Steve Suitts: The Supreme Court is Reversing the Landmark Brown Decision | Diane Ravitch's blog

Steve Suitts: The Supreme Court is Reversing the Landmark Brown Decision | Diane Ravitch's blog

Steve Suitts: The Supreme Court is Reversing the Landmark Brown Decision

Steve Suitts is a civil rights lawyer who has worked for the Southern Education Foundation for many years. His recent book Overturning Brown documents the segregationist history of the school choice movement.

He wrote recently that the Espinoza decision, which awards public money to religious schools, is another step in the Supreme Court’s reversal of the Brown decision.

In a case decided on the grounds of religious freedom, the US Supreme Court took another big step on June 30 in supporting religious discrimination in publicly financed schooling and, more broadly, in overturning Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 landmark opinion that promised the end of racial segregation in public education.

The Court ruled in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue that the US Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom prohibits a state from excluding religious schools when it finances attendance in private schools. There should be no misunderstanding about what this case means in regard to religion: states are now free to finance private schools that discriminate against students on the basis of students’ religions.

As troubling as that holding is, the opinion also CONTINUE READING: Steve Suitts: The Supreme Court is Reversing the Landmark Brown Decision | Diane Ravitch's blog

FaceBook: Fount of all Wisdom, Wellspring of Stupid | Teacher in a strange land

FaceBook: Fount of all Wisdom, Wellspring of Stupid | Teacher in a strange land

FaceBook: Fount of all Wisdom, Wellspring of Stupid

I know all the things that are wrong with Facebook, all the reasons why now might be the perfect time to Just. Step. Away. Several friends have virtue-signaled their unwillingness to play nice with a man who sells them (and their data) out and closed down their accounts. Many more have taken extended breaks, keeping a toe in (and, I suspect, checking surreptitiously on the regular). Others have shifted exclusively to Twitter or some other, more hip social media site.

But—like that last cigarette or glass of Pinot Grigio, Facebook is addictive. It—and, from slightly different angles, other social media sites—act as the town square, in 2020. During the pandemic, when choosing which information to believe and act on is a matter, quite literally, of life versus death, Facebook is where a lot of people get their news.

And I’m going to say something surprising: that’s not all bad.

Frequently bad, sometimes ruinous, sure—but also (somewhat randomly) useful.

It’s where dialogue is generated. Notice I didn’t say high-level discourse—but I have learned things from reading Facebook. This is mostly because I don’t accept or keep Facebook friends who can’t carry on a conversation.

I am genuinely interested in what people think. Facebook is where I’ve learned that a CONTINUE READING: FaceBook: Fount of all Wisdom, Wellspring of Stupid | Teacher in a strange land

Latino Families Not Equipped for Distance Learning - LA Progressive

Latino Families Not Equipped for Distance Learning - LA Progressive

Latino Families Not Equipped for Distance Learning

The spike in COVID-19 cases across the country is forcing many school districts to reconsider plans to return to in-person instruction. The announcement this week that Los Angeles and San Diego Unified School districts would continue with distance learning may trigger a wave of other large districts to do the same. As the realization that home-schooling will be the norm for many families, we draw from the Abriendo Puertas/Latino Decisions National Parent Survey to discuss some of the challenges Latino families are going to face in the fall if significant steps are not taken to invest in their capacity to support their children’s education.

Although having some time to prepare for distance learning may help improve families’ experience, the survey makes clear that Latino households are apprehensive about the prospect of distance learning.

Latino families gained experience with home-schooling as schools across the country shut down in-person education in March. Although having some time to prepare for distance learning may help improve families’ experience, the survey makes clear that Latino households are apprehensive about the prospect of distance learning. This is reflected in 83% of survey respondents being concerned that their children’s school may either have to start in the fall with home schooling or go to that model at some point during the academic year. An identical percentage are concerned that their children are not learning enough from on-line schooling, and will fall behind educationally.

For many Latino parents, their unfamiliarity with the subject matter and assignments being taught plays a significant barrier in providing their children with the academic support they need. For example, 65% of Latino families report that it is difficult to help their kids with on-line schooling because they are not familiar with the class subjects and assignments. This is even higher for respondents who live in rural areas of the country (76%) and those with less than a CONTINUE READING: Latino Families Not Equipped for Distance Learning - LA Progressive

Congratulations to Desmon Redmond, Schott's Proud #PublicSchoolGrad Scholarship Winner | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Congratulations to Desmon Redmond, Schott's Proud #PublicSchoolGrad Scholarship Winner | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Congratulations to Desmon Redmond, Schott's Proud #PublicSchoolGrad Scholarship Winner

Local public schools and their educators have produced America’s most brilliant artists, scientists, doctors, musicians, lawyers, presidents, and more — people from all walks of life, contributing to society in countless ways.

