gained national momentum. Her support for allowing schools to arm teachers using federal money has drawn a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. Last week a judge ordered her to stop blocking Obama-era student loans protections.
And to top it off, her security detail cost taxpayers $14 million this year. For an education secretary.
Disney couldn’t have created a better villainess.


Tuck’s Ethnocentrism Contradicts Californian Values - LA Progressive

Tuck’s Ethnocentrism Contradicts Californian Values - LA Progressive

Tuck’s Ethnocentrism Contradicts Californian Values



Business banker Marshall Tuck is running for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction again. He’s backed by the same ideologically charged billionaires as the last time — several of whom supported reactionary measures like Proposition 8. With nearly unlimited funding, voters will be deluged with Tuck’s messaging. There’ll be plenty of unsubstantiated claims that he ran successful schools.

Marshall Tuck is running for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction again, backed by the same ideologically charged billionaires as the last time — several of whom supported reactionary measures like Proposition 8.

Those ads won’t reveal the truth about Tuck’s record. There’ll be no mention that when he ran the Green Dot Charter Corporation, one of his high schools “achieved” the dubious distinction of back-to-back years of absolutely zero students scoring proficient on the mathematics portion of the California State University (CSU) entrance examination. There won’t be discussion of how, under Tuck, one Partnership for Los Angeles Schools’ (PLAS) high school went five years without achieving even twenty percent of students scoring proficient on either the mathematics or the English portion of those same CSU exams. Five years. These awful proficiency rates were reflected in Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) scores as well. Under Tuck’s “leadership” the schools he managed were among the very lowest scorers on the SAT in Los Angeles County, year after year.

Tuck’s record of terrible academic results isn’t the only issue that will be carefully obscured. His abject treatment of students of color, in a fashion much like his contemporary counterparts Tom Horne and John Huppenthal in Arizona, is something he works hard to hide. It’s time to shine a bright light on this.


Using their positions of authority, Tuck, Horne, and Huppenthal closed down popular, research proven, Ethnic Studies programs. Tuck did it at PLAS schools like Santee High School when he was their “CEO.” The other two did it while they were Superintendents of Public Schools in Arizona. Tuck went a step further than the others — he also restricted and shuttered both Heritage Continue reading: Tuck’s Ethnocentrism Contradicts Californian Values - LA Progressive

Tony Thurmond for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction - NPE Action



A Plan to Improve California's Public Schools

Tony Thurmond for State Superintendent of Public Instruction -https://www.tonythurmond.com/

Big Education Ape: Why Electing Tony Thurmond as Superintendent of Public Instruction Is the Most Important Race in California - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/10/why-electing-tony-thurmond-as.html

Big Education Ape: The truth about money in public education politics - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-truth-about-money-in-public.html

Big Education Ape: Tony Thurmond for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction - NPE Action - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/10/tony-thurmond-for-california-state.html


Brookings: The role of AI in education and the changing U.S. workforce

The role of AI in education and the changing U.S. workforce

The role of AI in education and the changing U.S. workforce



Editor's Note: 
This report is part of "A Blueprint for the Future of AI," a series from the Brookings Institution that analyzes the new challenges and potential policy solutions introduced by artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
The growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies (ET) is poised to reshape the workforce.[1] While the exact impact of AI and ET is unclear, experts expect that many jobs currently performed by humans will be performed by robots in the near future, and at the same time, new jobs will be created as technology advances. These impending changes have important implications for the field of education. Schools must prepare students to remain competitive in the labor market, and postsecondary institutions must provide students and displaced workers with relevant education and retraining opportunities. Innovations in technology will also create new tools to support educators, students, and others seeking retraining and employment.
Consequently, there is a multitude of policy-relevant questions that we may consider with respect to how AI and ET will impact education. Rather than focus on just one of these many questions, this paper provides an overview of some of the most salient issues we should consider with respect to what technological advances in AI and ET mean for education. Specifically, this paper discusses several types of challenges, opportunities, and risks that AI and ET pose to the field of education. This paper then concludes with several recommendations for adapting education in anticipation of the changes associated with advances in AI and ET.

CENTRAL CHALLENGES FACING EDUCATION
The types of jobs that are at the least risk of being replaced by automation involve problem solving, teamwork, critical thinking, communication, and creativity.[2] The education profession is unlikely to see a dramatic drop in demand for employees given the nature of work in this field. Rather, preparing students for the changing labor market will likely be a central challenge for schools and educators. Policymakers and practitioners must adapt K-12 education to help students develop the skills that are likely to remain in demand (sometimes referred to as “21st century skills”). K-12 education should thus prioritize teaching critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork across subject areas. Teaching students to become analytical thinkers, problem solvers, and good team members will allow them to remain competitive in the job market even as the nature of work changes. Equally important, these skills form a strong foundation for independent thinking that will serve Continue reading: The role of AI in education and the changing U.S. workforce


Arizona: The State Where Conflicts of Interest Are Celebrated in the Charter Industry | Diane Ravitch's blog

Arizona: The State Where Conflicts of Interest Are Celebrated in the Charter Industry | Diane Ravitch's blog

Arizona: The State Where Conflicts of Interest Are Celebrated in the Charter Industry


A friend in Arizona sent me the official bio of a member of the State Board of Regents, which is appointed by the Governor.
Jay Heiler was appointed in 2012. He has a distinguished resume…but. In addition to serving on the state Board of Education, he is also the Founder and President of the Board for Great Hearts Academies, a national charter chain based in Phoenix.
Regent Heiler graduated with honors in journalism from Arizona State University in 1983, where he was a Pulliam Scholar and served as editor-in-chief of the 45,000-reader campus daily, The State Press. He took his law degree at ASU as well, where he was named the Truman Young Fellow and began a prosecutorial career while still in law school, preparing and trying cases at the city, county, state and federal levels. He has served on the boards of both the Goldwater Institute and the Morrison Institute, Arizona’s two leading public policy think tanks, and hosted his own public affairs television program, Straight Answers. A dedicated advocate for education quality and reform, he is founder and President of the Board for Phoenix-based charter school management organization Great Hearts Academies. He is also president of the board for the Arizona Charter Schools Association. His past community service includes a number of charitable boards and board presidency of Esperanza, a third-world medical care and public health organization headquartered in Continue reading: Arizona: The State Where Conflicts of Interest Are Celebrated in the Charter Industry | Diane Ravitch's blog