Blue Serials (2/15/20) | Blue Cereal Education

Blue Serials (2/15/20) | Blue Cereal Education

Blue Serials (2/15/20)

This week’s Blue Serials largely features blogs and other online sources which have absolutely no need of a signal boost from me. Still, if they’re going to be so narcissistic as to create great content that’s not shared here FIRST, I should at least have the right to abscond it and use it for my own glorification. 

Plus, these are all, like… really good pieces. So there’s that.

Doug Robertson, aka “The Weird Teacher,” has been particularly shiny recently. If you’re not familiar with Robertson, he’s an elementary school teacher with blue hair, a motorcycle, and a love of the kind of music that used to frighten Congress in the 80s. He’s also the author of not one, but THREE of the best education-related books ever written – and I say that as a guy who’s not a big fan of many education books.

I’d already made a note to myself to talk about “One of Those Years” before I realized that, like Lay's potato chips, you can't read just one:

You can say, "It's been one of those years." And no one at work will question what you mean. Every single person gets it. Every single person at your school has had "one of those years."

Like, you don't often realize it right away. Maybe it was just a weird CONTINUE READING: Blue Serials (2/15/20) | Blue Cereal Education

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Hedge Funds Take Over Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Hedge Funds Take Over Sacramento Bee

Hedge Funds Take Over Sacramento Bee

Financial Engineers Ravage American Newspapers—McClatchy’s Turn. 

Friday’s news reports played the story as McClatchy filing for bankruptcy. But that’s not the deeper story. The venerable chain, publisher of The Sacramento Bee, Miami Herald, and 28 other papers, is doing a deal with a hedge fund, Chatham Asset Management, which also owns supermarket tabloids.

The first part of the complex deal entails putting McClatchy into bankruptcy, so that it can shed a lot of its debt, notably the costs of its $1.4 billion worker pension fund. That makes it a more attractive property for Chatham, which can then acquire McClatchy for a lower cost.

The takeover of American newspapers by financial engineers is now pervasive. The exceptions are The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and a few others, with either national franchises or ownership by arguably benign billionaires like Jeff Bezos of Amazon of the Post and Globe owner John Henry (who in his civic role as owner of the Boston Red Sox just traded Mookie Betts!). 

But for the rest, mainly regional papers, hedge funds CONTINUE READING: SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Hedge Funds Take Over Sacramento Bee

Don’t Fear Summer Lee. Fear the Devil’s Bargain Labor Leaders Are Willing to Make Opposing Her | gadflyonthewallblog

Don’t Fear Summer Lee. Fear the Devil’s Bargain Labor Leaders Are Willing to Make Opposing Her | gadflyonthewallblog

Don’t Fear Summer Lee. Fear the Devil’s Bargain Labor Leaders Are Willing to Make Opposing Her

Cancer or unemployment.

That’s the choice Pennsylvanians are being asked to make in 2020.

Do we allow hydraulic fracking to continue to destroy our environment and increase our risk of cancers and other debilitating illnesses?

Or do we clean things up and risk losing jobs?

Some labor leaders seem willing to chose the former on behalf of their constituencies.

That’s why the Pittsburgh-based Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council (PA AFL-CIO) voted to oppose the re-election of State Representative Summer Lee, the first black woman elected to the State House from the western part of the Commonwealth.

She chooses life.

And that might put some people out of work.

It’s a sad commentary on the state of the labor movement that union bosses are CONTINUE READING: Don’t Fear Summer Lee. Fear the Devil’s Bargain Labor Leaders Are Willing to Make Opposing Her | gadflyonthewallblog

Indiana: Two Virtual Charter Schools Steal More Than $68 Million from State | Diane Ravitch's blog

Indiana: Two Virtual Charter Schools Steal More Than $68 Million from State | Diane Ravitch's blog

Indiana: Two Virtual Charter Schools Steal More Than $68 Million from State

The biggest and worst charter scandals are perpetrated by virtual charter schools. Why do states tolerate their waste, fraud, and abuse?

The only online charters should be operated and supervised by public officials, not by grifters and entrepreneurs.

Indiana was just scammed of more than $68 million by two virtual charters. This was money that should have spent on children and in classrooms to reduce class sizes and pay teachers.

Why did the authorizer ignore the graft? Could it be that it was getting paid a commission for each student supposedly enrolled in these “schools”? Enough fraud to pay off almost everyone.

Early estimates of just how much money two online schools stole from the state of Indiana were wrong, according to a report filed Wednesday by the Indiana State Board of Accounts.

