Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, September 8, 2018

Top Posts This Week 9/8/18



Top Posts This Week 9/8/18




Posts This Week 9/8/18


KJ and Michele Rhee: Sacramento Charter High School Students Hold Walk-Out in Protest of School’s Recent Changes | FOX40
Sacramento High School Students Hold Walk-Out in Protest of School’s Recent Changes | FOX40 Parents are outraged after charter school turns away students for minor dress code violations SACRAMENTO -- Students at Sacramento High School in Oak Park are in open revolt; refusing to return to class until their demands are met by the school’s administration. At issue is the dismissal of several faculty
Billionaires v teachers: the Koch brothers' plan to starve public education | US news | The Guardian
Billionaires v teachers: the Koch brothers' plan to starve public education | US news | The Guardian Billionaires v teachers: the Koch brothers' plan to starve public education A small group of women have succeeded in putting a state law promoted by Betsy DeVos and billionaire donors which they see as an attack on public education on the ballot in November Are you a teacher? We want to hear from
Union Membership Narrows the Racial Wealth Gap for Families of Color - Center for American Progress
Union Membership Narrows the Racial Wealth Gap for Families of Color - Center for American Progress Union Membership Narrows the Racial Wealth Gap for Families of Color Janus v. AFSCME Download the PDF here. Wealth is critical to families’ immediate and long-term economic well-being. It helps families pay their bills if their income drops due to unforeseen events such as a layoff or medical emerg
Torlakson’s California Charter Law ‘Action Team’ Has a Troubling Tilt
Torlakson’s California Charter Law ‘Action Team’ Has a Troubling Tilt Torlakson’s California Charter Law ‘Action Team’ Has a Troubling Tilt Thomas Ultican / Tultican California’s lame-duck Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson, has formed an Action Team to review laws governing charter schools. Six of the thirteen Action Team members work for the destroy public education (DPE) movem
Hijacked by Billionaires: How the Super Rich Buy Elections to Undermine Public Schools - NPE Action
Hijacked by Billionaires: How the Super Rich Buy Elections to Undermine Public Schools - NPE Action CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL REPORT HERE'S HOW MUCH THE TOP TEN BILLIONAIRES SPENT ON RACES IN THIS REPORT REED HASTINGS APPEARS IN THE FOLLOWING CASE STUDIES: WASHINGTON LOS ANGELES, CA LOUISIANA DORIS FISHER APPEARS IN THE FOLLOWING CASE STUDIES: LOS ANGELES, CA NEWARK, NJ WASHINGTON LOUISIANA MIC
California Gives For-Profit Charters the Boot, K12 Inc. Largely the Reason | deutsch29
California Gives For-Profit Charters the Boot, K12 Inc. Largely the Reason | deutsch29 California Gives For-Profit Charters the Boot, K12 Inc. Largely the Reason On September 07, 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bill authored by Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy prohibiting for-profit charter schools in California, effective July 01, 2019. From the bill: On and after July 1, 2019,

