Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, June 30, 2019

The Candidates: How Will They Solve Society’s Problems Without Great Public Schools?

The Candidates: How Will They Solve Society’s Problems Without Great Public Schools?

The Candidates: How Will They Solve Society’s Problems Without Great Public Schools?

Here we go again. Two nights of Democratic debates and public schools were only mentioned in connection with other issues. The candidates discussed climate change, gun control, health care, foreign policy, free community college, and more. They never tackled the issues surrounding for-profit colleges.
There were no questions about the privatization of public education in America. No questions about Red for Ed and the teachers and parents who want better public schools in America. Don’t say these are state issues. The President needs to set the stage for how education will work in America. NCLB and Race to the Top did real harm to public education.
Sparks flew when Senator Harris asked Vice President Joe Biden about bussing. We heard mention of universal preschool and free tuition, especially to community college, but, like previous debates and Presidential elections, K-12 was ignored.
How will this country address all those issues without addressing the problems CONTINUE READING: The Candidates: How Will They Solve Society’s Problems Without Great Public Schools?

Our Schools Jeff Bryant - Independent Media Institute

Jeff Bryant - Independent Media Institute

Our Schools Jeff Bryant 
Chief Correspondent, Writing Fellow for Our Schools

With union backing, D.C. Council introduces proposed overhaul of controversial teacher evaluation system - The Washington Post

With union backing, D.C. Council introduces proposed overhaul of controversial teacher evaluation system - The Washington Post

With union backing, D.C. Council introduces proposed overhaul of controversial teacher evaluation system

The District’s controversial teacher evaluation system could face significant changes under proposed legislation that would give the teachers union substantial input in the system’s design during collective bargaining.
The evaluation system — which was one of the first in the nation to tie teachers’ job security and paychecks to class performance — has been central to the District’s high-profile education efforts over the past decade and is one of the more controversial legacies of former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee.
Rhee, who led the District’s public schools between 2007 and 2010 and gained national recognition for her overhaul efforts, enacted the evaluation system without negotiating it with the union. The implementation of the evaluation system, known as IMPACT, led to the firing of hundreds of teachers and produced heightened tensions between the school system and union that persist today.
If passed, the proposed legislation could be the biggest change to the evaluation system since its adoption.
Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union, said she drafted the legislation and lobbied council members to introduce it. She blames IMPACT for a high teacher turnover rate in the District.
Supporters of IMPACT argue the evaluation system allows schools to fire ineffective teachers who linger in their jobs for years with little accountability.
Davis said she still wants ineffective teachers punished but believes IMPACT often results in the firing of competent instructors or young teachers who have not had an opportunity to develop.
If the school system unilaterally created a separate evaluation system, it could not be used to punish teachers under terms of CONTINUE READING: With union backing, D.C. Council introduces proposed overhaul of controversial teacher evaluation system - The Washington Post

Mike Klonsky's Blog: Education not an issue for Dem debaters until the Harris/Biden clash over deseg

Mike Klonsky's Blog: Education not an issue for Dem debaters until the Harris/Biden clash over deseg

Education not an issue for Dem debaters until the Harris/Biden clash over deseg


Demand for School Integration Leads to Massive 1964 New York City School Boycott


"Forcing integration upon us is not a nimble concept."  -- Alabama Police Chief Eugene "Bull" Connor, 1956
For most of the 20 Democratic Party candidates onstage Wednesday and Thursday nights, or for the debate moderators, education wasn't an important enough campaign issue to deserve a mention. Not a word was spoken about the hottest ed issues like charter schools, vouchers, pensions or testing. Common Core Standards, ESSA, it seems, were yesterday's news. There was not even a poke at Trump's ed secretary, Betsy DeVos or at Trump himself.

That's nothing new for party presidential campaigns. I remember the 2015 debates when education issues never came up. At the time, Prof. Julian Vasquez Heilig wrote in the Progressive,

Perhaps the silence is due to the fact that the Democrats have basically adopted the Republican approach to education from the 1990s.
If anything has changed in the past four years, that hasn't. This week, hardly an ed word was spoken. Not a word, that is, until Sen. Kamala Harris stole night two with her devastating "That little girl was me," confrontation with Joe Biden. After prefacing her CONTINUE READING: Mike Klonsky's Blog: Education not an issue for Dem debaters until the Harris/Biden clash over deseg


Betsy DeVos' Zombie Voucher Schemes — the Unconstitutional, Undemocratic Tax Scams That Just Won't Die | Eclectablog

Betsy DeVos' Zombie Voucher Schemes — the Unconstitutional, Undemocratic Tax Scams That Just Won't Die | Eclectablog

Betsy DeVos’ Zombie Voucher Schemes — the Unconstitutional, Undemocratic Tax Scams That Just Won’t Die

The week ended with yet another excellent article from Peter Greene​ in Forbes, this time on the dangers of “Tax Credit Scholarships”, one of Betsy DeVos major thrusts as Secretary of Education under Donald Trump.

So, what are Tax Credit Scholarships? They are complicated financial mechanisms that allow businesses to divert their tax payments to fund specific private and religious schools, including those that discriminate against LGBT kids and teachers, include overtly religious instruction in their curriculums, and endorse the teaching of objectively inaccurate and incorrect information to their students.
Now, “Isn’t that a violation of the separation of church and state?”, you may ask. “Aren’t private and religious school vouchers unconstitutional?” Well, it depends on who you ask.
If you ask constitutional law experts and former Supreme Court Chief Justices, then the answer is “Yes”…
“Under our system the choice has been made that government is to be entirely excluded from the area of religious instruction. . . . The Constitution decrees that religion must be a private matter for the individual, the family, and the institutions of private choice. . . .”
–Chief Justice Warren Burger, Lemon v. Kurtzman.
But if you ask advocates of school privatization and those who stand to profit from these voucher CONTINUE READING: Betsy DeVos' Zombie Voucher Schemes — the Unconstitutional, Undemocratic Tax Scams That Just Won't Die | Eclectablog

Mike Klonsky's Blog: After silence at the debate, Bernie puts out his ed plan and Warren defends Harris.

