CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Hanging In There Edition (9/27)

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Hanging In There Edition (9/27)

Hanging In There Edition (9/27)

Well, that was another week. Just keep trying to avoid being crushed by what feels like a physical increase in the air pressure over the entire country. Here's the list. And I'll remind you-- share the stuff that speaks to you. Everyone is an amplifier.

Give Teachers Status and Stacks of Money 
Lee Childs, the author of the Jack Reacher books, has some thoughts about how teachers ought to be treated. They are nice thoughts.

No Teachers, But Making Millions 
A look at Prenda schools, yet another attempt to get rid of those dumb, salary-wanting teachers and cash in big time on providing an education-flavored product.

3rd Grade Reading Laws Are Harmful
Stefanie Fuhr takes a guest turn at Nancy Bailey's blog to remind us of something that should be repeated daily-- those laws that retain 3rd graders who don't pass the reading test are bad laws, and they are doing bad things.

DeVos Investigated for Hatch Act Violation
Politico has the details on how DeVos got herself in trouble this time.

Jeff Bezos wants to start a school for kids whose families are underpaid by people like Jeff Bezos

Anand Giridharadas says this is a crash course in why generosity is no substitute for justice.

COVID relief-- Congress Dithers   

EdWeek looks at all the relief that still isn't coming, and the growing frustration with same.

GreatSchools Overhauls Ratings  

You mat recall that Chalkbeat ran a story showing how GreatSchools ratings have racism and classism baked in. Now Chalkbeat reports on their attempt to fix that problem. Score one for Matt Barnum.

Bill Gates is still Dabbling on Common Core  

The indispensable Mercedes Schneider says that signs show Gates still hasn't let this drop. C'mon Bill.

How To Ruin a World Class Education System   

Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan are talking about Canada here, but you'll recognize all the issues they bring up.

Endangered Public Schools Need Federal Leadership  

An editorial from the Hechinger Report calls on the feds to get off their butts. Good luck with that.

Teaching Critical Thinking

Can critical thinking be taught? Daniel Willingham has some ideas, and they're thought-provoking on their own.

Demand This: Teach Empathy, Ethics and Evidence   

Arthur Camins at the Daily Koss with a call to focus on what really matters.

I Can't Shield My Daughter From Coronavirus and Edmentum    

Steven Singer shows just how bad the on-line platform really is (spoiler alert: pretty damn bad)

The Business of Education   

An article at the Regulatory Review takes a look at a paper tracing the way business management techniques have bled into education with less-than-optimal results.

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Hanging In There Edition (9/27)

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION

AND DON'T FORGET PETER GREENE ON FORBES CLICK HERE 

Survey: How Pandemic Schooling Affects Early Childhood Education - https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2020/09/25/survey-how-pandemic-schooling-effects-early-childhood-education/#329eca1716ef by @palan57 on @forbes

Trump’s Patriot History Lessons Or Critical Thinking: You Can’t Have Both - https://www.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2020/09/21/trumps-patriot-history-lessons-or-critical-thinking-you-cant-have-both/#2aaed57848ca by @palan57 on @forbes

CT: Another Edu-phauxlanthropist Fails Hard

68by Peter Greene / 21h

It was just last fall that we were all talking about Ray and Barbara Dalio and their big plans for helping education in Connecticut. Now, less than a year later, the dream is dying an ugly public death. In many ways, the Dalios didn't look like the usual phauxlanthropic edu-dabblers. He is a successful hedge fund manager and the richest guy in Connecticut. She immigrated from Spain fifty-ish years

GA: State Super Wood Outmaneuvers DeVos

100+by Peter Greene / 1d

Richard Woods was elected state superintendent for Georgia in 2014 . He's a Republican, but what makes him special among stat education bosses is that prior to his election, he spent twenty-some years as an actual honest-to-God educator. Not some Teach for America insta-expert, but an actual fourteen years in the (rural) classroom (HS social studies) then another decade as an administrator educat

Arne Duncan's New Corporate Edu-biz Job

100+by Peter Greene / 2d

If there's one thing we know about folks in the education disruption biz, it's that they are remarkably adept at finding work no matter how much failure they pack into their CV. Yes, it's freakin' hilarious. And so it is with little surprise that we note that Arne Duncan has picked up a new job as the chairman of the board for FullBloom . This comes on top of his job as a partner of the Emerson Co