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"We as students get to tell our story" — at the Premiere of "Personal Statement" | Schott Foundation for Public Education
"We as students get to tell our story" — at the Premiere of "Personal Statement" | Schott Foundation for Public Education "We as students get to tell our story" — at the Premiere of "Personal Statement" I recently had the honor of attending the premiere of Personal Statement , a film by Julie Dressner and co-directed by Edwin Martinez that follows three high school seniors who were trained to sup
Teachers Leave For-Profit Charter Schools at Alarming Rates, Report Says
Teachers Leave For-Profit Charter Schools at Alarming Rates, Report Says Teachers Leave For-Profit Charter Schools at Alarming Rates, Report Says Students attending many of the nation’s 6,900 public charter schools may see unfamiliar faces as they head back to school this year. Public schools already experience high levels of turnover among educators, but school teachers are leaving charter schoo
The fight continues: which states will teachers strike in next? | US news | The Guardian
The fight continues: which states will teachers strike in next? | US news | The Guardian The fight continues: which states will teachers strike in next? L ast spring, a wave of teachers strikes across the United States helped spur mass support for educators – and wage raises – after decades of cuts and demonization by both Republicans and Democrats alike. As schools start again, teachers are dete
Could Weighted Education Funding Campaigns Be Advancing An ALEC-Backed Agenda? – Wrench in the Gears
Could Weighted Education Funding Campaigns Be Advancing An ALEC-Backed Agenda? – Wrench in the Gears Could Weighted Education Funding Campaigns Be Advancing An ALEC-Backed Agenda? Campaigns have been launched across the nation to document and address chronic deficits in state-level education funding. Undoubtedly, the intentional underfunding of our public schools is a serious concern. One such ca
What Spurred a 98% Strike Vote by LA Teachers? Plutocrats Pushing Charter Schools
What Spurred a 98% Strike Vote by LA Teachers? Plutocrats Pushing Charter Schools What Spurred a 98% Strike Vote by LA Teachers? Plutocrats Pushing Charter Schools Public school teachers in Los Angeles voted overwhelmingly in late August to authorize a strike over stalled contract negotiations, but the issues really energizing the union membership go far beyond a new contract. Instead, say union
Criminalizing Childhood: School Safety Measures Aren’t Making the Schools Any Safer | Dissident Voice
Criminalizing Childhood: School Safety Measures Aren’t Making the Schools Any Safer | Dissident Voice Criminalizing Childhood: School Safety Measures Aren’t Making the Schools Any Safer Every day in communities across the United States, children and adolescents spend the majority of their waking hours in schools that have increasingly come to resemble places of detention more than places of learn
New Book Defines Neoliberalism, Challenges Elite Charade of Changing the World | janresseger
New Book Defines Neoliberalism, Challenges Elite Charade of Changing the World | janresseger New Book Defines Neoliberalism, Challenges Elite Charade of Changing the World Betsy DeVos, our current U.S. Secretary of Education, is easy to peg. She’s an education libertarian who has been known to declare, “Government really sucks.” She believes in the glory of private markets and has an added commit

SEP 06

Teacher Kim Cook on Andrew Gillum & saving Florida public education | The Edvocate Blog
Teacher Kim Cook on Andrew Gillum & saving Florida public education | The Edvocate Blog Teacher Kim Cook on Andrew Gillum & saving Florida public education Florida has been under single party rule for more than 20 years. This complete lack of checks and balances has normalized an unrelenting assault on our most precious asset: public education. With each year, the destructive political intent beh
The teacher pay penalty has hit a new high: Trends in the teacher wage and compensation gaps through 2017 | Economic Policy Institute
The teacher pay penalty has hit a new high: Trends in the teacher wage and compensation gaps through 2017 | Economic Policy Institute The teacher pay penalty has hit a new high Trends in the teacher wage and compensation gaps through 2017 Download PDF Press release Summary and key findings Teacher strikes in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Colorado have raised the
'I can't believe it's not a crime': Brnovich says lawmakers must pass charter school reforms - AZPM
Arizona AG: Lawmakers Must Pass Charter School Reforms - AZPM 'I can't believe it's not a crime': Brnovich says lawmakers must pass charter school reforms PHOENIX — Arizona's attorney general is calling for legislation to lend more oversight to the state's charter schools in response to a recent investigation by The Arizona Republic into financial dealings at a major online school. Mark Brnovich'
Leaked DeVos rules could trigger drastic changes in Columbia’s sexual assault policies - Columbia Daily Spectator
Leaked DeVos rules could trigger drastic changes in Columbia’s sexual assault policies - Columbia Daily Spectator Leaked DeVos rules could trigger drastic changes in Columbia’s sexual assault policies BY KHADIJA HUSSAIN AND KAREN XIA | SEPTEMBER 6, 2018, 10:35 AM Updated September 6, 2018 at 10:34 a.m. Newly proposed federal Title IX regulations could spark broad changes to Columbia policies gove

