A Little Ditty About Donald and Diane

A Little Ditty About Donald and Diane:

A Little Ditty About Donald and Diane

Donald Trump thinks the Common Core State Standards are a disaster and so does education historian turned anti-education reform advocate Diane Ravitch. This puts Ravitch and Trump in opposition to millions of parents, classroom teachers, national teachers unions, the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton.

In a July 24 essay in the New York Times renouncing the standards, Ravitch wrote:

Six years after the release of our first national standards, the Common Core, and the new federal tests that accompanied them, it seems clear that the pursuit of a national curriculum is yet another excuse to avoid making serious efforts to reduce the main causes of low student achievement: poverty and racial segregation.

First of all, as Ravitch knows very well, the Common Core are not a set of “national” standards. They were created by governors and chief state school officers and adopted voluntarily by states. States can repeal them or amend them whenever they want and several already have. In fact, the federal government is prohibited by law from creating or mandating standards.

Second, there is not now and never has been a “pursuit of a national curriculum.” Conflating standards and curriculum is a cynical, coded appeal to the local control zealots on both sides who reflexively oppose anything with the word “national” attached and insist against all evidence that public education will magically improve without oversight and accountability.

Fighting Poverty and Segregation

As for fighting poverty and segregation, America has been fighting on both fronts for decades while allowing schools to languish in mediocrity. Noble as both goals A Little Ditty About Donald and Diane:

 

Peter Cunningham 

Executive Director, Education Post; Former Assistant Secretary for Communications and Outreach, U.S. Department of Education (Arne's Mouth)

Turkish president blasts foreign countries over coup reaction - World - CBC News

Turkish president blasts foreign countries over coup reaction - World - CBC News:

Turkish president blasts foreign countries over coup reaction

Erdogan seeking extradition of Muslim cleric and alleged mastermind from U.S.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday once more blasted unnamed Western countries for what he said was support for the attempted coup on July 15 which left more than 270 people dead.

"The West is supporting terrorism and taking sides with coups," Erdogan said.

• Erdogan overhauls military after failed coup attempt
• Turkey kills 35 Kurdish militants who attempted to storm army base

Speaking at an event for foreign investors in Ankara, Erdogan singled out Germany for criticism, after a German court ruled against allowing him to appear on a video link to address a crowd of about 30,000 supporters and anti-coup demonstrators Cologne over the weekend.

'We did not request documents for terrorists that you wanted returned.'- Recep Erodgan, on U.S. extradition procedures

Turkey had sent Germany more than 4,000 files on what he said were wanted terrorists, but Germany did nothing, Erdogan said. However, he said, courts quickly decided against him speaking at the rally.

Erdogan repeated a complaint that no foreign leader had visited Turkey after the failed coup, while France and Belgium received visits in solidarity after terror attacks there.

"Those we considered friends are siding with coup-plotters and terrorists," the president said.

Sweeping crackdown

The government says the coup was instigated by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former Erdogan ally who has been living in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania. Turkey has demanded his extradition, but Washington has asked for evidence of the cleric's involvement, saying the extradition process must take its course.

Erdogan complained about the request for evidence, saying: "We did not request documents for terrorists that you wanted returned."

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag sent a second document to the United States Tuesday seeking Gulen's arrest, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. The minister said the second letter explained why there was an urgent need for the arrest.

U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose followers Turkey blames for a failed coup, speaks to journalists at his home in Saylorsburg, Penn., on July 16. Turkey has asked the U.S. to arrest and extradite Gulen. (Greg Savoy/Reuters)

The government has launched a sweeping crackdown on Gulen's movement, which it characterizes as a terrorist organization and which runs schools, charities and businesses internationally. In Turkey, nearly 70,000 people have been suspended from their jobs on suspicion of being involved in the movement.

• Who is Fethullah Gulen?
• Why is Turkey blaming Gulen for the coup attempt?

"They requested certain information following our first letter; we provided answers to the question 'why is it urgent,"' Anadolu quoted Bozdag as telling reporters in parliament, adding that Turkey had intelligence indicating Gulen might leave for a third country.