Given the incredible challenges and obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we're especially proud of the Class of 2020 graduates and the dedicated educators and support staff who helped millions of students successfully complete the school year.

Out of hundreds of entrants in Schott's Proud #PublicSchoolGrad scholarship contest, we're proud to announce that Desmon Redmond is the winner!

Desmon is a 2020 graduate of Murrah High School in Jackson, Mississippi and plans to attend Hinds Community College. Desmon says he was inspired by the commitment of his educators throughout high school:

"Every one of my teachers has always pushed me to strive for greatness, because they knew what I was capable of. There have been times when I thought I wouldn’t be successful in my future career, but they always kept me focused and never let me get off track from what I envision for my future."

We were impressed by all the students who entered and wish them the best in their college careers. We look forward to Desmon building a brighter future for himself and his community!

Help us congratulate Desmon on social media:

   

Learn more about our #PublicSchoolGrad campaign >

Congratulations to Desmon Redmond, Schott's Proud #PublicSchoolGrad Scholarship Winner | Schott Foundation for Public Education

'Reckless, callous, cruel': teachers' chief denounces Trump plan to reopen schools | US news | The Guardian

'Reckless, callous, cruel': teachers' chief denounces Trump plan to reopen schools | US news | The Guardian

'Reckless, callous, cruel': teachers' chief denounces Trump plan to reopen schools
‘Angry’ AFT president Randi Weingarten tells Guardian proposal from Trump and Betsy DeVos could result in teaching exodus

Plans put forward by Donald Trump and his education secretary to reopen America’s schools in the fall are “reckless” and could result in many teachers leaving the profession, the president of one of the country’s biggest teaching unions has warned.

The new school year is just weeks away in the “sun belt”, the region which stretches from southern California to Florida, as coronavirus spreads like wildfire. But the Trump administration has pushed ahead with calls for schools across the country to reopen fully, despite widespread safety concerns.

Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, told the Guardian she watched Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, with disbelief that turned to anger when she appeared on TV this week to call on schools to be “fully operational” this fall.

“It’s as if Trump and DeVos want to create chaos and want to jeopardize reopening,” Weingarten said in an interview. “There’s no other reason why they would be this reckless, this callous, this cruel.

”Florida is setting new infection and death records almost daily. California is returning to lockdown, with bars, restaurants and even offices shuttered. Texas and Arizona are requesting refrigerator trucks as cases increase and morgues are expected to fill to capacity.

The Trump administration has made school reopenings one of its main CONTINUE READING: 'Reckless, callous, cruel': teachers' chief denounces Trump plan to reopen schools | US news | The Guardian

Trump's Push to Reopen Schools Is Scaring Teachers, Says AFT Union President on Cheddar

Trump's Push to Reopen Schools Is Scaring Teachers, Says AFT Union President on Cheddar

Trump's Push to Reopen Schools Is Scaring Teachers, Says AFT Union President

President Donald Trump's insistence that all K-12 schools reopen in the fall has caused a backlash among parents and teachers, according to Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the second largest teacher's union in the country. 

Between the middle and the end of June, the union polled its membership and found that 76 percent supported reopening if certain measures were put in place first. Those included ensuring the rate of infection was as low as possible, making sure testing and tracing systems were in place, and allocating extra resources to schools to help protect students and teachers. 

While the recent surge of cases across the country had shifted expectations for where and how schools could reopen, Weingarten told Cheddar, many teachers still wanted to move ahead because of the crucial social and educational role that schools hold in students' lives.

Now Trump is pushing back against those measures, calling the CDC's guidelines for reopening "very tough & expensive" in a tweet and CONTINUE READING: Trump's Push to Reopen Schools Is Scaring Teachers, Says AFT Union President on Cheddar

NYC Educator: Teachers Fear for Their Lives

NYC Educator: Teachers Fear for Their Lives

Teachers Fear for Their Lives

You can't really blame us. I saw my doctor the other day, and she told me if she didn't have to come in, she wouldn't. Of course there's not really a substitute for medical care. She does teletherapy too, but you can't give blood over Skype. Not many teachers ask their students to give blood at all, as far as I know.

Of course, this feeling isn't limited to teachers or doctors. Most people I know value their lives. My little dog jumps when he hears loud noises, when he senses danger. He doesn't want to get hurt. Every time I turn on the TV I see Joe Namath telling me to stay safe and buy into privatized Medicare.