A special investigation into malfeasance by Indiana CONTINUE READING: Indiana: Two Virtual Charter Schools Steal More Than $68 Million from State | Diane Ravitch's blog

2020 Medley #5: The Education of American Children Living in Poverty | Live Long and Prosper

2020 Medley #5: The Education of American Children Living in Poverty | Live Long and Prosper

2020 Medley #5: The Education of American Children Living in Poverty

Poverty disrupts school achievement

In 1965 President Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act which established Title I, the section of the program that set aside funding for children in poverty. Title I is still part of the Federal Government’s response to poverty in American education, because, as a nation, we accept the fact that poverty has an impact on school achievement.

The United States needs to reduce child poverty. At around 20%, child poverty in the United States, one of the Earth’s wealthiest nations, is too high. Compared to other OECD nations, The United States ranks in the bottom third, well below the OECD average. How do countries like Finland, Sweden, France, and the United Kingdom achieve lower child poverty rates than the U.S.? Do they care more about their children than we do? Do they have more money than we do?

Those higher child poverty rates yield lower scores on international tests, which are then used by privatizers and “reformers” to wail about the United States’ “failing schools.”

But our schools are not failing. Our nation, which allows such high rates of child poverty, is failing…failing to provide equal opportunities to all our children. Our future is threatened by such conditions.

In his 2004 book, Setting the Record Straight, the late Gerald Bracey wrote,

What do I say when people say, “Poverty is no excuse. High-poverty schools CONTINUE READING: 2020 Medley #5: The Education of American Children Living in Poverty | Live Long and Prosper

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Tragedy Facing the Gaifuna People of Honduras- A Guest Post by Geraldo Sambola

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Tragedy Facing the Gaifuna People of Honduras- A Guest Post by Geraldo Sambola

The Tragedy Facing the Gaifuna People of Honduras- A Guest Post by Geraldo Sambola

As many Blacks in the U.S. face systemic violence and challenging policies threatening their livelihood, Blacks in Honduras, Central America also face distressing threats to their survival.  Last year 2019 Honduran Blacks also known as “Garifuna or Garinagu (plural),” faced unprecedented deaths from criminal acts.  Though many of their murders were associated with the cycle of violence in Honduras, some deaths were associated with Garifuna activist organizing and resisting seizure of their lands by outsiders.  

The largest Black population in Honduras are known as the Garinagu, a mixed Black and Amerindian group which established coastal towns along the Circum-Caribbean coast in Central America the late 1700s, there population concentration area.  Although Garinagu largest population is in Honduras they are also in Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua, and hold population segment in the U.S. specifically in New York with their highest concentration in the Bronx.  Due to their many contributions, including as soldiers in Honduras this Black population was recognized by their government in the 1821 Constitution.   Since the early 1900s till the present the Honduran businessmen, and government have collaborated with foreign businesses utilizing the Caribbean coastal areas, Garinagu region, to reap their economic development goals.  At first 1900s development initiatives were large scale banana plantation and railroad by U.S. based agro-industries, and 1970s cattle-ranching projects. This was followed by increase tourism development initiatives the 1990s.  At the turn of the century mineral extraction, hydroelectric plant projects and African palm growth and large-scale tourism continue challenging Garinagu subsistence. 

In the northeast Garifuna community of “Masca,” 25 miles from San Pedro Sula, several Garifuna community leaders lives have been threatened and CONTINUE READING: With A Brooklyn Accent: The Tragedy Facing the Gaifuna People of Honduras- A Guest Post by Geraldo Sambola

The Ultimate Troubling Question: Will you Campaign and Vote for Bloomberg against Trump? (Nose-holding permissable) | Ed In The Apple

The Ultimate Troubling Question: Will you Campaign and Vote for Bloomberg against Trump? (Nose-holding permissable) | Ed In The Apple

The Ultimate Troubling Question: Will you Campaign and Vote for Bloomberg against Trump? (Nose-holding permissable)

I was at a celebration of The City College (CCNY) at the Center for Jewish History, a packed auditorium, panels about the college from the 30’s to the 60’s, and, Sid Davidoff, one of the closest advisors to former mayor John Lindsay was one of the panelists. I started to talk with him and led off by saying we crossed path during the teacher strike in ’68; he turned away and rushed down the hallway. It was the teacher union that derailed Lindsay’s run for the White House in 1972.

John Lindsay, a progressive, Rockefeller Republican, btw, an extinct breed, was both exalted and despised as mayor (1965-73).

Lindsay was elected mayor to 1965, cities were on fire!!  Riots in Los Angeles, Detroit and Newark, troops and tanks in the streets, the nation seemed on the verge of another civil war.