Mike Klonsky's Blog: After silence at the debate, Bernie puts out his ed plan and Warren defends Harris.

After silence at the debate, Bernie puts out his ed plan and Warren defends Harris.

Senator Bernie Sanders unveiled his education plan during a visit to South Carolina on Saturday. (Travis Dove, New York Times)

Did Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren read my post from yesterday? You know, the post that chastised them and the rest of the candidates for their silence on education issues during the debates? Also the one that was critical of them all for not having Kamala Harrisback when she took on Joe Biden over the issue of school deseg?

Probably not. But by yesterday afternoon, as if on cue, Team Bernie released his full-blown education plan during a visit to South Carolina. His so-called, Thurgood Marshall Plan for Public Education includes opposition to for-profit charter schools and calls for an end to public funding for charter school expansion on the grounds that charters promote school segregation.

This, about the same time as Sen. Warren was tweeting her defense of Sen. Harris against the racist backlash she's facing for her confrontation with Biden.

Well, actually, Bernie's plan had been published in the Times well over a month ago so yesterday's story obviously had nothing to do with my blog. But it's nice to feel validated CONTINUE READING: Mike Klonsky's Blog: After silence at the debate, Bernie puts out his ed plan and Warren defends Harris.



Image result for Warren defends Harris

They called it “forced” bussing for integration. – Fred Klonsky

They called it “forced” bussing for integration. – Fred Klonsky

THEY CALLED IT “FORCED” BUSSING FOR INTEGRATION.

image16_custom-4c9be3a24736e8ef26663debc2219333ed960566-s800-c85

Boston in the seventies.

I remember very well back to the 70s the fight around what they called “forced” bussing to integrate our schools.
There were not many of us who supported bussing.
To paraphrase Kamala Harris, that twenty-something defending “forced” bussing was me.
And with others, we even had to argue with those on the Left who opposed it because they said it divided the working class. As if it weren’t divided already.
And no, it was not just Joe Biden among the Democrats who opposed bussing. After all, that’s why we needed the courts to order it.
And why, 20 years after Brown, did we need it?
And why is it that nobody mentioned the other night, or since, that our schools are still segregated?
They called it “forced” bussing for integration. – Fred Klonsky

Big Education Ape: What is busing? What you need to know about busing - CNNPolitics - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/06/what-is-busing-what-you-need-to-know.html

With A Brooklyn Accent: "Thank You Les Bleues"- A Tribute to the French Women's Soccer Team by Fordham Soccer Star Annie Worden

With A Brooklyn Accent: "Thank You Les Bleues"- A Tribute to the French Women's Soccer Team by Fordham Soccer Star Annie Worden

"Thank You Les Bleues"- A Tribute to the French Women's Soccer Team by Fordham Soccer Star Annie Worden
In the aftermath of the US Women's Soccer Team World Cup victory over France, I refuse to share anything that puts that put the French team in a poor light
Those women are my heroes. From my childhood through the years following my college graduation, I was in France every year, every summer, playing pick up games and being the only girl on the field. Nobody would ever want me on their team because I was a girl. In 2016, I finally saw a girls team training next to our pick up game It was a long time coming. I am proud of the growth and support these French women have been able to garner with such little support from the country.
You may not remember from my Fordham days, but I have French citizenship, a French birth certificate and my family lives in Paris. Don't get me wrong, I love the US National Women's Soccer Teams dearly I have played, fought and even lived with some of the starting 11. I am rooting for our ladies and Rapinoe's CONTINUE READING: With A Brooklyn Accent: "Thank You Les Bleues"- A Tribute to the French Women's Soccer Team by Fordham Soccer Star Annie Worden
Image result for French Women's Soccer Team

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos Backs Corporate Profits Again

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos Backs Corporate Profits Again

DeVos Backs Corporate Profits Again

If there is one signature feature of a DeVos doctrine, it's that the government should never, ever stand between a business and its revenue stream.

That part of the doctrine was on display yesterday as DeVos officially announced her intention to let for-profit colleges do whatever the hell they want. Okay, that may be an overstatement. What she actually did was roll back the Obama-era requirement that such schools either show that their graduates actually land jobs, or the school would lose access to all that sweet sweet federal money. That was a powerful piece of leverage, because the for-profit colleges focus on veterans and poor folks with the result that a great deal of the for profit college revenue stream comes from the feds, who loan to the students and pay off the schools, guaranteeing that the for-profits get paid and that the students are in hock to the feds.

Rolling back Obama-era protections is problematic because the Obama administration itself did a super-lousy job of riding herd on these predatory schools. At one point, having announced that they were now by golly going to clamp down those outfits, they turned around and bailed out one of the worst. Then, when that outfit collapsed anyway, the feds let them be sold off to a debt-collection agency.

It was after all that foolishness that the administration finally implemented a gainful employment rule. This was also followed by  students scammed by the for-profit agitating to be released from their debts. The Department of Justice requested that the Department of Education simply release the portion of that debt that they held; they refused.