"I hope that the United States decides in Turkey's favour, in line with democracy and the rule of law, and returns this leader of a terror organization to Turkey," he said.

The minister said that if Gulen leaves the U.S., it would be with the full knowledge of U.S. authorities.

Part of the crackdown against Gulen's network has focused on reforming the military, bringing it increasingly under civilian command. About 18,000 people have been detained or arrested, most of them from the military, and authorities have said the purge of those suspected of links to Gulen in the military will continue.

Calgary's Davud Hanci has also been detained in Turkey on allegations he worked for Gulen. His friends and family say he is innocent. 

Turkish soldiers detain Staff Sergeant Erkan Cikat, one of the missing military personnel suspected of being involved in the coup attempt, in Marmaris, Turkey, on July 25. (Kenan Gurbuz/Reuters)

Changes to military courts

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced plans to shut down two military high courts — the administrative and appeals courts — and said military courts, which deal with disciplinary issues, would be placed under the Defence Ministry's supervision.

The government has already issued a decree introducing sweeping Turkish president blasts foreign countries over coup reaction - World - CBC News:

Director of Special Education Division - Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education)

Director of Special Education Division - Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education):

State Schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson Appoints Kristin Wright as Director of Special Education Division

Kristen Wright — National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools - http://www.ncsecs.org/kristen-wright/

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that he has appointed Kristin Wright as the new Special Education Division Director at the California Department of Education (CDE). She begins her assignment September 1.

Wright has spent more than a decade working in education with a focus on special education. Since December 2014, she has worked for the California State Board of Education as an Education Policy Consultant and liaison between the State Board and the CDE on a variety of subjects, including special education, child nutrition, foster and homeless youth, and computer science.

In 2013 and 2014, she worked as an Education Programs Consultant within CDE's Special Education Division, serving as a liaison to the Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) and consulting on program and policy matters related to California's Common Core State Standards and accessibility for students with disabilities. She served as a State Senate appointee to the ACSE from 2006 to 2013 and was chair of the advisory commission from 2009 to 2013.

"Kristin brings a wealth of professional and personal experience to this important position as a policy expert, a former special education student teacher, and a mother of a child with disabilities," Torlakson said. "California's students with disabilities and their families will find they have an advocate and an ally in Kristin."

Wright's public service career took a turn with the birth of her middle daughter, Shelby, who has significant intellectual and physical disabilities. Wright, who earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from California State University, Sacramento, returned to the university to earn a special education teaching credential and a master's degree in special education. She spent the 2008-09 school year as a special education student teacher in the San Juan Unified School District, the Sacramento City Unified School District and the Twin Rivers Unified School District.

From 2010 to 2013, she was a contract consultant providing special education research and other support to organizations that included the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Her work there included researching special education services provided by U.S. charter schools.

Wright replaces former Special Education Division Director Fred Balcom, who retired in December. Since December, the Division Director's role has been filled on an interim basis by Chris Drouin. California's public schools served 717,962 special education students ranging in age from newborns to 22 during the 2014-15 school year.

A Sacramento native, Wright and her husband, Charles, have three children: Ace, Shelby, and Violet.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Last Reviewed: Monday, August 1, 2016

NYSAPE PR Opt Out 16 Results - NYS ALLIES for Public Education

NYSAPE PR Opt Out 16 Results - NYS ALLIES for Public Education:

   NYSED Declares Scores Not Comparable, Opt Out Grows Across State

 

This past Friday afternoon, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) released the results of the 2016 NYS Common Core 3-8 ELA and math results. Despite expensive ad campaigns from Gates-funded advocacy groups and the distribution of "Anti Opt-out" toolkits by Commissioner Elia aimed at persuading parents to opt in to state tests, the test non-participation rate increased from 20 percent last year to 22 percent.

As Chris Cerrone, a school board member and NYSAPE member from Western NY said, "Given Commissioner Elia’s public relation blitz across the state and all the interviews she did with the media, as well as all the money spent by the pro-Common Core groups, the increase in opt out numbers indicates that parents remain very concerned about the low quality of these tests and the direction of education in our state."

