The benefits of a good PR machine (and the REAL reason for charters) « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues

The benefits of a good PR machine (and the REAL reason for charters) « A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues

The benefits of a good PR machine (and the REAL reason for charters)

by Dr. Ed Fuller

One of the characteristics of charter schools (Harmony, KIPP, and YES) and some ed reform organizations (TFA in particular) that I find terribly repugnant is the incessant public relations effort surrounding these efforts and the lies, omissions, and obfuscations that often come along with press releases.

Schools Matter has an excellent blog post up about some KIPP PR. This can be accessed at

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2011/06/tennesseeans-undergo-propaganda-barrage.html
Note that the KIPP CEO never actually lies, but leaves out information or defines things in a way that are beneficial to KIPP.

Harmony schools often operate in the same way. On TexasISD.com (the website I read most often), there is a press release from Harmony Schools that can be found at:

http://www.texasisd.com/article_113128.shtml

The Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Soner Tarim, states:

For the past decade, HPS has provided students living in underserved communities

A Bit More Than Bath Salts | Dailycensored.com

A Bit More Than Bath Salts | Dailycensored.com

A Bit More Than Bath Salts

Written by Ken_SayersDaily Journal (Opinion)Jun 1, 2011

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I remember telling the pharmacy tech that I could not find my usual remedy for spring pollen. “No problem,” she said, “I have it right here.” as she reached under the counter. I then had to fill out an incredible document asking for my birthday, my mother’s grandmother’s first name and the name of my first pet and the street we lived on. I asked what the hell that was all about. She told me that one of the chemicals used in my allergy medication was used in making crystal meth. Knowing that it would take a lot of my little pills, I asked why they didn’t exempt people who only buy one package from this ridiculous ordeal. It makes sense to me that if the drug cooks had to go to 500 drugstores, buying one package at a time, cooking crystal meth would soon become very unpopular or they would find another source. Meanwhile, we, normal people, could get on with our lives. That is all pretty stupid, huh?

Here is another one, right up there with sniffing glue and White-Out,

Vouchers/Tax Credits Funding Creationism, Revisionist History, Hostility Toward Other Religions

Vouchers/Tax Credits Funding Creationism, Revisionist History, Hostility Toward Other Religions

Vouchers/Tax Credits Funding Creationism, Revisionist History, Hostility Toward Other Religions

by cynthia

Rachel Tabachnick Are your state’s tax dollars funding the teaching of religious supremacism and bigotry? What about Creationism? The answer is undoubtedly yes, if you live in a state with a voucher or corporate tax credit program funding “school choice.” Religious schools across the nation are receiving public funds through voucher and corporate tax credit programs. Many hundreds, if not thousands, of these schools use Protestant fundamentalist textbooks that teach not only Creationism, but also a religious supremacist worldview, with a shocking spin on politics, history, and human rights. The following article was first published at Alternet.org. This expanded version includes footnoting of the textbook quotes.

In twelve states and the District of Columbia, almost 200,000 students attend private schools with at least part of their tuition paid with public funds. The money is taken from public school budgets to fund vouchers or by diverting state tax revenues to tuition grants through corporate tax credit programs. An interconnected group of non-profits and political action committees, led by the wealthy right-wing school privatization advocate Betsy DeVos and heavily funded by a few mega-donors, is working to expand these programs across the nation. The DeVos-led American Federation for Children hosted Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and Michelle Rhee at a national policy summit earlier in May. Take a look at what growing numbers of students are being taught with

Ravitch: A bad gamble in education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Ravitch: A bad gamble in education - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post

Ravitch: A bad gamble in education

by Valerie Strauss

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This was written by education historian Diane Ravitch for her Bridging Differences blog, which she co-authors with Deborah Meier on the Education Week website. Ravitch and Meier exchange letters about what matters most in education. Ravitch, a research professor at New York University, is the author of the bestselling “The Death and Life of the Great American School System,” an important critique of the flaws in the modern school reform movement.

