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DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG
If you are on the West Coast, you still have a few hours before bedtime, but I am turning in now. Before I do, I wanted to acknowledge that I neglected to add the link to the post in which Mark NAISON explains why charter schools are like subprime mortgages. Here it is: http://withabrooklynaccent.blogspot.com/2014/07/why-charter-school-scandals-resemble.html Fortunately I have readers who kindly
In Carmen Fariña’s short time on the job, she has ended promotion tied solely to test scores and eliminated school report cards based primarily on tests scores. However, there are two critical areas in which state testing continues to deform and distort our children’s education. Chancellor Fariña, we implore you to: 1. Direct all middle schools and high schools to eliminate the results of state
Mark NAISON, co-founder of the BATs, explains why he thinks that charter schools are the subprime mortgages of our time. The video wa made by videographer Michael Elliott.
The fabulously wealthy Koch brothers have developed a plan to teach their libertarian ideas to high school students. It is sort of like tobacco companies teaching students that smoking is good for you. They have used their vast resources to identify like-minded teachers, to train them and to supply course materials. Their program, called Young Entrepreneurs, is growing in Kansas, Missouri, and ot
EduShyster: If You Could Ask Arne Duncan Just One Question……
EduShyster’s guest blogger Patrick Hayes, a fifth-grade teacher from Charleston, South Carolina, asks a simple question: “If you could ask Arne Duncan just one question what would it be?” Try this one: “what would you get Bill gates for Boss’s Day? The man has everything.” But he actually has a bunch more questions, which Duncan can answer with pre-packaged non-responsive answers. Like: why do
KrazyTA Deconstructs VAM and ASA
Our friend and frequent commenter KrazyTA has analyzed the response of the VAM Gang (Chetty, Friedman, and Rockoff) to the American Statistical Association’s pithy demolition of their famous and much praised justification for VAM. Here is his analysis: I urge viewers of this blog to read the recent response by Raj Chetty (Harvard University), John Friedman (Harvard University) and Jonah Rockoff
YESTERDAY
Nominee for New London, Connecticut, Superintendent Job Will Not Step Down
Jon Lender of the Hartford Courant, who has broken story after story about sham practices in the state’s charter industry, describes the process of trying to verify the “doctorate” of Terrence Carter, the nominee for superintendent of the New London schools. The search firm hired by the school board seems to have conducted its research via Google. Despite the damaging stories about his educationa
Michael Klonsky on the Charade in Rahm’s Chicago
Michael Klonsky covered the crucial Board of Education meeting about the budget for Chicago schools and says it demonstrated why mayoral control is a failure. The board decided that one way to deal with the fiscal crisis is to hire more press secretaries! “The budget once again cuts funding for neighborhood schools and programs serving kids with special needs, while funneling millions more into th
Wendy Lecker on Charlatans in Connecticut
Just when you think things can’t get worse in Connecticut, another “reform” scandal pops up. Civil rights attorney Wendy Lecker writes here about the clear pattern of hiring unqualified people to run impoverished districts. Their way of operating: cut services, bring in Teach for America, install unproven programs. She writes: “It is becoming painfully clear that in Connecticut, the refrain tha
Los Angeles Judge Keeps Gulen Charters Open During Investigation
A judge in Los Angeles halted school officials’ efforts to close two Gulen related schools despite claims of millions of dollars missing. The schools have high test scores. The investigation continues.
As The Koch Brothers Lobby for Vouchers in Tennessee, a Parent Joins the Honor Roll
The Koch brothers arranged a panel discussion about vouchers and why they are beyond wonderful. It wasn’t a debate. All four members of the panel supported vouchers. No one was there to say that voucher schools have never outperformed public schools, that voucher schools promote segregation, and that voucher schools divert money from public schools. The controversial Steve Perry from Connecticut,
Mercedes Schneider Explains the Louisiana Circus
Well, I gave you an update on the latest episode in the Louisiana battle over Common Core. But of course I don’t know as much as Mercedes Schneider, who teaches in the state and stays abreast of the latest news and gossip. So here is the scoop, from the inside. Who will sue whom? What tests will be used? Will the governor beat the superintendent that he once loved and the board he appointed?
Michael Deshotels: Why I Oppose the Common Core Standards
Advocates of the Common Core standards have promoted the myth that only the agitated and uninformed extremists oppose the standards. But this is not true. Michael Deshotels is a respected veteran educator in Louisiana who explains here why he opposes the Common Core and the related high-stakes testing. This is the heart of his dissent: “Many educators who have carefully studied the Common Core St
Another Super-Hot Los Angeles School Board Race
In District 1 in Los Angeles, a well-funded, politically-connected candidate–Alex Johnson– squares off against an underfunded, highly qualified educator–George McKenna. McKenna won 44% of the vote in the primary to Johnson’s 26%. The run-off is August 12. But Johnson has raised almost eight times as much as McKenna in individual contributions ($48,000) to less than $6,500 for McKenna. In addition,
How to Spin the Charter Message and What Subjects to Avoid
Someone sent EduShyster a copy of a pamphlet about how to put a positive message on privately managed charter schools. The message is, of course, upbeat and positive. But it is not honest. There is no confronting the number of charter schools that are low-performing or the number that close. Nothing is said about charter schools that are run for-profit, squeezing out dollars from the classroom to
Paul Horton Writes a Letter to President Obama
The following letter appeared as a guest post on Anthony Cody’s blog: Paul Horton’s Open Letter to President Obama: Listen to Committed Dear Mr. President, Like thousands of experienced classroom teachers throughout our great country, I am very concerned about how you decided to go the way that you did with your Education policies. I was recently told by a close friend of the yours that “Arne’s
JUL 24
Louisiana Circus Continues!
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed the agreement to adopt Common Core. But when Common Core turned toxic among conservative voters, Jindal declared he would pull his state out of Common Core and the federal test. State Commissioner of Education John White–who supports vouchers, charters, and Common Core– refused to go along. He and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education said they
John Merrow Writes About the $2 Million Plus Spent on PR by Michelle Rhee
This is a must-read column by John Merrow. In it, he says that Michelle Rhee paid $2 million to a politically connected public relations firm (Anita Dunn and SKDKnickerbocker) in D.C. in a one-year period. (Anita Dunn was communications director for the Obama administration from April to November 2009.) He writes: “In just one year[1] Michelle Rhee spent about $2 million to buy the public relat
Los Angeles: Court Rules that Public Has No Right to Know Job Ratings of Individual Teachers
Remember that the Los Angeles Times released the value-added ratings (made up by their own consultant) with the names of teachers in 2010? Recently, the paper sued to get the ratings for three years-=-2009-2012. The LAUSD said it would release the ratings but not the names attached to them. Yesterday a three-judge panel said the district did not need to release the names of the teachers with t
FAIRTEST: The Weekly Round-Up on Resistance to Testing
Parents, educators, students and activists in many communities are using the “quiet” summer months to plan campaigns that will build the assessment reform movement’s power once schools reopen. Across the country, more and more media outlets are reporting on the impact grassroots organizing already has made on policy-makers. Remember that archived issues of these weekly updates are online at http:
Slate: Sweden’s School Choice Disaster
Read this fascinating article in Slate by Ray Fisman, an economist at the Columbia Business School. In the early 1990s, the Swedish government fell for Milton Friedman’s ideas about school choice. More students in Sweden go to privately-run and for-profit schools than any other developed nation in the world. “Swedish school reforms did incorporate the essential features of the voucher system advo
The Network for Public Education Does a Victory Dance
Friends, when a small group of parents and educators formed the Network for Public Education in 2013, we had a singular goal: to mobilize the allies of public education against the powerful forces supporting privatization and high-stakes testing. To advance that goal, we hoped to create a force to counter the large amounts of money that were being dumped into state and local school board races to
Marion Brady: We Need the Right Kind of Standards, Not CCSS
Marion Brady is a retired teacher and administrator and prolific author. He writes: “In a commentary in the July 21, 2014 issue of Time magazine, columnist Joe Klein takes aim at one of the usual targets of today’s education reformers—unions. In a dig at New York City mayor de Blasio, he says, “A mayor who actually cared about education would be seeking longer school days, longer school years, m
JUL 23
Indiana: State Takeover and Privatization of 5 Schools Is Not Working
Under former State Superintendent Tony Bennett, five schools–four in Indianapolis and one in Gary–were taken over by the state and given to private operators. Students are leaving, there’s not enough money, and there is acrimony between the private operators and the schools. The new State Superintendent Glenda Ritz prefers improving schools rather than taking them over, but she is working with a
BAT Protest in D.C. On July 28
Want to let out leaders know that “enough is enough?” Join the BATs’ protest on July 28: BAT MARCH ON D.C. JULY 28TH, 10 am to 5 pm U.S.D.O.E. PLAZA 400 MARYLAND AVE, SW https://www.facebook.com/BATSMarchDC
New Group Asks Congress to Protect Student Privacy
In this era of Big Data, many organizations want to collect and use personal student data for their own ends. In recent years, the U.S Department of Education has weakened the privacy protections embedded in FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). Parent activists wants Congress to take action to protect their children’s privacy rights. PRESS RELEASE July 23, 2014 For more informat
Ohio Will Investigate Only One Gulen Charter
Bill Phillis of the Ohio Coalition for Education and dequacy writes: The Ohio Department of Education will limit investigation to one Gulen Horizon Science Academy charter school. After four former teachers in a Dayton Horizon Science Academy charter school testified on July 15 regarding serious irregularities in that school setting, some state board of education members called on the Department
Jersey Jazzman: Civil Conversations Are Honest Conversations
Jersey Jazzman reacts to Andy Smarick’s call for civil conversations about charter schools. Those conversations won’t happen, JJ says, until reformers tell the truth about charter schools. Where they seem to succeed, they don’t enroll the same students. Or they have high attrition rates. Or they have scads of money. Why not say so. He quotes Peter Greene on the same subject, in Peter’s inimitable
Peter Greene: Without Honesty, There Can Be No Conversation
Peter Greene continues the debate about reform, civility, and honesty. Have critics of the reformers corrupted the debate by being snarky? Or have reformers corrupted the debate by calling themselves reformers as they seek to strip teachers of job rights and taking money from public schools for religious and private schools? Greene writes: . “We play a lot of games with defining what qualifies
Charter Schools: Do They Deserve Closer Scrutiny? Or Legitimacy?
Andy Smarick, a partner at Bellweather Associates, a senior fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a former deputy commissioner of education in New Jersey for Governor Christie, and a man with a long list of other affiliations with conservative groups and politicians, loves charter schools. he sees them as the wave of the future, replacing “failing” public schools in urban and suburban areas a
Deregulation of the Economy and of Education: Who Benefits?
This reader commented on a post called “Is the Charter Movement Imploding?” That post reviewed some recent egregious charter school scandals. He wrote: “One purpose of school privatization is to bring about “deregulation” of the education system. wherever and whenever deregulation has been permitted to proceed, the result, for public goods and services, has been disastrous. The financial collapse
Bruce Baker: How to Use Bogus Data to Seek More Money for Charter Schools
The University of Arkansas issued a study claiming that charter schools get a higher “return on investment” than public schools, yet are underfunded especially given their great “productivity” and “ROI.” (I admit I stumble over the idea of applying ROI when we are talking about education and children, but that’s just me.) Bruce Baker of Rutgers University analyzes the University of Arkansas study
JUL 22
Breaking News! Valarie Wilson Wins Democratic Primary for Georgia State Superintendent
Valarie Wilson won the runoff election to be the Democratic candidate for Georgia’s State Superintendent of Education. The Republican primary was too close to call. Valarie Wilson was endorsed by the Network for Public Education as a true friend of public schools. Her opponent, Alisha Thomas Morgan, was supported by the hedge fund group Democrats for Education Reform, Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFir
Jon Pelto: Has the Charter Industry in Connecticut Lost Its Magic?
Jon Pelto speculates that the charter industry has lost its magic in Connecticut with the downfall of Michael Sharpe of Jumoke Academy and FUSE. Investigations multiply, and there’s the pesky fact that test scores tanked at one of the FUSE schools. And Pelto reports that the “reformer” selected to head the schools of New London is in more trouble. The vote by the board on whether to appoint him ha
FBI Seizes Records from Gulen Charter Schools in Chicago
Federal law enforcement agencies, armed with search warrants, raided the offices of Concept Schools in Illinois. The Chicago Sun-Times reports: “The recent FBI raid at the Des Plaines headquarters of Concept Schools focused on many of the politically connected charter-school operator’s top administrators and companies with close ties to Concept, according to federal documents obtained by the Chica
How Philanthropic Giving Has Changed in Past Decade
Sarah Reckhow and Jeffrey W. Snyder explain the new educational philanthropy–and how it intersects with federal priorities–in this valuable article. They spot three significant trends: “Our analysis proceeds in three parts. First, we examine phil- anthropic grant-making for political activities and demonstrate that funding for national policy advocacy grew from 2000 to 2010. Second, we analyze t
Nevada Teacher to Senator Harry Reid: We Need Your Help!
Angie Sullivan is a teacher-warrior who never gives up the fight for quality education in Nevada. She wants qualified teachers and adequate funding. She won’t back down. She wrote this letter to Senator Harry Reid: “@TeachForAmerica: “You’ve done so much to help our country.” – @SenatorReid via video to our alumni at #ECVegas14 I have a HUGE HUGE problem with this! BIG Gigantic! Senator Reid tha
Ira Shor: Why You Should Opt Out Your Children from State Testing
Ira Shor is a professor at the City University of New York, where he teaches composition and rhetoric. Shor understands that standardized testing is the foundation on which the entire “reform” project rests. Take away the test scores, and the data-driven teacher evaluation collapses, along with the ambitious plans for privatization. Shor writes: “Opt-Out: The REAL Parent Revolution” We parents c
Network for Public Education Seeking New Communications Director
I am happy to report that the Network for Public Education is growing and thriving. This is due in no small part to the excellent work of Rob Perry, who organized our website and wrote our newsletter. Rob did a superb job in building our Facebook presence, and after two years of dedicated service, has decided to move on to another opportunity. We found Rob by putting out an appeal on this blog and
Paul Horton: Will the Market Destroy Public Education?
Paul Horton, who teaches history at the University of Chicago Lab School, here analyzes the origins of neoliberalism and its attack on the public sector. The “rhetoric of economic freedom” has put a price tag everything. Self-interest and me-first have become the ideology of the day, and anyone who dares to think of what is in the best interest of society or how to raise up the poor is scorned as
JUL 21
Connecticut: Federal Grand Jury Issues Subpoenas in Connection to Charter Chain
A report from the Hartford Courant: “HARTFORD — City and state educators said Monday that they had been served with subpoenas by a federal grand jury examining the expenditure of millions of dollars in public money by the troubled charter school management company FUSE. “The subpoenas were issued Friday to the Hartford Public Schools and the state Department of Education, both of which have had e
How Fares the Common Core? Mercedes Schneider Updates the Story.
I kept hearing the same phrase used over and over again about the Common Core standards: don’t complain, the train is leaving the station, and you don’t want to be left behind. It is inevitable. Then one of the readers of the blog, noting this cliche, wrote, “I didn’t know the train was IN the station, how could it be leaving?” At some point, as the volume of complaints got louder, and as states
NPR in Los Angeles Reports Gulen Charter Chain in Trouble
This story by Annie Gilbertson of the Los Angeles NPR station KPCC reported a serious problem for the Gulen-related Magnolia charter chain. “The Los Angeles Unified school district is investigating a network of eight charter schools for misuse of public school funds. “An audit showed Magnolia Public Schools used classroom cash to help six non-employees with immigration costs. The schools had trou
Governor Tom Corbett ‘s Phony Pension Crisis
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has stormed the state with the message that public pensions are bankrupting the state. But Joe Markosek, Democratic chair of the House Appropriations Committee, says that Corbett is wrong. Corbett’s $3 billion in education cuts has hurt every district in the state, far more than pensions, forcing districts to raise property taxes to keep their local schools open
Rhee’s StudentsFirst Pulls Out of More States
Last week, I reported that StudentsFirst had departed from Minnesota and Florida. I assumed the pickings were slim in the former, and the “reform” camp had saturated the state of Florida. Well, there is more to the story, as I learned when I discovered a week-old politico.com in my spam box. StudentsFirst has also pulled out of Maine, Indiana, and Iowa. It has laid off six staff members. As polit
South Carolina: State Vouchers Allow Profits at Expense of Public Schools
There is more than one way to harm public education. Several states have passed legislation to allow tax credits for scholarships to private and religious schools. This reduces the money available to support public schools. But it gets better! In South Carolina, smart investors can actually make a profit by making gifts to the tax credit (aka voucher) fund. David Slade writes in the S.C. “Post a
Rocketship Charter Chain Withdraws Application to Open 16 Schools in Texas
Without explanation, Rocketship Charters withdrew its application to open 8 schools each in San Antonio and Dallas. A group of wealthy philanthropists has put up a large fund to draw charter chains to San Antonio, with a goal of 80,000 students in charters by 2026. Once a charter has opened in Texas, it can expand without going through the entire application process by merely submitting an amendme
Georgia: Vote for Better Schools Tomorrow
Tomorrow is an important run-off to select the Democratic candidate for state superintendent of Georgia. The Network for Public Education has endorsed Valarie Wilson, who has worked as a member and president of the local school board in Decatur and has served as president of the Georgia School Boards Association. Fortunately one of the members of the board of directors of the Network is Bertis D
EduShyster Welcomes a Reformer to Her Blog
EduShyster has discovered a mole inside the reform movement in California. He or she plans to share insights into the wonderful world of school reform in the days ahead. Stay tuned.
JUL 20
Jon Pelto: Meet the Latest Education Reformer with a Dubious Degree
Jon Pelto reports that New London, Connecticut, is about to award a lucrative contract as superintendent to a “reformer” who has called himself “Dr.” without having earned a doctorate. Pelto commends Hartford Courant reporter Jon Lender for digging up the story. Pelto writes: “For more than eight years, “Dr.” Terrence Carter, the incoming New London superintendent of schools and self-described e
NYC Public Advocate Letitia James Chastises Commissioner John King
New York City’s Public Advocate Letitia James wrote the following letter to John King but has received no answer. King believes that children must be tested as a matter of civil rights. James, who is also African American, does not agree. What do you think? PUBLIC ADVOCATE FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK Letitia James June 25, 2014 Commissioner John King 89 Washington Avenue Albany, NY 12234 Dear Commiss
When It Comes to School Reform, Make It Up
This letter came from an anonymous source in San Francisco whom I know to be trustworthy. Why the anonymity? The usual reason: fear of being fired for blowing the whistle. It raises the question of why some people teach under difficult circumstances when they could hang up a shingle with a snappy name and get funded for big ideas that have never been tried. He writes: Tom Vander Ark’s Ed Week co
Arthur Goldstein: Why Good Teachers Need Tenure Too
Arthur Goldstein, a high school teacher of English as a Second Language in New York City, explains in this article that good teachers need tenure too. Goldstein gives examples of teachers who were denied tenure because they stood up for the rights of their students. When he made demands on behalf of his students, only tenure protected him from being fired. He writes: “Shortly thereafter, I req
Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Among Charter Schools
Here is the latest federal government report on fraud, waste, and abuse in the charter sector. It was released in May 2014 by the Center for Popular Democracy and Integrity in Education. The most common type of fraud identified was embezzlement. CHARTER SCHOOL VULNERABILITIES TO WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE With the increase in funding that schools are receiving through the Recovery Act, we issued a r
Opposition to Testing Continues to Accelerate
The regular report from Bob Schaeffer of Fairtest: The accelerating testing resistance and reform movement is beginning to produce modest victories across the country. Reflecting constituent pressure, more politicians are speaking out against over-testing. A few have established commissions to investigate the problem (and solutions). Several state legislatures have voted to cut back the number of
JUL 19
Koch Brothers Plan School Choice Forum in Nashville
A group funded by the notorious conservative Koch brothers will host a school choice forum in Nashville on July 22. Here are their panelists: “Moderating the talk will be Shaka Mitchell, who works for Rocketship Education, a California-based charter school organization with an East Nashville location set to open this summer. A second Rocketship school in Nashville has been approved to open in 20
Camden, New Jersey: Gentrification is the Name of the Game
According to a guest post for EduShyster by high school teacher Keith Benson, The taxpayers of Camden, New Jersey, will spend $82 million to build a practice facility for the Philadelphia 76ers at the same time it is laying off hundreds of school teachers. The new facility will provide 50 low-wage seasonal jobs. This clarifies the priorities of the political leaders of Camden and New Jersey. Educa
Cuomo’s Democratic Challenger Opposes Common Core
Zephyr Teachout, who is opposing Governor Cuomo in the New York Democratic primary, explained her strong opposition to the Common Core standards, which Cuomo supports. She writes: “Common Core forces teachers to adhere to a narrow set of standards, rather than address the personal needs of students or foster their creativity. That’s because states that have adopted the standards issue mandatory
Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst Targets Alabama
Michelle Rhee is determined to see that every legislature is taken over by hard-right Republicans who support her campaign against teachers and public schools. One of her current targets is Alabama. Here is where she is sending money. All but one of those listed below are Republicans, except Patrick Sellers, who challenged a Democratic incumbent and lost. Governor Bentley returned the $5,000 contr
Greene and Dalgleish: What Parents Need to Know About Teacher Tenure
In this short post, David Greene and Glen Dalgleish explain what tenure is, in plain English.
Why Poor Schools Can’t Succeed on Standardized Tests
Meredith Broussard, a professor of data journalism at Temple University, was helping her son with his homework, and she made a discovery: he could not find “the right answer” to homework questions unless they were in the textbook. But on further investigation, she learned that the public schools of Philadelphia don’t have a textbook budget. So not only do students not have access to the answers th