An increase in test refusals were seen across the state, including in large urban districts like Buffalo and New York City. In only 5 percent of districts statewide --38 out of 686 -- was the test participation rate at or above 95 percent for ELA and math.  If the current proposed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) regulations are adopted, this would mean that the state would have to punish the vast majority of schools by giving them low grades or imposing aggressive intervention plans. (see chart below)

“Despite the relentless and well-funded PR push back we received in the city, more and more parents are becoming educated on just how harmful standardized testing is for their children. The increase in opt-out is a significant win for immigrant families, students with special needs and students from low income households. Our grassroots approach is resonating with parents seeking true equity in public education,” said Johanna Garcia, NYC parent and Co-President of District 6 President’s Council.

"Overall, these exams not only demonize our students and teachers, but the entire city of Rochester. I will not allow my child to take an exam that does not accurately reflect her progress. I'm not against testing, but I am against tests with no educational value," Eileen Graham, Rochester parent of 4th grader and founder of Black Student Leadership.

Long Island districts again this year opted out in large numbers, some as high as 84%.  Many other districts also experienced over 50% of student refusing to take the tests. (see chart below)

Jeanette Deutermann, Long Island public school parent, the founder of Long Island Opt Out and a member of NYSAPE said, "The opt out movement continues to expand despite the aggressive campaign to thwart our efforts and marginalize our voices. Parents demand nothing short of a complete overhaul to our excessive testing system, a ban on the mining of sensitive personal data, replacement of flawed Common Core with research-based standards, and a permanent decoupling of evaluations from test scores."

Despite their own warning that this year's test scores could not be compared to last year’s because the tests were shorter and untimed, NYSED still claimed that increases in this year’s ELA scores over last year’s scores justified their continuing to implement the Common Core standards and Common Core aligned exams. These contradictory statements undermine NYSED’s credibility.

The reality is that without a more careful analysis of the tests themselves, their length, and the impact of giving them untimed, it is impossible to ascertain if achievement increased, decreased, or stayed the same as last year.  In addition, the fact that so few schools and districts had a 95% participation rate also undermines their reliability.

“The fact that 95% of school districts in NYS did not meet the federal and state participation requirements significantly weakens the reliability and validity of test scores for accountability purposes. How can Commissioner Elia claim that these scores are valid or show any improvement in achievement,” asked, Jessica McNair, Central NY public school parent, educator, and Opt Out CNY founder.

“There is little doubt that parents will continue to exercise their right to refuse harmful state tests and right now it is imperative that Commissioner Elia and the Board of Regents advocate for a revision in the proposed ESSA regulations, or else face having to intervene in most of the schools in the state,” said Marla Kilfoyle, Long Island public school parent, educator, and BATs Executive Director

"Parents were very concerned when MaryEllen Elia was named Commissioner, due to her links to the Gates Foundation in Florida.  Skepticism was withheld to give her the benefit of the doubt while changes were discussed.  However, her continued failure to address the concerns of parents have only further eroded confidence in her leadership and in the State Department of Education," said Lisa Rudley, Westchester County public school parent and founding member of NYSAPE.

In response to increases in test refusal, Commissioner MaryEllen Elia attacked critics and claimed that parents refusing the state tests were unaware of “important” changes made to the tests. Bianca Tanis, Ulster County Public School parent and educator said, “The small changes and tweaks made by the NYS Education Department are simply not enough. Nothing has changed for the individual child and to suggest otherwise is just plain wrong.”

Said Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters: "Between 2003 and 2009, the NY State Education Department engaged in rampant test score inflation, by making the tests and the scoring easier, without admitting this.  After that, the bubble burst and the scores fell radically with the introduction of Common Core-aligned exams, when our Commissioner was intent on proving to parents their children and their schools were failing.  I fear that state officials are still manipulating the scores for political ends.  It is no wonder that New York parents do not trust these exams to give an accurate picture of their children’s learning."

"NYSED must work more consistently with teachers, parents, and students, to create policy that supports whole child initiatives in every community. It’s tiresome to continue to sell our children and families short by engaging annually in narrow discussions about learning that only focus on ELA and mathematics, while continuing to neglect science, the arts, and civic engagement,” said Jamaal Bowman, Bronx public school educator and parent.

