KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all

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

KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG 

A site to discuss better education for all

TODAY

What Public School Employees Need to Know about the CARES Law

by dianeravitch / 7min

Terri Michal is a member of the elected lard of Education in Birmingham, Alabama. She writes: I love public education employees. They are the most resourceful group of people you could ever meet. They have to be. These employees work in an atmosphere of politics and nepotism. They suffer through Legislators and administrators that create policies for them even though many of these policy makers h

William Doyle and Pasi Sahlberg: This Is What Should Change After the Pandemic

24by dianeravitch / 1h

The standards and testing cabal wants to preserve the status quo ante and double down on accountability and NCLB-style measures after the pandemic. The choice crowd wants to push their agendas subsidizing anything and everything while slashing public schools. William Doyle and Pasi Sahlberg have a different vision. They want learning to be creative and joyful. They describe their ideas on Valerie

Is Distance Learning the Wave of the Future?

60by dianeravitch / 2h

We have known for a long while that the worst scandals in the charter sector are intertwined with online learning and cyber charters. Consider the bankruptcy last year of ECOT (the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow) in Ohio, 

YESTERDAY

Dana Milbank: When You Drown Government in a Bathtub, People Die

100+by dianeravitch / 11h

Dana Milbank, opinion writer for the Washington Post, says that the a Republican right wing finally have the helpless federal government they have longed for, and people are dying because of the government’s incompetence. Is this a polite way of saying that the Tea Party libertarians have blood on their hands? Note: there are only two areas where these people are eager and willing to lavish publi

World Bank Changes Policy on For-Profit Privatized Schools

100+by dianeravitch / 19h

Until recently, the World Bank has been a vocal supporter of for-profit privatized education such as that offered by Bridge International, which had been expanding rapidly in Africa. Thanks in large part to the work of Education International , a world confederation of teachers’ unions, the World Bank has changed its policy. In a sudden and far-reaching policy shift, World Bank President David Ma

Cleveland: Billionaire-Owned Corporation Kills Local Newspaper

84by dianeravitch / 20h

Patrick O’Donnell is one of the best education journalists in the nation. He has covered charter and cyber charter scandals in Cleveland and in Ohio without fear or favor. Ohio, as you may have noticed, is awash in charter corruption. O’Donnell worked for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer until last weekend, when the newspaper pushed out its leading journalists and told them they could cover far-flung a

Wisconsin: How the GOP Sabotaged the Primary

100+by dianeravitch / 21h

Wisconsin long ago scheduled its primaries for April 7. When the dimensions of the public health crisis became apparent, Governor Tony Evers tried to postpone the election and to encourage voting by mail. Evers’s order to postpone the election was overturned by the state court, and its ruling was sustained by the U.S. Supreme Court, voting along partisan lines. Hundreds of thousands of people wer

Watch This 5-Minute Video About the Nefarious Goal of EduBusiness

30by dianeravitch / 22h

Professor Les Perelman, who taught writing at MIT , recently was honored by the New South Wales Teachers Federation for his successful effort to stop the “robo-grading” of tests in Australia. He demonstrated how easy it was to deceive the machines grading thousands of tests in only seconds. Perelman speaks here about the importance of public education, critical thinking, and the dangers posed by

G.F. Brandenburg: Who Is Getting $2 Trillion?

43by dianeravitch / 23h

G.F. Brandenburg wonders where the $2 trillion is going. A retired math teacher, he did the numbers. If every American gets $1,200, that’s $400 billion. That’s 20%. Who gets the other 80%? Politico reported on April 8 that Trump insists that there be no oversight of the $2 trillion. Apparently he thinks it was appropriated by Congress solely for him to dispense as he wishes. WATCHMEN — As the Tru

APR 09

Update: Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Daily Briefings Are a Waste of Time

59by dianeravitch / 1d

Read the new ending to this post. Trump tweeted a response. The Wall Street Journal offered some useful advice to Trump. Given his ego and vanity, he is unlikely to heed the editorial, even though it comes from his cheering section. His narcissism shields him from any criticism. He thinks that his base loves his attacks on the press. It is always surprising to see any member of the press defend t

For-Profit Colleges, Under Investigation, May Collect $1 Billion in Federal Bailout Money

100+by dianeravitch / 1d

The $2 trillion appropriated by Congress as coronavirus relief funds will benefit for-profit colleges with poor records, according to Marketwatch. They are likely to collect $1 billion. DeVos has been an investor in for-profit colleges, so don’t expect her to care. Democratic Senators have complained to DeVos but got no response this far., Dozens of for-profit colleges that are among those most l

Los Angeles: The New Reality: Overwhelmed. Isolated. Unfocused. Very Stressed.