All of that happened before Trump ever descended the escalator to unleash havoc on US politics; it's CONTINUE READING: 
CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos Backs Corporate Profits Again


Now where do we go from here? Parent Power’s plan to reunite African American families and public education | Parents Across America

Now where do we go from here? Parent Power’s plan to reunite African American families and public education | Parents Across AmericaNow where do we go from here? Parent Power’s plan to reunite 
Now where do we go from here? Parent Power’s plan to reunite African American families and public education

On June 21, the Indianapolis Public School (IPS) selected Teach for America alum and interim superintendent Alessia Johnson to be the district’s leader. She was preceded by Dr. Lewis Ferebee, a Broad Academy fellow who helped close and/or privatize Indy’s public schools and sell off the assets of IPS to the businesses, community, who is now the superintendent of D.C. schools. Parent Power predicts under the Johnson regime, IPS will mimic New Orleans and become a business-model privatized school district (IPS Inc.) using a portfolio model where IPS will not be a school system, but a system of schools.
See more in The Great American Education-Industrial Complex: Ideology, Technology, and Profit at https://www.amazon.com/GreatAmerican-Education-Industrial-Complex-Sociocultural/dp/0415524148
The response of Parent Power, Indy’s Parents Across America affiliate, is to spend less time continuing our critique of Supt. Johnson and more time actualizing what we are for: winning back the hearts and minds of families who were mis-attracted to the charter movement.
Here’s Parent Power’s response to the election of Alessia Johnson http://vorcreatex.com/wp-content/uplSo now where do we go from here? Parent Power’s plan to reunite Black families and public education
Now where do we go from here? Parent Power’s plan to reunite African American families and public education | Parents Across AmericaNow where do we go from here? Parent Power’s plan to reunite 


Saturday, June 29, 2019

Top Posts This Week 6/29/19 #REDFORED #CTA #StrongPublicSchools #ra2019 #nea #neara #neara2019 #houston

Big Education Ape



Top Posts This Week 6/29/19  






Top Posts This Month 6/29/19









Posts This Week 6/29/19



The Busing Conversation We Should Be Having

The Busing Conversation We Should Be Having The Busing Conversation We Should Be Having So apparently, thanks to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, we're all going to talk about busing some more. That's a conversation many Americans been having, sort of, for a long time. When Joe Biden was a freshman congressman, I was a high school junior. In my rural and small town and mostly white high school, we we
Standardized Tests Are Not Objective Measures of Anything | gadflyonthewallblog

Standardized Tests Are Not Objective Measures of Anything | gadflyonthewallblog Standardized Tests Are Not Objective Measures of Anything When it comes to standardized tests, most people are blinded by science. Or at least the appearance of science . Because there is little about these assessments that is scientific, factual or unbiased. And that has real world implications when it comes to educa
CURMUDGUCATION: Dear Teachers: Don't Make Your Lesson Relevant

CURMUDGUCATION: Dear Teachers: Don't Make Your Lesson Relevant Dear Teachers: Don't Make Your Lesson Relevant When I was getting my teacher training way back in the 1970s, we used to hear a great deal about making our teaching relevant. It took me several years of teaching to figure out why that was terrible advice. And it hasn't ever gone away . It seems to make sense. Connect your lesson on par
Next Stop: Winning Over Educators - Education Votes

Next Stop: Winning Over Educators - Education Votes Next Stop: Winning Over Educators In First Post-Debate Forum, 2020 Presidential Candidates To Make Their Case To NEA Educators are poised to play a major role in determining who is elected the next President of the United States. Harnessing the power of the #RedforEd movement , educators, parents and students across the country have taken action
Building Power: How Philanthropy Can Support the Grassroots | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Building Power: How Philanthropy Can Support the Grassroots | Schott Foundation for Public Education Building Power: How Philanthropy Can Support the Grassroots Schott is very proud of our partnership with the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) and our joint support for grassroots organizing as a critical strategy for ensuring all children have a fair and just opportunity to learn. NMEF’s rec
Squeeze Fewer Lemons - Teacher Habits

Squeeze Fewer Lemons - Teacher Habits Squeeze Fewer Lemons I have, on a few occasions, enjoyed a delicious glass of fresh squeezed lemonade. I would say it’s superior to the kind of lemonade I usually drink, which comes from this: But that could just be priming at work; tell me it’s fresh squeezed and I’m inclined to believe it’s going to be better before even bringing the glass to my lips. For t
Technology Use in Two High Schools: Social Justice Humanitas Academy in Los Angeles (CA) and MetWest in Oakland (CA) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Technology Use in Two High Schools: Social Justice Humanitas Academy in Los Angeles (CA) and MetWest in Oakland (CA) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice Technology Use in Two High Schools: Social Justice Humanitas Academy in Los Angeles (CA) and MetWest in Oakland (CA) Readers who follow this blog know that I have been working on a book about “success” and “failure” in schools.
Presidential Hopefuls to Attend NEA’s Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly - NEA Today

Presidential Hopefuls to Attend NEA’s Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly - NEA Today Presidential Hopefuls to Attend NEA’s Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly Nearly 7,000 NEA members will begin arriving in Houston, Texas, today for NEA’s 157th Annual Meeting and 98th Representative Assembly (RA), the world’s largest deliberative body that sets policy for the organization. The meet
Goodbye and goodnight :: K-12 Daily :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Goodbye and goodnight :: K-12 Daily :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet Goodbye and goodnight by K-12 Daily After 10 years publishing news for California’s education community, K-12 Daily is shutting its doors. We want to thank our readers for sticking by us as we grew from a fledgling operation into a go-to source for breaking down issues impacting schools in our state
Education was ignored by debate moderators. What the Democratic presidential candidates should have been asked about America’s public schools. - The Washington Post

Education was ignored by debate moderators. What the Democratic presidential candidates should have been asked about America’s public schools. - The Washington Post Education was ignored by debate moderators. What the Democratic presidential candidates should have been asked about America’s public schools. Twenty Democratic candidates debated over two nights this week about why they should be the
What is busing? What you need to know about busing - CNNPolitics

What is busing? - CNNPolitics What you need to know about busing (CNN) It was the moment everyone was talking about after Thursday's Democratic presidential debate . At the center of the heated exchange between Sen. Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden was the use of busing to desegregate American schools -- and Biden's opposition it in the 1970s. Here's what you need to know about t
THIS WEEK Education Research Report

Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report Pell Grant Versus Income Data in Postsecondary Research by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1h Given growing disparities in college enrollment by household income, policymakers and researchers often are interested in understanding whether policies expand access for low-income students. This brief highlights the limitations of a commonly available
This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 A Look Back: Is Any Teacher Surprised That New Study Finds Textbooks Not Key To Student Learning? by Larry Ferlazzo / 10h This blog has recently gained many new readers. Because of that, I thoug
KEEP UP/ CATCH UP 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 KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all Big Education Ape: My New Book Was Just Announced! | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/05/my-new-book-was-just-announced-diane.html Ann Cronin: This is How to Assess Student Achievement by dianeravitch / 2min Vetera

YESTERDAY

School District Prepares for Second Round of School Closures | Post News Group

School District Prepares for Second Round of School Closures | Post News Group School District Prepares for Second Round of School Closures The district also is beginning the process of selling or leasing school properties. The Board of Education is moving ahead with a second set of school closures, mergers and consolidations, called “Cohort 2,”which is scheduled to be approved in August. The pla
How School Choice Undermines Democratic Processes

How School Choice Undermines Democratic Processes How School Choice Undermines Democratic Processes Opponents of school choice in its many forms often talk about processes and institutions and policies, but one way to grasp the problems that choice is old fashioned and non wonky. Just look at who is holding the purse strings. In the public school system, the money is controlled by some combinatio
School Board Member Strikes Out in Attempt to Change Board Rules

School Board Member Strikes Out in Attempt to Change Board Rules School Board Member Strikes Out in Attempt to Change Board Rules I’d love to suspend all the board rules for one year ” – LAUSD Board President Monica Garcia Despite the fact that Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board Member Nick Melvoin has still not held a single public meeting for his secret rules committee , another
Help NPE Action Help the Resistance in Every State! | Diane Ravitch's blog

Help NPE Action Help the Resistance in Every State! | Diane Ravitch's blog Help NPE Action Help the Resistance in Every State! Join the Battle to Save Our Public Schools! The Tide is Turning But We Need Your Help The narrative is shifting. As candidates jockey for position, public education issues are no longer relegated to soundbites. Major media outlets are reaching out to NPE Action to better
John Thompson: Did We Ever Disagree? He Says We Did. | Diane Ravitch's blog

John Thompson: Did We Ever Disagree? He Says We Did. | Diane Ravitch's blog John Thompson: Did We Ever Disagree? He Says We Did. John Thompson says we used to disagree, but he has come around . My memory is not what it used to be, but I recall that he took issue with my use of the term “corporate reformers.” He used to think that the “reformers” were trying to help and just needed the hand of fri
Shawgi Tell: David Osborne, Neoliberal Privatizer | Diane Ravitch's blog

Shawgi Tell: David Osborne, Neoliberal Privatizer | Diane Ravitch's blog Shawgi Tell: David Osborne, Neoliberal Privatizer Shawgi Tell is a professor at Nazareth College in upstate New York who writes frequently about education. David Osborne’s Twisted Logic David Osborne is one of America’s foremost neoliberal demagogues. He is a major representative of the so-called “Third Way,” a clever label
Politicians Are Discovering They Can No Longer Ignore Charter School Outrages | janresseger

Politicians Are Discovering They Can No Longer Ignore Charter School Outrages | janresseger Politicians Are Discovering They Can No Longer Ignore Charter School Outrages In Wednesday’s Washington Post ‘s Laura Meckler traces fading support for charter schools among Democrats who are running for President: “Democrats have long backed charter schools as a politically safe way to give kids at low-pe
Consequence of NOLA High School Grade-fix: All New Orleans HS Student Records to be Audited | deutsch29

Consequence of NOLA High School Grade-fix: All New Orleans HS Student Records to be Audited | deutsch29 Consequence of NOLA High School Grade-fix: All New Orleans HS Student Records to be Audited This is a long time coming. As a result of the grade-fixing scandal at a New Orleans charter high school– a scandal that resulted in 49 percent of the school’s Class of 2019 being found to lack credits a
Chalkbeat Tennessee Publishes TFA/Charter Propaganda Interview | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

Chalkbeat Tennessee Publishes TFA/Charter Propaganda Interview | Gary Rubinstein's Blog Chalkbeat Tennessee Publishes TFA/Charter Propaganda Interview Among the education news outlets funded by Gates and others who try to push the slowly dying education reform agenda Chalkbeat is one of the better ones. Unlike The74 or Education Post, Chalkbeat does often try to be balanced and they have Matt Bar
Grassroots Education Network- June 2019 Newsletter - Network For Public Education

Grassroots Education Network- June 2019 Newsletter - Network For Public Education Grassroots Education Network- June 2019 Newsletter The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a network of over 130 grassroots organizations nationwide that have joined together to preserve, promote, improve, and strengthen our public schools. If you know of a group that would like to join this powerful network, please
School Overcrowding & the New five-year Capital Plan Presentation to CPAC | Class Size Matters

School Overcrowding & the New five-year Capital Plan Presentation to CPAC | Class Size Matters School Overcrowding & the New five-year Capital Plan Presentation to CPAC | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes School Overcrowding & the New five-year Capital Plan Presentation to CPAC A presentation for CPAC regarding school overcrowding & the new fiv
Shanker Blog: Charter Schools and Teacher Diversity | National Education Policy Center

Shanker Blog: Charter Schools and Teacher Diversity | National Education Policy Center Shanker Blog: Charter Schools and Teacher Diversity A new study of North Carolina public schools finds that black students in charter schools are more likely to have black teachers than their regular public school counterparts, and that the positive effect of “teacher/student racial match” on the test scores of
THE “BETTER ANGELS” OF OUR NATURE | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing

THE “BETTER ANGELS” OF OUR NATURE | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing THE “BETTER ANGELS” OF OUR NATURE The odd couple sat on the stage next to the nervous moderator. Ray Warrick,a stocky, white, tough linebacker type from Cincinnati sat on the left. Hawk Newsome, a 6’5 black, tough defensive end type from the Bronx sat in the middle. Neither looked the Kumbaya type. Ray Warrick, once an ordinar

