DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY?

A site to discuss better education for all

Trump Will Promote Ted Cruz’s Voucher Plan

by dianeravitch / 27min

The Houston Chronicle reports that Trump will promote Ted Cruz’s school voucher plan, which aligns nicely with the DeVos “Education Freedom” vouchers. Texas does not have vouchers, thanks to the concerted efforts of Pastors for Texas Children and a large number of local civic groups. Despite the fervent advocacy of top Republicans, a coalition of rural Republicans and urban Democrats have stopped

Economic Policy Institute: How Much Would It Cost to Supply High-Quality Early Childhood Education?

by dianeravitch / 1h

The Economic Policy Institute has created an interactive state-by-state analysis of the cost of high-quality early childhood education. At present, most ECE workers/teachers are grossly underpaid, some well below the poverty line. It is fair to assume that policymakers today are unlikely to pay the cost of high-quality ECE. In many states, and at the federal level, policymakers do not believe in

Indianapolis: The Resistance Is Fighting the Well-Funded Disruptors

40by dianeravitch / 2h

Professor Jim Scheurich read a recent article in the rightwing, anti-public school journal “Education Next” about Indianapolis, which he thought was fundamentally flawed. He sent the following analysis of what’s really happening in Indianapolis: A RECENT ARTICLE IN EDUCATION NEXT COMPLETELY MISREPRESENTS THE RECENT HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS K12 EDUCATION Dr. Jim Scheurich Urban Education Studies Do

Send This Post to Every Ohio Legislator

by dianeravitch / 3h

The Ohio Legislature has created a royal mess in its rush to give vouchers to almost every student in the state. They can’t decide whether the vouchers will be paid by taking money away from the state’s underfunded public schools and how to decide which children get public money to attend private schools. Jan Resseger untangles the mess in her lucid way. Read the whole post, not just this excerpt

Valerie Strauss: Founder of IDEA Charter Chain Apologizes for Spendthrift Ways

21by dianeravitch / 4h

Valerie Strauss writes here about the abject apology by Tom Torkelsen of the IDEA corporate charter chain for his company’s lavish spending. The head of a Texas-based charter school chain publicly apologized for “really dumb and unhelpful” plans that included leasing a private jet for millions of dollars and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on San Antonio Spurs tickets. It’s not the firs

YESTERDAY

University of California Decides to Keep SAT/ACT as Admission Requirements

by dianeravitch / 23h

The University of California’s faculty leaders have recommended retaining the controversial SAT and ACT as admissions requirements, despite concerns that the standardized tests are rigged against students of low income. Wealthy parents pay huge sums for tutoring their children. Standardized tests by their nature are rigged against disadvantaged students, which has encouraged more than 1,000 colle

Dcps: Do Not Close This School!

by dianeravitch / 23h

Parents, students, and local officials plead with Chancellor Lewis Ferebee: DO NOT CLOSE WASHINGTON MET! No student was ever helped by closing schools! Stop the mayhem. Stop the pointless disruption! Support the school, don’t kill it. Do not pave the way for gentrification and more charter schools.

Two Gems from “A Writer’s Almanac”

by dianeravitch / 1d

While you are enjoying the previous post, which you should really print out and read carefully, here are two gems from Garrison Keillor’s delightful daily “A Writer’s Almanac.” I have been warned never to refer to him or his work, but I believe in redemption. And I post what I want. You may have to be as old as me to remember the first item. We mourn today for the legendary sports star Kobe Bryan

For Your Browsing Pleasure: Who Got Walton Money for Education Disruption in 2018?

65by dianeravitch / 1d

The Walton Family Foundation is the fruit of the Walmart chain. It was created by the Waltons, one of the richest families in the world. The three senior members of the Walton family–Alice Walton, Jim Walton, and Rob Walton–have a collective net worth in excess of $150 billion. There is a younger generation of Waltons whose wealth is not included in that total. The Walton family increases its wea

Los Angeles: Defeat the Charter Combine!

by dianeravitch / 1d

Jackie Goldberg, the dynamic progressive on the Los Angeles school board, send this request for help: FROM THE DESK OF JACKIE GOLDBERG Dear Friends and Family, First, I cannot thank each and every one of you enough for all you’ve done to support me over so many years. And I have another personal request for each of you because you are all important in the struggles for full funding for public edu

Dallas: Charter Operator Sentenced to 7 Years, Then Claims Bonus

100+by dianeravitch / 1d

The charter industry is overrun with scandals because charter laws do not require accountability and transparency. Theft, conflicts of interest, nepotism, and fraud are a feature, not a bug. A charter operator in Dallas was sentenced to seven years in jail for taking a kickback , but then convinced the board to give her a bonus of $20,000. Donna Houston-Woods was convicted of defrauding her own D

Florida: 2 Big Banks Abandon Florida’s Voucher Program Due to Anti-LGBT Policies

200+by dianeravitch / 1d

A free press makes a difference. Here is proof. On January 23, Leslie Postal and Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel wrote that nearly 160 religious schools receiving vouchers from the state of Florida openly discriminate against 

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

How Bernie Sanders Became Teachers' Favorite Candidate | HuffPost

How Bernie Sanders Became Teachers' Favorite Candidate | HuffPost

How Bernie Sanders Became Teachers’ Favorite Candidate
Far more teachers are donating to the Vermont senator than any other presidential candidate, new data shows.