31by dianeravitch / 1d

While enthusiasts for online learning predict a boom after the pandemic, as students and teachers get used to learning at home online, the reality is different on the ground. Stress, loneliness, and boredom are typical reactions. A team of reporters in Los Angeles reports on student reactions to the loss of face-to-face instruction. A senior at John C. Fremont High School in South L.A., Emilio He

Finland Has a Full Stockpile of Emergency Supplies

31by dianeravitch / 1d

Among the nations of the world, only one is fully prepared for an emergency like the current pandemic: Finland. While the rest of us have lived like grasshoppers, not worrying about possible disasters, the Finns are like ants: storing what is needed for whatever might happen. They long ago decided not to be dependent on the global supply chain for essential equipment. The New York Times published

A Protest Against Distance Learning

200+by dianeravitch / 1d

Parents, educators, and community activists in San Francisco formed an organization to protest the inequities in over reliance on distance learning. They call themselves StrikeReadySF. This is their manifesto.

APR 08

Save IDEA! Sign This Petition to Betsy DeVos!

100+by dianeravitch / 2d

Concerned parents and educators have created an online petition to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. They are afraid that she will use this period of national crisis to reduce the rights of students with disabilities. Please read their petition, and if you agree with them, please add your name. Letter to the Department of Education

Outrage: Charters Pursue Federal Small Business Funds

200+by dianeravitch / 2d

Are charters public schools or are they businesses? The charter lobby wants a slice of the $2 trillion intended to save small businesses even though the charters have suffered no loss of funding during the pandemic. Many businesses are nearly bankrupt. This money was meant for them, not charters and their lobbyists. Please sign this petition to Congress.

John Thompson: Beware the Virtual Charter Scam!

60by dianeravitch / 2d

John Thompson writes here about yet another virtual charter scam, this one in Oklahoma. He writes: After years of failing to regulate charters, especially online and for-profit charters, Oklahoma is just one state that illustrates how hard it is to catch up and hold virtual schools accountable for either education outcomes or financial transactions. In July 2019, according to an Oklahoma State Bu

Tom Ultican: Two Books You Will Enjoy Reading

by dianeravitch / 2d

In this post, Tom Ultican reviews two recent books . One is Mercedes Schneider’s guide to sleuthing through online records and following the money. It is called A Practical Guide to Digital Research: Getting the Facts and Rejecting the Lies. Schneider is an expert at “following the money,” and she reveals the secrets of her craft in this book. The book grew out of a presentation that Schneider ga

How a Country Doctor Became a Rightwing Star

34by dianeravitch / 2d

In the age of the Internet, news travels fast. The story below explains how a doctor in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in New York State developed a drug cocktail that has been endorsed by Trump and even the president of Brazil. Last month, residents of Kiryas Joel, a New York village of 35,000 Hasidic Jews roughly an hour’s drive from Manhattan, began hearing about a promising treatment for

Two Views on After The Pandemic: What Happens in Schools?

89by dianeravitch / 2d

Here are two contrasting views about what happens when (if?) children return to school in the fall. In an article in the Washington Post , Mike Petrilli, president of the rightwing Thomas B. Fordham Institute, proposes that all students be held back a grade to make up for the ground they lost when schools closed in March. He also suggests that this is a good time to embrace distance learning. Jan

APR 07

Trump Fires Inspector General in Charge of $2 Trillion Relief Fund

75by dianeravitch / 3d

You may have heard the news today that Trump fired the independent Inspector General in charge of monitoring the $2 trillion coronavirus relief fund. I want to explain why this is a Very Big Deal. When I worked in the Department of Education many years ago, I learned that the I.G. was nonpartisan and was respected and revered. As a political appointee, you knew that the I.G. was in charge of moni

Tennessee: Parents and Civil Rights Groups Sue to Block Vouchers

32by dianeravitch / 3d

PLAINTIFFS ASK TENNESSEE COURT TO HALT UNCONSTITUTIONAL VOUCHER PROGRAM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS: Ashley Levett, SPLC, ashley.levett@splcenter.org / 334-296-0084 Sharon Krengel, ELC, skrengel@edlawcenter.org / 973-624-1815, x 24 Lindsay Kee, ACLU-TN, communications@aclu-tn.org / 615-320-7142 Christopher Wood, Robbins Geller, cwood@rgrdlaw.com / 615- 244-2203 TENNESSEE – Parents and communit