JUN 27

Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America's Public Schools

Amazon.com: Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America's Public Schools (9780525655374): Diane Ravitch: Books Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America's Public Schools From one of the foremost authorities on education and the history of education in the United States, "whistleblower extraordinaire" ( T
How the Flint water crisis set students back – Raw Story

How the Flint water crisis set students back – Raw Story How the Flint water crisis set students back When the Flint water crisis took place in 2014 and 2015, one of my graduate nursing students decided to get involved. Having already worked with me in the Greater Toledo area to screen children at risk for lead poisoning, my student helped conduct blood lead level screenings of the children expos
What If Teachers Didn’t Focus So Much on Individual Achievement?- The Atlantic

Teaching at a Segregated School in Mississippi - The Atlantic What If Teachers Didn’t Focus So Much on Individual Achievement? Renee Moore has been working at nearly all-black high schools in the Mississippi Delta for the past two decades for a reason: to raise up the whole community. Editor's Note: In the next five years, most of America’s most experienced teachers will retire. The Baby Boomers
Michigan’s School Choice Mess – Have You Heard

Michigan’s School Choice Mess – Have You Heard Michigan’s School Choice Mess Have You Heard heads to Michigan to learn about a lesser-known part of the state’s free market education experiment: inter-district school choice. More than 100,000 Michigan students attend school in a district other than where they live. The outflow of students has pushed urban districts to the brink and spawned a compe
AFT’s Weingarten On Public Service Freedom To Negotiate Act And Protecting Employee Rights | Black Star News

AFT’s Weingarten On Public Service Freedom To Negotiate Act And Protecting Employee Rights | Black Star News AFT’S WEINGARTEN ON PUBLIC SERVICE FREEDOM TO NEGOTIATE ACT AND PROTECTING EMPLOYEE RIGHTS [Labor News] On One-Year Anniversary of Right-Wing Assault on Unions in Janus v. AFSCME, House Democrats Move to Restore Bargaining Rights for America’s Public Sector Workers... Photo: Facebook AFT m
How Teachers Can Use Drones as an Educational Tool in the Classroom - Teacher Habits

How Teachers Can Use Drones as an Educational Tool in the Classroom - Teacher Habits How Teachers Can Use Drones as an Educational Tool in the Classroom By Frankie Wallace In recent years, drones have shed their military roots and joined the mainstream, used by businesses and individuals alike. Approximately 2.2 million drones were sold across the world in 2016 alone, according to Business Inside
Why Standardized Tests Are Worthless for Evaluating Teachers and Students | Diane Ravitch's blog

Why Standardized Tests Are Worthless for Evaluating Teachers and Students | Diane Ravitch's blog Why Standardized Tests Are Worthless for Evaluating Teachers and Students This is a wonderful article that appeared in Education Week, written by Margaret Pastor, a veteran educator in Maryland. When I started reading, I recoiled at the thought of giving standardized tests to babies in kindergarten. D
#NeverAgainIsNow: Fort Sill

#NeverAgainIsNow: Fort Sill #NEVERAGAINISNOW: FORT SILL If you're in Los Angeles, join concerned community members in Little Tokyo this Thursday evening to protest the White House's plans to use Fort Sill in Oklahoma as a detention center for immigrant children and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention practices in general. Organizers are demanding an end to the inhumane conditions at I
Mike Klonsky's Blog: Takeaways from yesterday's school board meeting

Mike Klonsky's Blog: Takeaways from yesterday's school board meeting Takeaways from yesterday's school board meeting Sun-Times ed reporter Mitchell Armentrout's tweet seems to sum up the first meeting of Mayor Lightfoot's APPOINTED school board, Mitchell Armentrout ✔ @mitchtrout · 21 h Lori Lightfoot’s new # CPSboard Mitchell Armentrout ✔ @mitchtrout A lively meeting for this new crew: grilling C
Schools Matter: Research Debunks Mischel's Conclusions from "The Marshmallow Test"

Schools Matter: Research Debunks Mischel's Conclusions from "The Marshmallow Test" Research Debunks Mischel's Conclusions from "The Marshmallow Test" KIPP Model schools have long used Walter Mischel's research on delayed gratification among children to justify an indoctrination program aimed to manipulate economically-oppressed children to behave as corporate ed reformers would like: work hard, b
Another School Year Ends: Time for Teachers to Decompress and Use Those Organizational Skills in the World of Politics | Ed In The Apple

Another School Year Ends: Time for Teachers to Decompress and Use Those Organizational Skills in the World of Politics | Ed In The Apple Another School Year Ends: Time for Teachers to Decompress and Use Those Organizational Skills in the World of Politics Did you hear that “whoosh” sound that swept across the city only a few hours ago? A weather anomaly? No, the whoosh was 70,000 teachers breathi
Teacher salary and steps in Kaneland. – Fred Klonsky

Teacher salary and steps in Kaneland. – Fred Klonsky TEACHER SALARY AND STEPS IN KANELAND. Kaneland teachers rally Monday evening in Sugar Grove calling for a contract. The current contract between the teachers and Kaneland School District ends June 30. (Linda Girardi / The Beacon-News) About 125 teachers who work for the Kaneland School District, wearing red shirts and carrying placards, held a

JUN 26

John Merrow: It's Summertime. Do You Know Where Your Children's Teachers Are? Forbes

It's Summertime. Do You Know Where Your Children's Teachers Are? It's Summertime. Do You Know Where Your Children's Teachers Are? One of the most popular Public Service Announcements (PSA) of the 1960's and 1970's had the tag line, "It's 10 PM. Do You Know Where Your Children Are?" We don't hear that one today, perhaps because we know most children are on their phones. But what about their teache
Pay for Success Finance Preys Upon The Poor: Presentation at Left Forum 6/29/19 – Wrench in the Gears

Pay for Success Finance Preys Upon The Poor: Presentation at Left Forum 6/29/19 – Wrench in the Gears Pay for Success Finance Preys Upon The Poor: Presentation at Left Forum 6/29/19 I have the exciting opportunity to participate in a panel discussion with members of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign at the Left Forum Conference coming up this weekend June 28-30 in Brooklyn, New Yor
Democrats abandon charter schools as ‘reform’ agenda falls from favor - The Washington Post