"Why would anyone support tests designed for over 60 percent of students to fail? If a teacher gave a test in her classroom where over 60 percent failed she would rightly question the validity of her test. This is insanity," said Tim Farley, Hudson Valley principal and public school parent.

It is clear that the over-emphasis and misuse of test scores with questionable validity and no educational purpose continue to rob our public schools of valuable instructional time and resources. Until the leaders of public education in NYS begin to focus on closing the opportunity gap by addressing the inequitable resources in our schools and heed the demands of parents and educators for evidence-based and child-centered educational policies, the opt out movement will continue to grow.


                        NYSAPE is a grassroots coalition with over 50 parent and educator groups across the state.

                                                                                                               ###

- See more at: http://www.nysape.org/nysape-pr-opt-out-16-results.html#sthash.KfKCIR6U.dpuf



More information contact:
Lisa Rudley (917) 414-9190; nys.allies@gmail.com
Jeanette Deutermann (516) 902-9228; nys.allies@gmail.com 
NYS Allies for Public Education (NYSAPE) www.nysape.org - See more at: http://www.nysape.org/nysape-pr-opt-out-16-results.html#sthash.KfKCIR6U.dpuf

Flint Water Crisis: Mr. Shuette I Am Shocked

Flint Water Crisis: Mr. Shuette I Am Shocked

by Mike Simpson I am shocked. Truly shocked that Governor Snyder has not been questioned by Shuette yet. Only one State Official from Michigan spoke at the RNC this year. Shuette. Four years ago, Governor Snyder had an oyster and champagne bar for RNC goers and was courting the RNC as a potential Presidential candidate. This time, not so much. We are not off the hook yet. Through his Empire like policies, Snyder is the milder, higher pitched voice version of Donald Trump. Snyder also has two criminal defense lawyers working for him at our expense. Regarding Flint, Dan Farough of Common Core Michigan said, "It is striking that the person who bears ultimate responsibility - GOVERNOR RICK SNYDER - continues to be shielded from scrutiny." So what did Shuette tell the Republicans gathered in Ohio about Flint, Michigan’s worst EM Law Austerity Camp? Shuette explained that pregnant women and newborns “still should not bathe or drink the water.” He told them that he was in charge, and more investigation was coming from his office. Sounds tough. It is true that he has ordered the Governor to stop tampering with the investigation, at the Department of Justice’s insistence. It is true that he has accused the Governor of not turning over documents. He has sued three engineering firms. He has charged nine people. He told the RNC that he had it under control. Before Trump spoke to accept the nomination, one might have even begun to feel safe that Shuette would do the right thing. Then, at the DNC, Flint Mayor, Karen Weaver called out Michigan’s Republicans for using the Emergency Manager Law “to take over control of the city.” That control, by one person, the Emergency Manager, who reported only to Governor Snyder is the problem. Let us not forget the emails in April of 2014, from the Department of Environmental Quality that show DEQ warned the Emergency Managers that the Flint River was not even safe for fish to swim in, let alone for people to drink. Let us not forget that the Emergency Manager went ahead with a contract to retrofit the Flint Water Department, but did not even bother to treat that polluted water. And so it is not so soothing that… well, I continue to be shocked, further still that Shuette will be arguing in favor of the Emergency Manager Law in the U.S. Court of Appeals. His argument? Wait for it….. U.S. Citizens are not guaranteed the right to choose their own local government. Based on this line of thinking, Austerity Camps like Flint will be popping up everywhere, just like mushrooms on the floor of the Detroit Public Schools, which was also run into the ground by the same law. It certainly seems to be a conflict of interest that Shuette would make this argument while investigating Flint. It indicates that only the folks low on the totem pole will feel any heat.