The Lost Month: A Failure to Act, a Failure to Test

by dianeravitch / 3d

The New York Times published an insightful and informative analysis of the federal government’s failure to act, as the threat of the coronavirus became clear at the start of 2020. It’s an absorbing story of bureaucratic delays, missed signals, a lack of urgency, a failure of planning and communication, and a failure to mobilize the nation in time to save thousands of lives. It’s a long read but w

The Lost Two Months: The Failure of the Trump Administration to Protect Americans Against the Pandemic

by dianeravitch / 3d

The Washington Post published the following story on April 4. It is a story of an administration that ignored warnings and then misled the American people about the seriousness of the pandemic that was about to cause massive misery and loss of life to our nation. It was reported by Yasmeen Abutaleb, Josh Dawsey, Ellen Nakashima and Greg Miller. Journalism is often called “the first draft of histo

Wendy Lecker: What We Learned About Public Schools During the Pandemic

100+by dianeravitch / 3d

Civil rights attorney Wendy Lecker writes a regular column in the Stamford (CT) Advocate. In this post , she points out that the pandemic has demonstrated how important public schools are in their communities. As states closed public school systems, the nation at large saw the wide range of necessary services schools provide to students in addition to instruction. Public schools, serving 50 milli

Paul Waldman: The Time to Reform Healthcare Is Now

by dianeravitch / 3d

Paul Waldman, an opinion writer for the Washington Post, writes here that the coronavirus pandemic has made reform of healthcare an urgent matter . Millions of people have been laid off, losing the health insurance provided by their employers. He predicts that access to health insurance will be a major issue in the November election because Trump’s war on Obamacare has stripped millions of their

APR 06

New York: Regents’ Exams Canceled This Year

25by dianeravitch / 4d

At a meeting of the New York State Board of Regents, Chancellor Betty Rosa announces that the Regents exams required for high school graduation will be canceled this year. This is a wise decision. The exams cannot be given in person. If delivered online, there is no way to know who is taking the exam. The next year should be a time to rethink the current policy of requiring all students to take t

Trump Uses His Bully Pulpit to Tout Unproven Drug

32by dianeravitch / 4d

The New York Times reported that Trump again advocated for a treatment for COVID-19 and silenced his chief medical adviser, Dr.Anthony Fauci, who does not agree with him. Other physicians warn that the side effects of the drug recommended by Trump could be dangerous. The Washington Post reported that Rudy Guiliani has advised Trump about the drug that he touts. The Washington Post writes: In one-

Missouri: Professor of Economics Renounces Award to Protest Donor Influence

by dianeravitch / 4d

This is a message from UnkochMyCampus, an organization dedicated to stopping the nefarious influence of the super-rich on campuses, starting with the Koch family. In this case, the contribution to a Missouri university came from billionaire Rex Sinquefield, a rightwing libertarian extremist. Mr. Sinquefield is a strong supporters of charter schools and vouchers. Please consider signing the letter

Esquire: This Is Not the Time for Ignorant Leaders

39by dianeravitch / 4d

This insightful article in Esquire is m ostly about Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia, the guy who was in charge of the election (as Secretary of State) in which he beat Stacey Abrams and refused to step aside to let a nonpartisan person do it. His platform was pro-gun and anti-immigrant. Kemp belatedly figured out that people who exhibit no symptoms of COVID-19 can transmit the disease. Jack Holmes

“The Prom Will Not Be Webcast”

45by dianeravitch / 4d

Eighteen years ago, a far-sighted teacher in Los Angeles presciently warned that distance learning would never be an adequate substitute for human interaction between teachers and students. Alan Warhaftig retired as a teacher in 2017. Education Week gave him permission to repost this article ,and he in turn gave me permission to post it. Educators may be pillars of the community, but their discou

After the Pandemic: My Hopes for the Future of Schooling

by dianeravitch / 4d

Maureen Downey of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution interviewed me about my thoughts about what might happen after the nightmare pandemic that has changed our lives. Would more parents decide to homeschool their children? Would distance learning replace the school as we have known it? Would policy makers take a new view of standardized testing? Here are my answers .

APR 05

Max Boot: The Worst President. Ever.