The Watts riots in Los Angeles (August 11 to 16, 1965); 34 deaths and 1.032 injuries.

The Detroit riot, known as the “Detroit Rebellion,” (July 23 – 28, 1967) was one of the deadliest and most destructive riots in American history.  Governor George Romney ordered the Michigan Army National Guard into Detroit to help end the disturbance. President Lyndon Johnson sent in CONTINUE READING: The Ultimate Troubling Question: Will you Campaign and Vote for Bloomberg against Trump? (Nose-holding permissable) | Ed In The Apple

LAUSD District 7 Endorsement – Parent Patricia Castellanos

LAUSD District 7 Endorsement – Parent Patricia Castellanos

LAUSD District 7 Endorsement – Parent Patricia Castellanos

The “LAUSD should not send mixed messages to parents by claiming [an] interest in their perspectives, but making it nearly impossible to participate, let alone attend school board meetings”– Patricia Castellanos

The race to replace long-time Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) board member Richard Vladovic in Board District 7 provides an interesting case study on the benefits of term limits. Incumbents have an advantage in any election, but this is intensified in Los Angeles where millions of dollars are spent on school board elections. Without the help of the deep pockets of special interest groups like the California Charter School Association, it is nearly impossible for ordinary citizens to get their voices heard. Cleared of this obstacle, five candidates have stepped forward and given voters a real choice in the March 3, 2020, primary.

The choice before the voters of Board District 7 is not an easy one. In deciding on whom to endorse, I changed my mind several times before coming to the conclusion that Castellanos is the best candidate to fill Dr. V’s footsteps. In the end, the decision was made through a process of elimination:

Mike Lansing: Lansing was the easiest candidate to eliminate. He is widely considered to be the candidate supported by the charter CONTINUE READING: LAUSD District 7 Endorsement – Parent Patricia Castellanos

Prodigious Funding Drives Distorted Accusations in LAUSD3 – Los Angeles Education Examiner

Prodigious Funding Drives Distorted Accusations in LAUSD3 – Los Angeles Education Examiner

Prodigious Funding Drives Distorted Accusations in LAUSD3

Scurrilous flyers have been peppering LAUSD board member Scott Schmerelson’s 3rd District. As former teacher, counselor and principal, the incumbent board member, Mr. Schmerelson, is challenged by Marilyn Koziatek, a community outreach spokesperson for a large charter school in that district, and by Elizabeth Bartels-Badger, a long-time political and community activist. The race has been quiet because Mr. Schmerelson is well-qualified as a current board member and former educator and unencumbered by overt scandal; a clear contrast with his opponents, neither of whom are educators though one is an administrator working in Education.

LAUSD3 includes the neighborhoods of {Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Encino, Granada Hills, Lake Balboa, Reseda, North Hills,  North Hollywood, Northridge, Mission Hills, Porter Ranch, Studio City, Tarzana, Valley Glen, Van Nuys, Woodland Hills, West Hills, Winnetka}. Angelenos in these areas (or parts of some, see the map here) will choose between these two voting in the primary election of March 3, 2020.

Reproducing the flyer here would only serve its purpose of propagating fake news, but the stated provenance is significant as an: “Ad paid for by Families and Teachers United, sponsored by California Charter Schools Association Advocates. Committee major funding from Charter Public CONTINUE READING: Prodigious Funding Drives Distorted Accusations in LAUSD3 – Los Angeles Education Examiner

CATCH UP WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE)

NewBlackMan (in Exile)

CATCH UP WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE)

'Ghost' DNA In West Africans Complicates Story Of Human Origins

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3h

'Modern genomes from Nigeria and Sierra Leone show signals that scientists call "ghost" DNA — from an unknown human ancestor. That means that prehistoric humans likely procreated with an unknown group.' -- Morning Edition

FEB 13

#BackChannel: ‘Hair Love,’ Remembering Kobe Bryant & Michael Vick’s Road To Redemption

by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d

In this edition of #BackChannel , State of Things contributors Natalie Bullock Brown and Mark Anthony Neal join host Frank Stasio to discuss the Academy Award winning animated short Hair Love , the legacy of Kobe Bryant , and later are joined by award winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson, whose latest project is Vick from ESPN 30 for 30 series.

FEB 12

Earl Sweatshirt x MOCA: in Conversation with Cheryl I. Harris

by Mark Anthony Neal / 2d

'In/between us: a conversation on art, music, and life with Thebe Kgositsile (Earl Sweatshirt) and Cheryl I. Harris at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.'

Rappers are ‘Products Made to Crumble’: A Review of Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics and Guilt in America

by Mark Anthony Neal / 2d

by Tyler Bunzey |@t_bunzey | NewBlackMan (in Exile) Hip-hop has changed quite a bit since its early years as a small cultural movement in the South Bronx. Almost half a century old, hip-hop is now a massive international cultural force with multiple subgenres , a force that informs the layout of the recording industry, fashion, marketing, the American vernacular, and, hell, even U.S. diplomatic

FEB 11

Actor-Comedian Tommy Davidson Dives Into His New Memoir, 'Living In Color: What's Funny About Me'

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3d

'In his new memoir, Tommy Davidson shares his unique perspective on making it in Hollywood, being an integral part of TV history with the pioneering sketch show, In Living Color , and on living a life that has never been black and white. Told with humor and hard-won honesty by a singular voice whose family and friendships help him navigate a life of personal and professional highs and lows, Livin

Class Incarceration: A New Understanding of Prison and the American Population

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3d

'Sociologist Adaner Usmani advances a new explanation for mass incarceration in America - not as an elite-driven tool of racialized social control, but as a wide-scale punitive response to the growing crime and violence of an unequal society with no social democratic push for redistributive policies. Usmani wrote the article "The Economic Origins of Mass Incarceration" with John Clegg for Catalys

Jessie Reyez On The Power Of Sad Songs

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3d

'The 28-year-old Colombian-Canadian singer Jessie Reyez makes emotional music that has connected deeply with fans. She recently received her first Grammy nomination for best urban contemporary album for her EP, Being Human in Public .' -- Weekend Edition Saturday

How Black Women Were 'Skimmed' By Infant Formula Marketing

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3d

'Here & Now 's Tonya Mosley speaks with Andrea Freeman — whose book Skimmed: Breastfeeding, Race, and Injustice looks at how formula was marketed to black women in the late 20th century.'

Writer Danez Smith Discuses New Collection 'Homie'

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3d

Photo by Hieu Minh Nguyen. Danez Smith joins All Of It to discuss their work and latest book, Homie: Poems .

FEB 10

Blair Underwood on 'A Soldier's Play'

by Mark Anthony Neal / 4d

'Actor Blair Underwood returns to Broadway in A Soldier’s Play , a revival of Charles Fuller 's Pulitzer Prize winning drama.' -- Black Enterprise

The Incredulity of Jacolby Satterwhite

by Mark Anthony Neal / 4d

'In the midst of career-marking solo exhibitions at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn and the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, artist Jacolby Satterwhite contemplates some of the most fundamental questions around the relationship between an artist and the works they create. Referencing both a long running fascination with Renaissance painter Caravaggio's "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas" and h

Where Did All The Black Farmers Go?

by Mark Anthony Neal / 4d

'The United States was built on the agricultural strength and skill of Black slaves who knew how to farm. But even after slavery ended, Black people who worked as farmers have continued to face systematic barriers — and still do today.' -- AJ+

Black Images, Black Histories: Richard J. Powell on The Obama Portraits

by Mark Anthony Neal / 4d

'The From Slavery to Freedom Lab presented a two-day conference to explore iconic images and popular constructions of blackness in culture. Richard J. Powell co-wrote the book, The Obama Portraits , published by Princeton University Press, along with authors Táina Caragol , Dorothy Moss , and Kim Sajet . Powell is the John Spencer Bassett Professor of Art & Art History at Duke University.'-- Duke

FEB 08

Tricia Rose's 'Black Noise' at 25 – Annual Meeting of the American Studies Association 2019

by Mark Anthony Neal / 6d

'In 1994, Tricia Rose published the award-winning Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America . Notable for its pioneering and critical engagement with the complex cultural traditions, structural relations, and political interventions embedded in the production and consumption of rap music, Black Noise remains a foundational text for the study of hip-hop and has defined what

The Overlooked Activist Power Of Marlena Shaw

by Mark Anthony Neal / 6d

'As part of NPR's "One-Hit Wonders/Second-Best Songs," Vanderbilt professor Emily Lordi recommends "Woman of the Ghetto" by Marlena Shaw . She's known mostly for her 1969 hit, "California Soul".'-- Morning Edition

Honoring A Legend & A Life: Walter "Buck" Leonard & The Negro Baseball Leagues

by Mark Anthony Neal / 6d

'"If there hadn't been a Walter "Buck" Leonard (1907-1997)... what wouldn't - have happened?" ...the integration of Black players into professional sports teams, an advancement of awareness of the need for social change. Dr. Mark 

NewBlackMan (in Exile)