Democrats abandon charter schools as ‘reform’ agenda falls from favor - The Washington Post Democrats abandon charter schools as ‘reform’ agenda falls from favor Democrats have long backed charter schools as a politically safe way to give kids at low-performing schools more options. Many supported merit pay for the best teachers and holding schools accountable for test scores. The presidential co
Teacher Survey: One-Third of Students' Families Are Hard to Communicate With -- THE Journal

Teacher Survey: One-Third of Students' Families Are Hard to Communicate With -- THE Journal Teacher Survey: One-Third of Students' Families Are Hard to Communicate With The majority of teachers are communicating with parents at least weekly, but a third of families (34 percent) remain "hard to reach and engage" throughout the school year. And 43 percent of teachers want to get a better sense of t
Grand jury report finds Oakland Unified School District is failing its students - Story | KTVU

Grand jury report finds Oakland Unified School District is failing its students - Story | KTVU Grand jury report finds Oakland Unified School District is failing its students OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - In a scathing report, the Alameda County grand jury accuses the Oakland Unified School District of having a broken culture, concluding the district is not doing justice for its 36,000 students in 87
West Virginia Invests in Public Schools… But Will Now Add Charter Schools | janresseger

West Virginia Invests in Public Schools… But Will Now Add Charter Schools | janresseger West Virginia Invests in Public Schools… But Will Now Add Charter Schools Until this week, West Virginia was one of a handful of states which had never experimented with school privatization. But on Monday night, the West Virginia Senate adopted an omnibus education bill passed a week ago by the West Virginia
Tapping Into the News to Teach Math (Forrest Hinton) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Tapping Into the News to Teach Math (Forrest Hinton) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice Tapping Into the News to Teach Math (Forrest Hinton) “Forrest Hinton is a math instructor at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, a STEM-focused public boarding school for high school juniors and seniors in Durham, North Carolina. He teaches a wide range of core and elective
Budget Victory: The Age of Newsom Begins in State Education | Capital & Main

Budget Victory: The Age of Newsom Begins in State Education | Capital & Main Budget Victory: The Age of Newsom Begins in State Education Still pending in a follow-up budget bill is language that would limit the ability of charter schools to cherry-pick enrollment. “Learning Curves” is a weekly roundup of news items, profiles and dish about the intersection of education and inequality. Send tips,
The Billionaire Financed Racist Attack on Camden’s Schools | tultican

The Billionaire Financed Racist Attack on Camden’s Schools | tultican The Billionaire Financed Racist Attack on Camden’s Schools By T. Ultican 6/25/2019 The rape of public education in Camden, New Jersey is a classic example of “ segrenomics .” In 1997, one of the only functioning organizations in the city of Camden was the public school system. This city often labeled “the most dangerous city in
Mike Klonsky's Blog: We need a radical change in the way we rate our schools

Mike Klonsky's Blog: We need a radical change in the way we rate our schools We need a radical change in the way we rate our schools You know, buy a house near a Level 1 school and pay $20K more for not much of a house. "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." -- John Dewey Watching my 2-year-old granddaughter, Izzy, learn is one of the great pleasures in my life. Whethe
Report: Experienced Teachers Key to Students Beating the Odds

Report: Experienced Teachers Key to Students Beating the Odds Report: Experienced Teachers Key to Students Beating the Odds Experienced teachers are the common factor among 156 California school districts where black and Hispanic students, as well as white students, are beating the odds and scoring higher than expected on tests that measure higher-level critical thinking skills, according to new
As usual, a lack of transparency and accountability in DC’s public and charter schools | GFBrandenburg's Blog

As usual, a lack of transparency and accountability in DC’s public and charter schools | GFBrandenburg's Blog As usual, a lack of transparency and accountability in DC’s public and charter schools All that is laid out in detail by Valerie Jarrett. https://educationdc.net/2019/06/25/fear-of-foia/ Here is her article: Tomorrow, Wednesday June 26, the city council will hold a hearing on two bills, w
NYC Public School Parents: High levels of lead dust found in city schools via an independent WNYC investigation

NYC Public School Parents: High levels of lead dust found in city schools via an independent WNYC investigation High levels of lead dust found in city schools via an independent WNYC investigation Yesterday Christopher Werth of WNYC radio posted a story online at Gothamist and broadcast on WNYC about an investigation he undertook in four NYC schools in which he found high levels of lead dust on t
Moving Away from the Digital in a Smartphone-Altered Universe | One Flew East

Moving Away from the Digital in a Smartphone-Altered Universe | One Flew East MOVING AWAY FROM THE DIGITAL IN A SMARTPHONE-ALTERED UNIVERSE Skinner teaching machine. One of B. F. Skinner’s teaching machines. Silly rabbit [CC BY 3.0 ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 )%5D Never were online courses adequate substitutes for face-to-face teaching. Like correspondence courses before them, t

JUN 25

Diane Ravitch Wants Philanthropy to Support Rebirth of Public Schools - Philanthropy Women

Diane Ravitch Wants Philanthropy to Support Rebirth of Public Schools - Philanthropy Women Diane Ravitch Wants Philanthropy to Support Rebirth of Public Schools Philanthropy aimed at K-12 education in the U.S. has ramped up in the past few decades and remains complex and controversial. Funders back diverse causes like delivering new learning technologies, establishing charter schools and backing
After the Confession: How Will They Fix the Damage Done to Public Schools?

