In Arkansas, the governor and the legislature does not want the citizens of Little Rock to have democratic control of their public schools. They took over the schools five years ago and were supposed to return it to the people but passed a hoax of a bill. Now activists have filed a lawsuit to expose the hoax and demand a real return to democratic control of their schools. Max Brantley, veteran jo
We have been told that technology can’t be stopped and that we are heading for a jobless economy. We have been told that anyone who disagrees is an old fogey standing in the way of progress. Peter Greene says “ nonsense .” Do you remember the predictions about 15 years ago that MOOCS would drive most institutions of higher education out of existence. Didn’t happen. Except for job-oriented and/or
This evening the New York Times published a story about a Trump’s repeated lies, boasts, and ignorance about the pandemic. The story did not include a Trump’s assertion yesterday on the Sean Hannity show that governors were inflating their need for ventilators, followed by orders to GM and Ford to start producing ventilators. One day he proclaims there is no crisis. The next day he responds to th
ON TAP Today from the American Prospect MARCH 27, 2020 Kuttner on TAP Oh, No! Better Unemployment Benefits Raise Low Wages. The Republican senators who tried a last-ditch effort to water down the stimulus bill had one major concern: If federal unemployment benefits were increased, companies that depend on low-wage labor might have trouble coaxing people back to work for a pittance. Oh, the horror
Today is the birthday of Patty Smith Hill, who wrote “Happy Birthday to You.” I recall that she was a leading advocate for early childhood education and play while a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York. Garrison Keillor wrote this about her. It’s the birthday of the woman who wrote “Happy Birthday to You,” Patty Smith Hill, born in Anchorage, Kentucky (1868). Most of h
Garrison Keillor tells this story at “The Writer’s Almanac”: On this date in 1915, the woman known as “Typhoid Mary” was put into quarantine in a cottage in the Bronx. Her name was Mary Mallon, and she was a large and fiery Irish-American woman about 40 years old. She worked as a cook in and around New York City, and every household she worked in seemed to suffer an outbreak of typhoid fever. Typ
A story in the Washington Post today. Trump’s lies could kill many people because scientists are not believed. I n the one month since the first U.S. coronavirus death, America has become a country of uncertainty. New cases of infection and casualties continue multiplying. New York and Louisiana hospitals are grappling with a flood of patients that threatens to overwhelm their health-care systems
Stephen Dyer of Innovation Ohio is a former legislator and is currently the most astute analyst of the legislature’s efforts to undermine public education. In this post , he describes the legislature’s current approach to vouchers. He writes: Yesterday, Ohio’s legislature passed their COVID-19 emergency package. And while there were some much needed and positive things in it (no standardized test
The concurrence of primary voting for the 2020 voting and the onset of a global pandemic caused many to worry about whether the pandemic would disrupt not only primaries but the November elections. One answer seems to be to ramp up balloting by mail. Veteran journalist Stephen Rosenfeld warns that absentee and mail-in balloting is rife with problems. Why nationwide voting by mail isn’t a silver b
The Rotterdam Symphony Orchestra performed Beethoven’s exhilarating “Ode to Joy,” a tribute to theh7man spirit, as each musician was isolated in his or her home. The Toronto Symphony Orchestra responded by performing Aaron Copeland’s “Appalachian Spring” in their homes. The website SlippedDisc posted both and invites viewers to vote. Bottom line: creative artists are learning to collaborate while
Several days ago, I was interviewed by Dr. Randy Tobler of radio station KFTK in St. Louis about SLAYING GOLIATH, which is pro-public school and anti-privatization. When the interview was scheduled by my publisher, I wasn’t familiar with the station or the host. As I waited a few minutes for the show to start, I heard an advertisement for Rush Limbaugh, whose syndicated talk show would air later
In this editorial, Harold Meyerson plumbs the depths of meanness in the Senate’s majority party. It would be better for the unemployed if more of them were quarantined and unable to vote: ON TAP Today from the American Prospect MARCH 26, 2020 Meyerson on TAP The Senate’s OTHER Vote Last Night—Along Party Lines. As every news-following American knows, the Senate voted unanimously last night to pas
Michael Matsuda is Superintendent of the Anaheim Union High School District in California. He served on the board of the Network for Public Education. Important Message Sent on Behalf of Superintendent Matsuda Fifty years from now, when our students are old, when they have children and grandchildren of their own, they will look back and say, “Do you remember what happened?” I picture them pensive
The Rotterdam Symphony Orchestra members are confined to their homes. But music cannot be denied. Here they are playing the closing section of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the stirring “Ode to Joy,” each of them in his or her own home. If this stirring rendition doesn’t move you, check your pulse.
