Education Law Center: Minnesota Considers Constitutional Amendment That Threatens Student RightsImagine a state that adopts a state constitutional amendment that ties student rights to an education to their test scores. Would anyone be so dumb as to imagine that the test scores of students of different races would change because of a constitutional amendment? Remember that Minnesota was the first state to pass a charter law, promising to close the academic gaps. That was in 1992. Thirty yea
Texas: The Consequences of Funding Two Separate School SystemsWilliam Gumbert has been reviewing the rapid expansion of charter schools in Texas with concern. In previous posts, he has demonstrated that they are likely to underperform the public schools with which they compete. And, worse, they take funding away from the districts in which they are located. Texas is now being flooded by corporate charter chains, replacing community-based public schools. His
Arizona: CEOs Criticize Voucher ExpansionJim Swanson and John Graham, both CEOs in Arizona, wrote a stern warning against the legislature’s proposed voucher expansion, which would make almost all students in the state eligible for public funding to spend in a private or religious school. One of the authors is on the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools. Arizona is a state that likes low taxes; it does not fund its public schools adeq
Arizona: Legislature Passes Huge Voucher Expansion, Despite Will of VotersTwo years ago, the voters of Arizona overwhelmingly rejected an expansion of vouchers, by 65% to 35%. The pro-voucher side was funded by Charles Koch, Betsy DeVos, and other enemies of public schools. The voters said a resounding NO to voucher expansion! Yet, this week the Arizona Legislature passed legislation to expand vouchers, approving what the voters rejected. Apparently, the word “democrac
FBI Arrest UCLA Student Who Participated in Trump Riot at Capitol, Sat in Pence’s ChairThe Los Angeles Times reported on the latest FBI arrest of one of the domestic terrorists who participated in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol: A UCLA student who posted white supremacist views online and founded an ultra-right campus organization has been charged with federal crimes for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection. The student, Christian Secor, was captured on vi
Republicans Falsely Blame Wind Power for State’s Deep FreezeGovernor Greg Abbott of Texas and a bevy of rightwing commentators blamed wind turbines, which supply 10% of the state’s energy, and “the Green New Deal, which doesn’t exist, for the failure of the state’s power supply. He learned “the Big Lie” from his hero Trump. As millions of people across Texas struggled to stay warm Tuesday amid massive cold-weather power outages, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) direc
John Thompson: Immigrant Children in Oklahoma Tell Their storiesJohn Thompson, retired teacher and historian in Oklahoma, reviews a book of memories written by immigrant children about their ordeals. We will long suffer the embarrassment of Trump’s cruel immigration policy, but the children will never forget. Thompson writes: Where the Rainbow Ends: Project VOICE Visions of Inclusion, Culture, and Empathy , edited by Jamie Hinds and Savanna Payne, is the late
Indiana: Three Former State Chiefs Join to Denounce Voucher Expansion PlanThree former state superintendents of education in Indiana wrote a joint letter opposing the Republican plan to expand vouchers. Jennifer McCormick, Glenda Ritz and Suellen Reed Goddard released a letter criticizing the proposals for diverting funding away from traditional public school students. House Bill 1005 seeks to expand the eligibility of who can receive a school voucher and would create
Indiana: Expanding Vouchers Hurts Public SchoolsThe Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette demonstrated what an absurdity the Indiana voucher program is and why it should not be expanded. Research increasingly shows the negative effects of vouchers on students (see here and here ). Its editorial explained: Fort Wayne has a parks system, supported primarily by property taxes. Most residents appreciate the parks, whether they use them or not, recognizing th
West Virginia: Legislators Advancing Charters and VouchersWest Virginia was the first site of the Red for Ed teachers’ movement. The teachers of the state captured national attention for their statewide strike. Their strike included a number of issues, not only salaries and health care, but also charter schools. Teachers correctly saw them as a means of diverting funding from public schools. They wanted well-resourced public schools. But given the GOP d
Peter Greene: The Great Big Money-Making Edu-OctopusHow did this happen? Public schools in many districts and states are underfunded, unable to meet the mandates imposed by state and federal government, yet business is booming for the edupreneurs! Peter Greene scratches the surface of the exploding education industry , where the big companies swallow the little companies, and it is difficult to identify which conglomerate is in charge. Who is buyi
Jan Resseger: Trust The Teacher to Tell You How Your Child Is Doing, Not Big DataLike everyone else, Jan Resseger has seen the repeated pleas for Big Data to measure “learning loss.” She knowscth
Florida Editorial: Republicans Have Betrayed the NationThe Sun-Sentinel in South Florida wrote a scathing editorial about the Senate Republicans who failed to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection that endangered the lives of members of Congress as they fulfilled their Constitutional duty to certify the winner of the election. It begins: The Republican Party was on trial along with Donald Trump. Both now stand convicted, if not by the Senate, the
Steve Chapman: Trump and His Allies Have Damaged Our DemocracySteve Chapman is a member of the editorial board of The Chicago Tribune. He wrote here what I was thinking. Trump did profound damage to our democracy, and a majority of Republicans endorsed his vicious attack on our Capitol and on democracy itself. He spent months complaining that the
