Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/28/15

CORPORATE ED REFORM

CURMUDGUCATION: OH: Opt Out Under Attack

CURMUDGUCATION: OH: Opt Out Under Attack:OH: Opt Out Under AttackWord came from a high-ranking official through Facebook today that somebody is gunning for those mean old Ohio Opt Outers.The vehicle is Ohio House Bill 420, a bill "to amend sections 3302.01 and 3302.03 of the Revised Code to prohibit the Department of Education from including students who 'opt-out' of state assessments in calc

by mike simpson / 0min 

Kindergarten teacher: Don’t blame us if your kids are overworked. It isn’t our fault. - The Washington Post

Kindergarten teacher: Don’t blame us if your kids are overworked. It isn’t our fault. - The Washington Post: Kindergarten teacher: Don’t blame us if your kids are overworked. It isn’t our fault.I published a post the other day titled, “Parent: No, my kindergartner won’t be doing that homework assignment,” by a mother of three, Cara Paiuk, who wrote:I just can’t imagine prioritizing homework with m

by mike simpson / 3h 

“My daughter will not be taking the “state mandated” NEW SAT on March 2nd 2016.” - Wait What?

“My daughter will not be taking the “state mandated” NEW SAT on March 2nd 2016.” - Wait What?:“My daughter will not be taking the “state mandated” NEW SAT on March 2nd 2016.”According to a new “state mandate,” approximately 40,000 Connecticut high school juniors will not be attending their classes on March, 2, 2016.  Instead they will be taking another “Common Core aligned” standardized test – thi

by mike simpson / 3h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Flint water disaster was preceded by takeover of schools and local govt's

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Flint water disaster was preceded by takeover of schools and local govt's: Flint water disaster was preceded by takeover of schools and local govt'sIn Michigan, the idea of a government of, by, and for the people did not apply to poor black cities, and when residents were robbed of the ability to govern themselves, they suffered. In Flint, it meant they got poisoned.

by mike simpson / 3h 

The Washington Teacher: DC Public Schools Imposes Longer School Year in Some Schools Without Stakeholders Input

The Washington Teacher: DC Public Schools Imposes Longer School Year in Some Schools Without Stakeholders Input: DC Public Schools Imposes Longer School Year in Some Schools Without Stakeholders InputBy: Candi Peterson, WTU General Vice PresidentStatements or expressions of opinions herein 'do not' represent the views or official positions of DCPS, AFT, Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) or its memb

by mike simpson / 3h 

“No Excuses” Charter School Dean Speaks #SCW – Cloaking Inequity

“No Excuses” Charter School Dean Speaks #SCW – Cloaking Inequity: “No Excuses” Charter School Dean Speaks #SCW The former dean of students at a New Orleans charter school urges teachers and staff at No Excuses schools to ask some hard questions about the model’s social and emotional costs…Dear You:You were selected to teach at your school because of your intelligence, spunk, tenacity, vigor and, m

by mike simpson / 3h 

LAUSD board told charters attracting more federal dollars than magnets - LA School Report

LAUSD board told charters attracting more federal dollars than magnets - LA School Report: LAUSD board told charters attracting more federal dollars than magnetsFor all the successful magnet schools in LA Unified and elsewhere, they are not attracting as much federal support as charter schools.That was a stark message from the district’s federal lobbyist, who told a district board committee this w

by mike simpson / 5h 

Obama and the Charter School Sugar Daddies | Black Agenda Report

Obama and the Charter School Sugar Daddies | Black Agenda Report:Obama and the Charter School Sugar DaddiesA Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen FordAs hedge funds spin their financial webs to spur charter school expansion and President Obama bullies states to lift caps on charters, "right-wing foundations are attempting to swallow whole the entire school district of Washington, DC." F

by mike simpson / 5h 

Report on the Stability of Student Growth Percentile (SGP) “Value-Added” Estimates | VAMboozled!