Jennifer Senior has been one of my favorite writers for many years. Her columns are always incisive and intelligent. She is now an opinion writer for the New York Times. In this column, she expresses the extreme frustration I feel whenever I watch Trump speak to the press, surrounded always by people chosen for their obeisance and loyalty. She writes about a recent press conference. A friend who
John Richard Schrock was a professor of science education at a Emporia State University for many years. He also taught in middle and high schools, as well as in Hong Kong. He frequently writes about education issues. Screen Reading and Online Coursework Inferior The forced closure of classrooms and shift to online learning from home has revived the hopes of big Ed-Tech companies that they can reg
Randi Weingarten proposes an alternative to end of the year tests. This is such a good idea that Congress should consider making it a replacement for annual standardized tests, which are inherently an assertion that teachers can’t be trusted to judge their students’ progress. Furthermore, Randi’s idea of testing what students know and can do will inspire student thoughtfulness and creativity, whi
George Packer writes in The Atlantic about Trump’s success in destroying the institutions and norms of the federal government and bending them to his will. It is a brilliant and disturbing article. Trump calls the apolitical civil service “the deep state.” He is determined to destroy it and replace it with loyalists and lackies. This article echoes the themes of Michael Lewis’s The Fifth Risk , a
Washington State has experienced a long history of turmoil over charter schools. It has held four state referenda over whether they should be allowed in the state. They are opposed by school boards, teachers’ unions, PTAs, and civil rights groups. Bill Gates and his billionaire clique really wanted the state to have charter schools. So in 2012, they amassed a war chest and outspent the parents, t
In this recent article, Jeff Bryant examines Florida’s shameful response to the pandemic. As usual, legislators and Governor DeSanris took advantage of the crisis to add another voucher program, which will drain another $200 million from public schools to support for woefully inadequate voucher schools. He writes: “The COVID-19 crisis reveals the true intentions of people,” Kathleen Oropeza told
When their performance was canceled due to the pandemic, the Chamber Singers at Chino Hills High School in California found another way to perform. Watch this beautiful performance of “Over the Rainbow.” This video was widely reposted and went viral. Creativity! Hope! Persistence! Resilience!
NPE Action is pleased to endorse Joyce Elliott for U.S. House District 2 in Arkansas. Joyce is an outstanding state senator and she will be an outstanding Member of Congress, representing the people of Little Rock and nearby areas. She is running against a Trumpian Republican, who is outspending her by enormous margins. Joyce plans a grassroots campaign to overcome the big money against her. This
Please watch as this mother prays for relief from her new role as a homeschooling mom. She laments: “Ah, Lord, the spirit of Common Core has taken over my house…”
Politico Morning Education reported yesterday that the coronavirus legislation in Congress has been delayed because Republicans and Democrats disagree about including college student debt relief. Of course, other issues between the parties have stymied an agreement, especially the $500 billion economic recovery fund that would be administered by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin. Republicans want him to
The following appeared today in Garrison Keillor’s free daily “Writer’s Almanac”: It was on this day in 1775 that the lawyer Patrick Henry spoke at the Second Virginia Convention in Richmond, a meeting of American colonial leaders that included George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The four-day assembly turned into a fierce debate about whether or not to raise a militia and arm Virginia in the
Jan Resseger writes here about gridlock in the Ohio State Senate. The Senate is supposed to review its dramatic expansion of the state voucher program by April 1, but action has been stalled by the coronavirus crisis. Based on faulty data, the state is over-identifying good public schools as “failing” in order to divert public funds to religious schools. Why don’t public education advocates organ
The Los Angeles Times published a disturbing article about the problems and obstacles that students and teachers are encountering as online learning becomes the new normal. For many children, instruction is inaccessible. The gaps between the haves and have-nots are glaring. “ Misti Kemmer, a fourth-grade teacher at Russell Elementary School in South Los Angeles, is working hard to keep her studen
Mercedes Schneider posts a letter from Louisiana’s teacher of the year, Chris Dier, to the class of 2020, which is unlikely to have a senior prom or graduation ceremony. The teacher is a personal friend of Mercedes’. This letter from a teacher to his students is very moving. It begins like this: Dear High School Senior, On Friday afternoon a few seniors came into my classroom after the last bell
Kevin Kumashiro , leader of a Deans for Justice and Equity, has written an appeal addressed to Educators and Scholars of Color. It invites their endorsement of a statement opposing failed “reforms” that have stigmatized and harmed children of color and other vulnerable students. Please share this statement with your friends and colleagues. Invite them to sign to demonstrate that they do not belie
This is one of the best articles I have ever read in Education Week . It is not an opinion piece. It is a news article by veteran journalist Stephen Sawchuk. He begins: This was the week that American schools across the country closed their doors. It was the week that our public schools—often dismissed as mediocre, inequitable, or bureaucratic—showed just how much they mean to American society by
For Immediate Release March 22, 2020 Contact: Oriana Korin 202-374-6103 okorin@aft.org http://www.aft.org American Federation of Teachers Endorses Joe Biden for President WASHINGTON—The American Federation of Teachers’ executive council voted today to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic primary as the party’s nominee for president in 2020p. The union represents 1.7 mill
On page one of the New York Times: “Used to Meeting Challenges With Bluster and Force, Trump Confronts a Crisis Unlike Any Before,” by Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman: “Mr. Trump is no stranger to crisis. He has spent a lifetime grappling with bankruptcy, fending off creditors, evading tax collectors, defending lawsuits, deflecting regulators, spinning reporters and dueling with estranged wives,
I received this notice from two trusted allies. From: Maggie Hart Date: Fri, Mar 20, 2020 at 3:23 PM Subject: Threat to ALL Special Education by COVID-19 Hi Everyone: I’m sorry to be bothering you with something work related but Senator Alexander has attached an amendment to the next proposed relief package that includes a full and complete waiver of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Ac
Arthur Camins writes about the importance of voting Democratic in November. He says he supports Senator Sanders but recognizes that he is unlikely to win the nomination, given the double-digit losses sustained by his personal choice. The stakes are high, he writes, and he’s prepared to support former Vice President Joe Biden. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2020/3/19/1929172/-A-Time-to-Every-Purpo
Take five minutes and watch this excellent video about the startling advance of privatization, not only in schools, but in the military, in prisons, and in other sectors that used to be public. The video was made by Lawrence Baines, who wrote a short and excellent book with the same title as the video. You will consider this five minutes well spent. Send it to your friends. It is an well-made bri
A veteran school nurse offers advice to parents to help them while they are schooling their children at home. A huge google Doc with parent resources from RelentlessSchoolNurse, link at bottom of page: The Relentless School Nurse: Dear Parents, A Message From Your School Nurse The Relentless School Nurse: COVID-19 Survival Guide for Parents and Kids Who Are Home Related FB group: https://www.face
The main reason that the U.S. was unprepared to respond promptly to the coronavirus was that Trump repeatedly told the public that it was not a problem, that it would disappear spontaneously, and that it was under control. None of this was true. Even now, almost half of Republicans do not believe that the virus is a genuine public health problem. Now, we are learning that there are real life-and-
I was recently contacted by a journalist who asked me if there was any precedent for the current school closings in response to a health crisis. My first impulse was to say “no,” based on my knowledge of history, but I started