Katie Nash has been a fan of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) since she saw him speak at a local political rally in the lead up to the 2016 election, but she was careful not to get her hopes up. Though his worldview aligned with hers, she suspected others might find his progressive ideals unrealistic and lofty. She didn’t think he had a chance of gaining widespread support as a presidential candidate. 

That changed in 2018, when she and around 20,000 other teachers in Arizona participated in a statewide walkout over issues of school funding and low pay. Nash ― who had never previously donated to or caucused for a politician ― described it as a political awakening. Seeing thousands of fellow teachers fighting alongside her for better schools made her realize that maybe she and her neighbors had more in common than she thought. 

Ever since the walkout, Nash, a teacher of 14 years, told HuffPost she “hasn’t stopped doing something.” In the lead up to 2020, she has donated to the Sanders campaign, hosted a house party to drum up enthusiasm and participated in organizing calls. 

“Seeing what’s possible with grassroots allayed my doubts about his campaign,” said Nash, who is now president of her local union chapter.  

Nash is one of many teachers who seem to be “feeling the Bern.” Far more K-12 teachers are donating to Sanders than any other candidate. From Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2019, teachers have donated over $2 million to the candidate, according to data provided to HuffPost by the Center for Responsive Politics. They are his top group of donors by profession, followed by servers, bartenders and cooks, and then nurses and caregivers, according to his campaign. 

Sanders has also received notable endorsements from large, influential teachers unions, like United Teachers Los Angeles and the Clark County Education Association.

While former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D - Mass.) previously led an internal poll conducted by the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s CONTINUE READING: How Bernie Sanders Became Teachers' Favorite Candidate | HuffPost

Calling All Educators: Sign the #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool pledge today! – Black Lives Matter At School @BLMAtSchool #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #BlackHistoryMonth

Calling All Educators: Sign the #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool pledge today! – Black Lives Matter At School

Calling All Educators: Sign the #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool pledge today!

On Monday, February 3, 2020, the third national Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action begins in schools all across the country. Educators will be teaching lessons about the 13 principles of the Black Lives Matter Global Network and teaching about intersectional Black identities and contributions to history. We have many free downloadable lessons available here to help you participate in the Week of Action.

We urge you to show your commitment to join this uprising for racial justice in the schools by signing this pledge created by the National Education Association. The Black Lives Matter at School Pledge reads:

Our Pledge

As educators and allies, we will work to address the inequities that result from institutionally racist policies and practices in our schools and the communities in which our students live. We choose not to accept these conditions as they exist, but to accept the responsibility for changing them.

We pledge to take actions that will address access and opportunity for all students, by highlighting inequities and increasing awareness, organizing for change, and growing the movement.

SIGN THE PLEDGE AND RECEIVE A FREE DOWNLOAD OF THE NEA EDJUSTICE BLACK LIVES MATTER AT SCHOOL POSTER.

Calling All Educators: Sign the #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool pledge today! – Black Lives Matter At School

Dogged Dilemmas in U.S. Classrooms | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Dogged Dilemmas in U.S. Classrooms | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Dogged Dilemmas in U.S. Classrooms

Over the past ten years I have blogged, I have written often about dilemmas facing teachers, principals, superintendents, and school board members. These dilemmas (as distinguished from “problems”) have to be managed since they cannot be “solved.” That distinction goes against the cultural belief that Americans are “problem-solvers” who can–often through technology– figure out ways to end hunger, cure any disease, and iron out inequalities. But dilemmas differ from problems. This post explains the differences and gives a classroom instance familiar to many teachers.

I have used the word “dilemma” in earlier posts since superintendents, principals, teachers, and, yes, students face situations that call for difficult choices among conflicting values. So for this post, I offer a thorny dilemma with which readers can wrestle.

By dilemmas, I mean situations where you have to choose between two or more competing and prized values. The choice is often hard because in choosing you end up sacrificing something of value to gain a bit of satisfaction on another value–what academics call “satisficing.”

An example of a common dilemma might help. One that each of us face is the personal/professional dilemma. You value highly your work and you value highly your family and friends. Those are the competing values. But your time and CONTINUE READING: Dogged Dilemmas in U.S. Classrooms | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice