CURMUDGUCATION: Should Tax Dollars Pay For This Discrimination

CURMUDGUCATION: Should Tax Dollars Pay For This Discrimination

Should Tax Dollars Pay For This Discrimination

From Kentucky comes the story of a fifteen-year old student expelled for wearing a rainbow t-shirt. Seriously.

Kayla Kenney used to be a student at Whitefield Academy, where the mission is "to serve Christian families by providing a Christ-centered, Biblically-based education marked by academic excellence and spiritual vitality." Part of their vision is "to produce powerful and effective student leaders." The name, incidentally, is from George Whitefield, an 18th century preacher credited with helping to found Methodism and evangelism-- so not a subtle whiteness thing, just a subtle "refusing to be dragged into the 21st Century" thing.

The school's language suggests that this is part of an ongoing issue with Kenney, because, I guess, she often wears rainbows? Who knows. It doesn't really matter; Whitefield is a private school and they can eject any student they wish for any reason they wish. This story is spreading rapidly, but I'm not sure there's much to see here.

Except.

Except that this is Kentucky, where the fans of school choice have been pushing oh-so-hard for charters and vouchers in all their various forms. Like this old op-ed in which the head of EdChoice Kentucy tries to argue that scholarship tax credits don't cost the taxpayers a cent because they CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: Should Tax Dollars Pay For This Discrimination

Does Your School Affirm Institutional Racism During Black History Month? - Philly's 7th Ward #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #BlackLivesMatter

Does Your School Affirm Institutional Racism During Black History Month? - Philly's 7th Ward

DOES YOUR SCHOOL AFFIRM INSTITUTIONAL RACISM DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH?

Have you ever sat in a staff meeting where the tension was so thick you can cut it with a knife, where you were not sure if a comment would spark an all-out race riot amongst teachers?  

Well, three years ago I sat in that type of meeting, where Black, White, Latino and Asian staff had to have a face to face discussion about Black Culture, White privilege, cultural appropriation and what it really means to celebrate Black History Month.

As we approach Black History Month, this is a discussion I believe all schools with predominately Black students should be willing to have, no matter how uncomfortable people are with talking about race.

The “history” behind Black History Month

Black History Month initially started off as Negro History week. The week was created by noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent black leaders in 1926.  The goal of the week was to educate students on the achievements and accomplishments of Black people in America. Eventually, the week evolved to a month-long celebration that not only focused on CONTINUE READING: Does Your School Affirm Institutional Racism During Black History Month? - Philly's 7th Ward

Amazon.com: The History of Institutional Racism in U.S. Public Schools (9781942146728): Susan DuFresne: Books - https://www.amazon.com/History-Institutional-Racism-Public-Schools/dp/1942146728

Big Education Ape: PUT YOUR COMMUNITY ON THE 2020 BLACK LIVES MATTER AT SCHOOL MAP! – Black Lives Matter At School #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #BlackLivesMatter - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/01/put-your-community-on-2020-black-lives.html

RCSD supporters fight for more aid; teachers union wants more district oversight by state | WXXI News

RCSD supporters fight for more aid; teachers union wants more district oversight by state | WXXI News

RCSD supporters fight for more aid; teachers union wants more district oversight by state

Three busloads of people headed from Rochester to Albany on Tuesday to demand an increase in education funding.

Listen

Listening...

1:40

Three bus loads of people headed from Rochester to Albany Tuesday to demand an increase in education funding… WXXI’s James Brown has the story…

Rochester City School student Maya Adams led a chant,“Whose money! Our Money! Our Schools! Our Schools!” from the well of the state Capitol. She’s part of a group including students, teachers, and Rochester residents hoping to prevent further layoffs in the district. The district laid off about 100 teachers mid-year because of an estimated $65 million budget shortfall.

Randi Weingarten, President of the American Association of Teachers, spoke at the rally and said it’s the state’s duty to help.

“We need to make sure that a place like Rochester is not abandoned,” said Weingarten. “If the market abandons it, the public good must come in to save it for the families that want to live there and want to thrive there.”

