North Carolina: Segregation and Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

North Carolina: Segregation and Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

North Carolina: Segregation and Charter Schools

The National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, recently released a major study of segregation and charter schools by Dr. Helen Ladd and Muvzana Turaeva of Duke University.

Dr. Samuel Abrams introduced it here.

The issue of school choice and segregation has been central to education policy debates for decades. In his initial argument for vouchers, published in 1955, Milton Friedman conceded that segregationists stood to employ vouchers to enroll their children in all-white private schools instead of public schools mandated to integrate a year earlier by Brown v. Board of Education. But to Friedman, the answer was not regulation but moral suasion. Friedman’s opinion was rendered technically moot in 1976 by Runyon v. McCrary, which barred private schools from making admissions decisions based on race, yet it nevertheless indicated a fundamental problem with systems of school choice.

With the introduction of charter schools in the early 1990s, commentators raised concerns about school location, inadequate transportation, contracts mandating significant parental involvement, and shared parental proclivities as implicit mechanisms or pathways to CONTINUE READING: North Carolina: Segregation and Charter Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

When Blackface is Worn in Schools - Philly's 7th Ward

When Blackface is Worn in Schools - Philly's 7th Ward

WHEN BLACKFACE IS WORN IN SCHOOLS

I know a few Black male teachers, however I know more Black male principals and vice principals. It’s not that more Black educators choose to be administrators over teachers per se. Rather it’s because Black male teachers are often streamlined from the classroom to the principal’s office. That’s because district officials often recognize the positive impact Black male teachers have on students in the classroom and hope their impact can translate on an administrative level.

I know from personal experience.

I was approached by my district’s leader with an opportunity to serve in vice principal-like role during end of my 3rd year in the classroom. In just my second year in the classroom, I won teacher of the year. During my 3rd year teaching, my work with the English department contributed to higher than average test scores for our junior class. In addition to all of that, I had the respect of my students and my non-hater colleagues.

I was on the radar of district leadership. So it was no surprise that at the end of my 3rd year teaching, I was approached by my district’s leader with an opportunity to serve in vice principal-like role starting the next year. I took the position.

The next year, I was excited about the opportunity to work with teachers on CONTINUE READING: When Blackface is Worn in Schools - Philly's 7th Ward

Parents Who've Lost Jobs Struggle To Manage Their Own Stress — And Their Kids' : Shots - Health News : NPR

Parents Who've Lost Jobs Struggle To Manage Their Own Stress — And Their Kids' : Shots - Health News : NPR

Juggling Financial Stress And Caregiving, Parents Are 'Very Not OK' In The Pandemic

Back in early spring, Khristan Yates worked as a quality assurance analyst at a marketing company and loved her job. "I had one of the best jobs of my career," recalls Yates, 31, a resident of Chicago.

Yates, who's a mother of two children, had moved into a bigger apartment just before the pandemic hit because she wanted to give her kids more space. At the time, she felt like she was "at the top of her world."

But as the economic effects of the pandemic hit the marketing industry among others, she lost her job in May.

Yates is among the 60% of households with children across the country that have lost jobs, or businesses, or have had wages reduced during the pandemic, according to a poll released Wednesday by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The poll also found 74% of households with children that made less than $100,000 report facing serious financial problems.

"We're seeing skyrocketing rates of job losses and food insecurity and stress," says Anna Johnson, a developmental psychologist at Georgetown University. "I think it will be very hard for these families who've lost income and jobs to get back to where they CONTINUE READING: Parents Who've Lost Jobs Struggle To Manage Their Own Stress — And Their Kids' : Shots - Health News : NPR

Grassroots Education Network- September 2020 Newsletter - Network For Public Education

Grassroots Education Network- September 2020 Newsletter - Network For Public Education

Grassroots Education Network- September 2020 Newsletter

The NPE Grassroots Education Network is a network of 155 grassroots organizations nationwide who 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 go here to sign on. 

If you have any questions about the NPE Grassroots Education Network please contact Marla Kilfoyle, NPE Grassroots Education Network Liaison at marlakilfoyle@networkforpubliceducation.org

Notes from Marla

As schools across the country reopen, in many forms, organizations in the NPE Grassroots Education Network are mobilizing for children, their public schools, and their communities.  From helping to spread information about internet access, to laptop pickup, and mask distribution, many organizations not only continue to fight the battle to save public education but also to support communities in times of need.  I hope that as you read this newsletter, you will pick up ideas for your community, connect with organizations in your state to help out, or share information with anyone who can help or needs help. As always, I am humbled to work with all of you and appreciate the work you continue to do.   

National Organizing

The Network for Public Education continues to host Conversations with Diane. This month Diane’s guest was author and adjunct at the Institute for Liberal Arts of Emory University, Steve Suitts. Diane and Steve had a conversation about Steve’s new book, Overturning Brown: The Segregationist Legacy of the Modern School Choice Movement. Go here for the archive of this informative conversation. Diane also had an amazing conversation with University of South Carolina professor, Derek Black. They spoke about Derek’s new book, Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy. To view the archived video go here. Defending the Early Years released their latest report this month.  Re-Thinking School Readiness: Knowledge Goals vs. Intellectual Goals and Short-Term vs. Long-Term Outcomes is written by Marcy Guddemi, PhD, MBA National Consultant,  and DEY Treasurer. DEY’s Dr. Denisha Jones also published a powerful report, The Impact of COVID on Young Children, Families, and Teachers, that is a must read. In the Public Interest released several stories this month about charter schools.  Go here for all the latest reporting by ITPI! The Journey for Justice Alliance podcast On The Ground, hosted by Jitu Brown, airs every Monday at 6 PM CST. J4J remembered Johnnie Lattner late last month with this tribute to his amazing life. J4J National Director Jitu Brown led a rally to protest the closing of Mercy Hospital. Fairtest publishes a newsletter each week about the misuses and flaws of standardized testing. They are a valuable resource and clearinghouse for everything testing and test reform. Fairtest has published a list of test-optional universities and colleges.  Head over to their open Facebook page for updates and their weekly newsletter. Rethinking Schools announced the launch of a new book this month Anti-Racist Teaching During the Pandemic: Lessons from The New Teacher Book. The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy published a Top 10 Back-To-School Student Privacy Tips and Resources for Parents this month. Parents for Public Schools launched a very powerful International Literacy Day campaign this month.  To see their campaign go here.  Parents Across America provides position papers and key documents on their website.  It is a great list to keep handy for advocacy work in your area. The Schott Foundation highlighted the COVID-19 and Mass Protests: Lessons Learned and Future Directions on their website this month.  Go here to view this informative virtual convening.  CONTINUE READING: Grassroots Education Network- September 2020 Newsletter - Network For Public Education

Ed Notes Online: Speculation on Weingarten and Mulgrew futures - Part 1

Ed Notes Online: Speculation on Weingarten and Mulgrew futures - Part 1

Speculation on Weingarten and Mulgrew futures - Part 1

Norm here - Sept. 30, 2020 

The next UFT election is looming in spring 2002 and Mulgrew is reaching new levels of unpopularity due to the often tepid UFT response on opening
schools. especially with the CSA coming off as more militant than the UFT. The standard opposition voices have been very active. And in addition there is growing skepticism within the UFT rank and file and even in Unity Caucus about Mulgrew's leadership. (My sources tell me that some in Unity wanted to strike). And then there is a history of the three most recent UFT leaders going back to 1974 becoming AFT president. And with massive budget cuts to come once schools reopen - probably by next year - [See Arthur report - UFT Executive Board September 29, 2020--Staffing is a Disaster and the Budget Looks Even Worse] all balls are in the air.

With speculation growing about Randi's future, Mulgrew's future must enter into the picture. In this 3 part series I will speculate about the possibility Mulgrew may very well not be the Unity Caucus UFT presidential candidate in the 2022 election, depending on just how bad the conditions in the schools get and how relatively weak Mulgrew looks.



Recent articles, from the left (Jacobin) and from the right (Mike Antonucci/Intercepts), addressed another upcoming election, for AFL-CIO president if Richard Trumpka retires - or is pushed. How would Randi's leaving the AFT affect the UFT and Mulgrew? I'll address that issue in more detail in Part 2 or 3.

What does Randi really want?

In 2016 there were rumors Randi would be Hillary's Secty of Education and now there are rumors she would be up for the same CONTINUE READING: Ed Notes Online: Speculation on Weingarten and Mulgrew futures - Part 1

Derek Black’s Fine New Book Explores the History of America’s Idea of Public Education — Part 2 | janresseger

Derek Black’s Fine New Book Explores the History of America’s Idea of Public Education — Part 2 | janresseger

Derek Black’s Fine New Book Explores the History of America’s Idea of Public Education — Part 2

On Monday, this blog examined Derek Black’s important new book, Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy. Black, a professor of constitutional law at the University of South Carolina, threads together the history of an idea first articulated in the Northwest Ordinances of 1785 and 1787, threatened again and again throughout our nation’s history, but persistently revived: that our system of public schools, where all children are welcome and where their fundamental right to education is protected by law, is the one institution most essential for preserving our democratic society.

Monday’s post explored  Black’s history of that idea which has animated our society’s durable support for public education for more than 200 years. Today’s post will examine challenges in today’s ideological and political climate which Black believes threaten the very idea of public schooling. His book is a history of the constitutional protection of public schools—federally throughout our nation’s history and over time embedded in every one of the state constitutions. Can these laws and the principles they articulate protect public schools today?  Black explains:

“The question today is whether constitutions are enough, whether courts can… protect and save that right for the rest of us. Might it be, as it has always been, that constitutions are just ideas, the force of which ultimately depends on how deeply they penetrate our cultural psyches and how faithfully we pass those ideas along? How strong is the commitment to the right to education and a system of public schools for all in the public’s mind today? There are now forces afoot, like there were during Reconstruction and the civil rights movement, aiming to overwhelm public education.” (Schoolhouse Burning, p. 224)

“Education reformers,” Black writes, “do not state their agenda as an attack on public education or students’ rights. Their pitch is gentler. They say public schools already have CONTINUE READING: Derek Black’s Fine New Book Explores the History of America’s Idea of Public Education — Part 2 | janresseger

CURMUDGUCATION: Dear Joe Biden:

CURMUDGUCATION: Dear Joe Biden:

Dear Joe Biden:

If someone has a pipeline to the campaign, please feel to send this along.

Dear VP Biden:

I know that this evening, you have your hands full with the Great Orange Loon in Cleveland. But you've got an education flavored fundraiser tomorrow night, and we really need to talk.

Here's the event:

It might have been of interest to educators, except, of course, the price of admission is, well-- a "champion" ponies up $5,600, and on the bottom end, an "attendee" pays $100. I mean, I was sorely tempted, but as a retired teacher with two toddlers at home, I don't have $100 to spend on something that will probably horrify me anyway.

Because here's the thing.

I really cannot state strongly enough how much actual working classroom teachers don't really like or trust Arne Duncan. Truthfully, they mostly don't know John King all that well--unless they're from New York, in which case they still have a bitter taste in their mouths from his disastrous tenure there.

I'm sure your campaign has a lovely working relationship with union leaders. But the rank and file, the teachers in the trenches, the people who represent millions of actual votes-- they are not so CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: Dear Joe Biden:

LET’S SEE WHAT CREDO HAS TO SAY – Dad Gone Wild

LET’S SEE WHAT CREDO HAS TO SAY – Dad Gone Wild

LET’S SEE WHAT CREDO HAS TO SAY

“Long experience has taught me this about the status of mankind with regard to matters requiring thought: the less people know and understand about them, the more positively they attempt to argue concerning them, while on the other hand to know and understand a multitude of things renders men cautious in passing judgment upon anything new.”― Galileo Galilei

One of my more pleasant discoveries since I began writing this blog is the willingness of people in the education profession to share their knowledge. I know that should be self explanatory, after al,l most are teachers at heart, but stil,l people reach a certain stratosphere of success where it becomes easier to limit your engagements. Over the years I’ve been very priviledged to talk with and learn from some of the smartest people in the field. An access I certainly don’t take lightly.

Since last Thursday’s Chicken Little announcement by Commissioner Penny Schwinn that the state could see student proficency scores drop by 50% in ELA, and 65% in math, there have been a lot of questions about how those numbers were derived at. In a follow-up email sent to state superintendents by the commissioner last Friday, she cited a recently completed study by CREDO as the source of those predictions.

The Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) is housed at Standford University and has been doing extensive research in the field of public education for over two decades. Wether they have an intentional bent or not, over the years CREDO has become the go to source of data for those making the case of charter schools over public schools.

Founded by Margaret (Macke) Raymond and Eric Hanushek, both of whom had experience in the realm of political science but no classroom experience. Since inception their research has been cause for much public debate over education policy. Given her history, and his procolivity, it’s not surprising that Penny Schwinn and Governor Lee chose a CREDO study in which to fuel their individual agendas.

Despite Schwinn’s follow up email to state superintendents, there still remains a lot of questions CONTINUE READING: LET’S SEE WHAT CREDO HAS TO SAY – Dad Gone Wild

NANCY BAILEY: Learning Management Software: Necessary Tool, or Wasteful Cash Cow in the Time of Covid-19?

Learning Management Software: Necessary Tool, or Wasteful Cash Cow in the Time of Covid-19?

Learning Management Software: Necessary Tool, or Wasteful Cash Cow in the Time of Covid-19?

By Darren Victory

One thing is clear: Teaching in the age of COVID is no picnic. Teachers, students, and caregivers are struggling to navigate the ongoing crisis in ways that preserve their emotional and physical health. It all feels so chaotic, so disorganized, and at times so… impossible. No wonder wine sales have shot through the roof!