Report on the Stability of Student Growth Percentile (SGP) “Value-Added” Estimates | VAMboozled!: Report on the Stability of Student Growth Percentile (SGP) “Value-Added” EstimatesThe Student Growth Percentiles (SGPs) model, which is loosely defined by value-added model (VAM) purists as a VAM, uses students’ level(s) of past performance to determine students’ normative growth over time, as compare

by mike simpson / 7h 

U.S. Education Department threatens to sanction states over test opt-outs - The Washington Post

U.S. Education Department threatens to sanction states over test opt-outs - The Washington Post: U.S. Education Department threatens to sanction states over test opt-outsAnyone who thought that the U.S. Education Department’s power over states in regard to standardized testing was over because of the new K-12 education law passed in December should think again.The Every Student Succeeds Act was th

by mike simpson / 7h 

Libraries at the Crossroads | Pew Research Center

Libraries at the Crossroads | Pew Research Center: Libraries at the CrossroadsThe public is interested in new services and thinks libraries are important to communitiesAmerican libraries are buffeted by cross currents. Citizens believe that libraries are important community institutions and profess interest in libraries offering a range of new program possibilities. Yet, even as the public express

by mike simpson / 7h 

Sacramento News & Review - The return of Steinberg - Feature Story - Local Stories - January 28, 2016

Sacramento News & Review - The return of Steinberg - Feature Story - Local Stories - January 28, 2016:The return of SteinbergRespect, money, vision, likability—Darrell Steinberg’s candidacy has it all. But is the former state Senate pro tem really a lock to become Sacramento’s next mayor?Darrell Steinberg darts across a quiet Tahoe Park street toward a woman standing in her doorway. “You’ve go

by mike simpson / 8h 

CURMUDGUCATION: Power and Order

CURMUDGUCATION: Power and Order: Power and Order It's School Choice Week and all the usuals have to check in, and I've been trying to read the work of the more serious choice advocates. And that would have to include Andy Smarick.Smarick's entry at the Rordhma Institute blog is School Choice: The end of the beginning in which he would like to suggest that charter-choice systems are a done deal, an

by mike simpson / 8h 

We Know How To Prepare “High Quality” New Teachers | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing

We Know How To Prepare “High Quality” New Teachers | DCGEducator: Doing The Right Thing: We Know How To Prepare “High Quality” New Teachers“Having taught four decades, and having had the privilege of working with so many talented and experienced educators throughout those four decades, I can say, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that becoming a good teacher takes time. Nor only do you need time to de

by mike simpson / 9h 

Inviting Policy Ideas for Democracy Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week

Inviting Policy Ideas for Democracy Schools - Bridging Differences - Education Week: Inviting Policy Ideas for Democracy SchoolsDeborah Meier continues her conversation with Harry Boyte. To read their full exchange, please visit here.Dear Harry and friends,Speaking of Bernie Sanders, I just read a persuasively friendly piece in Bloomberg Businessweek (Jan. 7, 2016)! The author, Joel Stein, ends hi

by mike simpson / 9h 

Christie: A fine sixth place showing everywhere | Bob Braun's Ledger

Christie: A fine sixth place showing everywhere | Bob Braun's Ledger: Christie: A fine sixth place showing everywhereWhat?The headline in The Star-Ledger after the last Republican presidential debate was “IT’S ON.” in nearly two-inch high, all-capital letter,  headlines, followed–mercifully–not by an exclamation point but by a curious red dot.  While the headline was, at best, ambiguous, the subhe

by mike simpson / 9h 

School Libraries Strive to Keep Pace with New Family Structures - NEA Today

School Libraries Strive to Keep Pace with New Family Structures - NEA Today: School Libraries Strive to Keep Pace with New Family Structures Some students at Beehive Elementary School in Kearns, Utah, come from families with a mother, a father and their biological children living together under one roof. Many will likely have a dog.Others belong to families comprised of two Dads or two Moms, or on

by mike simpson / 9h 

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Untold Story: How Immigrants Have Helped Revitalize Bronx Neighborhoods

With A Brooklyn Accent: The Untold Story: How Immigrants Have Helped Revitalize Bronx Neighborhoods: The Untold Story: How Immigrants Have Helped Revitalize Bronx NeighborhoodsMost Americans probably still think of the Bronx through metaphors of decline and decay, epitomized by the phrase, "the Bronx is Burning," but that phrase doesn't begin to describe what is happening in the borough

by mike simpson / 9h 

Cut Scores on Standardized Tests Are Arbitrary; Pearson’s GED Recalibration Proves It | janresseger

Cut Scores on Standardized Tests Are Arbitrary; Pearson’s GED Recalibration Proves It | janresseger: Cut Scores on Standardized Tests Are Arbitrary; Pearson’s GED Recalibration Proves ItIt is hard to remember that standardized test scores have no real, objective meaning.  How easily we forget this truth.The standardized tests that are used to rate and rank public schools—the ones that became ubiqu

by mike simpson / 9h 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: McCleary? Anybody? It's Crickets at the Legislature

Seattle Schools Community Forum: McCleary? Anybody? It's Crickets at the Legislature: McCleary? Anybody? It's Crickets at the LegislatureWA GOP gut bipartisan education legislationRELEASE: Jan. 27, 2016  (this came via Senator John McCoy but I'm not sure of its origins)Senate Republicans gut bipartisan McCleary billOLYMPIA – A cornerstone bill to address Washington state’s education funding obliga

by mike simpson / 9h 

1/28/2016 – The School Choice We Have Vs. The Choice We Want

1/28/2016 – The School Choice We Have Vs. The Choice We Want: The School Choice We Have Vs. The Choice We WantThe School Choice We Have Vs. The Choice We WantBy Jeff Bryant“It’s that time of year when National School Choice Week is staged by – well, we really don’t know who – to elevate ‘education options,’ primarily, charter schools and vouchers, for K-12 students … But this year’s celebration of

by mike simpson / 10h 

Ed. Dept. Outlines ESSA Transition on Tutoring, School Choice, Teachers - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Ed. Dept. Outlines ESSA Transition on Tutoring, School Choice, Teachers - Politics K-12 - Education Week:Ed. Dept. Outlines ESSA Transition on Tutoring, School Choice, TeachersThe Every Student Succeeds Act may be an honest-to-goodness law, but it won't be fully in place until the 2017-18 school year, when we'll have a new president and secretary of education.Between now and then, the feds, states

by mike simpson / 10h 

As Scandals Plague Charter Schools, Calls for Oversight Grow - Yahoo News

As Scandals Plague Charter Schools, Calls for Oversight Grow - Yahoo News: As Scandals Plague Charter Schools, Calls for Oversight GrowAllegations of fiscal mismanagement at a now-defunct charter school in Kansas City. Questions in New Orleans about how taxpayer dollars are allocated and spent at charters. Sweetheart dealsamong charter officials in Rochester, New York, and charges that a flagship

by mike simpson / 10h 

From the People Who Brought You Walmart: $1 Billion for Charter Schools | The Range: Tucson Weekly

From the People Who Brought You Walmart: $1 Billion for Charter Schools | The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch | Tucson Weekly: From the People Who Brought You Walmart: $1 Billion for Charter SchoolsIn honor of School Choice Week (yes, that's really a thing), I'll be writing a few posts about charter schools. Today' post: The Walton Family Foundation plans to spend $1 billion on charter s

by mike simpson / 10h 

When winners are losers: Private school vouchers in Louisiana | Brookings Institution

When winners are losers: Private school vouchers in Louisiana | Brookings Institution: When winners are losers: Private school vouchers in LouisianaThis month’s Powerball winners collected $1.6 billion, but not all lotteries turn out well for winners. In Louisiana, students who won a lottery for tuition scholarships to private schools wound up with worse academic performance than their peers who w

by mike simpson / 10h 

Tough-Minded Federal Accountability Is Dead: What Will the States Do Now? - Top Performers - Education Week

Tough-Minded Federal Accountability Is Dead: What Will the States Do Now? - Top Performers - Education Week: Tough-Minded Federal Accountability Is Dead: What Will the States Do Now?The age of federally driven school accountability is now dead.  Only traces of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind legislation, the Obama administration's signature education program Race to the Top and the

by mike simpson / 10h 

How School Fundraising by Affluent Parents Can Increase Public-School Inequality - The Atlantic