DeVos Has No Plan

500+by Peter Greene / 3d

It's a brief three and a half minute interview on Fox's "The Daily Briefing," but in just a few quick questions, Dana Perino pushes Betsy DeVos to show that during this pandemic, families with concerns about school are on their own. The spot opens with a quick clip from an Alabama infectious disease expert explaining that you kids "pose an even bigger risk than college students." Dr. Michael Saag

DC: Lessons About Charter Schools

by Peter Greene / 4d

DC schools have a history of being messy. There's the entire checkered history of Michelle Rhee , followed by the entire checkered history of the people either trying to build on or clean up after Michelle Rhee. I'm reminding you of this as context for the revelations that are about to be unintentionally provided about the DC charter sector. You can get a taste of the mess in the public schools fr

FL: How To Punish A School Board

86by Peter Greene / 5d

Miami Dade County Public Schools have been having some issues lately, and the public has them on the ropes. They decided to hand their virtual schooling over to K12, the cyber school giant founded by William Bennett with funding by junk bond king Michael Milken . It's an odd choice, given that a quick Google reveals the many, many problems with the business, from faking enrollment in California to

Lies Matter (Or, When People Show You Who They Are...)

22by Peter Greene / 5d

From Merrick Garland to the seat of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, there is plenty to rage at, and much cyber-ink has been distance-spilled raging about it. But I was particularly struck by this piece at Slate by Lili Loofbourow. She talks about some larger issues here, and I think there's a lesson for folks in the education world. She talks here about the effects of McConnell's cavalier dismissal of his ow

Will China Help Pay For Trump's History Project

47by Peter Greene / 6d

This, believe it or not, is about the deal involving social media sensation, Tik Tok. At first, the whole Tik Tok business looked like a basic old-fashioned shakedown. "That's a nice little tech biz you have there," said Trump. "Be a shame if anything happened to it." Okay, not really that subtle-- it was more along the lines of "I'm going to ban your business unless you give my buddies a cut." Ti

ICYMI: One More Damned Thing After Another (9/20)

29by Peter Greene / 7d

Well, that week sucked. And there's a lot to read, too. Let's start with something positive. Drum prodigy Nandi Bushell has been youtubing covers for a while, but a few weeks ago she challenged Dave Groh to a drum battle ; 

CURMUDGUCATION - http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/

My Conversation with Steve Suitts about the Segregationist Origins of School Choice | Diane Ravitch's blog

My Conversation with Steve Suitts about the Segregationist Origins of School Choice | Diane Ravitch's blog

My Conversation with Steve Suitts about the Segregationist Origins of School Choice

In case you missed our Zoom conversation, this is the link to my discussion with Steve Suitts about his new book about the segregationist origins of “school choice.”

His book is Overturning Brown: The Segregationist Legacy of the Modern School Choice Movement.

My Conversation with Steve Suitts about the Segregationist Origins of School Choice | Diane Ravitch's blog

School Meals Programs Struggle to Feed Our Children - LA Progressive

School Meals Programs Struggle to Feed Our Children - LA Progressive

School Meals Programs Struggle to Feed Our Children

eachers and education administrators sounded the alarms. The spouses and partners of 18 state governors issued pleas. Leadership on both sides of the political aisle brought pressure, some of it decidedly unsubtle. In the end, they combined to strong-arm the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) into extending programs that help get food to the children of poor families in the midst of a pandemic.

What now? Well, sure: another dogfight to try to keep those programs going for the duration of the school year.

For months, the Centers for Disease Control has seen its credibility compromised and eroded by repeated political interference. Now the USDA is in the middle of a bizarre struggle in which nutrition plans for hungry kids – plans largely devoid of controversy – are repeatedly threatened with shuttering.

The programs aren’t perfect, but in places like Las Angeles the effect is still staggering. As of Sept. 21, the L.A. Unified School District, the nation’s second largest, had handed out nearly 62 million meals.

The most recent close call came last month, when Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue claimed he had no authority to extend past Aug. 31 a suite of waivers that allowed school districts to give food to kids – regardless of their ability to pay – through the Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option. What it meant was that, starting in September, many of the estimated 30 million children who eat school food would have to revert to a system under which they applied to be considered for free or reduced-price meals, or paid full price.