100+by dianeravitch / 5d

Max Boot writes in the Washington Post. In this article , he says that people always thought that James Buchanan was the worst president because of his failure to prevent the Civil War, the most deadly conflict in American history. But he now believes Trump has edged out Buchanan for the dubious title of The Worst President Ever. By the way, the Queen of England gave a lovely speech yesterday , t

Some Musicals and Theatrical Productions You Can Stream for Free

by dianeravitch / 5d

Thanks to our reader Dienne for suggesting this list of musical and theatrical productions that are streaming for free. One of them “Jesus Christ Superstar” is already unavailable, so make a note to catch the ones that are still streaming.

Andrea Gabor: Online Learning Encounters Obstacles

23by dianeravitch / 5d

Veteran journalist Andrea Gabor writes that students and schools are not ready for the sudden transition to online learning. Gabor writes: Online instruction has arrived overnight in U.S. schools. And nobody’s ready for it. The problem isn’t just that school systems shuttered by the coronavirus pandemic suddenly face the huge challenge of improvising home-schooling routines on an unimagined scale

Warning: “The Next Two Weeks Will Be a Combination of Pearl Harbor and 9/11”

by dianeravitch / 5d

Politico reports: G’MORNING. THE PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS in the administration have taken their dire warnings about the coronavirus to a new level. They’ve started comparing the next two weeks to a widespread Sept. 11 or Pearl Harbor, and they’re warning against even going to the grocery store to get food and provisions. — DR. DEBORAH BIRX, in yesterday’s briefing: “So the next two weeks are extrao

Jeanette Deutermann: A Message to Parents and Teachers: EMPATHY!

100+by dianeravitch / 5d

Jeanette Deutermann is the parent on Long Island in New York who launched “Long Island Opt Out.” It is now part of NYSAPE, New York State Parents and Educators, which has led the successful opt out movement. She read some angry posts on Facebook, with blame as the common factor. And she wrote this plea on her Facebook page, which has been widely shared: All of our Facebook feeds are filled with p

The Best Video You Will See About the Global Shutdown! (Video restored!)

by dianeravitch / 5d

I have seen many home-made videos about the COVID-19 shutdown of large parts of society, but this one is the absolute best so far! It’s a British family, Ben and Danielle Marsh and their four children, who live in Kent. They sing “One Day More” from “Les Miserables,” and they are hilarious! I loved it! Thanks to Bob Shepherd for supplying a link that works.

Joy Hakim: Online Lessons by a Storyteller

63by dianeravitch / 5d

Joy Hakim wrote a successful American history book titled A History of Us , which was pUblished by Oxford University Press, not the big textbook corporations, because it was written as factual stories, not by a checklist. She also wrote The Story of Science , which was published by the Smithsonian, for the same reason. When you read her books and compare them to the lifeless textbooks that studen

APR 04

Wonderful News! Bill Gates Will Fund Factories To Produce Vaccines!

90by dianeravitch / 6d

Bill Gates went on Trevor Noah’s “The Faily Show” to announce that he would fund the building of several factories to produce vaccines for the coronavirus. He expects that only two will be successful, which means he will “waste” a few billion dollars. But since he is worth about $110 billion, this is no big loss. This is great news, given the incompetence of the Trump administration, which expect

Valerie Strauss on the Shutdown of Zoom Because of “Zoombombing”

52by dianeravitch / 6d

Valerie Strauss writes here about a growing exodus from the Zoom platform , which benefits Microsoft’s Teams. She writes: Some school districts around the country have started to ban the use of Zoom for online learning from home during the coronavirus crisis because of growing concerns about security, and others are reassessing how and whether to use the teleconferencing platform. Days after the

New York City Department of Education Forbids Use of ZOOM Due to Concerns about Privacy, Security

500+by dianeravitch / 6d

Many teachers are using the ZOOM videoconferencing tool for their online classes, but there have been numerous complaints about ZOOM classes being hacked, and intruders interfering with the class or expressing inappropriate comments. Consequently, the New York City Department of Education is forbidding teachers from using ZOOM. New York City has banned the video conferencing platform Zoom in city

New York City Offers Free Meals to All During Crisis

45by dianeravitch / 6d

What began as “Grab and Go” locations to feed students has turned into free meal dispensaries for all who are in need of food. The city Department of Education’s 435 meal hubs for children will be expanded to serve adult New Yorkers with grab-and-go meals, meaning anyone in need of food can access it at one of the locations. Children and families can pick up meals 7:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Adults with

Paul Thomas: Two Cases of “Epistemic Trespassing”

by dianeravitch / 6d

Paul Thomas of Furman University describes two examples of “epistemic trespassing”: Ruby Payne’s theories about poverty and the current advocacy for “the science of reading.” Epistemic trespassing occurs when a narrative is driven by people who are not experts in their field.

A Teacher in South Dakota: I Will Not Send Home Any Packets

300+by dianeravitch / 6d

A teacher in South Dakota writes here about her love of teaching, her love of her students, and how she is handling the current crisis. She writes: Let me preface this by saying that I am passionate about education. I enjoy being a student, and I love being a teacher. Of all of the things that I joke about in life, my job as a teacher is taken very seriously. Also, I love my students. LOVE THEM.

Carol Burris: Charter Schools Ask for Federal Money Though They Suffered No Loss

5Kby dianeravitch / 6d

Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education, expresses outrage because the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has asked for federal rescue money for charter schools, although they have suffered no losses. She writes: Shame on the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools! I have great sympathy for small businesses that are devastated by COVID-19. And I am gla

APR 03

Experts Question Validity of Trump’s Estimate of Virus Deaths

by dianeravitch / 7d

Medical experts and even some Trump advisors are questioning the validity of the estimates of likely coronavirus deaths released by Trump. The estimate of 100,000-240,000 was hurriedly selected, but there is little agreement about whether it is too low or too high. Leading disease forecasters, whose research the White House used to conclude 100,000 to 240,000 people will die nationwide from the c

Utah: Governor Vetoes Voucher Proposal

47by dianeravitch / 7d

Listening to educators and the state school board, Governor Gary Herbert vetoed a voucher program for students with special needs. Critics pointed out that the state has had a. Oh her program for students with special needs for 15 years and doesn’t need another one. They also noted that Utah had a state referendum in 2007, and the public voted overwhelmingly against vouchers. The voucher advocate

Leonie Haimson Interviews Randi Weingarten About the Crisis

by dianeravitch / 7d

Leonie Haimson conducts a weekly program on public radio station WBAI in New York City. In this episode , she interviews Randi W. about the coronavirus crisis, the threat of budget cuts, and problems with distance learning.

Advice to Parents: Forget the Worksheets!

5Kby dianeravitch / 7d

Joel Westheimer has advice for parents who are at home organizing their children’s days. FORGET THE WORKSHEETS AND TRYING TO REPLICATE SCHOOL I am really struck by the variety of media inquiries I’ve been getting about the impacts of Covid-19 on education, what parents should be doing at home, and so on. The interest doesn’t surprise me (I am an education columnist on public radio), but the preoc

L.A. Times: Trump Administration Killed Program to Predict Pandemics Before They Start

89by dianeravitch / 7d

The Trump administration eliminated a $200 million program to help scientists around the world predict pandemics before they get started , according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. Is it too much to call this decision criminal negligence? What’s the old poem? “For want of a nail, a kingdom was lost?” To save $200 million, a global pandemic was unleashed that killed many thousands of people

John Merrow Proves That the Public Admires and Respects Teachers

42by dianeravitch / 7d

John Merrow released this post on April 1 but my page was already full, and anyway the post is not a joke. However, if you read it—and you should—you will spot John’s humor. He begins: Although I left reporting more than four years 

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

A Dozen Good Things that Could (Just Maybe) Happen as a Result of this Pandemic | Teacher in a strange land

A Dozen Good Things that Could (Just Maybe) Happen as a Result of this Pandemic | Teacher in a strange land

A Dozen Good Things that Could (Just Maybe) Happen as a Result of this Pandemic

The NY Times launched a series of investigations and articles Thursday around this theme:

It may not feel like it now, but out of this crisis there’s a chance to build a better America: the America we need.

I look forward to reading every single one of the articles—yesterday’s were about our broken health care system and why the rich fear pandemics—but the introductory piece, which is rich in historical examples of sweeping change, made me ask: What good things might come out of this pandemic?

Certainly not the trust in our government that the German people have, the confidence that made them follow the rules, flatten their curve and listen to Mrs. Merkel.

You can already see the folks in power itching to return to the way things were six weeks ago. They’re restless, fretting about an economy that’s rewarded them and left the rest of the country one paycheck and one dangerous job away from disaster.

They are not going for a new normal, one that’s more equitable, with safety and reward spread across the population. They’re trying to figure out how to benefit from the crisis, play the angles.  From the POTUS, yesterday: Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner rather than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those that sadly lost a family member or friend, must be quickly forgotten.