After the Confession: How Will They Fix the Damage Done to Public Schools? After the Confession: How Will They Fix the Damage Done to Public Schools? Nick Hanauer is described as “founder of the public-policy incubator Civic Ventures.” His piece in The Atlantic called “Better Public Schools Won’t Fix America,” is an admission that the corporate message we’ve heard for years that schools will fix
Meet Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump’s enforcer - The Lily

Meet Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump’s enforcer - The Lily Meet Stephanie Grisham, Melania Trump’s enforcer White House staffers are learning that Grisham is not someone with whom to tangle ...before Romney, she’d created her own small public relations firm, worked for AAA Arizona, the Arizona Charter Schools Association, and Larson Public Relations, which represents education reform clients acr
Nazi death camps started out very much like the American concentration camps of today | Eclectablog

Nazi death camps started out very much like the American concentration camps of today | Eclectablog Nazi death camps started out very much like the American concentration camps of today In our podcast this week , we interviewed journalist Andrea Pitzer, author of the important book One Long Night – A Global History of Concentration Camps . In the interview she talks extensively about how the Germ
Policy differences. Demeanor differences. None of it stopped Donald Trump from picking Betsy DeVos as education secretary. - The Washington Post

Policy differences. Demeanor differences. None of it stopped Donald Trump from picking Betsy DeVos as education secretary. - The Washington Post Policy differences. Demeanor differences. None of it stopped Donald Trump from picking Betsy DeVos as education secretary. Before Donald Trump nominated Betsy DeVos to be his education secretary, what information did Trump’s team consider about the Michi
6 Ways to Keep Your Students Engaged in the Classroom - Teacher Habits

6 Ways to Keep Your Students Engaged in the Classroom - Teacher Habits 6 Ways to Keep Your Students Engaged in the Classroom Guest Writer: Paisley Hansen Keeping your students engaged in the classroom is becoming harder than ever before. With the short attention spans of kids in today’s society, you need to do whatever you can to keep your students engaged. There are many different ways that you
Music students do better in school than non-musical peers -- ScienceDaily

Music students do better in school than non-musical peers -- ScienceDaily Music students do better in school than non-musical peers High school students who take music courses score significantly better on math, science and English exams than their non-musical peers, according to a new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology . School administrators needing to trim budgets often l
DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? NO WORRIES CATCH UP NOW | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? NO WORRIES CATCH UP NOW Maurice Cunningham: When “Parent Groups” Are Funded by the Walton Billionaires by dianeravitch / 7min In my new book, Slaying Goliath, I focus on heroes of the Resistance. One of them is Professor Maurice Cunningham of the University of Massachusetts. He is a professo
A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Very Interesting Video: “Interpreter Breaks Down How Real-Time Translation Works” by Larry Ferlazzo / 12min geralt / Pixabay This new video from Wired is pretty interesting: Just Sent-Out Free Monthly Email Newsletter by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h geralt / Pixabay I’ve just mailed out the July issue of my ver
Alfie Kohn: Why Can’t Everyone Get An A? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Alfie Kohn: Why Can’t Everyone Get An A? | Diane Ravitch's blog Alfie Kohn: Why Can’t Everyone Get An A? Alfie Kohn has written many books critical of competition and ranking in schools. This article appeared in the New York Times. For a generation now, school reform has meant top-down mandates for what students must be taught, enforced by high-stakes standardized tests and justified by macho rhe
A report that detailed up to $1 billion in wasted federal funds on bad charter schools may have underestimated the problem - The Washington Post

A report that detailed up to $1 billion in wasted federal funds on bad charter schools may have underestimated the problem - The Washington Post A report that detailed up to $1 billion in wasted federal funds on bad charter schools may have underestimated the problem In March, I published a post about a report detailing up to $1 billion in federal funds wasted on charter schools that never opened

JUN 24

Once Racist: More on My Redneck Past | radical eyes for equity

Once Racist: More on My Redneck Past | radical eyes for equity Once Racist: More on My Redneck Past There is so much about the U.S. in the story of Kyle Kashuv. Kashuv as a teenager has had thrust upon him a complex and accidental fame. First, he gained recognition by being among the high school student survivors of the Parkland, Florida school shooing. Next, Kashuv filled a partisan political ni
Dehesa School District profited by cultivating charter schools - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Dehesa School District profited by cultivating charter schools - The San Diego Union-Tribune Dehesa School District profited by cultivating charter schools The 138-student school district is in charge of watchdogging nine charter schools with 11,500 students. The duty to watchdog multiple charter schools involved in a recent alleged charter school scam lay on the shoulders of Dehesa School Distri
Sacramento City School District Passes Budget Plan, Eliminating Nearly 400 Jobs - capradio.org

Sacramento City School District Passes Budget Plan, Eliminating Nearly 400 Jobs - capradio.org Sacramento City School District Passes Budget Plan, Eliminating Nearly 400 Jobs Sacramento City school board members were up late Thursday night passing a budget plan for next year, but the district still has major financial hurdles ahead of it. The good news? The new fiscal plan avoids a state takeover
Will Mississippi Supreme Court Allow Privately-Operated Charter Schools to Keep Seizing Public Funds from Public Schools? | Dissident Voice

Will Mississippi Supreme Court Allow Privately-Operated Charter Schools to Keep Seizing Public Funds from Public Schools? | Dissident Voice Will Mississippi Supreme Court Allow Privately-Operated Charter Schools to Keep Seizing Public Funds from Public Schools? A high-level court case is currently underway in Mississippi to decide if privately-operated charter schools can keep siphoning local pro
See Where Teachers Got Pay Raises This Year - Education Week

See Where Teachers Got Pay Raises This Year - Education Week See Where Teachers Got Pay Raises This Year Protests across the country swayed governors to push for salary bumps More than a year after teachers across the country began walking out of their classrooms en masse to demand higher salaries, at least 15 states have given their teachers a raise. And lawmakers in several more states are putt
John Thompson: Challenges to watch as OKCPS 'pathway' is implemented

Challenges to watch as OKCPS 'pathway' is implemented Challenges to watch as OKCPS ‘pathway’ is implemented The battle over Classen SAS High School and Northeast Academy grabbed most of the attention during the June 10 Oklahoma City Public Schools board meeting, but new, complex challenges were also revealed. The Board heard a Planning Department report on the number of OKCPS graduates who requir
EdSource: Why California Charter Schools Have Little or No Oversight | Diane Ravitch's blog