SEP 05

Save Public Education By Raising Teacher Salaries To $60k Federal Minimum
Save Public Education By Raising Teacher Salaries To $60k Federal Minimum Save Public Education By Raising Teacher Salaries To $60k Federal Minimum Demonstrators hold a sign reading "Our Students Deserve Better" during a rally inside the Oklahoma State Capitol building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., on Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Photographer: Scott Heins/Bloomberg Betsy DeVos and her for-profit “
WHAT SHOULD WE REALLY LEARN FROM NEW ORLEANS AFTER THE STORM? – School Finance 101
WHAT SHOULD WE REALLY LEARN FROM NEW ORLEANS AFTER THE STORM? – School Finance 101 WHAT SHOULD WE REALLY LEARN FROM NEW ORLEANS AFTER THE STORM? Full Review: https://networkforpubliceducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/BBaker.NPE_.NOLA_.pdf SUMMARY In July of 2018, the Education Research Alliance for New Orleans released a comprehensive, summative longitudinal report on the effects on student
Duncan and DeVos Are Both Wrong, We Need Old-School Reform Education Law Prof Blog
Education Law Prof Blog Duncan and DeVos Are Both Wrong, We Need Old-School Reform Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spent the last few months trying to rehabilitate his work and distinguish it from DeVos. This spring he implored us to ignore current claims that education reforms of the past have failed. On his book tour, he has been arguing that “education lies” often drive education pol
The real story of New Orleans and its charter schools - The Washington Post
The real story of New Orleans and its charter schools - The Washington Post The real story of New Orleans and its charter schools School choice proponents love to talk about New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city in 2005 and the public school system was decimated. A collection of charter schools opened to replace the troubled traditional school district that had previously existed,
LOIS WEINER: A Lesson Plan for Organized Labor
A Lesson Plan for Organized Labor A Lesson Plan for Organized Labor This Labor Day, with public opinion firmly in favor of unions and teachers racking up victories across the country, the news for the labor movement is actually hopeful. A Chicago teacher takes a break from picketing during the union's 2012 strike. yooperann / Flickr Despite many setbacks, this Labor Day, the news for the labor mo

SEP 04

Project Lead the Way's new exam could be the future of testing
Project Lead the Way's new exam could be the future of testing This exam feels more like a game. It could be the future of testing. Imagine a high school final that feels more like a computer game than a test. Instead of only answering questions with A, B, C or D, you also demonstrate you can hone a set of materials into a functional object – like a water filter. You keep working until the water
Is Education a Fundamental Right? | The New Yorker
Is Education a Fundamental Right? | The New Yorker Is Education a Fundamental Right? The history of an obscure Supreme Court ruling sheds light on the ongoing debate over schooling and immigration. Before sunrise on a morning just after Labor Day, 1977, Humberto and Jackeline Alvarez, Felix Hernandez, Rosario and Jose Robles, and Lidia and Jose Lopez huddled together in the basement of the United
Why there's so much inconsistency in school shooting data
Why there's so much inconsistency in school shooting data Why there’s so much inconsistency in school shooting data How many school shootings happen in the U.S. in a single school year? The answer is surprisingly hard to figure out. In April, the U.S. Department of Education released a report on the 2015-2016 school year, stating that “nearly 240 schools (0.2 percent of all schools) reported at l
"Local Context." The New Gates K-12 Strategy is Coming Into Sharper Focus — Inside Philanthropy
"Local Context." The New Gates K-12 Strategy is Coming Into Sharper Focus — Inside Philanthropy "Local Context." The New Gates K-12 Strategy is Coming Into Sharper Focus The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently announced the first $92 million in grants for its new K-12 initiative Networks for School Improvement. The first of three planned rounds included 19 grantee organizations. The founda

