Celebrity Policymaking « Diane Ravitch's blog

Celebrity Policymaking « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Celebrity Policymaking

by dianerav

This morning I posted a blog about Governor Kasich appointing a former football star to the Ohio state board of education.
I got this response from a reader in Michigan:
This is part of a trend I’ve seen here in Michigan – celebrity policy-making. It’s an extension of the traveling shows of Michelle Rhee and Jeb Bush. When Rhee talked to the Michigan legislature last year many legislators seemed in awe. The same thing happened when Jalen Rose, a former University of Michigan basketball star, talked to them about education and the need for more charter schools. He was an expert, I guess, being about to open a charter school in Detrot. His qualifications, other than as a basketball star, we’re that he had attended Detroit Public Schools and he had lots of money.Legislators were posing for pictures with him and getting his autograph. Celebrity policy-making in action.
This comment set me to wondering. Our policymakers say we should be competitive with the nation’s highest-

Thinking About Charters | Taking Note

Thinking About Charters | Taking Note:

Thinking About Charters

by John Merrow

John's thoughts off the NCSC in Minneapolis.

I have been hanging around charter school operators for the past few days, and the experience has left me with some complicated — and perhaps contradictory — thoughts about a movement that I have been following since 1988.

I love the energy, intelligence and dedication of the people I spent time with, but I left the annual meeting of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools in Minneapolis with some concerns. I think they need to do a better job of choosing their friends and of refining their message, among other issues.

For what it’s worth, here’s my thinking.

Remember: the “charter movement’ is a still blip on the screen. It consists of 5,000 charter schools and 

Don’t Forget the Archives « Diane Ravitch's blog

Don’t Forget the Archives « Diane Ravitch's blog:

Don’t Forget the Archives

by dianerav

I am thrilled when I see that readers are looking at earlier blog posts. I started the blog in late April and have posted about 275 blogs. The earliest ones are as timely as the latest ones, but they get buried by the weight of new blogs.
I heard from a reader just now who came across my blog about a fascinating article in the Teachers College Record comparing U.S. education policy today to Stalin’s education policies: top-down, rigid and unrealistic goals, punishments for those who couldn’t meet the goals, and phony statistics.
The reader commented:
I didn’t know about Stalin’s education policies before I read this but for several years now I’ve been talking about 

The "Successful" Failure of ED in '08? :: Frederick M. Hess

The "Successful" Failure of ED in '08? :: Frederick M. Hess:

The "Successful" Failure of ED in '08?

by Frederick M. Hess  •  Jun 22, 2012 at 8:29 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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Given my interest in edu-philanthropy and education advocacy, I'm predictably taken by Alexander Russo's behind-the-scenes tale "The Successful Failure of ED in '08." Examining an effort that is generally recalled as a major Gates-Broad partnership that flopped, Russo argues that the whole exercise was more impactful, significant, and instructive than is widely recognized.

Russo, a veteran education journalist best known for his "This Week in Education" blog, details what happened when two major edu-foundations shelled out a combined $25 million (less than the projected $60 million, but still the largest ed-advocacy effort to that point) in a push to make education central to the 2008 

GoLocalProv | News | Former US Education Official Rips Commissioner Gist & RI’s Reform Efforts

GoLocalProv | News | Former US Education Official Rips Commissioner Gist & RI’s Reform Efforts:

Former US Education Official Rips Commissioner Gist & RI’s Reform Efforts

     

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Friday, June 22, 2012

Dan McGowan, GoLocalProv News Editor

A former assistant U.S. Secretary of Education is taking Education Commissioner Deborah Gist to task for implementing reform efforts that focus too heavily on test scores and teacher evaluation and not enough on the burdens imposed by poverty.

In a wide-ranging interview with GoLocalProv, Dr. Diane Ravitch, who has become one of the loudest critics of charter schools and the Race to the Top program in the country, said too many educators are currently emphasizing high-stakes test scores and supporting charter schools while failing to address the problems public school teachers face every day.

Ravitch’s comments came days after she posted an item on her blog titled, “Is Rhode Island the Worst State?” in response to local teachers who have written to her about the state “rapidly deteriorating in its commitment to public education.”

