Latest News and Comment from Education

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Looking for a home? You’ve seen GreatSchools ratings. Here’s how they nudge families toward schools with fewer black and Hispanic students.

Looking for a home? You’ve seen GreatSchools ratings. Here’s how they nudge families toward schools with fewer black and Hispanic students.

Looking for a home? You’ve seen GreatSchools ratings. Here’s how they nudge families toward schools with fewer black and Hispanic students.


What’s the right way to judge a school?
Across the country, states and school districts have devised their own systems of letter grades and color-coded dashboards based on test scores and graduation rates. But arguably the most visible and influential school rating system in America comes from the nonprofit GreatSchools, whose 1-10 ratings appear in home listings on national real estate websites Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin. Forty-three million people visited GreatSchools’ site in 2018, the organization says; Zillow and its affiliated sites count more than 150 million unique visitors per month.
GreatSchools’ stated mission is to help all parents, especially those who are low-income, make more informed decisions about where to send their children to school.
But GreatSchools ratings effectively penalize schools that serve largely low-income students and those serving largely black and Hispanic students, generally giving them significantly lower ratings than schools serving more affluent and more white and Asian students, a Chalkbeat analysis found.
And yet, according to GreatSchools’ own data, many schools serving low-income, black, and Hispanic populations are doing a good job helping students learn math and English. But those schools still face long odds of getting an above-average rating on GreatSchools — likely because their students are arriving far behind.
The result is a ubiquitous, privately run school ratings system that is steering people toward whiter, more affluent schools. A recent preliminary study found that as the site rolled out an earlier version of its ratings, areas with highly rated schools saw increases in home prices and rises in the number of white, Asian, and better-educated families. After three years, the study found, property values in CONTINUE READING: Looking for a home? You’ve seen GreatSchools ratings. Here’s how they nudge families toward schools with fewer black and Hispanic students.


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Women and Power | Teacher in a strange land

Women and Power | Teacher in a strange land

Women and Power

At the very beginning of the 2020 Presidential primary, I sent $5, a one-time donation, to each of four candidates: Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand. I did this because I wanted to see all four of them on the debate stage, and the DNC was counting individual contributors.
What this yielded was a veritable flood of emails asking for donations. I was already getting them from the Sanders campaign (because I donated to him in 2016, also a small-potatoes amount), so this was a lot of email, but it was worth it to see four qualified women debating. We haven’t had that before, and I saw it as one step on the path to equity in electoral politics.
And, although I think it’s unlikely, unless I live to be 100, that I will someday see equity in electoral politics (among dozens of other institutions in the Home of the Free), there are few things I think are more worth pursuing.
When I say ‘equity’ I don’t mean just gender equity—I mean representative equity, being governed by a mix of men, women and people who characterize the entire LGBTQ spectrum, people of color and people of diverse ethnic origin, people who are rich and people who worked as bartenders after gaining a university degree. Young people. Old people. Rural and urban citizens.
Until Congress and State Houses and County Commissions—and, for that matter, CONTINUE READING: Women and Power | Teacher in a strange land

‘Flat-out corruption’: DeVos accused of scheming to stop next president from canceling student loan debt – Raw Story

‘Flat-out corruption’: DeVos accused of scheming to stop next president from canceling student loan debt – Raw Story

‘Flat-out corruption’: DeVos accused of scheming to stop next president from canceling student loan debt

“Normally the rich are moderately more subtle about rigging the system in their favor. They’re scared.”
Billionaire Education Secretary Betsy DeVos this week proposed handing over the federal government’s $1.5 trillion student loan portfolio to a “stand-alone government corporation,” a move observers condemned as a corrupt ploy to strip the next president of the ability to cancel student loan debt.
“This very much appears to be a Betsy DeVos scheme to block the next president from unilaterally forgiving federal student debt, which she is well aware a president could do without Congress,” The Intercept‘s Ryan Grim wrote in a series of tweets late Wednesday. “The DeVos family is heavily invested in the student loan industry and this is just flat-out corruption.”
DeVos’ plan, first introduced on Tuesday, would spin off the Education Department’s Federal Student Aid office into a new and supposedly independent federal agency.
“One has to wonder: why isn’t Federal Student Aid a stand-alone government corporation, run by a professional, expert, and apolitical Board of Governors?” DeVos tweeted Tuesday. “A separate Federal Student Aid would be better positioned to deliver world-class service to students and their families as they finance higher education.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who has proposed wiping out all student loan debt, dismissed the CONTINUE READING: ‘Flat-out corruption’: DeVos accused of scheming to stop next president from canceling student loan debt – Raw Story