Read More about the Flint Water Crisis at Go Left America

How Schools in New Orleans Are Trying to Grow Children Like Monsanto Grows Corn – EduShyster

How Schools in New Orleans Are Trying to Grow Children Like Monsanto Grows Corn – EduShyster:

How Schools in New Orleans Are Trying to Grow Children Like Monsanto Grows Corn

A teacher in New Orleans sees some startling similarities between the education of the city’s children and the way that commodity crops are grown on industrial farms…

By Stefin Pasternak
The way we educate our children in many schools in New Orleans these days shares some startling similarities with how industrial farms raise commodity crops. Industrial farms prefer the complete uniformity of straight, orderly rows of a single crop rather than the organic relationships of different organisms that support one another in a true ecosystem.  Many of our schools prefer to educate children under the veil of a culture of straight, silent lines, seeking to produce identical outcomes rather than cultivating the organic interactions and freedoms that breed healthy children and communities.1

Industrial farms prefer to control as many variables in the growing process as possible instead of encouraging a diversity of variables to yield different growing environments.  Many schools try to control as many variables in the teaching process as possible instead of encouraging a diverse array of teaching styles and critical thought.

Industrial farms prefer to genetically engineer crops for yield at the expense of taste and nutrition, leaving us with a surplus of tasteless, nutrition-less food-like plants.  Many of our schools prefer to educate kids who score basic or above on a battery of How Schools in New Orleans Are Trying to Grow Children Like Monsanto Grows Corn – EduShyster:

 

CURMUDGUCATION: DFER Scrambles for Leverage

CURMUDGUCATION: DFER Scrambles for Leverage:

DFER Scrambles for Leverage

Camp Philos was not so swank this year.

In previous years, the Very Deeply Thoughty reformster retreat has taken place at luxurious retreat locations. But this year the Festival of Reforminess was held in Philadelphia in conjunction with the Democratic National Convention.

That makes a certain amount of sense because Camp Philos is a project of the Democrats for Education Reform, and DFER is a project of hedge fund guys like Whitney Tilson. DFER does not adhere to some traditional Democratic positions; they have, for instance, a deep disdain for the teachers unions. And when it comes to education reform policies like charter schools, DFER is indistinguishable from the ed reform wing of the GOP.

That's not entirely a surprise. Here's what Tilson once had to say about how he decided to put the D in DFER:

The real problem, politically, was not the Republican party, it was the Democratic party. So it dawned on us, over the course of six months or a year, that it had to be an inside job. The main obstacle to education reform was moving the Democratic party, and it had to be Democrats who did it, it had to be an inside job. So that was the thesis behind the organization. And the name – and the name was critical – we get a lot of flack for the name. You know, “Why are you Democrats for education reform? That’s very exclusionary. I mean, certainly there are Republicans in favor of education reform.” And we said, “We agree.” In fact, our natural allies, in many cases, are Republicans on this crusade, but the problem is not Republicans. We don’t need to convert the Republican party to our point of view…

DFER's been having a bad couple of weeks. The first draft of the democratic platform suited them just fine, but then the final draft included some new language, language that in particular CURMUDGUCATION: DFER Scrambles for Leverage:

Education for Sale: LAUSD Throws the Fight in Its Competition with Charters

Education for Sale: LAUSD Throws the Fight in Its Competition with Charters:

Education for Sale

 

Education for Sale: LAUSD Throws the Fight in Its Competition with Charters

On Saturday, July 30, 2016, I presented at Charters, Privatization and the Defense of Public Education, a California Education/Action Conference at Richmond High School in Richmond, California. My speech asked “If the charter law was passed to improve education through competition, why isn’t the LAUSD School Board playing to win?” and is based on the following paper: “ Men associating with crooks

by Carl J. Petersen / 1h hide  //  save

Education for Sale: The Broad Way Towards Bankruptcy

This is the first section of my paper: Education for Sale: LAUSD Throws the Fight in Its Competition with Charters. Despite the fact that the Los Angeles Times receives funding for their education coverage from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation , their reporters were still able to publish a leaked copy of the foundation’s “Great Public Schools Now” plan to “ place half of the students in the Lo

by Carl J. Petersen / 1h 

Education for Sale: Lack of Oversight

This is the second section of my paper: Education for Sale: LAUSD Throws the Fight in Its Competition with Charters . The previous section can be found at: The Broad Way Towards Bankruptcy On the other side of the equation, the CCSA has proven that they are more than willing to compete with the LAUSD on a fight to the death basis, especially during the electoral process. Prior to the last electio

by Carl J. Petersen / 1h 

Education for Sale: LAUSD and Proposition 39

This is the final section of my paper: Education for Sale: LAUSD Throws the Fight in Its Competition with Charters . The previous section can be found at: Lack of Oversight The CCSA has also shown a willingness to use the courts to gain the upperhand in its competition with public schools. It has been particularly litigious in claiming what it calls “ charter school’s share ” of space under Propo

by Carl J. Petersen / 1h 

Education for Sale: LAUSD Throws the Fight in Its Competition with Charters:

