BASIS is a corporate charter chain with about 20 charters, mostly in Arizona. The chain is known for high test scores, high attrition, and high returns to its owners and operators, Michael and Olga Block. It also owns private schools, and these have run into problems. BASIS has private schools in the US, Silicon Valley, NYC and Virginia, all of which are owned by the REIT, Entertainment Propertie
T Bone Burnett is a famous musician who was invited to give a keynote at the SXSW conference, and he delivered this brilliant meditation on the threat presented today by the ruthless, soulless tech corporations that invade every nook and cranny of our lives. It is long, so get a cup of coffee or tea and sit down. You should not only read it but reflect on it. This is the one sentence summary: To
In recent years, the New York State Education Department and many school districts have threatened and tried to intimidate parents and students who wanted to opt out of state testing. The historic U.S. Supreme Court decision Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925) protects the right of parents to make decisions about their own children. This decision is apt in the current environment, where the state
Teacher Appreciation Week begins on May 6! I was in Los Angeles for the historic teachers’ strike of 2019. I marched with Stevie Van Zandt, who is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His stage name is Little Steven; he played in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street band and has received many honors. As a musician and artist, he took the lead in creating Artists United Against Apartheid. He made t
Betsy DeVos was honored by the rightwing Manhattan Institute. In her by now well-rehearsed speech, she ridiculed the idea of spending more money on public schools, and extolled school choice. She singled out Mayor deBlasio’s Renewal program for criticism. Matt Barnum has a good summary in Chalkbeat of her boilerplate remarks and appropriately notes how she cherrypicked data and ignored recent stu
Sign up now for this event. Bill Phillis and I will talk about education in Ohio and the nation. Join public education advocates from around the state for the first MOVING PUBLIC EDUCATION FORWARD celebration! The event will take place Thursday, May 16, 2019 from 4:30 to 8:00pm at the Sheraton Columbus Capitol Square , 75 E. State St, Columbus, OH 43215. Experience a conversation between two GIAN
Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education, wrote the following note: The Summit Preparatory Academy Charter School will be shutting down tomorrow. Like so many charter schools, financial mismanagement is the reason for the closure. The school raised funding with a “Go Fund Me” drive, but they are not waiting till the end of the year to shut their doors. California teach
Jan Resseger has another brilliant article about the charter school strategy of privatization paid for by federal funding. Betsy DeVos wants to cut most of the programs in the Department of Education but has asked for an increase of charter school funding, from $440 million to $500 million a year. This year she used that funding to give $82 million to KIPP and $116 million to the IDEA charter cha
Former Governor Jim Hunt will speak “In Praise of Public Education” in Raleigh on May 22 from 6-8 pm. His talk is sponsored by PublicSchoolsFirstNC. Tickets are limited so sign up soon! https://www.eventbrite.com/o/infopublicschoolsfirstnc-6199572339 Governor Hunt was a champion for public schools when he was in office. The Tea Party has done everything possible to destroy his great legacy. “Gove
Peter Greene knows there are many states where public schools are under attack: Indiana, Ohio, Arizona, Michigan, and more. But one state stands out as the absolute worst: Florida. If you hate public schools, Florida is for you. If you hate teachers, go to Florida. To get the full flavor of why Florida is an abomination, open the link and read the post. It begins: There are plenty of states in th
This post about D.C. charter schools asks why these schools are free to choose which laws to obey and which to ignore. One that they chose to ignore is suicide prevention training for their staff. The leaders of the charter sector complained about the rules and regulations that the city wanted to impose on them. The author, Jonetta Rose Barras, writes: “When I read the email exchange between Mich
It is probably far too soon to know whether the Common Core succeeded or failed, but the studies are beginning to appear. The adoption of the Common Core standards was a central requirement of the Obama-Duncan Race to the Top program. States had to agree to adopt the Common Core if they wanted to be eligible to compete for $5 billion in federal funds. The Gates Foundation paid for the Common Core
Last fall, the voters of Arizona rejected vouchers by an overwhelming vote. But the Koch brothers and devious Doug Ducey are not giving up. They slipped through an innocuous bill to thwart the will of the people. Stop them! From: “Save Our Schools Arizona” info@sosarizona.org > Date: May 1, 2019 at 8:16:11 PM MST To: “Barbara Veltri” barbvbtv@aol.com > Subject: Red Alert: Stealth bill SB 1349 nee
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