I get a lot of email from teachers, rightfully concerned with survival. I'd say that makes them pretty good role models. There's really nothing we want more for our children than that they grow up without being killed. It's our job to set an example even in something so basic and fundamental as that.

Teenagers are at a very stressful time in their lives. They're learning who they are and how they relate to other people. They're figuring out what they're good at and where they fit in. Call me madcap, but it doesn't really seem the best idea to set them up with teachers constantly on the verge of panic attacka.

Now don't tell that to Mayor de Blasio. He wants to open the schools in the worst way, and from everything I've seen, that's exactly what he's going to do. I just read an article on Chalkbeat about what school openings would look like. Now I'm a little more critical of Chalkbeat than other publications, because they take money from opponents of public education and give us every nuance of the many sides of Moskowitz. CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: Teachers Fear for Their Lives

School Districts Need Budget Relief as School Starts Amid Pandemic: U.S. Senate Must Pass HEROES Act | janresseger

School Districts Need Budget Relief as School Starts Amid Pademic: U.S. Senate Must Pass HEROES Act | janresseger

School Districts Need Budget Relief as School Starts Amid Pandemic: U.S. Senate Must Pass HEROES Act

Here we are in mid-July.  Facing enormous challenges, school district leaders are trying to figure out how they can safely provide school this fall. Here are the two biggest questions:

• How can schools be reopened safely as COVID-19 is now raging across many states and local hot spots?
• What funds—in the midst of recessionary state budget shortfalls—will be available to plan for staffing levels, programming, and safety precautions during the pandemic?

While the news this past week has been filled with reports about school districts’ reopening plans (here and here.), next week the U.S. Senate will return from recess and begin to debate the HEROES Act, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on May 15.

The proposals on the table involve confusing estimates of the massive dollars involved and the debate has become highly politicized. However, there is no question that school districts are going to need more money. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities explains: “State and local tax revenues have crashed in recent months due to massive layoffs, business shutdowns, and social distancing measures to fight the virus… We estimate that state budget shortfalls will total about $555 billion over fiscal years 2020-2022, a sharper drop than even the worst years of the Great Recession of a decade ago—not including the added costs to fight COVID-19… In the Great Recession, states relied disproportionately on budget cuts to close their shortfalls, and they’ll almost certainly follow a similar path without more federal aid.  State and local governments are already starting to cut services and furlough or lay off teachers… and other public workers.”

Chalkbeat’s Kalyn Belsha reports on several reasons the CARES Act, an early relief bill passed by Congress in March, is inadequate to the current education funding crisis. She reports that Sarah Abernathy, the deputy executive director of the Committee for Education Funding calls the CARES Act a mere ‘down payment’ which barely begins to cover funding necessities.” CONTINUE READING: School Districts Need Budget Relief as School Starts Amid Pademic: U.S. Senate Must Pass HEROES Act | janresseger

Pasi Sahlberg: Shanker Blog: Five Things Not To Do When Schools Re-open | National Education Policy Center

Shanker Blog: Five Things Not To Do When Schools Re-open | National Education Policy Center

Shanker Blog: Five Things Not To Do When Schools Re-open

This post is part of our series entitled Teaching and Learning During a Pandemic, in which we invite guest authors to reflect on the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic for teaching and learning. Our guest today is Pasi Sahlberg, Professor of Education Policy at the Gonski Institute at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Other posts in the series are compiled here.

So much has been said already about teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic that it is hard to say something new. More focus on social and emotional learning, student and teacher wellbeing, authentic assessments, distance learning with technology, relationships in schools and recess during school days. Fewer high-stakes standardized tests, less unproductive consequential accountability, more direct instruction in school, and less rote textbook learning. All these ideas were presented already before this crisis, but people see that the time is right to transform schools after the pandemic is gone. 

Rather than add more to the already exhaustive list of ideas for schools post-pandemic, I want to suggest five things that we should not do when schools re-open. These five things are collected from my numerous conversations and debates during the past few months about the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for schools, teachers, students and parents. My basic assumption is that schools change slowly, even when pressured by external shocks like the pandemic. I think that the underlying emotion in this devastating turmoil, which by now has affected healthcare, education, economic systems, and the daily lives of billions of people, is fear. 

Many are afraid losing their health, the lives of loved ones, their jobs, their dreams, and their CONTINUE READING: Shanker Blog: Five Things Not To Do When Schools Re-open | National Education Policy Center

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: Lenny Curry's reckless behavior is going to cost lives (draft)

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: Lenny Curry's reckless behavior is going to cost lives (draft)

Lenny Curry's reckless behavior is going to cost lives (draft)

I said to the district official, well, several south Florida districts have ignored the state's order and said they are starting school on-line why couldn't we? They said the cities those districts are in have rolled back to phase 1, and we are in phase 2, which gives them the cover to do so.  This is the thing mayor Curry would have to roll us back into phase 1, but I can't see that happening because he has chosen party politics over people's lives.

I have to say I was shocked when Curry declared a mandatory though toothless mask in public order, but at the same time, I was pretty sure it would be lifted a day or two before the Republican Party's national convention.

Against all reason, Curry went after the convention, which at the time would have brought tens of thousands of people to our town during a pandemic. I say at its height because things have changed.

From the Hill,

Republicans announced Thursday they will scale back the Republican National Convention in August as coronavirus cases rise in Florida, where President Trump is expected to deliver a speech accepting his party's nomination for reelection.

Ronna Romney McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), informed members CONTINUE READING: Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: Lenny Curry's reckless behavior is going to cost lives (draft)

Safety First | JD2718

Safety First | JD2718

Safety First

That’s the message! We hear it a lot. I’ve written it. Mulgrew’s said it. It’s a sentiment many of us share. But me saying it or Mulgrew writing it or you thinking it – none of that makes it true.

Me writing “Safety First!”, shouting “Safety First!”, repeating “Safety First! Safety First! Safety First!” doesn’t make it true.

I have been saying it a lot. I started mid-June, when the DoE first revealed their plan-that-was-not-really-a-plan. I didn’t direct it at the DoE, I directed it, “Safety First!” at the union president, who rah-rah’ed a response to the DoE, leaving safety an afterthought. Here’s the DoE June 8 draft non-plan. And here’s Mulgrew’s very weak response of June 11 (preceded by my suggestion to his communication people, how to write for Mulgrew in the future. Safety First!). After that he put out a better e-mail, and he was quite good in the June 17 Delegate Assembly and at the June 18 Virtual Town Hall.

“Safety First!” only counts if you say it when it counts. I  have a “right on!” “Safety first” message from Mulgrew on July 2, before the DoE released its latest non-safety-oriented non-plan.

School buildings should only reopen in the fall — even on a limited basis — if the safety of students, staff and families is assured.

Rah-rah! Our union president has it right! But, um, not so fast. Fast forward six days. The DoE’s actual CONTINUE READING: Safety First | JD2718

Yahoo/YouGov Poll: A Quick View of Results Related to Mask Wearing and to K12 Education | deutsch29

Yahoo/YouGov Poll: A Quick View of Results Related to Mask Wearing and to K12 Education | deutsch29

Yahoo/YouGov Poll: A Quick View of Results Related to Mask Wearing and to K12 Education

On July 16, 2020, Yahoo News and YouGov released results of this 159-page poll, conducted on a variety of issues of immediate public concern, including coronavirus, the economy, the direction of the country. Some backgroud on the survey, as reported by Yahoo News:

The Yahoo News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,504 U.S. adult residents interviewed online between July 11 and 14, 2020. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race and education, as well as 2016 presidential vote, registration status, geographic region and news interest. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S residents. The margin of error is approximately 3.2 percent.

Note that a margin of error of 3.2 percent means that the true value of a given finding for the entire population, based on this sample of 1,504 respondents, is likely “give or take 3.2 percent.” (With error larger for items with fewer than 1,504 respondents, though such increased error is not reported.)

Given the extent ot the survey, I have decided to offer overall survey responses for questions focused in two areas: Mask wearing and the return to K12 school during the pandemic.

Space limitations preclude my including response breakdowns according to gender, age, race, political party affiliation, 2020 presidential candidate vote intention (Biden or Trump), residency geography (city, suburb, town, rural), and income. In order to examine such breakdowns of responses, open the survey responses to the page number(s) of interest (which I provide below for each item) to view details.

And now, for the Yahoo News/ YouGov poll overall findings related to mask wearing and K12 education during coronavirus. Item wording and response choices are as they appear in the survey findings report. (Note that there may be some rounding error to percentage totals for  given item and that not all respondents have apparently answered all questions.)

• The U.S. is now reporting about 60,000 new coronavirus cases per day, more than ever before. What is the main reason for this? (1,475 respondents) CONTINUE READING: 
Yahoo/YouGov Poll: A Quick View of Results Related to Mask Wearing and to K12 Education | deutsch29

CURMUDGUCATION: FL: The Broad Outlines of the PPP Cash-in

CURMUDGUCATION: FL: The Broad Outlines of the PPP Cash-in

FL: The Broad Outlines of the PPP Cash-in

So it turns out that all you have to do to get some charter and voucher schools to admit they're businesses is just wave some sweet, sweet business-purposed money at them. We've heard the individual stories from here and there about this, but a friend of the Curmudgucation Institute sent along an astonishing piece of data crunching.