Under heavy fire, Perdue reversed his position. On the final day before the waivers were to end, the USDA announced that it would continue the waivers through the end of 2020. Said Perdue, “As our nation reopens and people return to work, it remains critical our children continue to receive safe, healthy and nutritious food.”

Apart from the fact that the Trump administration has tried to roll back Obama-era strengthening of nutrition CONTINUE READING: School Meals Programs Struggle to Feed Our Children - LA Progressive

EdAction in Congress September 27, 2020 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress September 27, 2020 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress September 27, 2020

GOP refuses to let the people decide Justice Ginsburg’s successor

The day after Ruth Bader Ginsburg lay in state in the U.S. Capitol—the first woman and first Jewish American ever to be accorded that honor—President Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill her seat on the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made it clear that he plans to confirm the nominee before Election Day—now just 37 days away. The GOP’s refusal to let the people decide Ginsburg’s successor threatens to undo her legacy and deal a fatal blow to the Affordable Care Act.

On Nov.  10, the Court will hear a challenge that could overturn the entire Affordable Care Act. That would result in 21 million Americans losing health coverage, skyrocketing premiums for the 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions that now include COVID-19, the return of lifetime caps on coverage, and kicking children off their parents’ health plans before age 26. Collective bargaining, public education, voting and LGBTQ rights, First Amendment protections, racial and social justice, and much more are also at stake. The winners of the 2020 elections, which are already underway, should choose and confirm the next Supreme Court justice. TAKE ACTION

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Senate majority blocks COVID-19 relief as death toll surpasses 200,000

The unprecedented rush to confirm the next Supreme Court justice has revealed a terrible truth about priorities: For the GOP’s Senate majority, reopening our schools safely and alleviating suffering from COVID-19—physical and financial—do not merit action while filling the vacancy on the Court does. Ironically, the push to install Justice Ginsburg’s successor began just as the nation surpassed the tragic milestone of 200,000 deaths from COVID-19.

NEA supports the HEROES Act passed by the House more than four months ago. We are calling for COVID-19 relief that includes at least $175 billion to stabilize education funding, including dedicated funding for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for students and educators. Other top priorities include additional relief for student loan borrowers and at least $4 billion in emergency funding to narrow the digital divide’s homework gap during the COVID-19 pandemic. As many as 16 million students—roughly 1 in 3—are unable to do schoolwork at home due to lack of internet access and devices. A disproportionate share of those students are Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and live in rural areas or low-income households. TAKE ACTION

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Funding bill passed by House includes $8 billion in nutrition aid

By a vote of 359-57, the House passed a continuing resolution (CR)—stopgap funding bill—to keep the federal government running through Dec. 11. The measure includes nearly $8 billion in nutrition aid to help keep schoolchildren and families from going hungry. The CR must be approved by the Senate and signed by President Trump by Sept. 30 or portions of the federal government will shut down due to lack of funding.

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Cheers and Jeers

Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) spoke on the Senate floor and urged their colleagues to oppose nominating a successor to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before Inauguration D

Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) announced that they will be releasing a series of reports on the real-world impact of Supreme Court decisions, starting with health care and reproductive rights.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) blocked Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) effort to pass a resolution to honor the life and legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her dying wish that she not be replaced until after a new president is installed.

EdAction in Congress September 27, 2020 - Education Votes

Parents have a right to be involved in their children’s education, especially during distance learning. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Parents have a right to be involved in their children’s education, especially during distance learning. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Parents have a right to be involved in their children’s education, especially during distance learning.

While we all know school and family partnerships have big impacts on student achievement, many of us, including educators, don’t know that parental involvement isn’t just a “best-practice” it is a right guaranteed by CA State Law. 

Rights guaranteed by the California Department of Education supersede any resolutions we approve at the SFUSD Board of Education. Our board resolutions are not laws they are directives to our Superintendent and staff. Many family and community leaders don’t know that.

When I became a Commissioner I immediately began working with SFUSD staff to ensure all California Department of Education Laws are listed on our district website, so families can read them in multple languages. View them here.

Rights, Resolutions… What’s the difference?