Why Do Black Parents Have to File Lawsuits to Achieve Educational Justice?! - Philly's 7th Ward

Why Do Black Parents Have to File Lawsuits to Achieve Educational Justice?! - Philly's 7th Ward

WHY DO BLACK PARENTS HAVE TO FILE LAWSUITS TO ACHIEVE EDUCATIONAL JUSTICE?!


Upper Dublin, a district outside of Philadelphia, recently settled a discrimination case that was filed with the U.S. Department of Education by Black families and the Public Interest Law Center four years ago. One more reason why Secretary DeVos’s moves to dismantle the Civil Rights Office at the U.S. Department of Education must be challenged and thwarted.  
I previously wrote about Upper Dublin High School, a school in a very wealthy district with brazen, in-your-face racist practices. While Black students made up less than 8% of the student population, they were disproportionately suspended – almost 50% of all suspended students were Black.  
But, the discrimination didn’t stop there (when does it?). Students were routinely tracked to less rigorous courses. Even if a Black student received high grades in middle school, they were not rostered to high school Honors courses. Now, why would that be?
Senator Hughes, who has worked to highlight the racist school funding that CONTINUE READING: Why Do Black Parents Have to File Lawsuits to Achieve Educational Justice?! - Philly's 7th Ward

Illinois Will Allow Prone, Supine Restraints on Children While Schools Learn to Phase Them Out — ProPublica

Illinois Will Allow Prone, Supine Restraints on Children While Schools Learn to Phase Them Out — ProPublica

Illinois Will Allow Prone, Supine Restraints on Children While Schools Learn to Phase Them Out
The changes to a ban on restraints came after some schools said they could no longer serve children.


ProPublica Illinois is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to get weekly updates about our work.
This story is a collaboration between ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune.
Amending emergency rules put in place two weeks ago, the Illinois State Board of Education says it will again allow schoolchildren to be physically restrained in positions it had banned, though only in crisis situations.
The change comes after several schools said they could no longer serve some students with behavior issues because of the new restrictions, put in place after publication of a Chicago Tribune/ProPublica Illinois investigation that found overuse and misuse of “isolated timeouts” in public schools across the state.
An emergency prohibition on putting students alone in locked seclusion rooms stands.
The change, made Tuesday, temporarily allows schools to restrain children in prone (or face-down) and supine (or face-up) positions. But they can only do so in “narrow circumstances and only for severe crisis situations to protect the safety of students and staff,” the board said in a statement. School employees must try other methods to calm students before resorting to restraint, the amendment states.
The board said it still expects schools to start phasing out the use of prone and CONTINUE READING: Illinois Will Allow Prone, Supine Restraints on Children While Schools Learn to Phase Them Out — ProPublica


Public Comment Open for CTE State Plan - Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

Public Comment Open for CTE State Plan - Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Public Comment Period Open for State Plan to Strengthen Career and Technical Education