In the short post, Ravitch discussed Rhode Island’s Race to the Top efforts, the attempt to woo the Achievement 

The Detroit Story: Everyone Pretended to Care « Diane Ravitch's blog

The Detroit Story: Everyone Pretended to Care « Diane Ravitch's blog:

The Detroit Story: Everyone Pretended to Care

by dianerav

The Detroit  News reported the latest plans for the beleaguered Detroit Public School district. Under state control for three years, Detroit is now run by an emergency financial manager with dictatorial powers.
First the good news: ”Detroit Public Schools’ proposed 2012-13 school year budget supports a system of schools focused on innovation and robust school choices, data-driven programs to enhance teaching and learning, including new Individual Learning Maps for every child, and highly qualified teachers selected after new teacher evaluation and interviewing processes,” Emergency Manager Roy S. Roberts said. Roberts is a former auto industry executive.
Now the bad news: “For the second year in a row, DPS is cutting its budget by nearly a quarter, from $1.03 billion last year to $784 million for the new fiscal year. It cut $231 million from its budget for the 2011-12 year a

When Students Awaken

by dianerav

The federal government’s heavy-handed, top-down policy of closing schools as a “turnaround” strategy fragments communities, particularly communities of color. Corporate reformers like Arne Duncan and Joel Klein count it as a badge of honor never to listen to the cries of parents and teachers and community leaders when they close schools and replace them with charter schools where students must apply for admission.
Something new has been added: student voice. Students from Chicago and Philadelphia joined to oppose the

A Brilliant Idea: A Must-Watch

by dianerav

When I joined a webinar for #soschat recently on Twitter, the main topic of discussion was “what can we do?” How do we resist a well-funded campaign that makes parents, teachers and students feel powerless and helpless? What tools do we have? What is our counter-narrative?
I have thought about that a lot because the same questions arise wherever I go.
One response is that we should not allow anyone

Massachusetts Story: How Stand for ? Sold Out

by dianerav

Every once in a while, I read an article that is so packed with insight and new information that I want to share it. In the past, I would use Twitter to send it out. Now that I have this blog, I can not only share it but tell you why I think it is important.
The article tells the story of how Stand for Children came into Massachusetts, did some constructive work in a few communities, then launched its now-typical campaign to reduce teachers’ rights and status. It brought the Massachusetts Teachers Association to its knees by threatening to put a heavily-funded initiative on the ballot that would be far worse than a negotiated agreement. In the present anti-teacher climate, MTA capitulated to

Governor Kasich Appoints Sports Figure to Ohio Board of Education

by dianerav

In a demonstration of the importance that he attaches to the weighty work of the Ohio State Board of Education,Governor John Kasich appointed a former quarterback at Ohio State University to a seat on the state board. His choice, Stanley Jackson,plans to open a charter school for African American males. He played for Ohio State in 1996 and 1997. It is said that he shares the governor’s vision for education in Ohio.
In another recent development in Ohio, the state education department was shocked, shocked to discover that a

Louisiana Breaks New Ground

by dianerav

With all the education reforms taking place in Louisiana, it’s clear that Govvernor Bobby Jindal wants to be a national leader in what is now called the “education reform” movement. Louisiana is leading the nation in the race to the bottom, having adopted every bad idea in ALEC’s catalogue of ways to tear up your public school system.
The Louisiana law was saluted by Indiana’s state superintendent Tony Bennett, head of a group of ultra-conservative state superintendents called Chiefs for Change, who share Jindal’s desire to get rid of public education if at all possible. Bennett said, “These student-centered reforms will completely transform Louisiana 

Some cuts, some cash in budget deal | Thoughts on Public Education

Some cuts, some cash in budget deal | Thoughts on Public Education:

Some cuts, some cash in budget deal

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No change in grade point eligibility for Cal Grants

Posted on 6/22/12 • Categorized as Charters, Community Colleges, Uncategorized

By Kathryn Baron

John Fensterwald co-authored this article.

Legislative leaders protected most student financial aid in the Cal Grants program and preserved status quo funding for charter schools in the budget deal announced yesterday between Democrats and Gov. Jerry Brown.