I don't have a handy way to attach a spreadsheet to this post, but you can do the work yourself if you want to head to the Small Business Administration site then start looking up other info for your state. I'm going to give you the big sweeping picture here. Just how many schools edu-flavored businesses had their hands out in Florida?

Charters

There are around 658 charter schools operating in Florida. At least 102 signed up for a PPP small business loan. Loans are okayed for a range of monies; the highest top amount a charter was okayed for is $5 million. River City Academy, Doral Academy, Youth Co-op Inc, Discovery Education Services, and Odyssey Charter School Inc were at the top for these biggest loans (minimum is $2 million).

Private 

Almost 400 private schools declared themselves small businesses. Of those, about 140 were just private schools, with the rest actually private religious schools (if they didn't call themselves CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: FL: The Broad Outlines of the PPP Cash-in

A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

A VERY BUSY DAY

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

The latest news and resources in education since 2007

The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons Is On July 30th – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources

25by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

sammisreachers / Pixabay The United Nations has declared July 30th to be The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. You might be interested in The Best Resources For Learning About Human Trafficking Today .

Friday’s “Must Read” Articles On School Reopening In The Fall

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

mohamed_hassan / Pixabay Fall reopening plans continue to heavily in the news. Here are a few articles that I think are worth reading by educators. I’m adding them to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL : ‘A challenge we can meet’: Sacramento-area teachers react to plans for an online fall is from the Sacramento Bee. There Are Literally No Good Options for Educating

A Look Back: Could This Be A Good Template For Just About Any Professional Development Session?

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

I thought that new – and veteran – readers might find it interesting if I began sharing my best posts from the first half of this year. You can see the entire collection of best posts from the past thirteen years here . TeroVesalainen / Pixabay We’re doing a series of professional development sessions (about three hours each) for all of our teachers on teaching English Language Learners. Because

“A Superintendent Explains Why Having to Decide About Fall Reopening Is the ‘Absolute Worst'”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

A Superintendent Explains Why Having to Decide About Fall Reopening Is the ‘Absolute Worst’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. District school Superintendent PJ Caposey shares the challenges and questions he is grappling with as he plans for a school year during the pandemic. Here are some excerpts:

“WindowSwap” Is A Great Site For English Language Learners

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

Free-Photos / Pixabay WindowSwap lets you look out windows from homes all around the world. It would be easy to open up to browser tabs and have students use the photos to create a Venn Diagram and then some compare/contrast paragraphs. In fact, that’s what I had my Newcomers class do in the spring when we were doing remote learning. The difference was I had them take photos of what they saw outs

Most Popular Posts Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 15h

I’m making a change in the content of the regular feature. In addition to sharing the top five posts that have received the most “hits” in the preceding seven days (though they may have originally been published on an earlier date), I will also include the top five posts that have actually appeared in the past week. Often, these are different posts. You might also be interested in IT’S THE THIRTE

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

BiljaST / Pixabay Six years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART ONE and THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2019 – PART TWO. A

This Week’s Resources To Support Teachers Coping With School Closures

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Wokandapix / Pixabay I have a number of regular weekly features (see HERE IS A LIST (WITH LINKS) OF ALL MY REGULAR WEEKLY FEATURES ). This is a relatively new addition to that list. Some of these resources will be added to The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Online (If We Have To Because Of The Coronavirus) – Please Make More Suggestions ! and the best will go to The “Best Of The Best” Resources To

Classroom Instruction Resources Of The Week

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. Of course, this is a crazy time for “classroom” instruction…. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES ON INSTRUCTION IN 2020 – PART ONE. Here are this week’s picks: How formative assessment boosts metacognition—and learning is from Teach Lea

SEL Weekly Update

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

I’ve recently begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists. You might also be interested in THE BEST SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES OF 2020 – PART ONE. Finally, check out “Best” Lists Of The Week: Social Emotional Learning Resources . Here are this week’s picks: The Collaborative for Acad

Statistic Of The Day: More Money Is Coming For Schools, But Will It Have Reopening Conditions?

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

The Washington Post article, Trump administration, congressional Republicans eye tying school aid to reopening in next funding bill , describes Republican plans to provide money to K-12 schools in the next stimulus bill. Education groups have asked for $175 billion, while it appears the 

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007