How School Fundraising by Affluent Parents Can Increase Public-School Inequality - The Atlantic: How Rich Parents Can Exacerbate School InequalityFundraising efforts often give their kids an academic edge.I’m a card-carrying member of three parent school associations. I write the weekly newsletter for the special-education parents’ group and help organize social events for disabled kids. But my in

by mike simpson / 10h 

Court weighs potential overhaul of California school financing - SFGate

Court weighs potential overhaul of California school financing - SFGate: Court weighs potential overhaul of California school financingPhoto: Associated PressThe First District Court of Appeals in San Francisco hinted Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, that it was considering a potentially historic judicial intervention in California’s woeful school finance system — a ruling that it violates students’ cons

by mike simpson / 10h 

Fact-checking Trump’s new anti-Common Core video - The Washington Post

Fact-checking Trump’s new anti-Common Core video - The Washington Post: Fact-checking Trump’s new anti-Common Core videoI will end common core. It's a disaster.https://t.co/d83XYrqZ3m#MakeAmericaGreatAgain #Trump2016 pic.twitter.com/r0Sc6zm80I— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2016In the race for the GOP presidential nomination, Donald Trump has said little about education except to

by mike simpson / 11h 

The Global Search for Education: Our Top 12 Global Teacher Blogs - Remembering Joe Bower and His Love of Learning

The Global Search for Education: Our Top 12 Global Teacher Blogs - Remembering Joe Bower and His Love of Learning: The Global Search for Education: Our Top 12 Global Teacher Blogs - Remembering Joe Bower and His Love of Learning Remembering Joe Bower 1978 - 2016We miss our Top 12 Global Blogger Joe Bower very much. Joe, a progressive and gifted educator from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada recently died

by mike simpson / 11h 

YESTERDAY

How to end segregation in New York City’s gifted and talented program - The Hechinger Report

How to end segregation in New York City’s gifted and talented program - The Hechinger Report: How to end segregation in New York City’s gifted and talented programThe problems with premises and politicsch of the discussion surrounding New York City’s school segregation problem has focused not on serious policy moves involving school integration* for the nation’s largest district but rather on maxi

1 by mike simpson / 20h 

California lawsuit appeal pursues claim of inadequate education funding | EdSource

California lawsuit appeal pursues claim of inadequate education funding | EdSource: California lawsuit appeal pursues claim of inadequate education fundingStudents, parents and school officials stand at a podium to talk about their lawsuit.CREDIT: CALIFORNIA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATIONPlaintiffs in the Robles-Wong v. State of California lawsuit announce the case at a press conference in Sacramento o

1 by mike simpson / 21h 

Mother of Autistic Child on “Got to Go List” Publicly Confronts Eva Moskowitz | deutsch29

Mother of Autistic Child on “Got to Go List” Publicly Confronts Eva Moskowitz | deutsch29: Mother of Autistic Child on “Got to Go List” Publicly Confronts Eva MoskowitzOn Friday January 22, 2016, the Center for New York City Law at New York Law School hosted the 131st City Law Breakfast. The event speaker was the highly controversial Success Academies (SA) CEO, Eva Moskowitz.The video for the even

1 by mike simpson / 21h 

CURMUDGUCATION: CATO, Choice and Freedom

CURMUDGUCATION: CATO, Choice and Freedom: CATO, Choice and FreedomIt's School Choice Week, one more faux celebration created as a hook on which to hang a hundred press releases.School Choice Week does indeed launch a thousand events and commentaries, and plenty of them are not very serious puff pieces by not very serious people. But some choice supporters are reasonably thoughtful people, and thei

1 by mike simpson / 22h hide  //  save

Design of a Decade: Moments From 10 Years Of Writing | The Jose Vilson

Design of a Decade: Moments From 10 Years Of Writing | The Jose Vilson: Design of a Decade: Moments From 10 Years Of WritingPeople forget that, ten years ago, the idea of blogging aloud made no sense to the average reader. The mainstream media had the stranglehold on public opinion, and trying to get an op-ed into any space requires a lot of know-how and a little know-who. Teachers were always tal

1 by mike simpson / 22h 

What Chicago Schools Need and Deserve – Troy LaRaviere's blog

What Chicago Schools Need and Deserve – Troy LaRaviere's blog: WHAT CHICAGO SCHOOLS NEED AND DESERVE Absurd ProposalLast week, I listened to reports of a State attempt to takeover Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and pave the way for bankruptcy proceedings, the way one might listen to a report of UFOs spotted over Lake Michigan.  “Is this a joke?” I thought to myself.While the Board of Education and C

1 by mike simpson / 23h 

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/27/15

CORPORATE ED REFORMLegislator proposes new credentials for dance, theater teachers | 89.3 KPCCLegislator proposes new credentials for dance, theater teachers | 89.3 KPCC: Legislator proposes new credentials for dance, theater teachersIn an effort to increase the number of public schools offering theater and dance classes and to lure more dance and theater professionals to teaching, Santa Monica-ar

23 by mike simpson / 1d

CURMUDGUCATION: OH: Opt Out Under Attack

CURMUDGUCATION: OH: Opt Out Under Attack:
OH: Opt Out Under Attack

Word came from a high-ranking official through Facebook today that somebody is gunning for those mean old Ohio Opt Outers.

The vehicle is Ohio House Bill 420, a bill "to amend sections 3302.01 and 3302.03 of the Revised Code to prohibit the Department of Education from including students who 'opt-out' of state assessments in calculations of certain grades in the state report card and to declare an emergency."

But that title sounds like a Good Thing, right. In fact if we look at some of the specific changes, we find versions of this language:

any student to whom a district or school is required to administer an assessment under section 3301.0710 or 3301.0712 of the Revised Code, but who chooses not to take the assessment, shall not be included in the calculation of the district's or school's grade under division (B)(1)(b) of this section.

In other words, students who opt out of the Big Standardized Test (still PARCC, in Ohio's case) will not be counted against their school's state rating.

However, the bill is listed as still in committee, where apparently the following language has been CURMUDGUCATION: OH: Opt Out Under Attack:

Kindergarten teacher: Don’t blame us if your kids are overworked. It isn’t our fault. - The Washington Post

Kindergarten teacher: Don’t blame us if your kids are overworked. It isn’t our fault. - The Washington Post:

Kindergarten teacher: Don’t blame us if your kids are overworked. It isn’t our fault.

I published a post the other day titled, “Parent: No, my kindergartner won’t be doing that homework assignment,” by a mother of three, Cara Paiuk, who wrote:

I just can’t imagine prioritizing homework with my 5-year-old son when I feel it’s more important we spend time together as a family, nurture our children, or let the kids play together.

That followed a number of other Answer Sheet posts in the last few years about how kindergarten has changed from a year in which young children learn largely through play to one that is focused on academics and tests.

In many places, kindergartners now go with very little — or no — physical education, recess, art and music. Parents have complained, and so have kindergarten teachers, who say they feel as if they are being forced to present curriculum and lessons to kids before they are ready in this era of standardized test-based reform. In this 2014 post, for example, a kindergarten teacher in Massachusetts named Susan Sluyter explained that her job had become all about “tests and data — not children” and that is why she had decided to quit.

[A very scary headline about kindergarten]

Paiuk’s post prompted a response from teachers, including a 24-year educator named Valerie E. Hardy who has taught children in kindergarten through grade 4 — 16 years for Garden Grove Unified School District in California, and the rest for Cherry Creek Schools in Colorado. She has been a master teacher for countless student teachers, as well as a new-teacher mentor, and has been Kindergarten teacher: Don’t blame us if your kids are overworked. It isn’t our fault. - The Washington Post:

“My daughter will not be taking the “state mandated” NEW SAT on March 2nd 2016.” - Wait What?

“My daughter will not be taking the “state mandated” NEW SAT on March 2nd 2016.” - Wait What?:
“My daughter will not be taking the “state mandated” NEW SAT on March 2nd 2016.”