Jersey Jazzman: How The Charter Cheerleading Industry Is Abetting The Destruction Of Public Schools

Jersey Jazzman: How The Charter Cheerleading Industry Is Abetting The Destruction Of Public Schools:

How The Charter Cheerleading Industry Is Abetting The Destruction Of Public Schools

Folks, I've had some real problems with Blogspot lately. For some reason, this post disappeared, and I can't finger out why. It's troubling because if I can't count on this remaining a stable platform, seven years of work is in jeopardy.

Luckily, Rosi Efthim at Blue Jersey had cross-posted this post, so I recovered what I could and moved it here. But I seem to have lost the links to graphics, and the formatting is messed up. I'll try to fix them soon.

Wordpress, you're looking better all the time...


I know I swore off wasting my time (and yours) criticizing reformy edu-bloggers. But I've been watching a back-and-forth on social media for the past few days that is such a good example of how destructive the charter cheerleading industry has become (fueled with aninsane amount of money from ideological foundations) that I have no choice but to comment.

This all started on Tuesday, July 5, when NJ Spotlight (full disclosure -- I write regularly for them) ran an excerpt of an address a graduating senior at North Star Academy Charter School gave to his classmates. Which is fine: all kids should be proud of their accomplishments and their schools (although it's a shame Spotlight has not, to my knowledge, published the excerpts of any other graduating senior's speeches -- especially students graduating in Newark).

So why does that matter? Well, this past month Governor Chris Christie proposed a radical shift in the allocation of state aid for schools -- one that would slash funding and jack up taxes in urban school districts while giving the state's wealthiest districts, already payingrelatively low effective tax rates, a huge infusion of state aid (I wrote about it for Spotlighthere).

How did Christie justify such a radical plan? Simple: if urban charter schools, like North Star, had higher graduation rates than their hosting public district schools, that then Jersey Jazzman: How The Charter Cheerleading Industry Is Abetting The Destruction Of Public Schools:

Breaking News: ACLU finds many illegal policies in Charter Schools – Cloaking Inequity

Breaking News: ACLU finds many illegal policies in Charter Schools – Cloaking Inequity:

Breaking News: ACLU finds many illegal policies in Charter Schools

A new report released today by the ACLU and Public Advocates (a California civil rights organization) entitled Unequal Access: How Some California Charter Schools Illegally Restrict Enrollment has found a variety of illegal policies in charters schools. The ACLU and Public Advocates report examines charters schools policies across the state of California and details how they are failing students. In this report, they provide (1) an analysis of illegal charter school policies; (2) a description of the framework of laws that prohibit exclusionary policies; and (3) recommendations to ensure equal admission. This report can be a guide for ACLU chapters and civil rights organizations across the nation to hold charters accountable for following federal and state law.

I received an advance copy, I will link the report as soon as it is made publicly available.

The ACLU and Public Advocates write:

The original vision of charter schools in the 1990s was to provide new opportunities to improve the quality of education for thousands of students living in under-resourced communities.  However, charter schools can also heighten existing inequities.  Through admissions policies that exclude vulnerable students by erecting various barriers to entry, charter schools have the potential to create a two-tiered system of public education.  We believe charter schools are viable only if they are open to all students.

Although charter schools may be privately controlled and receive non-government funding, they are part of California’s public education system.  The California Constitution requires that all students, whether they choose to attend traditional public schools or charter schools, have equal access to educational opportunity.  Like other public schools, it is illegal for charter schools to select which students to enroll.  The state legislature made this principle clear in the California Charter Schools Act, which plainly requires charter schools to “admit all pupils who wish to attend.”[1]  In other words, except for limitations due to space, charter schools may not enact admissions requirements or other barriers to enrollment and must admit all students who apply, just as traditional public schools cannot turn away students.