Well. I want to open up our great country, too, once it’s safe—but I want this horror to CONTINUE READING: A Dozen Good Things that Could (Just Maybe) Happen as a Result of this Pandemic | Teacher in a strange land

Homeschooling—the new normal – Sac City Express

Homeschooling—the new normal – Sac City Express

Homeschooling—the new normal

On the afternoon of March 13, City College students and faculty got the news that Los Rios Community College District was suspending face-to-face classes and would go fully online due to the COVID-19 quarantine. 

I’m a sophomore, and spring 2020 is my last semester at City College. This news was disheartening for me. As the returning photo editor of the Express news site, I was looking forward to spending my last semester with the friends I have made on the Express and with the faculty I look up to.

My daughter, Joaquina, is in first grade and loves to go to school. Joaquina received the news that her district, San Juan Unified, would close March 16. Joaquina is a kid who gets sad on holiday breaks because she misses her friends. How do you explain to a 6-year-old that her mother doesn’t know when either of them will be able to go back to school?

There was not a lot of information that first week. Joaquina is in a dual immersion school, all in Spanish with only 30 minutes of English a day. I am not a Spanish speaker, so how am I supposed to keep my daughter up to speed to be at grade level next year?

Paul Estabrook, City College department chair for photography, and his wife had a smoother transition CONTINUE READING: Homeschooling—the new normal – Sac City Express

Standardized tests are canceled and many kids aren’t be graded. So what’s worth learning right now? - The Washington Post

Standardized tests are canceled and many kids aren’t be graded. So what’s worth learning right now? - The Washington Post

Standardized tests are canceled and many kids won’t be graded. So what’s worth learning right now?

For more than a decade, veteran educator Marion Brady has been writing for the Answer Sheet about fundamental problems with what and how schools in the United States teach children to become productive and active adults. His critique has not changed now that American schoolchildren are at home doing distance learning because their school buildings have closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Brady is a retired Florida educator who has for years focused on what he says is the fundamentally flawed curriculum used in schools in the United States and the outdated way students are taught, and today’s circumstances are a perfect time to take a new look at that subject. He has written history and world culture textbooks (Prentice-Hall), professional books, numerous nationally distributed columns and courses of study.

To Brady, boundaries around academic subjects are artificial and are part of stilted education programs that do not provide students with opportunities to think beyond their textbooks and experiment.

His 2011 book, “What’s Worth Learning,” asks and answers this question: What knowledge is absolutely essential for every learner? His course of study for secondary-level students, called “Connections: Investigating Reality,” is free for downloading here. Brady’s website is www.marionbrady.com.

In the post below post, Brady notes that the crisis has the potential for freeing teachers and kids — at least for now — from weeks of test prep for near-useless machine-scored tests. Some of his previous pieces on this blog include:

12 Ideas that help explain what's wrong with most schooling today

34 Problems with standardized tests

By Marion Brady

An old English proverb says, “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good.”

The novel coronavirus, or covid-19, certainly qualifies as a very ill wind, and it’s thrown schooling into mass confusion. However, it has the potential for freeing teachers and kids — at least for now — from CONTINUE READING: Standardized tests are canceled and many kids aren’t be graded. So what’s worth learning right now? - The Washington Post

Chaos Learning: Classroom vs Online? | My Island View

Chaos Learning: Classroom vs Online? | My Island View

Chaos Learning: Classroom vs Online?

It is very difficult to give weight to anything these days except for the conditions that we are now living and dying under, especially as a New Yorker. Time does not stand still however, so we need to assess where we are in order to adjust and move forward. If this pandemic has taught me anything, this would be my lesson learned.

When it comes to the American education system, I have experienced it in many ways and on many levels. I have been a student, a teacher, professor, a supporter, a critic, a follower and a leader. Now I deal with education as a speaker, writer, blogger, and podcaster. My focus in life has always been in education. As a critic I often engaged in theoretical discussions of how we could improve the system if we blew it all up and started anew. These were obviously theoretical discussions since a national education system cannot be physically blown up.

March of 2020 changed all that. March 2020 is when the American education system was blown up. There is no mistake about that. Schools were shut down. Testing was cancelled. Teachers were told not to concern themselves with grades, and even sports were stopped. All school related events were halted. The system, as we have come to know it after 200+ years, was shut down. It was blown up by the Covid-19 virus pandemic.

There was only one possibility available to educators. They immediately ran to the alternative that was discussed for the last decade. We have the technology! Why not transition the entire system to remote learning? Let’s mandate remote learning. Administrators will lead remotely, teachers will teach remotely, students will learn remotely. We have talked about it for years, so why not? That seemed like a sound fix for the problem, especially if it was to be a short-term need.

Well, the fix was not so simple. Although we have talked a great deal about remote learning over the last decade, we haven’t really taught teachers to do it. Since the actual practice of remote learning has been limited, few students are CONTINUE READING: Chaos Learning: Classroom vs Online? | My Island View

World Bank Changes Policy on For-Profit Privatized Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

World Bank Changes Policy on For-Profit Privatized Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

World Bank Changes Policy on For-Profit Privatized Schools

Until recently, the World Bank has been a vocal supporter of for-profit privatized education such as that offered by Bridge International, which had been expanding rapidly in Africa.

Thanks in large part to the work of Education International, a world confederation of teachers’ unions, the World Bank has changed its policy.

In a sudden and far-reaching policy shift, World Bank President David Malpass has agreed to major reforms that include officially freezing any direct or indirect investments in private for-profit pre-primary, primary and secondary schools. This has been a critical issue for Education International for many years and has been the key focus of our interactions with the Bank.

It has also been a major thrust of our Global Response campaign, where member organisations, regions and the EI secretariat have worked together to research and expose the activities of private, for-profit firms. Examples of that work include Uganda and Kenya, where illegal CONTINUE READING: World Bank Changes Policy on For-Profit Privatized Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

How the coronavirus shutdown will affect school district revenues

How the coronavirus shutdown will affect school district revenues

How the coronavirus shutdown will affect school district revenues

Facing a pandemic-triggered economic slowdown, U.S. school districts now need to consider doing something they haven’t had to do in recent budget boom years: Draft a budget that assumes they’re headed for a financial fall.

Why? More than ever, school districts rely on state money. In many states, much of the state revenue comes from income and sales taxes­—both of which abruptly collapsed when states shut down most business activity. While most districts will see little impact on their 2019-20 budget, it’s next year (2020-21) when leaders should expect state revenue shortfalls to hit district budgets.

Already, states are draining their rainy-day funds to address critical pandemic needs. Looking to next year, K-12 education will be competing for fewer state dollars against priorities like emergency public health, Medicaid, and higher education (which tends to see enrollment rise as the economy falls). At about $270 per K-12 pupil, the recently passed federal stimulus package will likely fall far short of filling the inevitable fiscal gaps.

It wasn’t always the case that school district funding was so tied to the economy. Local schools used to be fairly insulated from economic downturns because they relied largely on local property taxes, a highly stable revenue source. Of course, funding schools on property wealth makes for huge gaps between wealthy and poor communities. So, in the name of greater funding equity, most states now play a much bigger role in funding schools. The graph below demonstrates that in all but seven states, the share of K-12 revenue coming from state sources has grown during the most recent decade for which we have data. (Mobile users: Click here to open this figure in a new tab.) CONTINUE READING: How the coronavirus shutdown will affect school district revenues

Increased reliance on state funds makes K-12 more vulnerable in an economic downturn

CURMUDGUCATION: Trees, Philosophy, and What Comes Next

CURMUDGUCATION: Trees, Philosophy, and What Comes Next

Trees, Philosophy, and What Comes Next

My wife teaches first grade; she is working via online tools with her team to create materials. Meanwhile, we are potty training the twins, even though a bit of necessary-but-minor surgery has left me a little less mobile than usual.

That's our story right now. Through social media, phone calls, e-mails, etc, we all know, at this point, hundreds more. The guy who lives in a trailer with no internet at all. The teacher who has three kids, one computer, and a spouse who also works from home. The guy who has hired a nanny to watch his own children so he can get work done. The people who are struggling with zero income, waiting to see if they'll be evicted. The mother who wrote her teachers a "Love you, thanks for trying, but school will now stop for my child so that I can keep him mentally healthy." The people with lousy internet. The people whose family has been splintered by their quarantine location choices.

What I'm struck by, now a few weeks into this, is just how individual everyone's experience is-- teachers, parents, students. Everyone is in a different situation, facing their own set of obstacles. The end result is a nation of people facing very specific issues, pushing aside the big philosophical questions we usually like to chew on. Not "what is the best instructional model for my child," but "how do I get lunch made and the babies down for a nap on schedule while still being on time for my own zoom meeting?" Not "what's the best pedagogical method for this instruction," but "how do I get this document in a digital form that will load successfully on my school's learning management platform?"