Organization and consistency are difficult to come by when you’re suddenly thrust into the unknown. When I hear from frustrated teachers and caregivers, I often picture a fish (I know, I know… stay with me), swimming upstream against the rapids, racing alongside millions of other fish in a frenetic fight to somehow forget everything it knows about the river in order to build a new home on the shore. Confusing. Terrifying. Overwhelming. But certainly not organized and consistent.

The answer? We need tools to keep us organized, right? We need tools to track student progress, communicate with caregivers, collect student work, etc. Wouldn’t it be nice if a company could offer a solution?

*cue trumpets* Enter the mighty Learning Management System (LMS for short, because education desperately needs more acronyms, initialisms, and other such CONTINUE READING: Learning Management Software: Necessary Tool, or Wasteful Cash Cow in the Time of Covid-19?

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY

 NewBlackMan (in Exile)

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY

The Tight Rope: Rakim – The Humility of Hip Hop's Greatest M.C.

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3h

'Legendary M.C. Rakim goes deep with The Tight Rope hosts Tricia Rose and Cornel West about the state of hip hop, the origins of his rhymes, and the roots of his pure imagination. Plus, the professors weigh a whistleblower's allegations about nonconsenting hysterectomies in a private ICE detention facility.'

The New Yorker Radio Hour: Keith Knight of 'Woke'

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3h

. Woke , a new comedy on Hulu, is inspired by the life of its creator, Keith Knight . The show, which blends reality and animated fantasy, follows Keef, a Black cartoonist who is on the cusp of mainstream success when an ugly incident with the police changes his life. Suddenly, Keef is learning about racism from a chatty trash can and other talking cartoon objects, and he experiences a belated po

A Black Nationalist Upbringing Fueled A Criminal Justice Reformer: Meet Dawn Blagrove

by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h

' Dawn Blagrove identified her life's work at an early age. As a young girl growing up in 1970s segregated Milwaukee, she read Sam Greenlee's novel The Spook Who Sat By The Door . It tells the story of a Black CIA operative who goes undercover within the system and takes what he learned back to his Chicago neighborhood to help young people start a revolution. The book was one of many Black nation

Coffee & Books with Marc Lamont Hill: Mychal Denzel Smith Breaks Down His Book; 'Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream'

by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h

'Coffee & Books host Marc Lamont Hill is in conversation with New York Times best selling author, Mychal Denzel Smith , dissecting his recent book; Stakes Is High: Life After the American Dream .'

Fragile Democracy: Race and Voting Rights in North Carolina

by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h

' James Leloudis , professor of history at UNC Chapel Hill, and Robert Korstad , professor of public policy at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy, join Dean Judith Kelley to discuss the implications of voter suppression on the upcoming election and the complicated legacy of voting rights in the state. Jim and Bob are co-authors of the recently released book Fragile Democracy: The Struggle O

Arundhati Roy on Freedom, Fascism & Fiction

by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h

'Author, activist, and novelist Arundhati Roy joins us from Delhi to discuss her new collection of essays, Azadi: Freedom. Fascism. Fiction . Roy is well known for her impassioned political writing, as well as her two novels, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness , and The God of Small Things , which won the Man Booker in 1997. She talks with us about the rise of Indian nationalism, Modi’s descent int

QZ Africa Editor Yinka Adegoke on the Current State of China-Africa Relations

by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h

' Yinka Adegoke , Africa editor of the online financial news site Quartz , is closely following the unfolding debt crisis in Africa and China's role in the situation. He joins Eric & Cobus from the Quartz newsroom in New York to discuss the financial crisis and how it's impacting the broader China-Africa relationship.' -- The China Africa Project The China Africa Project ·

What the Pandemic Has Meant for Division of Labor in the Home

by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h

'Despite men spending more time at home since March, domestic responsibilities are disproportionately falling on women, everything from doing the housework to teaching their children. In some cases, working women have had to reduce their working hours 4 to 5 times more than their male counterparts. For more on this unequal division of labor, The Takeaway spoke to Caitlyn Collins , assistant profe

Confronting Gentrification on 'Alice Street'

by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h

'A new documentary tells the story of how the creation and erasure of a local mural catalyzed an anti-gentrification coalition in Oakland, California. Director Spencer Wilkinson joins us to discuss the film, Alice Street, which is screened at the Urbanworld Film Festival .'-- All Of It

'Empathy Fatigue' Leads To More COVID Deaths

by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h

'Eight out of 10 American COVID-19 deaths have been among people older than 65; the rest of the dead are disproportionately Black. Olga Khazan , staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World , talks about how 'empathy fatigue,' the point in a mass 

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