School officials including Superintendent Terry Dade and Board of Education Commissioners Natalie Sheppard, Ricardo Adams and Amy Maloy were also at the Capitol, meeting with lawmakers, and the state education department in hopes of closing the gap. To do that, Dade said more cuts and at least $20 million in state aid CONTINUE READING: RCSD supporters fight for more aid; teachers union wants more district oversight by state | WXXI News

Maurice Cunningham: Why the Waltons Fund the “National Parents Union” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Maurice Cunningham: Why the Waltons Fund the “National Parents Union” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Maurice Cunningham: Why the Waltons Fund the “National Parents Union”

Maurice Cunningham is a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts who specializes in shining a bright light on Dark Money, the money insidiously inserted into political campaigns under false pretenses, where the donors try to hide their identity. In the instance described below, the identities of the donors are mostly known, so technically it is not Dark Money, but the purposes of the donors are hidden. The Waltons are part of the hard rightwing. They  oppose higher taxes, unions, or anything that might diminish their fortune of $150 billion. They advocate for vouchers and charters, never public schools. They employ one million low-wage workers. They have launched lawsuits to lower the property taxes of their Walmarts, which reduce state and local funding for public services. Their entry into Democratic politics is intended to boost conservative candidates who support their preference for low taxes on the richest. It’s actually a brilliant strategy, like DFER: the billionaires already own the Republican Party and benefit from its tax cuts and deregulation, time to use their money to gain influence in the Democratic Party too.

Cunningham writes:

Waltons Dive into Democratic Primaries Behind National Parents United

The Walton family, heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune, are trying to deal themselves in CONTINUE READING: Maurice Cunningham: Why the Waltons Fund the “National Parents Union” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Andre Perry: Education financing has to change for education to be the 'great equalizer' #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #BlackLivesMatter

Education financing has to change for education to be the 'great equalizer'

Education can be the great equalizer, but it isn’t yet
A level playing field for children will only come about if we pay for it

When it comes to education spending, middle-income Americans typically don’t put their money where their mouth is. How often do we hear politicians and parents wax poetic about education being the great equalizer? Yet they do nothing about lopsided budgets that favor wealthier districts. It’s impossible for education to be an equalizer if budgets don’t meet every kid’s needs.

In a noble attempt to level the education playing field, in October a Maryland state panel, known as the Kirwan Commission, voted to recommend a new funding formula that calls for spending to increase by $4 billion per year by 2030. About a third of that increase, $1.2 billion, would come from local municipalities, with the state picking up the remaining $2.8 billion per year — 37 percent more than it currently spends. The increases would be phased in over the course of this decade. How to pay for this plan, which would certainly benefit low-income districts, will ultimately be determined by lawmakers during the 2020 legislative session.

There are many states that have passed new laws that mitigate large funding disparities between rich and poor districts, but, if fully funded, Maryland would become “the first in the country to prioritize equitable distribution of funds among school systems,” according to reporting from the radio station WAMU 88.5 FM.

The Kerwin Commission’s vote is a rare victory in the ongoing battle to disrupt an education financing system most of us accept as status quo. It’s a long time coming. There have been other efforts to create more equitable funding formulas, but resistance from local districts has largely resulted in small incremental changes that take years to kick in. Change at the state level could happen more quickly, if local school CONTINUE READING: Education financing has to change for education to be the 'great equalizer'

Big Education Ape: PUT YOUR COMMUNITY ON THE 2020 BLACK LIVES MATTER AT SCHOOL MAP! – Black Lives Matter At School #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #BlackLivesMatter - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/01/put-your-community-on-2020-black-lives.html

NYC Public School Parents: Our "Talk out of School" Podcast about suing the College Board and NY State Education funding

NYC Public School Parents: "Talk out of School" Ourtomorrow about suing the College Board and NY State Education funding

Our "Talk out of School" Podcast about suing the College Board and NY State Education funding

Join us tomorrow Wed. Jan. 14 at 10 AM on WBAI 99.5 or wbai.org when I interview Cassie Creswell of IL Families for Public Schools and attorney Scott Drury about the federal class action lawsuit vs. the College Board for selling student data.  