Much of US education has been pushed from "What should we do" to "What are we actually able to CONTINUE READING:  CURMUDGUCATION: Trees, Philosophy, and What Comes Next

For next COVID bill, NEA urges Congress to think big - Education Votes

For next COVID bill, NEA urges Congress to think big - Education Votes

For next COVID bill, NEA urges Congress to think big

As a fourth coronavirus legislative package begins to take shape, NEA is urging Congress to address immediate needs like funding as well as long-festering problems ranging from the homework gap to student loan debt. On April 9, NEA sent every member of Congress a detailed list of top priorities for students and educators accompanied by a letter urging lawmakers to see the current crisis for what it is: a wake-up call, not a passing storm. Like 9/11 and the Great Depression, the coronavirus crisis is destined to have a lasting impact on our way of life. Now is time to renew America’s promise of equal opportunity and justice for all.

Email your members of Congress and tell them to do more to address the coronavirus crisis. For next COVID bill, NEA urges Congress to think big - Education Votes

Big Education Ape: Republicans seeking broad authority to cut aid to schools and state programs as part of coronavirus response | Educate All Students, Support Public Education - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2020/04/republicans-seeking-broad-authority-to.html

What Home Schooling Could Teach Parents - LA Progressive

What Home Schooling Could Teach Parents - LA Progressive

What Home Schooling Could Teach Parents

A lot of people, both left and right, like to condemn our educational system.  Teachers don’t do a good job.  Teachers don’t have sufficient resources.  Class sizes are too large.  School buildings are too old and unmaintained.  They’re not teaching what students need to learn.  They don’t teach about anything but what white corporation owners want their drones to learn.

Now, with schools closed, a lot of parents are learning more about what teachers actually do.  And they are getting the opportunity to put into effect all those backyard barbecue and Christmas break party pontifications about, “What I would do, if I were teaching those kids.”

Sitting in my own quarantine enclave, with no children around making noise, interrupting at-home work schedules, and no pets needing to be walked, I can’t really imagine how much satisfaction there must be in these recent weeks of putting into practice all that decisive wisdom which seemed so obvious when spoken over a cold Corona or a hot eggnog toddy.

There may be parents who, now having a duty to try to contribute to their children’s schooling, beyond merely helping crib their math worksheets, might be interested in considering the educational possibilities of relating today’s Covid-19 pandemic with history

I can imagine, however that there may be parents who, now having a duty to try to contribute to their children’s schooling, beyond merely helping crib their math worksheets, might be interested in considering the educational possibilities of relating today’s Covid-19 pandemic with history, the development of science, and how different cultures handle similar issues.

Schools, with their standardized testing, formal curriculae, and tight scheduling may not be able to integrate cross-subject topics.  And may not have time to allow individual students to develop their own thinking about issues.  But parents with children at home have the flexibility to allow, and guide their students.  And the opportunity to make learning less of rote memorization and more of an adventure.

As an initial, easy step in this process, I suggest two books which parents might find useful in home teaching efforts.  One is a young adult novel, and one a history book.  The young adult novel is one which can be read to younger children, or by middle school children.  The history book can give parents insights with which to teach their children. Both books deal with CONTINUE READING: What Home Schooling Could Teach Parents - LA Progressive

The Census is an Education Justice Issue | Schott Foundation for Public Education

The Census is an Education Justice Issue | Schott Foundation for Public Education

The Census is an Education Justice Issue

The 2020 Census is underway, with the first wave of forms being mailed across the country on April 1, and data collection continuing through the Fall. The COVID-19 pandemic that has disrupted all of our lives could make the Census more difficult—so it’s critical that communities mobilize to make sure all their neighbors are counted.

The Impact of the Census is Bigger than You Think

How the United States’ population is counted affects far more than legislative district boundaries: the present crisis is providing stark examples of the critical, life-and-death importance of an accurate Census. At a time when the shuttering of public schools reminds us of the vital roles they play in educating, feeding, and supporting children and their families, we should also remember the Census determines where and how $14 billion in Federal public education funds will be allocated. Through programs like Title I, the National School Lunch Program, Head Start, and special education grants, these are dollars that will decide whether a school stays open or closed, or if a district can hire school nurses and support staff.

More than 130 public programs allocate over $675 billion to serve primarily low-income people. Because the most disadvantaged are also the most likely to be underreported — including Black, Latinx, and other racialized groups, LGBTQ and gender non-conforming persons, people with disabilities, and those experiencing homelessness — getting the 2020 Census right is more important than ever.

What You Can Do CONTINUE READING: The Census is an Education Justice Issue | Schott Foundation for Public Education