Read full article >>

No excuses for cuts to our classrooms or programs! « EdVox

No excuses for cuts to our classrooms or programs! « EdVox

No excuses for cuts to our classrooms or programs!

by edvoxny

Things are heating up across the city in reaction to Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to take more than 6,000 teachers from NYC classrooms. This morning, City Councilmember Robert Jackson held a conference with parents, union leaders, elected officials and advocates, to sound the alarm about the severe impact these proposed cuts will have on our schools.

Afterwards, the City Council Education Committee held a hearing to address these looming cuts. Chancellor Walcott claimed that the DOE had taken great strides to cut within central DOE and that “even after taking all these measures, as things stand today, we still don’t have enough money to underwrite all our expenses. And with 70% of school budgets tied up in compensation costs, we have little choice but to reduce the size of our

Elton John pleads with FL Gov. Rick Scott

Teamster Nation: Elton John pleads with FL Gov. Rick Scott

Elton John pleads with FL Gov. Rick Scott

by Teamster Power

First Steven King says he'll have him star in a horror novel. Then Elton John asks him not to cut a program for HIV/AIDS victims in Florida.

Why is it that one of the most unpopular governors in the country is able to attract so much celebrity attention (even if it's not POSITIVE attention)?

The musician, who founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation, wrote to Scott because he'd heard the Department of Health was thinking of changing the income eligibility for a program that helps poor HIV/AIDS victims get medication. A department spokeswoman said there are "no immediate plans" to change the program.

Frank Cerabino, columnist for the Palm Beach Post, may have hit on a reason for all the attention being heaped on Scott. It could be the "Welcome to Florida" signs that now greet people as they enter the Sunshine State. Cerabino was trying to figure out why Scott, who vetoed $615 million of an already frugal budget, would spend $8,800 to have his name added to the highway signs.

It's a warning sign.

When travelers cross into the state and see "Governor Rick Scott," it works on the same level as

Our Children Are the Victims of Our Own Wars | Seattle Education

Our Children Are the Victims of Our Own Wars | Seattle Education

Our Children Are the Victims of Our Own Wars

by seattleducation2011

Not only are we spending an unprecedented amount of money on wars, we spend much of our time focusing on wars.

I have my Google homepage set up with the New York Times front page headlines in one column and the Guardian headlines in the next column. The difference between the two sets of headlines is quite telling.

The Times first three articles are usually about wars and in some part of the world. On most days, it’s at least two out of the three lead articles. The Guardian yesterday led with green house gas emissions and the Fifa controversy. The NY Times has not headlined the fact of increased gas emissions on Google. The Guardian sometimes has a headline about fighting somewhere but it is not a usual lead item.

This is not a scientific study that I have made, simply an observation.

This morning I read Dr. Ravitch’s Op-ed Waiting for a School Miracle in which she states in her last two paragraph’s:

Families are children’s most important educators. Our society must invest in parental education,

Public Policy Blogger: Education Reform: What if Bill Gates and President Obama are wrong?

Public Policy Blogger: Education Reform: What if Bill Gates and President Obama are wrong?

Education Reform: What if Bill Gates and President Obama are wrong?

by Anne Geiger

A few months ago, I started a series of posts entitled Education Reform Journal. Reflections on my experience as a school board member, built on daily reading and research to aid the evolution of my thoughts. This amidst the growing criticism and skepticism of where President Obama and many elected leaders (and deep-pocketed philanthropists like Bill Gates) are taking our public schools. Two recent articles in the New York Times tied it up a bit more for me.

Then, yesterday, a guest post in Ezra Klein's blog hit the nail on the head.

In the first article (on the front page of the New York Times), Behind Grass-Roots Advocacy, Bill Gates, Sam Dillon reveals the depth and breadth of the Gates' foundation reach in how public education in the United States is being "re-formed." I put this in quotes because my understanding of reform is to strengthen what works and fix what doesn't. On the contrary, Gates (and hundreds of well-positioned satellite organizations and well-healed individuals) are reshaping the whole education system, not simply "reforming" it. Most who are leading the charge are big-personality, bottom-line business leaders and few of them are experienced educators.