EdSource: Why California Charter Schools Have Little or No Oversight | Diane Ravitch's blog EdSource: Why California Charter Schools Have Little or No Oversight Louis Freedberg of EdSource explains here why California charter schools are largely unsupervised, leading to a drumbeat of scandals like the recent indictment of 11 people charged with a theft of $80 million. He writes: As charter school
Jersey Jazzman: Things Education "Reformers" Still Don't Understand About Testing

Jersey Jazzman: Things Education "Reformers" Still Don't Understand About Testing Things Education "Reformers" Still Don't Understand About Testing There was a new report out last week from the education "reform" group JerseyCAN, the local affiliate of 50CAN. In an op-ed at NJ Spotlight , Executive Director Patricia Morgan makes an ambitious claim: New Jersey students have shown significant impro
Skepticism Grows About High-Stakes, Test Based School Accountability and Privatization | janresseger

Skepticism Grows About High-Stakes, Test Based School Accountability and Privatization | janresseger Skepticism Grows About High-Stakes, Test Based School Accountability and Privatization Nick Hanauer’s confession that neoliberal, “corporate accountability” school reform doesn’t work is not entirely surprising to me. After all, No Child Left Behind was left behind several years ago. And Daniel Ko
How Pennies Trickling Down To School Sites Get Amplified – redqueeninla

How Pennies Trickling Down To School Sites Get Amplified – redqueeninla How Pennies Trickling Down To School Sites Get Amplified Among the misconceptions that persist in the wake of Proposition 13’s ruinous toll on our public school system, is the notion that a school’s stakeholders will just personally make-up, or supplement the state’s funding liability. The fallacy belies the fantasy that real
The Downside of Mayoral Control: Can Political Agendas Drive Education Policy? | Ed In The Apple

The Downside of Mayoral Control: Can Political Agendas Drive Education Policy? | Ed In The Apple The Downside of Mayoral Control: Can Political Agendas Drive Education Policy? For a millennium superintendents, selected by elected lay school boards managed schools. Educational policy was set by the neighbor down the block and his/her neighbors who had the political smarts to get elected in non-par

JUN 23

JOHN THOMPSON: School Reform Lesson: Ravitch Was Right - The Oklahoma Observer

School Reform Lesson: Ravitch Was Right - The Oklahoma Observer School Reform Lesson: Ravitch Was Right Next January, Diane Ravitch’s long-anticipated book on education reform, Slaying Goliath , will be published but it is being preceded by an anthology, The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch . I contribute to Ravitch’s blog , and we have only had two types of disagreements. One is addressed in the
North Carolina: State Superintendent Ignores Professionals and Chooses Tech Tool to Assess Youngest Children | Diane Ravitch's blog

North Carolina: State Superintendent Ignores Professionals and Chooses Tech Tool to Assess Youngest Children | Diane Ravitch's blog North Carolina: State Superintendent Ignores Professionals and Chooses Tech Tool to Assess Youngest Children Justin Parmenter, NBCT in North Carolina, writes here about the educational malpractice inflicted on the state’s youngest readers by order of State Superinten
The 5 Options Exhausted Teachers Have + You Might Be a Petty Tyrant If... - Teacher Habits

The 5 Options Exhausted Teachers Have - Teacher Habits The 5 Options Exhausted Teachers Have For most teachers, another school year is in the books. If you’ve been off for a couple of weeks, you have probably already started to forget the suffocating exhaustion you felt over the past ten months. If you’ve just begun your break, then you’re probably still catching up on sleep, relaxation, and your
The Last Day of School | gadflyonthewallblog

The Last Day of School | gadflyonthewallblog The Last Day of School On the last day of school this year, my 8th grade students gave me one of the greatest salutes a teacher can get. They reenacted the closing scene of “The Dead Poets Society.” You know. The one where Robin Williams’ Mr. Keating has been fired from a boarding school for teaching his students to embrace life, and as he collects his
Another OOPS! Philanthropist Sees The Light… Finally | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Another OOPS! Philanthropist Sees The Light… Finally | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice Another OOPS! Philanthropist Sees The Light… Finally Here is a “mea culpa” from Nick Hanauer , an entrepreneur and venture capitalist who made his fortune in technology companies. Hanauer gave much money to transform schools so that they could become engines of equity erasing economic and so
New Orleans Charter School Fradulently Tried to Graduate 49% of Its Class of 2019. | deutsch29

New Orleans Charter School Fradulently Tried to Graduate 49% of Its Class of 2019. | deutsch29 New Orleans Charter School Fradulently Tried to Graduate 49% of Its Class of 2019. Just shy of half of the Class of 2019 at John F. Kennedy High School at Lake Area did not meet graduation requirements and are therefore not eligible to receive the diplomas that they may have expected to receive when the
Michigan: Governor Whitmer Lacks Authority to Take Control of Benton Harbor, Says Tom Pedroni | Diane Ravitch's blog

Michigan: Governor Whitmer Lacks Authority to Take Control of Benton Harbor, Says Tom Pedroni | Diane Ravitch's blog Michigan: Governor Whitmer Lacks Authority to Take Control of Benton Harbor, Says Tom Pedroni Thomas Pedroni, a professor at Wayne State University, argues that Governor Whitmer is in over her head in her efforts to direct the future of Benton Harbor schools. She doesn’t even have

JUN 22



Top Posts This Week 6/22/19 #REDFORED #CTA #StrongPublicSchools

Big Education Ape Top Posts This Week 6/22/19 NEA Announces #StrongPublicSchools Presidential Forum Top Posts This Week 6/15/19 #REDFORED #CTA #StrongPublicSchools Seattle Schools Community Forum: Gay Pride Month Starts Today Jackie Goldberg Hits the LAUSD Board Runnin