Then we will also speak to NY State Senator Robert Jackson about the Legislature’s battle over state education funding and charter schools.

NYC Public School Parents: "Talk out of School" Ourtomorrow about suing the College Board and NY State Education funding

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos: Remote Work Bad, Remote School Good

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos: Remote Work Bad, Remote School Good

DeVos: Remote Work Bad, Remote School Good

Betsy DeVos has long been a fan of cyber-schooling. Her husband was an investor in K-12, the cyber-charter behemoth, way back at beginning of the millennium (we can start saying that now, right?) Back when she was still running the American Federation for Children, she had this to say

Families want and deserve access to all educational options, including charter schools, private schools and virtual schools. States are well ahead of Congress on this and their efforts should be encouraged and supported. Twenty-three states plus DC have 48 publicly funded private school choice programs; 43 states have charter school laws; and virtual schools are growing across the country. Greater innovation and choice will contribute to better K-12 educational outcomes for our children.

AFC often spoke out in favor of cyber charters, and DeVos has continued to advocate as Secretary, even as the dismal results rolled in.

DeVos has been an unwavering supporter of remote schooling. But her support for remote work stops CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos: Remote Work Bad, Remote School Good

Charter Schools: All the Ways They Are Not In the Public Interest | janresseger

Charter Schools: All the Ways They Are Not In the Public Interest | janresseger

Charter Schools: All the Ways They Are Not In the Public Interest

Donald Cohen is the executive director of In the Public Interest. In a powerful statement about his organization’s mission for 2020, Cohen proclaims:

“So much is under attack: public education, water, transit, public parks, public health, libraries, the postal service, air traffic control, and much more.  Where there’s money to be made, there are corporations positioning to take over… What worries us most is when private interests get too much control and influence over fundamental democratic decisions and our ability to provide public goods… We often hear that government is needed when markets fail. We disagree. There are market things and public things. They’re different things, like apples and oranges.  Here’s what we mean by ‘public’ (or, what’s in the public interest):

• The things we can only do if we do them together…
• The things we all benefit from regardless of whether we use the specific service or asset…
• The things that protect and support us all…
• The things that make us a better, fairer, more compassionate, and more democratic nation.

“We are pro-government because it is the only institution capable of ensuring that public things remain public.”

During the past quarter century, charter schools have come to threaten the public interest as Cohen defines it.  While their sponsors call them “public charter schools,” they are public only in the funding stream of public tax dollars. Their boards are private, and the management CONTINUE READING: Charter Schools: All the Ways They Are Not In the Public Interest | janresseger

The Tennessee ASD: Booted or Re-Booted? | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

The Tennessee ASD: Booted or Re-Booted? | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

The Tennessee ASD: Booted or Re-Booted?

Since 2011 I have been following the biggest, and most predictable, disasters of the education reform movement — the Tennessee Achievement School District (ASD).  It was formed in a perfect storm of reform theory.  First, Tennessee won Race To The Top money.  Then they hired a TFA-alum and the ex-husband of Michelle Rhee, Kevin Huffman to be their state commissioner.  Then he hired TFA-alum and charter school founder Chris Barbic to design and run the ASD.  The initial promise of the ASD was that they would take schools in the bottom 5% and convert them into charter schools in order to ‘catapult’ them into the top 25% in five years.  They started with 6 schools in 2012 and grew to over 30 schools within a few years.

They completely failed at this mission.  Chris Barbic resigned, Kevin Huffman resigned, Barbic’s replacement resigned, Barbic’s replacement’s replacement resigned.  Of the 30 schools they nearly all stayed in the bottom 5% except a few that catapulted into the bottom 10%.