According to a new “state mandate,” approximately 40,000 Connecticut high school juniors will not be attending their classes on March, 2, 2016.  Instead they will be taking another “Common Core aligned” standardized test – this time the NEW SAT.

The attempt to force the state’s 11^th graders to take the NEW SAT is not about helping students, improving graduating rates or expanding the number of people who go to college.

This new “mandate” is part of the broader corporate education reform agenda that is crippling public education in Connecticut and across the nation.

In this case, it is about trying to force children to take a test that will then be used to label those students and provide the state with faulty information to evaluate Connecticut’s teachers.

Parents should we aware of what it taking place and step up to ensure that our children are not being used as pawns in his massive testing farce.

Here is the background;

Thanks to a contract signed by Governor Dannel Malloy’s Commissioner of Education, Dianna R. Wentzell and approved by Malloy’s political appointees on the State Board of Education, Connecticut taxpayers will be shelling out in excess of $4.3 million in scarce public funds, over the next three years, to the College Board, the company that owns the “My daughter will not be taking the “state mandated” NEW SAT on March 2nd 2016.” - Wait What?:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Flint water disaster was preceded by takeover of schools and local govt's

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Flint water disaster was preceded by takeover of schools and local govt's:

Flint water disaster was preceded by takeover of schools and local govt's

In Michigan, the idea of a government of, by, and for the people did not apply to poor black cities, and when residents were robbed of the ability to govern themselves, they suffered. In Flint, it meant they got poisoned. -- Bill Moyers

The current disaster in Flint has its roots in Gov. Snyder's racist, anti-democratic coup d'etat in which power was usurped from local elected officials in financially distressed municipalities across Michigan. Snyder replaced them with his own appointed political cronies and corporate managers.

Flint isn’t the only city in Michigan deeply affected by the coup. In fact, Flint was one of six cities — most of which were poor and had a majority black population — to be placed under emergency management by Snyder since 2011.

Bill Moyers, who grew up in Flint, writes:

The emergency manager law gave unchecked power to the governor in the name of helping these communities emerge from financial Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Flint water disaster was preceded by takeover of schools and local govt's:

The Washington Teacher: DC Public Schools Imposes Longer School Year in Some Schools Without Stakeholders Input

The Washington Teacher: DC Public Schools Imposes Longer School Year in Some Schools Without Stakeholders Input:

DC Public Schools Imposes Longer School Year in Some Schools Without Stakeholders Input

By: Candi Peterson, WTU General Vice President

Statements or expressions of opinions herein 'do not' represent the views or official positions of DCPS, AFT, Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) or its members. Views are my own. 

It seems like DCPS is forging ahead with the extension of the school year for the 2016-17 school year for some of the District’s lowest performing schools. According to inside sources, some Ward 7 and 8 junior high schools will be on the list with  a longer school year including Hart Middle School and Johnson Middle School in SE as well as Kelly Miller Middle School located in NE. There may be as many as a dozen schools may be affected, however, exact numbers have been yet to be confirmed.

 It disappoints me that as an education stakeholder, I am learning of the news in this way. I searched the DCPS website to see if there was any updates on the proposed extended school year news. Neary’ a word. Needless to say, I am not shocked or surprised.

Currently, Raymond Education campus became part of a DCPS pilot where the school year was extended beginning with the 2015-16 school year. Teachers who worked at Raymond were given the option to get a placement at other schools if they did not want to work the longer school year at Raymond. The  WTU filed a The Washington Teacher: DC Public Schools Imposes Longer School Year in Some Schools Without Stakeholders Input:

“No Excuses” Charter School Dean Speaks #SCW – Cloaking Inequity

“No Excuses” Charter School Dean Speaks #SCW – Cloaking Inequity:

“No Excuses” Charter School Dean Speaks #SCW

 The former dean of students at a New Orleans charter school urges teachers and staff at No Excuses schools to ask some hard questions about the model’s social and emotional costs…

Dear You:

You were selected to teach at your school because of your intelligence, spunk, tenacity, vigor and, most of all, your passion for public education. You are a risk-taker. You have a can-do attitude with swag to match. You believe that every child has the capacity to achieve academically and are committing your life to ensuring that you affect change in every student you encounter. Your dedication to ensuring that traditionally marginalized students receive a first class education is commendable. But do you know how much power you hold? Do you truly understand the *No Excuses* school culture that you are part of? Do you know the psychological and emotional costs that the No Excuses model has on students of color? Furthermore, do you care to know? Continue reading →

This teaser was reblogged from Edushyster                                                                      n.