In some cases, Mr. Gates is creating entirely new advocacy groups. The foundation is also paying Harvard-trained data specialists to work inside school districts, not only to crunch numbers but

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In Chicago it's called a "win-win"

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: In Chicago it's called a "win-win"

In Chicago it's called a "win-win"

by Mike Klonsky

Big losers are social services and schools

That's right. This week, former mayor Daley landed his pay-back job with the very firm that negotiated his notorious sell-off of the city's parking meters.

Daley will be "of counsel" to Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, the law firm announced Wednesday morning. The former mayor "will draw on his vast knowledge, experience and relationships globally to contribute to the continued growth of the firm." -- Ward Room

New Mayor Rahm Emanuel , who came over in a three-way deal, giving up his White House post to Daley's brother (V.P. at J.P. Morgan), got his casinos.

Our elected governor, Pat Quinn, opposed a major expansion of gambling in Illinois. But Emanuel had a hand full of aces, and Quinn was left holding the joker. Thus, Chicago is on track to get a big, new casino of its own, along with four more casinos around the state. Add to all that slot

No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. Pensions and the art of politics. « Fred Klonsky's blog

No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. Pensions and the art of politics. « Fred Klonsky's blog

No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. Pensions and the art of politics.

by Fred Klonsky

From a much longer email, a reader writes:

I read this from your blog, “No deals can be cut that would reduce our pension benefits or increase our costs. No deals can be cut that result in taxing our benefits or raising our medical costs for retirees.” This strikes me as a nearly impossibly doctrinaire position, Fred. Not a penny more in contributions? Not a penny less in benefits? No agreeing to taxes on retirements earnings generally, across the board? No movement at all on anything whatsoever? Just demand everything exactly as though there were no problem? Don’t you see how this plays exactly into the image of teacher unions as intransigent and self-centered? Politics is the art of compromise, isn’t it? Or are we to make it the art of perpetually stone-walling change?

I don’t know about what politics is the art of these days. Speaking as an Art teacher, what passes for politics all seems pretty artless to me.

Mostly it seems to be the art of giving Wall Street whatever they want and blaming teachers and other public

Social promotion covers up the ultimate failure - non-achieving students - NYPOST.com

Social promotion covers up the ultimate failure - non-achieving students - NYPOST.com

Mike gets schooled in failure

Last Updated: 9:31 AM, June 1, 2011

Posted: 1:33 AM, June 1, 2011

More Print

Michael Goodwin

After reading my reports from New York teachers who say they are forced to raise grades and pass failing students, a friend has questions. He writes: "If nine years of mayoral control, all sorts of experimentation and extra billions spent on incentives and other approaches leave the school system no better off, isn't it right to assume that the students -- for whatever mix of reasons -- are incapable of performing to reasonable standards in a mass education setting? And if that's the case, what are the implications?"

That is the heart of the matter. Notwithstanding union obstruction, state laws or other obstacles, the Bloomberg years have been a fair test of what can be achieved in a school system flush with cash, political control and determination.

The first mayor to achieve control after the Board of Education was abolished, Bloomberg set out to become "the education mayor." He pledged it would define his mayoralty, much as crime reduction defined Rudy Giuliani's.

It hasn't worked out that way. The mayor's clumsy handling of the replacement of Joel Klein merely crystallized growing public disenchantment, captured in a recent Quinnipiac poll. By a whopping 64-25 percent, voters don't like Bloomy's management of the schools. Among parents, only 20 percent approve, while 78 percent disapprove.

Overall, by 57 to 23 percent, New Yorkers say his takeover of the schools has been a failure.