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent Tony Thurmond announced today that public comment is now open for the draft California Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) State Plan. The plan was developed by the California Department of Education (CDE), California State Board of Education (SBE), and California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO).
“This plan is a significant opportunity to strengthen Career Technical Education (CTE) programs and pathways for all students in both the K–12 and community college systems,” Thurmond said. “I encourage educators and stakeholders in the CTE field to submit their valuable input on this plan. These programs provide valuable skills to meet industry needs.”
Perkins V was signed into law on July 31, 2018. This bipartisan measure reauthorized the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to provide nearly $1.3 billion annually in federal support for CTE programs across the nation. California receives approximately $127 million annually to support CTE programs and pathways.
To provide feedback on the Perkins V State Plan, please visit the Perkins V Plan Feedback web pageExternal link opens in new window or tab. hosted by WestEd. Public comments will be used to finalize the Perkins V State Plan, as well as inform the future development of the Comprehensive California State Plan for CTE.
Informational webinars and public meetings are scheduled on the following dates:
Informational Webinars:
Friday, December 6
10-10:30 a.m. and 2-2:30 p.m.
Dial: +1-669-900-6833 (U.S. Toll-Free) Meeting ID: 697 706 1801 or
Join via Zoom ConferenceExternal link opens in new window or tab..
Public meetings:
Monday, December 9
10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
WestEd Offices, Capitol Room
1000 G Street, Suite 500
Sacramento, CA 95814
Public feedback for the Perkins V State Plan will be received until January 3, 2020. Additional information can be found on the CDE’s California Workforce Pathways Joint Advisory Committee’s web page.

# # # #
Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100
Last Reviewed: Thursday, December 5, 2019


Public Comment Open for CTE State Plan - Year 2019 (CA Dept of Education)

Kentucky: State Board of Education Meets, Omits Request to Fund Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Kentucky: State Board of Education Meets, Omits Request to Fund Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Kentucky: State Board of Education Meets, Omits Request to Fund Charter Schools

Kentucky’s outgoing Republican Governor Matt Bevin made clear that he wanted funding for charter schools, but he lost the recent election to Democrat Andy Beshear. The new governor made clear that one of his top priorities was supporting public schools.
However, the State Board of Education and the State Commissioner were appointed by Bevin, and they seem to be holding on until their terms expire.
The Bevin-appointed State Board met to announce its priorities for the 2020 legislative session, which begins in early January. Its list did not include funding for charter schools, which was one of Bevin’s demands. Bevin was a close ally of Betsy DeVos, who visited the state earlier this year to promote school choice.
Even though the board was appointed by Bevin, the members’ priorities show that they heard the voters’ message.
Kentucky Board of Education members unanimously approved a legislative agenda Wednesday that they may not be able to see through. 
Education officials plan to push for full-day kindergarten, reading interventions for the youngest learners and more flexibility for schools in Kentucky’s 2020 legislative CONTINUE READING: Kentucky: State Board of Education Meets, Omits Request to Fund Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » The PISA Illusion

Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » The PISA Illusion

The PISA Illusion

This article was originally published in the Washington Post on December 3rd 2019. It was adapted from part one of an article to appear in Journal of Educational ChangeThe longer version discusses three illusions PISA has created and relied on for its undeserved impact on global education: the illusion of excellence, the illusion of science, and the illusion of progress.
PISA is a masterful magician. It has successfully created an illusion of education quality and marketed it to the world. In 2018, 79 countries took part in this magic show out of the belief that this triennial test accurately measures the quality of their education systems, the effectiveness of their teachers, the ability of their students, and the future prosperity of their society.
PISA’s magical power in the education universe stems from its bold claims and successful marketing. It starts by tapping into the universal anxiety about the future. Humans are naturally concerned about the future and have a strong desire to know if tomorrow is better than, or at least as good as, today. Parents want to know if their children will have a good life; politicians want to know if their nations have the people to build a more prosperous economy; the public wants to know if the young will become successful and contributing members of the society.
PISA brilliantly exploits the anxiety and desire of parents, politicians, and the public with three questions:
How well are young adults prepared to meet the challenges of the future? Are they able to analyse, reason and communicate their ideas effectively? Do they have the capacity to continue learning throughout life? (OECD, 1999, p. 7).
These words begin the document that introduced PISA to the world in 1999 and have been repeated in virtually all PISA reports ever since. The document then states the obvious: “Parents, students, the public and those who run education systems need to know” (OECD, 1999, p. 7). And as can be expected, PISA offers itself as the fortuneteller by claiming that:
PISA assesses the extent to which 15-year-old students, near the end of their compulsory education, have acquired key knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies. … The CONTINUE READING: Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » The PISA Illusion