The agreement comes less than a week after legislators approved a $92 billion spending plan that eliminated some of the governor’s biggest education proposals, including his plan 

Leaders who don’t support passing sexual predator bill violate public trust - by Arun Ramanathan

by Arun Ramanathan

As a former counselor in a facility for teenagers who had been physically and sexually abused, I witnessed the indelible impact of this abuse on young men and women. As I read the stories about the sexual abuse scandal at Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles Unified, I remembered these young people and the destruction that twisted adults had wrought on their lives. Then I waited for the calls for reform from those with the power to make changes. After all, the allegations are monstrous. The [...]

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The 'civil rights issue of our generation' -- Taking those words seriously

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: The 'civil rights issue of our generation' -- Taking those words seriously:

The 'civil rights issue of our generation' -- Taking those words seriously

by Mike Klonsky

Jitu Brown of Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (back, left) and Helen Moore, Co-Chair of Keep the Vote/ No Takeover Coalition of Detroit demanded a meeting within two weeks with US Education Secretary Arne Duncan. They are filing USDOE civil rights complaints alleging that African American students are unfairly and disproportionately impacted by school closings, turnarounds and phaseouts. | Rich Hein~Sun-Times

Every opportunist politician from Mitt Romney to Arne Duncan has lately been calling ed reform, "the civil 

Board of Education final vote tally favors charter school backers - Education - The Sacramento Bee

Board of Education final vote tally favors charter school backers - Education - The Sacramento Bee:

Board of Education final vote tally favors charter school backers

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By Diana Lambert
dlambert@sacbee.com

Published: Friday, Jun. 22, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 3B

A school board race that pitted charter school opponents against their supporters has finally been decided.

Final election results released Thursday show that charter school operator Penny Schwinn edged out union-sponsored Heather McGowan by fewer than 300 votes for the Area 5 seat on the county Board of Education.

Those votes give charter supporters a clear majority on the school board, securing the immediate

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/22/4580956/board-of-education-final-vote.html#mi_rss=Education#storylink=cpy

NYC Educator: NY Pretends to Protect Teacher Privacy

NYC Educator: NY Pretends to Protect Teacher Privacy:

NY Pretends to Protect Teacher Privacy

by NYC Educator

Now that there finally is a bill regarding the data in your junk science VAM evaluations, we know a few new things. First, we know that parents will be able to look at the data supplied on the basis of phony and invalid nonsense, and will therefore be able to determine how they wish to proceed from there. There will be various options open to them.

For example, if you've had a good year, parents can tell their friends what a great teacher you are. This will let other parents wonder why their kids aren't in your wonderful class, and they can go to the principal and demand their kids be transferred into them. The principal, who apparently has nothing else to do but oversee transfer requests, will either accommodate them or listen to their bitter complaints about the inferior education the junk science says their kids are getting.

And next, you'll see the tabloids demanding we relax 

Activists: Chicago school ‘reforms’ violate minority students’ rights - Chicago Sun-Times

Activists: Chicago school ‘reforms’ violate minority students’ rights - Chicago Sun-Times:

Parents, students from other cities join Chicagoans in claiming school ‘reforms’ violate minority students’ rights

BY ROSALIND ROSSI Education Reporter/rrossi@suntimes.com June 21, 2012 1:08PM

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Jitu Brown, of the Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization, calls Thursday for a meeting with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. | Rich Hein~Sun-Times

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Updated: June 22, 2012 2:24AM

 

Parents and students from seven cities are joining those in Chicago in filing civil rights complaints against school closings, phase-outs and other “rampantly horrible” reform upheavals they contend have disproportionately victimized minority communities, school activists said Thursday.

The group called for a “national moratorium’’ on the kind of school reform shakeups that they say began in Chicago under former Schools CEO Paul Vallas; ramped up under his successor, Arne Duncan, and have spread nationwide during Duncan’s tenure as U.S. Education Secretary.

“This is the birthplace of all this mess,” said Jitu 

The Educated Reporter: `Carrots, Sticks, And The Bully Pulpit:' Should the Federal Government Be Fixing Schools?

The Educated Reporter: `Carrots, Sticks, And The Bully Pulpit:' Should the Federal Government Be Fixing Schools?:

`Carrots, Sticks, And The Bully Pulpit:' Should the Federal Government Be Fixing Schools?

by Emily Richmond

What lessons can be learned from looking at the federal government's involvement in public education? How effective have attempts been at the national level to promote equity, improve achievement, and develop effective policies? Does that track record support more or less involvement by Washington?