The new education commissioner of Tennessee is also a TFA alum with ideas similar to Huffman.  She promised, however, to get a handle on the ASD and what to do about its CONTINUE READING: The Tennessee ASD: Booted or Re-Booted? | Gary Rubinstein's Blog

CARL J. PETERSEN: LAUSD Candidate Profile: Patricia Castellanos

LAUSD Candidate Profile: Patricia Castellanos

LAUSD Candidate Profile: Patricia Castellanos

We need more parent and community involvement with [the] LAUSD. It is an essential ingredient in creating an enriching learning environment for our students.”– Patricia Castellanos

Currently, not one of the LAUSD School Board members has a child enrolled in a district school. As the parent of a first-grader who attends an LAUSD school, Patricia Castellanos would change that omission and “ensure that parents are represented in the top decision-making that impacts our children’s lives.” She says that her status as a district parent sets her apart from the other candidates since it gives her the ability to “understand many of the hopes and concerns shared by parents across the District.”

Castellanos is a long-time community leader who was included on billmoyers.com’s 2013 list of Activists to Watch. She was formerly a deputy director at the LA Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) and was a co-founder of  Reclaim Our Schools L.A. (ROSLA). These were CONTINUE READING: LAUSD Candidate Profile: Patricia Castellanos

NYC Public School Parents: Our class size lawsuit argued in the Appellate Court yesterday!

NYC Public School Parents: Our class size lawsuit argued in the Appellate Court yesterday!

Our class size lawsuit argued in the Appellate Court yesterday!

Yesterday, the class size lawsuit against the city and the state that we filed more than a year ago, along with nine NYC parents from every borough and the Alliance for Quality Education, was heard in the Appellate court in Albany.

Our pro bono attorney, Wendy Lecker of the Education Law Center, did a fabulous job, those of us in the courtroom agreed, which included two of the parent plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Litza Stark of Queens and Johanna Garcia of Manhattan, along with Johanna’s daughter Hailey, back from her first semester in college. NY Senator Robert Jackson, who spearheaded the Campaign for Fiscal Equity case, was also there to support us, as well as retired teacher Norm Scott.

A panel of five judges listened intently as Wendy related how the NYC Department of Education had violated the state Contracts for Excellence law passed in 2007, which specifically mandates that the city lower average class sizes in all grades over five years – but instead, class sizes had sharply increased so that they are now far larger than they were when the law was first passed.  In response, the attorneys for the city and state tried to argue that since the five years outlined in the original law had lapsed, there was no longer any requirement for the DOE to lower class size.

Yet as Wendy pointed out,  the state legislature renews and reauthorizes the C4E law every year, including its class size mandate, with no specific end point for when the city’s CONTINUE READING: NYC Public School Parents: Our class size lawsuit argued in the Appellate Court yesterday!

Few Conversations About Race and Identity Are Happening at Home or in the Classroom

Few Conversations About Race and Identity Are Happening at Home or in the Classroom

Few Conversations About Race and Identity Are Happening at Home. Can Educators Help?

Since 1969, the Sesame Workshop, creators of “Sesame Street,” has made concerted efforts through its programming to create a positive sense of self by celebrating differences and exploring social identities like race, gender, religion, social class, and more to help grow smarter, stronger, and kinder kids. However, based on the findings from a major national study by Sesame Workshop and NORC at the University of Chicago, parents today are not having frequent conversations around key social identities with their children.

NEA Today spoke with Rosemarie Truglio, senior vice president of curriculum and content at Sesame Workshop and Derrick Gay, a former classroom teacher, an expert on issues of diversity, inclusion, and global citizenship, and a research advisor for the “Identity Matters” study, to learn how educators and parents can work together to have these important conversations.

The study reveals that parents are comfortable talking about identity, but don’t do it—particularly parents who come from dominant groups (white, Christian, straight, middle class, highly educated). Why aren’t they talking about it?

Derrick Gay: There are a number of reasons. First is a lack of awareness. If someone belongs to a dominant group, they just may be unaware that individuals CONTINUE READING: Few Conversations About Race and Identity Are Happening at Home or in the Classroom