Public opinion can be fickle, but it's hard to argue with such a lopsided finding, especially when it is driven by parents. There is wide disappointment and a sense of fatigue with endless

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/mike_gets_schooled_in_failure_oZOZzqOKFJE0ePhUOJSLfM#ixzz1O2T7n4bC

Hechinger Report | Some Pell grants not going toward education

Hechinger Report | Some Pell grants not going toward education

Some Pell grants not going toward education

by Nancy Marshall Genzer

Joe May, president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, has a solution for students taking Pell Grants and then dropping out.

The government pays out billions in Pell Grants each year. But critics say there are cases of fraud where students don’t use the money for education.

Tess Vigeland: The House returned to the debt ceiling debate today with Republicans lining up to vote against their own bill to raise the debt limit. Meantime, Vice President Joe Biden continues meeting with top lawmakers on how to cut $1 trillion in spending.

Some in Congress are targeting federal Pell Grants, financial aid for low-income college students that doesn’t have to be repaid. Some of the program’s critics are pointing to cases of fraud, where students don’t use the

Robert Reich (The Truth About the American Economy (II))

Robert Reich (The Truth About the American Economy (II))

The Truth About the American Economy (II)

The Stalled Recovery

The U.S. economy was supposed to be in bloom by late spring but it’s hardly growing at all. Expectations for second quarter growth aren’t much better than the measly 1.8 percent annualized rate of the first quarter.

That’s not nearly fast enough to reduce our ferociously-high level of unemployment. The Labor Department will tell us Friday whether the jobs situation improved in May, but there’s been no sign of a surge in hiring. Nor in wages. Average hourly earnings of production and non-supervisory employees – who make up 80 percent of non-government workers – dropped to $8.76 in April. Adjusted for inflation, that’s lower than they were in the depths of the recession.

Meanwhile, housing prices continue to fall. They’re now 33 percent below their 2006 peak. That’s a bigger drop than recorded in the Great Depression. Homes are the largest single asset of the American middle class, so as housing prices drop many Americans feel poorer. All of this is contributing to a general gloominess. Not surprisingly, consumer confidence is also down.

The recovery has stalled. It’s unlikely America will find itself back in recession but the possibility of a double dip can’t be dismissed.

The Problem of Demand

The problem isn’t on the supply side of the ledger. Corporate profits are still healthy. Big companies continue to

This Week In Education: Debate: Cross Early Childhood Advocates At Your Peril

This Week In Education: Debate: Cross Early Childhood Advocates At Your Peril

Debate: Cross Early Childhood Advocates At Your Peril

by Alexander Russo

My post on the National Journal's sleepy Education Experts blog has apparently been taken down per a complaint from another contributor -- assumedly someone enthusiastic about the recent decision to give most of the RTTT money to early childhood (the topic of this week's "discussion"). Too bad, since the post -- a repeat of the mashed up Hangover poster I published last week, plus some text to explain its purpose -- is clearly a form of commentary, amusing or not, and one of my usual attempts to mesh pop culture and education reform. Maybe the image was too big. Truth is, I'm not at all opposed to funding early childhood at much higher levels and have reported on ECE developments several times in recent weeks. I was just

Study finds 1.3M Calif. teens don't participate in gym class | abc7.com

Study finds 1.3M Calif. teens don't participate in gym class | abc7.com

Study finds 1.3M Calif. teens don't participate in gym class

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

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Nannette Miranda
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SACRAMENTO (KABC) -- California requires middle and high school students to get 400 minutes of physical education every 10 days.

A new University of California, Los Angeles, study found 38 percent of teens enrolled in a public school - that's 1.3 million - do not participate in any school-based gym class.

More alarming, almost all 12 year olds participate in gym classes, but by the time they are 17 years old, less than a quarter do.

The report also found more than 80 percent of all California teens fail to meet the current federal recommendation for physical activity.

While high schools students can exempt out of gym class for certain reasons, researchers largely blame the state budget cuts for the lack of school-based exercise programs, despite numerous studies that show physical education