SEP 03

Randi Weingarten Labor Day Message: It’s the union movement that can and must be the catalyst for change #LaborDay #RedForEd #Solidarity @aft @AFSCME @NEAToday @SEIU
It’s the union movement that can and must be the catalyst for change It’s the union movement that can and must be the catalyst for change A growing and enduring middle class, great public schools, a living wage, affordable healthcare and college, a decent retirement, a voice at work and in our democracy, communities that are safe and welcoming — these are American aspirations, and they are what t
RED for ED: Union is Getting Stronger - YouTube #LaborDay #RedForEd #Solidarity @aft @AFSCME @NEAToday @SEIU
RED for ED: Union is Getting Stronger - YouTube WHAT IS RED FOR ED? When we think about the promise of education today, we see the future leaders of our nation and the qualifed educators who reach, teach and inspire them. We see classrooms with modern tools that help students prepare to make an impact on the world. We see students getting the support they need to thrive and educators having the s
Labor Day 2018 Quotes, History, sayings and solidarity
Labor Day 2018 Quotes, History, sayings and solidarity Happy Labor Day! Monday, September 3 LABOR DAY: WHAT IT MEANS Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of

SEP 02

Wendy Lecker: Public education as a political movement - StamfordAdvocate
Wendy Lecker: Public education as a political movement - StamfordAdvocate Wendy Lecker: Public education as a political movement My 18-year “career” as a public education parent ended in June as my youngest child graduated from high school. I am witness to the profound effect my children’s teachers had on their development as students and human beings — nurturing their passions, providing life le
Tierrabyte: Economically Disadvantaged Kids in Charter Schools Fare Worse on Math Exams
Tierrabyte: Economically Disadvantaged Kids in Charter Schools Fare Worse on Math Exams Tierrabyte: Economically Disadvantaged Kids in Charter Schools Fare Worse on Math Exams A fresh academic school year brings new challenges to students returning to class after the summer break. For economically disadvantaged students in charter schools, one of the biggest challenges might be performing well on
Teachers have been walking out all year. Now they're walking straight to the ballot box
Teachers have been walking out all year. Now they're walking straight to the ballot box Teachers have been walking out all year. Now they're walking straight to the ballot box Teachers on strike in Vancouver, WA. on Aug. 29. (Amanda Cowan / Associated Press) What unfolded in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona last spring was not supposed to happen. Tens of thousands of teachers went on strike in

SEP 01

Reclaiming Educational Reform - Long View on Education
Reclaiming Educational Reform - Long View on Education Reclaiming Educational Reform “American writers have tended to see themselves as outcasts and isolates, prophets crying in the wilderness. So they have been, as a rule: American Jeremiahs, simultaneously lamenting a declension and celebrating a national dream.” Sacvan Bercovitch, The American Jeremiad (1978) “These schools, these students, ar
2nd BANANA: Top Posts This Week 9/1/18
Top Posts This Week 9/1/18 California Legislature Approves McCarty Measure to Ban For-Profit Charter Schools | East County Today Betsy DeVos Orders Flat Earth Disks In Every Classroom | Andrew Hall New direction for Gates Foundation aims to build on progress in L.A. schools National Student-led Forum on Gun Safety and Safe Schools | KRWG BACK TO SCHOOL: A parent’s guide to K-12 school success Fro
The NYT Editorial Board | Schools Can Keep Kids Safe Without Giving Their Teachers Guns - The New York Times
Opinion | Schools Can Keep Kids Safe Without Giving Their Teachers Guns - The New York Times Schools Can Keep Kids Safe Without Giving Their Teachers Guns Betsy DeVos’s latest scheme flies in the face of expert advice. Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, floated a plan last week that stood out in its absurdity even among her many other foolish proposals: She is considering using an obscure fede
The price of punishment — new report shows students nationwide lost 11 million school days due to suspensions | EdSource
The price of punishment — new report shows students nationwide lost 11 million school days due to suspensions | EdSource The price of punishment — new report shows students nationwide lost 11 million school days due to 
NPE Action - Political Endorsements -http://npeaction.org/ on @NPEaction