Flip the Board: Denver and the Politics of School Reform – Have You Heard

Flip the Board: Denver and the Politics of School Reform – Have You Heard

Flip the Board: Denver and the Politics of School Reform

For more than a decade, Denver has been a model for a brand of school reform centered on closing low-performing schools, opening charter schools and rewarding teachers for boosting student test scores. But a diverse coalition of opponents says it’s time to put the brakes on that approach and showed its strength at the polls in November by “flipping” the Denver School Board. Complete transcript available here.
Note: Education will play a major role in key 2020 election contests and yet the media keeps missing the story, or worse, getting it wrong. Have You Heard has a plan for that. We have an ambitious 2020 travel agenda, but to hit the road we need your help.


The best and worst education news of 2019 -- and one item hard to categorize - The Washington Post

The best and worst education news of 2019 -- and one item hard to categorize - The Washington Post

The best and worst education news of 2019 -- and one item hard to categorize


It has been an annual tradition on The Answer Sheet for veteran teacher Larry Ferlazzo to assess what he sees as the best and worst education news of the year and then make predictions about the coming year. Here is his installment on the news of 2019 (and his predictions for 2020 will be coming soon).

Ferlazzo teaches English and social studies at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento. He has written or edited 12 books on education, writes a teacher advice blog for Education Week Teacher and has a popular resource-sharing blog. He has written pieces for this blog over the years, including one on how teachers can help students motivate themselves and this one, one of my favorites, titled: “NEWS BREAK (not breaking news): Teacher asks students to grade him. One wrote: ‘I give Mr. Ferlazzo an A at being annoying.’”
NOTE: As in the past, Ferlazzo says he does not presume to suggest that the following compilation is all-encompassing and he hopes that you will take time to share your own choices in the comments. He starts this piece with what he thinks is the best education news of 2019 and then the worst — though the items in each category are not in any order of importance. And then there is one bit of news that he can’t categorize. Let him know if you can.

By Larry Ferlazzo

The Best Education News Of 2019
*Teachers maintained their momentum of successful organizing into 2019, beginning the year with a successful strike in Los Angeles, and continuing through OaklandDenver and Chicago. In all cases, unions won agreements for reduced class sizes, additional nurses and counselors, and more (we had our own one-day strike here in Sacramento). Teacher walkouts also occurred in West VirginiaNorth Carolina and Indiana.
*Teachers were also able to build on their organizing success by supporting candidates who won the majority in the Denver school board elections and becoming the key factor in the defeat of Kentucky’s governor.
*Several important education-related research results came out this year, including a huge study finding that teaching students about a growth mind-set can lead to increased academic achievement; CONTINUE READING: The best and worst education news of 2019 -- and one item hard to categorize - The Washington Post

“The Odessey of Joshua”: A Student’s Story | deutsch29

“The Odessey of Joshua”: A Student’s Story | deutsch29

“The Odessey of Joshua”: A Student’s Story

I teach senior English.
I noticed that one of my students, an English language learner, was reluctant to complete complex written assignments. He appeared to throw up his hands as if to ask, “What is the use?”
So, I asked him, “Will you write a paper about you? Will you tell me your story?”
He thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Below is his unedited response, which he has allowed me to reproduce.
His name is Joshua, and this is his story:
The odyssey of Joshua
In the power of a strong kid that have to face problems of a new life. This show how a kid get in to a new era and have to adapt as his new life changes. In the course of the time we get to see how he struggled and fight emotionally. His view of everything in overall is bad. The feeling of homesickness and a new languish is the key point of is problem.
In the beginning Joshua was happy whit his friend in Puerto Rico until one day he get the news of a storm hitting Puerto Rico. He thought that it was going to be a regular storm but it was not. The storm was one of the biggest storm that ever hit Puerto Rico. By this period of time he did not CONTINUE READING: “The Odessey of Joshua”: A Student’s Story | deutsch29

CURMUDGUCATION: Buddy, Can You Spare A Ride (To The Charter School)?