Those are just some of the tough questions tackled in the new book "Carrots, Sticks, and the Bully Pulpit: Lessons From a Half-Century of Federal Efforts To Improve America's Schools." Edited by Rick Hess, resident scholar and director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, and Andrew P. Kelly, a research fellow at AEI, the collection features 12 essays by experts chosen for their diverse points of view.

A few years ago, Hess and Kelly invited researchers and policy experts who had worked for recent presidential 

Teaching With Style … - The Educator's PLN

Teaching With Style … - The Educator's PLN:

Teaching With Style …

by Fred Donelson

Part of my responsibilities at my first teaching assignment (36 years ago!!) was to be in charge of the “High School Bowl” quiz team.  The team was made up of four students who competed against two other teams, answering various questions about the sciences, history, English, math and the arts.  I remember being quite intimidated at first with the visual art questions.  Various pictures would be presented to the team members from famous artists, and the students were supposed to recognize them.  This seemed like a daunting task at first, but as we began to look at paintings from the various artists, many were recognizable because of the “style” of the artist … the particular way the artist painted or drew his/her pictures or the subjects of interest that were painted often gave the artist away.  Even though I wasn’t an artist, I began to recognize paintings by Rembrandt, Monet, and of course, Picasso, just by the “style” that the artist used.

Using this same principle, teachers can become much better teachers simply by observing their students and recognizing their learning “style.”  Most new teachers entering the field are quick to mention the three major learning “styles” most often discussed:  visual, auditory, and/or tactile/kinesthetic.  These are sometimes 

Mother Crusader: If Regis Needs Students From 25 Districts To Open, Should It?

Mother Crusader: If Regis Needs Students From 25 Districts To Open, Should It?:

If Regis Needs Students From 25 Districts To Open, Should It?

by darciecima

Remember back in February when Amir Khan was bragging at a Regis Academy Board of Trustees Meeting that he could take kids from Hoboken if he wanted to because the NJDOE had allowed him to expand his districts?  A couple weeks later the NJDOE told the Courier Post that Regis was NOT given permission to expand their districts.  For a minute there it looked like Regis would actually have to fill the majority of their seats with kids from the districts they were actually approved to serve.  Imagine that!

Fast forward to June and it's crunch time.  The NJDOE is doing their walk through of Regis' facility in the next couple of weeks, and all of the final paperwork is due to the NJDOE by June 30th.  Acting Commissioner Cerf will decide if Regis gets it's final charter on July 15th.

At a Board of Trustees meeting tonight Regis claimed to have 267 students enrolled, and this is also the number Khan cites in an article in today's South Jersey Sun.  On June 8th however Christian Barnes, Regis Lead Person/Principal/Founder, confirmed enrollment of just 187 students and provided a breakdown.  

Guess how many districts those students were being pulled from?  25.  That's right, 25.  And how many of those students are from the original four sending districts?  Only 78, or 42%.  Here's the breakdown.

This brings me back to the old adage trotted out over and over and over again by

Educational Martyrdom http://www.southbronxschool.com

http://www.southbronxschool.com:

Educational Martyrdom

by noreply@blogger.com (Bronx Teacher)

How long are we just going to be pacifist and not take ownership of ourselves as educators, professionals, parents, friends in the war being waged against education? Critical mass is right around the corner and when the implosion happens we need to be the ones that survive, not the deformers.

Rallies, blogs, Twitter, picketing, etc... are nice. It works. But a little too slow.
A new radical approach to destroying the deform movement must be the next step. And just what is this step?

Simple, we need a Martyr. Only a Martyr will succeed at where the movements, the groups, the organizations are not succeeding, or barely making a dent.

Do Not Kill Registry

Do Not Kill Registry:

 Do Not Kill Registry
In response to the establishment of a national 'kill list' and the expansion of the United States' predator drone program, the National Agency for Ethical Drone-Human Interactions has launched the Do Not Kill Registry. Adding your name to the registry will assist us in avoiding accidental casualties in our mission to make the world a safe place for Democracy and Free Enterprise. You can read more about the agency and our mission by clicking here.