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Showing posts with label HERO OF PUBLIC EDUCATION. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HERO OF PUBLIC EDUCATION. Show all posts

Friday, March 19, 2021

Teacher Tom: EdHeroes: What if Education Focused on the Needs of Children and Families?

Teacher Tom: EdHeroes: What if Education Focused on the Needs of Children and Families?
EdHeroes: What if Education Focused on the Needs of Children and Families?




I was recently honored to be asked to shoot a short video for the Rybakov Foundation's 2021 EdHeroes conference. Their mission is to support families around the world by providing them access to quality education that is align first and foremost with the interests of families. 

I can think of no better way to transform our educational ecosystem than to focus on the needs of children and families. We all want our children to grow up to be competent citizens who can create, love, and choose. Without that, the rest is meaningless.

Anyone who knows me, is aware than I find it difficult to keep my remarks (on pretty much any topic) to the 15-20 minute range. I decided to tell my own story of growing from parent to educator. (For the full-sized version of the video, click here.)


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Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Thoughts on the Legacy of Karen Jennings Lewis - LA Progressive

Thoughts on the Legacy of Karen Jennings Lewis - LA Progressive
Thoughts on the Legacy of Karen Jennings Lewis




When I think of Karen Jennings Lewis, I not only think of someone who led the most important teacher’s strike in modern US history, but someone who did more to undermine the Obama Administration’s attacks on teachers unions and public schools than any other person in the country.

By going head to head with Rahm Emmanuel, Obama’s first chief of staff before he became Mayor of Chicago, and Obama Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who stood behind Emmanuel one hundred percent, Karen Lewis, a beloved chemistry teacher as well as union leader, challenged the “civil rights rationale” for school privatization head on.

Karen Lewis, a beloved chemistry teacher as well as union leader, challenged the “civil rights rationale” for school privatization head on.

For those who don’t remember, the Obama administration, almost immediately after the President’s inauguration, launched a broad-based attack on public education with three key components:

  • promotion of the Common Core Standards and universal testing
  • the implementation of “test based accountability: for teachers, schools and entire school districts; and
  • preferential funding for charter schools over public schools.

These measures were promoted with the argument that public schools had failed students of color CONTINUE READING: Thoughts on the Legacy of Karen Jennings Lewis - LA Progressive

Sunday, November 22, 2020

We Need Pro-Public Education Leadership in the Department of Education

We Need Pro-Public Education Leadership in the Department of Education
We Need Pro-Public Education Leadership in the Department of Education




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Let's make sure that Joe Biden chooses a public education advocate for the next Secretary of Education. We need a leader who rejects corporate reforms, high-stakes testing and school privatization. It is time to rebuild our public schools. Send your letter to the Biden team today. Use our letter or create your own.



Big Education Ape: President-Elect Biden: Keep Your Promises! | Diane Ravitch's blog - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/11/president-elect-biden-keep-your.html



Monday, July 6, 2020

Bonnie Lesley: We Have Lost a Champion for Children in Texas | Diane Ravitch's blog

Bonnie Lesley: We Have Lost a Champion for Children in Texas | Diane Ravitch's blog

Bonnie Lesley
We Have Lost a Champion for Children in Texas



It is with great sadness that I inform you that our dear friend Bonnie Lesley, leader of Texas Kids Can’t Wait, died of pneumonia.
She was a champion for children, and we will miss her friendship and her guidance. She was beloved by everyone who had the good fortune to know her.
Her son Bruce posted this notice today on Facebook:
Our family is devastated and heartbroken that my mother, Bonnie Lesley, who has loved, inspired, and impacted the lives of so many, has passed away this morning from complications related to pneumonia in Waco, Texas.
Our family is immensely grateful for all the love, support, prayers, and best wishes her various communities have provided to her, us, and to each other through this terribly difficult time.

My mother loved you all (“y’all” from our Texas friends). Her boundless love for family, students, colleagues, neighbors, and those dedicated to improving the lives of others is so apparent in the outpouring support she received in return.
Although not normally one who liked people reading to her, she loved to hear each and every post that I read to her via texts, email, Facebook, and Caring Bridge. She was so pleased to hear the kind words she got from people all over this country. It give her some much needed peace and happiness through this crisis.
We are going to have a graveside burial service for her in Her hometown of Hedley, Texas, this coming Friday. More information on this is forthcoming as arrangements are finalized. In lieu of flowers, we would ask that people consider donating to the The Network for Public Education Action, Planned Parenthood, or the Alzheimer’s Association.
Recognizing this will be very difficult if not impossible for people to attend, we are planning an on-line “Celebration of Bonnie’s Life” in the coming weeks. We will let people know when and how to participate in the near future.
Thanks again to all of you for your love, kindness, and support of my mother and our Thanks again to all of you for your love, kindness, and support of my mother and our family.
-Bruce Lesley
I share this quote (slightly modified) that my Mom loves from Gabriela Mistral:
“Many things we need can wait. The child cannot. Now is the time his or her bones are formed, his or her mind developed. To them, we cannot say tomorrow, their name is today.” Bonnie Lesley: We Have Lost a Champion for Children in Texas | Diane Ravitch's blog