CURMUDGUCATION: Buddy, Can You Spare A Ride (To The Charter School)?

Buddy, Can You Spare A Ride (To The Charter School)?

Remember the days when charter school fans were bragging that they would do more with less? That chorus has been replaced by complaints of how unfair it is that they don't get as many tax dollars for their privately-owned businesses as the public school system gets, resulting in fun new ideas like Florida's notion that charters should be entitled to a cut of any special levies that taxpayers pass to support public schools.

A new demand is surfacing now-- privatizers want taxpayers to help cover transportation costs.

Right in the front row of this new choir is Ben DeGrow. DeGrow is currently the ed policy point man for Mackinac Center, located in Michigan (motto: "We helped grow Betsy DeVos and now she's our gift to all America, you're welcome"), an advocacy thinky tank focused on "economic freedom," aka "the freedom of rich folks to get more rich." He previously worked at Denver's Independence Institute, a Libertarian thinky tank. Like many good think tank education experts, he has no actual education background. Well, okay-- according to the Mackinac website, "Ben’s classroom experiences include service as a university graduate assistant and as a substitute teacher in Michigan public schools."


DeGrow popped up at The Hill last week to make the argument for transportation scholarships (well, that, and to oddly try to accuse Jennifer Berkshire of a progressive and being weirdly obsessed with Betsy DeVos). We need these scholarships, he argues, to reduce obstacles to school choice.

We'll get to what he proposes in a moment, but first, let's note that he makes a huge, huge leap in his argument-- namely, that charter operators actually want to remove this obstacle. The patterns of segregation, the use of charters to gentrify neighborhoods, the fact that some charters do in fact provide transportation-- all of this might suggest that the transportation obstacle is just another way for charter operators to legally keep Those Peoples' Children out of their school. At a minimum, the CONTINUE READING: 
CURMUDGUCATION: Buddy, Can You Spare A Ride (To The Charter School)?


NYC Public School Parents: Testimony on the need to fully fund and provide more accountability with the Foundation funds owed NYC so that class sizes are (finally) reduced

NYC Public School Parents: Testimony on the need to fully fund and provide more accountability with the Foundation funds owed NYC so that class sizes are (finally) reduced

Testimony on the need to fully fund and provide more accountability with the Foundation funds owed NYC so that class sizes are (finally) reduced



Here is the testimony from Sarita Subramanian of the IBO which cites an Urban Institute study showing NY ranking second-to-last among 50 states because of how regressive its school funding is (including state and local.) Here is testimony from Michael Mulgrew of the UFT and Andy Pallotta of NYSUT.

Yesterday I spent most of the day at NY Senate hearings by the Education and Budget Committees on the Foundation aid formula for school funding, following a series of round table discussions that have been held throughout the state.

The Foundation aid formula which was established in 2007 but has never been fully implemented. NYC schools are owed either $1.1 billion or $1.4 billion from the state, according to different sources, as a result of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court decision and the Contracts for Excellence law passed in 2007.  Statewide, the unmet need varies from about $3.4 billion to $4.2 billion according to whom you ask.  Some of the witnesses said there should be a two-year phase in, and others a three-year phase in of these amounts.

There were many experts in school finance, some who said the formula was so badly flawed it should be improved before funding it, and others who said we can't wait for this to happen.  They argued that our schools need more resources now because students are suffering, and can't wait.  They said that the state legislature and Governor need to fully fund the original formula and worry about tweaking the formula later.

The first witness was Lindsey Oates, the Chief Financial Officer of the NYC Department of Education  who began with a long account about how wonderfully our schools are doing, from rising graduation rates, more students taking SATs, more preK, yadda yadda yadda.  The thrust of her remarks would make any listener think that  our schools don't really need more funding at all.

When asked what they would do with the additional $1.1 billion, she echoed Carranza: all schools' Fair student funding would be brought up to 100% and then principals could CONTINUE READING: 
NYC Public School Parents: Testimony on the need to fully fund and provide more accountability with the Foundation funds owed NYC so that class sizes are (finally) reduced