While board resolutions are important ways commissioners communicate our values and priorities as a body (there are seven total), district staff are not required to implement them by state or federal law. Neither are they enforceable by the law. 

Alternatively, education laws are not up for negotiation with families, labor, or other educational partners. State laws supersede district policies and as a result, if no district policy or district practice we adopt can violate state laws, and schools or districts that fail to comply with the laws can face serious consequences.

An example of a California State Education Law is one stating schools cannot require fees for essential school activities.

Several years ago when my girls entered middle school they came home requesting money to purchase gym uniforms. I quickly informed the principal CONTINUE READING: Parents have a right to be involved in their children’s education, especially during distance learning. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

If letter grades count, shouldn't parent rights? - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM - https://wp.me/p4ndvh-2ue by @alimcollins

Jack Hassard: Raking Leaves in the Forest Won’t Stop California’s Mega-Fires | Diane Ravitch's blog

Jack Hassard: Raking Leaves in the Forest Won’t Stop California’s Mega-Fires | Diane Ravitch's blog

Jack Hassard: Raking Leaves in the Forest Won’t Stop California’s Mega-Fires

Jack Hassard, a professor of science education, scoffs at Trump’s claim that California could avoid forest fires by raking leaves on the forest floor. The cause of the raging fires, he writes, is climate change. Trump has declared that climate change is a hoax so he can’t admit what scientists agree is a growing environmental crisis.

This interesting post quotes Trump’s exchange with California officials. It’s painful to read because Trump is so clearly stupid.

By the way, Governor Newsom pointed out that the federal government owns 57% of California’s forest. The state owns less than 5%. If Trump wants leaf-raking, he should hire people to do it on federal lands.

From the Sacramento Bee:

Trump ignored the fact that the federal government manages much of the forested land in the West. Of the 33 million acres of forest in California, roughly 57% is owned and managed by the U.S. Forest Service or federal Bureau of Land Management, according to a report by the state’s Little Hoover Commission. State and local governments control only 3%, while the rest is private.

Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article245727925.html#storylink=cpy

Jack Hassard: Raking Leaves in the Forest Won’t Stop California’s Mega-Fires | Diane Ravitch's blog

Florida education commissioner orders Miami to open schools - The Washington Post

Florida education commissioner orders Miami to open schools - The Washington Post

Florida education commissioner orders Miami to open schools earlier than planned

Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran has ordered Miami-Dade County Public Schools to fully open its buildings five days a week by Oct. 5. That’s more than two weeks earlier than the system, the fourth largest in the country, had decided to do after a marathon 29-hour meeting last week.

In a letter sent to Perla Tabares Hantman, the school board president, and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, Corcoran said he had “grave concerns” about the system’s decision to postpone the planned Oct. 5 opening of school buildings. The board voted Sept. 22 to open schools for some students on Oct. 14, with all students who opted to return to classrooms to be there by Oct. 21, giving the district time to put in place sufficient safety measures to prevent coronavirus outbreaks.

A school district spokeswoman said the letter was being reviewed; the school board scheduled an emergency meeting for Sept. 29 to figure out next steps.

Miami-Dade is one of a few districts that started the 2020-21 school year with all-remote learning after winning permission from the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) because of exceptionally high coronavirus rates.

Corcoran’s letter came as a surprise to Miami-Dade officials. The Miami Herald quoted Hantman as saying, “It’s just very strange to me and I think it took everyone by surprise. I’m very much in favor of opening schools but when it’s safe.”

Daisy Gonzalez-Diego, chief communications officer for the district, said in a statement emailed to The Post:

“Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is carefully reviewing the letter received from the Commissioner of Education on Friday. The District was prepared to launch Stage II of our reopening plan, under the adjusted timeline proffered and unanimously approved by the School Board last week. However, M-DCPS will not be announcing return dates until all implications and concerns outlined in the recently received communication have been assessed and direction from the Board has been received. A special School Board meeting is being scheduled for early next week.”

DeSantis, a strong ally of President Trump, and Corcoran had set a deadline of Aug. 31 for all schools in the state to open five days a week for students who wanted to return and threatened to withhold millions of dollars in federal funding to districts that did not. Broward and Palm Beach counties in CONTINUE READING: Florida education commissioner orders Miami to open schools - The Washington Post