Although the law is clear, our review of California charter schools’ public, written policies reveals that many charters illegally prevent Breaking News: ACLU finds many illegal policies in Charter Schools – Cloaking Inequity:

Tim Kaine, Dems’ VP Nominee, Is Strong Supporter of Public Schools (Unlike Cory Booker) | janresseger

Tim Kaine, Dems’ VP Nominee, Is Strong Supporter of Public Schools (Unlike Cory Booker) | janresseger:

Tim Kaine, Dems’ VP Nominee, Is Strong Supporter of Public Schools (Unlike Cory Booker)

 Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for President, seemed confused last Wednesday when he spoke at a news conference about the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, Tim Kaine.  Trump was reported by Politico to have confused Tim Kaine with former New Jersey governor Thomas Kean: “Her running mate Tim Kaine, who by the way did a terrible job in New Jersey….” declared Trump. I hope that by now most of us are less confused about Tim Kaine than Trump was last week, but perhaps there is still room to learn more about Kaine’s record.

So who is Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s choice as her running mate?  A U.S. News & World Report piece last week explained Tim Kaine’s Hefty Education Resume: “When Hillary Clinton formally introduced her vice presidential pick, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, it quickly became clear that she chose someone with big education policy chops….”

Kaine’s wife, Anne Holton, has a long history of work on behalf of children and families as a judge in juvenile and domestic relations court. During Kaine’s term as governor of Virginia, she became an advocate for adolescents in foster care. Kaine and his wife educated their three now-adult children in the public schools of Richmond, Virginia.  Holton served until last week as Virginia’s Secretary of Education (She just resigned to join the presidential campaign.), a position she used, according to the Washington Post, to bring attention to the needs of the state’s public schools: “‘Teachers are teaching to the tests. Students’ and teachers’ love of learning and teaching are sapped,’ she wrote in 2015. ‘Most troublesome, Virginia’s persistent achievement gaps for low-income students have barely budged,’ she continued arguing that ‘our high stakes-approach’ with testing has made it more difficult to persuade the best teachers who work in the most difficult, impoverished schools… Like most of her fellow Democrats in the state, she has opposed the expansion of charter schools and other school-choice measures, and she has pushed for greater investments in public education, including teacher pay raises.”

A 2013 column Kaine himself wrote for the Richmond Times-Dispatch describes his commitment to public education as mayor of Richmond, governor of Virginia, and U.S. senator: “Anne and I are now empty-nesters. Combined, our three kids spent 40 school years in the Richmond Public Schools. While we both interact with the school system in our professional lives, we’ve learned even more from back-to-school nights, parent-teacher Tim Kaine, Dems’ VP Nominee, Is Strong Supporter of Public Schools (Unlike Cory Booker) | janresseger:

The public spectacle of privatization - Wait What?

The public spectacle of privatization - Wait What?:

The public spectacle of privatization - Wait What?:

The private ownership and control of public entities, programs and services is costing American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars a year as a result of waste, corruption and the insertion of the “profit” motive into the provision of public responsibilities.

Privatization, its advocates claimed, would save scarce public money since it promoted more efficient and effective delivery of programs, services and goods.  The claim, proven wrong over and over again, was that through privatization of public activities, taxpayers would be able to get more and pay less.

The clarion call from conservatives and neo-liberals alike was that by allowing private entities to own and operate public activities, government would finally be able to run like a business and the once bloated bureaucracies would be transformed into streamlined business units that would ensure faster, better and cheaper delivery of services.

The fruits of greater productively, they pontificated, would be so significant that the business taking over the once public activity would even be able to make a healthy profit.

While the concept worked great in theory, the reality has been quite different.

The track record of modern privatization is littered with numerous examples where taxpayers didn’t get more for less, but ended up with a system in which they paid more and got less.

Today, more than $1.5 trillion a year of public activity has been privatized and a prime The public spectacle of privatization - Wait What?: