NEW JERSEY MUST REJECT EDUCATION SECRETARY DEVOS’ ADVICE TO GIVE EMERGENCY COVID-19 FUNDS EVEN TO WEALTHY PRIVATE SCHOOLS Education Law Center is urging New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to firmly reject a non-binding directive from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to set aside federal emergency relief funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act for all private
Eric (Chaz) Chasanoff died of COVID-19 at the age of 69. He was a greatly admired high school teacher and blogger. He started his blog “Chaz’s School Daze” in 2006 in response to the oppressive policies of the Bloomberg-Klein regime. He was an inspiration to other teachers and bloggers, including me. The UFT honored him as a teacher and a fearless activist. This was his assessment of the legacy o
Sweden has tried a radically different approach to the coronavirus. It didn’t close down its economy, life went on as usual, with people still going to bars and restaurants but encouraged to practice social distancing, which some people honor and others don’t. The theory was that the people of Sweden would develop “herd immunity” and escape the ravages of the disease. But now the chief epidemiolo
Lisa Haver, a retired teacher and current activist in Philadelphia, wonders why state and city leaders are so fearful of democracy. When state control of the public schools ended—capping a two-decade era of defunding and additional privatization of public assets—it was replaced by mayoral control. She argues that Philadelphia needs an elected school board. We vote for our leaders in every electio
The New York Times has an interesting story today about the varied approaches to reopening schools in Europe . The common threads are testing, smaller classes, and social distancing. NEUSTRELITZ, Germany — It was Lea Hammermeister’s first day back at school after almost two months at home and she was already preparing for a test. Not a math or physics test. A coronavirus test — one she would admi
The University of California is suspending the SAT as a requirement for admission until at least 2024. This is a major blow to the College Board, which owns and administers the SAT. In a major decision that could lead to a shake-up of the nation’s standardized testing landscape, University of California President Janet Napolitano is recommending the suspension of the SAT and ACT tests as an admis
Andrew Cuomo has a longstanding dislike for teachers and public schools. He made his disdain clear when he failed to appoint any current New York City educators to his “reimagine education” task force. Why should he listen to teachers and principals when he can call Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Eric Schmidt and other billionaires and CEOs to decide what schools should look like when they reopen
Laura Chapman reports on budget cuts to schools in Ohio, which hurt public schools but protect charters and vouchers. She writes: Bad news from Ohio again. Not quite Lord of the Flies (fiction or non-fiction truth) This week, Governor DeWine is proposing $355 million in K-12 education cuts with $300 million coming out of foundation aid to local school districts from the current state budget that
Broadway is dark. But the music lives on. This is the great song,“ You Will Be Found,” from Dear Evan Hansen. It’s sung by a huge virtual choir of young people. Enjoy!
Sign up and join Randi and me when we discuss reopening schools. When: Wednesday, May 13 at 8 pm EST Our ZOOM conversation is sponsored by the Network for Public Education. Listen in and prepare to ask questions.
William Golding’s novel about a group of adolescent boys who are stranded and create their own society has been a staple of English classes for many years. It is a cautionary tale about the brutality that lies within the human heart. Dutch historian Rutger Bregman was fascinated by the story but unpersuaded by its thesis. In this article in The Guardian, he describes his search for a counter-narr
Tom Ultican spent many years in Silicon Valley. Then he switched careers and became a teacher of advanced mathematics and physics. He frequently taught AP courses. He recently retired. He explains in this article why he turned into a critic of AP classes. He engaged in a dialogue with Jay Mathews, the veteran education journalist at the Washington Post. Mathews creates a method for ranking high s
The Syracuse, New York, journal has sound advice for Andrew Cuomo : Remote Learning is a stopgap. Parents and students want real teachers and real schools. Stop musing about “reimagining” education. Your musings are unsound. Listen to parents and teachers. Let the Board of Regents and the New York State Education Fepartnent do their job. The editorial begins: Parents, teachers and students had ba
An expose in the New York Post revealed leaked emails in which the de Blasio administration promised to stall release of an investigation of substandard Yeshivas in exchange for Orthodox Jewish support of mayoral
