Burbank teacher Rebecca Mieliwocki was the 2011 California Teacher of the Year. The latest Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll on education finds that Americans generally hold teachers in high esteem.(Los Angeles Times / August 29, 2012) According to the most recent Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll on education, Americans are split over a lot of things about schools -- whether teachers should be evaluated in part on standardized test scores and the degree to which that should happen, whether private-school vouchers are a good idea, whether the children of illegal immigrants should be entitled to a free public education. One thing that Americans have been fairly consistent about in polls for many years, though, is that overall, they don't think very highly of public schools. Except the ones their children attend. The same sentiments held true this year -- but more so. Asked to grade the nation's schools, only 19% were willing to confer an A or B. They were more positive, but evenly split, about the schools in their communities -- 48% would give |
10/5 Action On World Teachers Day To Defend Public Education & Fight Privatization
"Wouldn’t it be refreshing to hear someone say that 'eliminating poverty in America is the civil rights issue of our day'? Since poverty is the single most reliable predictor of poor performance in school, poor health, poor attendance, dropping out, and almost every negative indicator, wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear some of the politicians addressing the root cause of inequality?" Diane RavitchThe education reform debate is fueled by a seemingly endless and even fruitless point-counterpoint among the corporate reformers—typically advocates for and from the Gates Foundation (GF), Teach for America (TFA), and charter chains such as Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP)—and educators/scholars of education. Since the political and public machines have embraced the corporate reformers, GF, TFA, and KIPP have acquired the bully pulpit of the debate and thus are afforded most often the ability to frame the point, leaving educators and scholars to be in a constant state of generating counter-points.This pattern disproportionately benefits corporate reformers, but it also exposes how those corporate reformers
In the August 19, 2012, edition of my home town paper The Washington Post, the Opinion page featured a column by James C. Roumell, founder of Roumell Asset Management, LLC, titled “What I built with government help.”
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A LETTER FROM THE RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF CHICAGOARRIVED THIS MORNING WITH THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE:ON NOVEMBER 6 ILLINOIS CITIZENS WILL VOTE TO ACCEPT ORREJECT AN AMENDMENT TO THE ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION THAT WILLADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR PENSION PLAN AND THOSE OF OTHERPUBLIC EMPLOYEE IN OUR STATE OF ILLINOIS.IT IS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT #49.THE RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF CHICAGO AND 16 OTHEREDUCATIONAL AND LABOR ORGANIZATIONS OPPOSED THE PROPOSALIN THE SPRING 2012 SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE. STILL, IT WAS ADOPTEDBY THE HOUSE AND SENATE.INSTEAD OF A SIMPLE MAJORITY, AMENDMENT #49 WILL REQUIRE A 3/5THSMAJORITY IN THE LEGISLATURE OR OTHER BENEFIT-GRANTING ENTITYTO AWARD A BENEFIT TO ANY PUBLIC EMPLOYEE. THIS WILL MAKE ACHANGE IN OUR PENSIONS OR OTHER BENEFIT LAWS VERY DIFFICULT TOENACT…….FOREVER.THE EXACT WORDING OF THE AMENDMENT WILL BE ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT,BUT YOU CAN READ IT NOW WORD-FOR-WORD AT THE INTERNET SITEILGA.gov AND SEARCH FOR “CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT #49″.WE URGE YOU TO VOTE …NO… ON THE AMENDMENT AND PASS THIS MESSAGEON TO YOUR FAMILIES AND ANY FRIEND OF PUBLIC EDUCATION, TO WHICH WEHAVE DEVOTED OUR WORKING LIVES. NO TAX MONIES WERE EXPENDED TOSEND THIS MESSAGE.Signed by Steven A. Kiles, President and James Ward, Legislative Chair(Retired Teachers Association of Chicago – 1 312-939-3327).
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California tomato harvest |
Bush cited Obama’s “efforts to challenge his own party on education reform.” And he said that [Race the the Top] helped “change behavior in places that people didn’t expect it would be changed.” He also gave the thumbs-up to Obama’s pick for an education secretary. “Arne Duncan was a great choice. … It could have been a lot worse.”
“I don’t believe that common core is a federal initiative,” Bush said. “A majority of the Republican