NPE Action - Political Endorsements - http://npeaction.org/ on @NPEaction




KJ and Michele Rhee: Sacramento Charter High School Students Hold Walk-Out in Protest of School’s Recent Changes | FOX40

Sacramento High School Students Hold Walk-Out in Protest of School’s Recent Changes | FOX40
Sacramento High School Students Hold Walk-Out in Protest of School’s Recent Changes

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SACRAMENTO -- Students at Sacramento High School in Oak Park are in open revolt; refusing to return to class until their demands are met by the school’s administration.
At issue is the dismissal of several faculty and staff over the summer and new rules for student’s uniforms and dismissal after class.
“Who’s school? Our school,” students chanted in exclamation.
Between a hundred to two hundred Sacramento High students refused to go to class today. Costing the school state money for every period they miss.
“We have been fighting for years for them to listen and support us as black and Latino kids that is the majority of our population,” stated senior Kiarah Young.
Young says students are furious they came back from summer break to find many teachers and support staff had been let go.
“We barely have any teachers of color this year, over the summer they had fired or let go a majority of them,” Young said.
Juanda Starks says after 16 years working at Sac High as a staff member, her job was cut a week after school let out for summer.
“They told us to reapply, for the positions that they had supposedly consolidated, and when we did, we were off boarded,” said Starks.
But Young says there were also other changes.
Students are now not allowed to stay on campus once school lets out.
“They lock all the doors even before we’re out of school, so nobody can even go back inside. So, we don’t get help from our teachers. And you’re pushed outside of these gates into the streets so many people can’t get picked up till a lot later,” expressed Young.
And Young says the school’s uniform dress code is unacceptable.
“We have to wear pants and it’s a hundred-degree weather,” bemoaned Young.
FOX40 attempted to reach school administrators however, calls and messages sent to St. Hopes. the non-profit which runs the charter school, were not returned.
Students continued to chant, “you can’t stop the revolution,” outside of the school and Stark said she’s proud these students are standing up for what they believe in.
“This is what we taught them, this is what we wanted them to have, self-worth,” said Stark.
Students say they also staged a walk out Monday and Wednesday.
They plan to continue full day walk-outs until school administrators negotiate with them.
Sacramento High School Students Hold Walk-Out in Protest of School’s Recent Changes | FOX40



Billionaires v teachers: the Koch brothers' plan to starve public education | US news | The Guardian

Billionaires v teachers: the Koch brothers' plan to starve public education | US news | The Guardian

Billionaires v teachers: the Koch brothers' plan to starve public education



A small group of women have succeeded in putting a state law promoted by Betsy DeVos and billionaire donors which they see as an attack on public education on the ballot in November


rizona has become the hotbed for an experiment rightwing activists hope will redefine America’s schools – an experiment that has pitched the conservative billionaires the Koch brothers and Donald Trump’s controversial education secretary, Betsy DeVos, against teachers’ unions, teachers and parents. Neither side is giving up without a fight.
With groups funded by the Koch brothers and DeVos nudging things along, Arizona lawmakers enacted the nation’s broadest school vouchers law, state-funded vouchers that are supposed to give parents more school choice and can be spent on private or religiously affiliated schools. For opponents, the system is not about choice but about further weakening the public school system. A half-dozen women who had battled for months against the legislation were angry as hell.
Convinced that the law would drain money from Arizona’s underfunded public schools, these women complained that Arizona’s lawmakers had ignored the public will and instead heeded the wishes of billionaires seeking to build up private schools at the expense of public schools.
“We walked outside the Capitol Building, and we looked at each other, and said, ‘What now?” said one of the women, Dawn Penich-Thacker, a mother of two boys in public school and a former army public information officer. “We had been fighting this for four months. We realized that there’s something we can do about it. It’s called a citizens’ referendum. We said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
Little did they know the challenges ahead. They would need 75,321 signatures to get their referendum on the ballot to overturn the law. They formed a group, Save Our Schools, and set out to collect the needed signatures. Opposing lobbyists sneered, saying no way could they do that.
The six women inspired a statewide movement and got hundreds of volunteers to brave Arizona’s torrid summer heat to collect signatures – in parks and parking lots, at baseball games and shopping malls. Their message was that billionaire outsiders were endangering public education by getting Arizona’s legislature – in part through campaign contributions – to create an expensive voucher program.
“We knew something was rotten in the state of Arizona,” said Beth Lewis, a Continue reading: Billionaires v teachers: the Koch brothers' plan to starve public education | US news | The Guardian





Union Membership Narrows the Racial Wealth Gap for Families of Color - Center for American Progress

Union Membership Narrows the Racial Wealth Gap for Families of Color - Center for American Progress

Union Membership Narrows the Racial Wealth Gap for Families of Color
Union activists and supporters rally against the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in <em>Janus v. AFSCME</em>, in Foley Square in Lower Manhattan, June 27, 2018, in New York City.


Download the PDF here.
Wealth is critical to families’ immediate and long-term economic well-being. It helps families pay their bills if their income drops due to unforeseen events such as a layoff or medical emergency. It also allows them to invest in their future by sending their children to college; moving to a desirable neighborhood due to, for instance, better schools; switching jobs; or starting a business. Yet wealth is highly unequally distributed in the United States—particularly by race and ethnicity. (see Appendix for more information) White families, for instance, have significantly more wealth than nonwhite families.1 There are a few institutions that help shrink this systematic divide; unions are one such institution.
Unions help increase the wealth for all workers. Indeed, previous Center for American Progress Action Fund research showed that a typical worker covered by a union contract has roughly twice the wealth of a typical nonunion worker.2 And new Center for American Progress analysis shows that unions boost wealth the most for those who are nonwhite.

A note on the data

The analysis in this brief combines data for families where the heads of household identify as a race/ethnicity other than white into the single category of nonwhite families. These additional categories include African Americans; Latino/Hispanic people; and Others, including but not limited to Asian Americans. The underlying data set—the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances—does not publish detailed information on those self-identifying as Other. The analysis in this brief uses combined data for African American, Latino/Hispanic, and Other families to ensure sufficiently large sample sizes. The conclusions are not materially affected by combining data for families that do not identify as white. That is, the general conclusion that nonwhite households benefit more from union membership than whites holds for all groups, but the size of the effect may differ between nonwhite groups. The difference in wealth for union members, for instance, is greater than for nonmembers among African Americans, Latino/Hispanic people, and Others than for whites.3 (see Figure 1)
Being a union member creates a number of venues for workers to build more wealth than would be available for nonunion members.4 Union members bargain collectively for wages, benefits, and procedures that affect their employment, such as when and how an employer can fire an employee. As a result of being covered by a collective bargaining agreement—the contract that employers and unions regularly sign and that governs these employment-related issues—union members have higher wages, on average; more benefits; and more stable employment than is the case for nonunion members.
Higher wages then translate into more savings in absolute terms, as well as more tax incentives to save.5 Furthermore, more job-related benefits—such as health insurance, defined benefit plans, and life insurance—mean that union members need to spend less money than do nonunion members to protect their families against future income losses. Therefore, they can save more money to pursue their own goals, such as paying for their children’s college education.6 Lastly, union membership leads to greater employment stability and job protections that translate into longer tenures with one employer.7 This employment stability translates into more savings, as union members are more likely to be eligible for key benefits such as retirement savings and can better plan for their futures.8
This issue brief considers the relevant data broken down by union membership separately for whites and nonwhites. The data show that:Union Membership Narrows the Racial Wealth Gap for Families of Color - Center for American Progress