See also the piece by Ramon Griffin,

Colonizing the Black Natives: Reflections from a former NOLA Charter School Dean of Students https://t.co/PqTIPAqx8B #SCW

— JulianVasquezHeilig (@ProfessorJVH) January 28, 2016

For all of Cloaking Inequity’s posts on charter schools click here.

Please Facebook Like, Tweet, etc below and/or reblog to share this discussion with others.

Want to know about Cloaking Inequity’s freshly pressed conversations about educational policy? Click the “Follow blog by email” button on the home page.“No Excuses” Charter School Dean Speaks #SCW – Cloaking Inequity:

LAUSD board told charters attracting more federal dollars than magnets - LA School Report

LAUSD board told charters attracting more federal dollars than magnets - LA School Report:

LAUSD board told charters attracting more federal dollars than magnets

For all the successful magnet schools in LA Unified and elsewhere, they are not attracting as much federal support as charter schools.

That was a stark message from the district’s federal lobbyist, who told a district board committee this week that Washington is increasing national support for charter schools by nearly 32 percent but by only 6 percent for magnet schools, a difference that surprised some of the school board members.

“We never imagined this would ever be this much of a discrepancy,” board presidentSteve Zimmer said at a meeting of the board’s Committee of the Whole.

The money for charters rose to $350 million from $270 million while the magnet school support increased to $96 million from $91 million, according to Joel Packer, of the Raben Group, which lobbies for the district in Washington.

“Charter schools have big bipartisan support in Congress,” Packer said. “They got a big increase. Magnet schools don’t have the same political clout.”

In response to Packer’s overall report outlining changes in federal education policy, committee chairman George McKenna pointed out, “Charters can lobby and have money to give to campaigns and give to board members. Magnets don’t have that LAUSD board told charters attracting more federal dollars than magnets - LA School Report:

Obama and the Charter School Sugar Daddies | Black Agenda Report

Obama and the Charter School Sugar Daddies | Black Agenda Report:
Obama and the Charter School Sugar Daddies

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

As hedge funds spin their financial webs to spur charter school expansion and President Obama bullies states to lift caps on charters, "right-wing foundations are attempting to swallow whole the entire school district of Washington, DC." For a $65 million donation, the Wal-Mart family and other fat cats demand DC schools drop union rules - and threaten to take back the money if the voters change administrations.

Obama and the Charter School Sugar Daddies

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

"Hedge funds and bankers have become the Sugar Daddies of charter schools."

When it comes to the public schools, the Obama administration is allied with the most rapacious sectors of Wall Street and far-right foundations. That political reality is most evident in  the administration's campaign to establish a parallel national network of charter schools, with a heavy emphasis on inner cities. Obama and his education chief, Arne Duncan, have spent their first year and a half in office coercing states to expand charters or lose out on more than $4 billion in federal education moneys. Obama's allies on Wall Street invest heavily in charter schools, tapping into the public money stream to build their own vision of corporate education.

Historically, Wall Street is to Democrats what Big Oil is to Republicans. Hedge funds and bankers have become the Sugar Daddies of charter schools, using their clout with big city Democrats to give charters every advantage over conventional public schools.

Wall Street finds charters especially attractive, since bankers and hedge funds can exerciseextraordinary influence on the schools while the public pays most of the tab. And profiteers have found numerous ways to turn charter schools into cash cows, where taxpayers finance private contracts over which the public has no control. Charter schools are a low-risk, fast buck dream, tailor-made for corporate exploitation and political manipulation.

RIch foundations have banded together to amass a mountain of money to ensure that charter schools have sources of funds that most public schools lack, plus a steady income from the Obama and the Charter School Sugar Daddies | Black Agenda Report: