Latest News and Comment from Education

Show All

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/15/17


Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/15/17

Featured Post

Betsy DeVos: “Government Sucks” and “We Don’t Fire Teachers Enough” | deutsch29



The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice | gadflyonthewallblog
by mike simpson / 5h
The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice | gadflyonthewallblog : The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice “Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, subsidizes, or results in racial discrimination.” -President John F. Kennedy “Injustice anywhere is a threat to jus
Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… - Wait What?
by mike simpson / 5h
Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… - Wait What? : Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… In 2001, a Connecticut Commission set the goal of reducing child poverty by 50% over the next decade. Ten years later, the poverty rate hadn’t gone down, in fact it had doubled. And the problem remains as severe today, a decade and a half after the sta
Sunday morning coming down. | Fred Klonsky
by mike simpson / 5h
Sunday morning coming down. | Fred Klonsky : Sunday morning coming down. Other Democrats as well as anti-Trump Republicans are reluctant to acknowledge the scale of our crisis, because our institutions may not be strong enough to cope with it. On CNN, David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s former campaign manager, said he was “not comfortable” with Lewis’ words, making an argument that echoed Rubio’s. “Th
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Last Sunday Before Trumpistan Edition + Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION
by mike simpson / 5h
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Last Sunday Before Trumpistan Edition (1/15) : ICYMI: Last Sunday Before Trumpistan Edition (1/15) This week I'll start you off with a short video from the folks at Brave New Films about the DeVos nomination. Something to share with your friends who would rather watch than read. Sears in Death Spiral I wrote about this article earlier in the week, but if you missed that, yo
Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year - LA Times
by mike simpson / 7h
Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year - LA Times : Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year If this sentence leaves you confused, you’re not alone: Education spending rises under Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed state budget , but some California schools are
How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politics - POLITICO Magazine
by mike simpson / 8h
How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politics - POLITICO Magazine : How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politic With her nomination as education secretary, a powerful political clan will bring its overtly Christian agenda to Washington. On election night 2006, Dick DeVos, the bronzed, starched 51-year-old scion of Michigan’s wealthiest family, paced to a l
Stop Betsy Devos! - Living in Dialogue
by mike simpson / 8h
Stop Betsy Devos! - Living in Dialogue : Stop Betsy Devos! From Brave New Films with Dr. Diane Ravitch. Stop Betsy Devos! - Living in Dialogue :
#ReclaimMLK2017!: Let's Honor Him with Words and Action - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom
by mike simpson / 8h
#ReclaimMLK2017!: Let's Honor Him with Words and Action - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom : #ReclaimMLK2017!: Let’s Honor Him with Words and Action I’m gearing up for a week of action: family-friendly MLK teach-ins, marches, parent education and organizing. Being a “good mom” means modeling how to be a good person. That means speaking up for yourself and others. No… MLK was NOT a Magical
Will Betsy DeVos Restart The ‘Education Wars’? | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community
by mike simpson / 8h
Will Betsy DeVos Restart The ‘Education Wars’? | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community : Will Betsy DeVos Restart The ‘Education Wars’? Education, which was hardly ever mentioned in the recent presidential election, has suddenly been thrust to the frontline in the increasingly heated conflict over President-Elect Donald Trump’s proposed cabinet appointees. The reason
Maybe Teaching Special Ed Doesn't Have To Be So Hard : NPR Ed : NPR
by mike simpson / 9h
Maybe Teaching Special Ed Doesn't Have To Be So Hard : NPR Ed : NPR : Maybe Teaching Special Ed Doesn't Have To Be So Hard Stephanie Johnson works with a student at the Renaissance Academy, a charter school in Lehi, Utah. Dan Krauss for NPR This time last year, Stephanie Johnson was miserable. She was in her third year teaching special education at a junior high school in Lindon, Utah, about 40 m
North Carolina’s Exclusionary Voucher Schools + More from Diane Ravitch's blog
by mike simpson / 9h
North Carolina’s Exclusionary Voucher Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog : North Carolina’s Exclusionary Voucher Schools https://tcf.org/content/commentary/second-class-students-vouchers-exclude/‬ Kimberly Quick of The Century Foundation describes the many exclusionary policies of North Carolina’s voucher schools. Here is a sampling: Conservative education reformers have aggressively marketed the exp
Russ on Reading: Creating Life-Long Readers through Choice
by mike simpson / 9h
Russ on Reading: Creating Life-Long Readers through Choice : Creating Life-Long Readers through Choice I am pleased to present this guest post by Lesley Roessing, Director of the Coastal Savannah Writing Project and Senior Lecturer in the College of Education, Armstrong State University. Lesley is a former graduate student of mine at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA. Like any teacher I
Betsy DeVos: “Government Sucks” and “We Don’t Fire Teachers Enough” | deutsch29
by mike simpson / 9h
Betsy DeVos: “Government Sucks” and “We Don’t Fire Teachers Enough” | deutsch29 : Betsy DeVos: “Government Sucks” and “We Don’t Fire Teachers Enough” In March 2015, US secretary of education nominee gave this 9-page speech at the SxSW conference in Texas in 2015. The title of DeVos’ speech is “Competition, Creativity and Choice in the Classroom.” Below are some excerpts: As a kid I grew up middle

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/14/17
by mike simpson / 1d
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/14/17 Featured Post Jeb Bush may have won something in the election after all: the U.S. Department of Education - The Washington Post Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION: Investors Warned Off 

Top Posts This Week


Posted by at

The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice | gadflyonthewallblog

The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice | gadflyonthewallblog:

The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice


screen-shot-2017-01-15-at-8-10-02-am
“Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, subsidizes, or results in racial discrimination.”
-President John F. Kennedy
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I say they’re pushing for it because voters always turn it down.
Every single referendum held on school choice in the United States has been defeated despite billions of dollars in spending to convince people to vote for it.
But advocates aren’t discouraged that the public isn’t on their side. They have money, and in America that translates to speech.
But don’t think that’s some huge change in policy. The previous administration championed a lighter version of these market-driven plans. The main difference goes like this: Democrats are for charter schools and tax credits for private and parochial schools. Republicans are for anything that calls itself a school getting your tax dollars – charter schools, private schools, religious schools – if some charlatan opens a stand on the side of the road with the word “school”in the title, they get tax dollars.
In all this rush to give away federal and state money, no political party really champions traditional public schools. Ninety percent of children attend them. In opinion polls, a majority of Americans like their local community schools. But like most things Americans want, politics goes the other way. Universal healthcare? Have Romneycare. Universal background checks on all gun sales? Nah. That sort of thing.
However, what often gets lost in the rush of politicians cashing in on this policy is its The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice | gadflyonthewallblog:
Image result for school vouchers racist
Posted by at

Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… - Wait What?

Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… - Wait What?:

Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest…
In 2001, a Connecticut Commission set the goal of reducing child poverty by 50% over the next decade.  Ten years later, the poverty rate hadn’t gone down, in fact it had doubled.
And the problem remains as severe today, a decade and a half after the state of Connecticut committed to make a profound impact on the level of child poverty in the state.
As Connecticut Voices for Children recently reported,
In Connecticut today, child poverty for non-Hispanic white children is 6 percent, compared to 33 percent for Latino children and 28 for black children. The child poverty rate in Stamford (6.7 percent) contrasts dramatically with that in New Haven (46.6 percent).
In 2015, 14.5 percent of the state’s children (more than 100,000) lived in poverty, more than three percentage points higher than pre-recession levels.
Child poverty rates across many cities and counties are more than double the statewide average and 25 times more than in the state’s wealthiest towns
But as CT Voices goes on to explain,
Over the past twenty-five years, the share of our budget dedicated to children has fallen by a quarter, from 40 to 29.5 percent. It should come as no surprise that as state policy priorities have moved away from children and families, the existing disparities in wellbeing and opportunity have only grown.
Failing our children is not only a Connecticut legacy, it has become the Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… - Wait What?:


Posted by at

Sunday morning coming down. | Fred Klonsky

Sunday morning coming down. | Fred Klonsky:

Sunday morning coming down.



Other Democrats as well as anti-Trump Republicans are reluctant to acknowledge the scale of our crisis, because our institutions may not be strong enough to cope with it.

On CNN, David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s former campaign manager, said he was “not comfortable” with Lewis’ words, making an argument that echoed Rubio’s. “The greatest triumph for Russia would be to legitimate their charges about our democracy,” he said. “I worry about our institutions. I worry that we’re in this mad cycle of destruction. I understand the outrage. But where is this all going?”
This is a legitimate fear: Nobody knows where this is all going. Democrats particularly are in a difficult position, because they want to uphold basic political norms, but doing so alone, while the other side shamelessly flouts them, puts them at a constant disadvantage. The peaceful transition of power is a cherished value of our democracy. But it’s not the only value, or the highest one. It should not require us to sleepwalk into authoritarianism. If the price for preserving our democracy is pretending that our would-be god-king-emperor has clothes, then it’s already rotted beyond repair. Michelle Goldberg, Slate
.
us_trump_class1-jpg_1592527436

.

The Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association’s executive board voted recently to endorse U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., as chairman Sunday morning coming down. | Fred Klonsky:





Posted by at

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Last Sunday Before Trumpistan Edition + Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Last Sunday Before Trumpistan Edition (1/15):

ICYMI: Last Sunday Before Trumpistan Edition (1/15)

This week I'll start you off with a short video from the folks at Brave New Films about the DeVos nomination. Something to share with your friends who would rather watch than read.



Sears in Death Spiral

I wrote about this article earlier in the week, but if you missed that, you should still read this. Nothing to do with education, but everything to do with how terrible mis-management makes a hash out of a beloved US institution.

How Democrats Killed Their Populist Soul

Again, not actually about education, but a long, thoughtful look at the history of the modern Democratic party and how they lost their way.

Betsy DeVos Accountability Problem

Devos supporters have been swearing up and down that she actually supported a law calling for more accountability in Michigan charters. Allie Gross went and looked at the actual law and reports what's really in it (spoiler alert: not a bunch of charter accountability).

Difference Between Equity and Equality

A brief piece from Lara David with a great activity for showing students what the difference is.

Why the Racist History of School Vouchers Matters Today

Casey Quinlan provides another important history lesson.

The Red Queen

Jennifer Berkshire (Edushyster) spent nine days in Michigan interviewing over forty different people. She came back not only with the definitive DeVos nickname, but how the Education Secretary nominee looks to the people who have lived under her shadow. This week's must-read.

Time To Eliminate Third Grade Retention 

One of the stupidest, most destructive, just plain meanest policies to come out of reformsterdom is the automatic third grade retention rule-- no passing score on the Big Standardized Test and no fourth grade for you, you little eight year old slacker! Here's another great explanation of just how wrong the policy (which, yes, does exist in several states) is.

Jeb Bush May Have Won Something in the Election After All

Valerie Strauss connects the dots between Jeb Bush and the new Department of Education. If you voted against Jeb because of his education policy positions, the joke is one you.
First 100 Reformy Days
by Peter Greene / 42min
Did Jeanne Allen ever oppose Trump? Long ago she may have expressed some misgivings, but she has since been swept up in the Great Migration of from Anti-Trump Land to downtown We Want To Be The Winner's Friend. So now Allen and her group, the Center for Education Reform, a reformy group that is friends with all the best charter school boosters (and even has a seat on the gates Gravy Train )-- now

AZ: Fake-Dumping the Core
by Peter Greene / 3h
When Diane Douglas ran for the post of Chief Education Honcho of Arizona, she ran and won on a basic platform -- kill the Common Core. As it turns out, that was kind of a lie. Douglas was a bit of a dark horse candidate; her previous 

Big Education Ape: Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION: Investors Warned Off Pearson + Unmoored (tl;dr) - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2017/01/catch-up-with-curmudgucation-investors.html




Posted by at

Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year - LA Times

Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year - LA Times:

Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year


 If this sentence leaves you confused, you’re not alone: Education spending rises under Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed state budget, but some California schools are bracing for cuts.
That both statements are true is a reflection of the byzantine rules that govern the flow of dollars to K-12 schools and community colleges. Sacramento policy wonks used to joke that only two people understood the rules approved under the landmark Proposition 98 — the man who wrote the law and a veteran legislative staffer. The staffer retired last year, while the law’s author died in 2015.
And yet, the voter-approved amendment to the state Constitution lives on.


 The shorthand to Proposition 98 is that it sets a minimum level for school funding — one that generally grows with the economy — by using a series of complex formulas for earmarking state and local tax dollars.
That usually results in a mandate that hovers around 40% of the state’s general fund, though any honest state budget-watcher will admit the final number — just like the annual prediction of tax revenues — is sometimes subject to political negotiation.
For education groups, some of which helped draft the 1988 ballot measure, the funding guarantee is a blessing and a curse. Proposition 98 is a bulwark for public school funding in times of deep recession, but it also leaves many politicians with the impression that helping some six million students is as simple as using a mathematical formula.
“It just squashes any real consideration of whether those resources are adequate to teach kids,” said Kevin Gordon, a longtime education lobbyist. “We spend a good deal of time reminding our friends at the Capitol that Proposition 98 is a minimum guarantee, not a Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year - LA Times:

Posted by at

How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politics - POLITICO Magazine

How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politics - POLITICO Magazine:

How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politic
With her nomination as education secretary, a powerful political clan will bring its overtly Christian agenda to Washington.


On election night 2006, Dick DeVos, the bronzed, starched 51-year-old scion of Michigan’s wealthiest family, paced to a lectern in the dim ballroom of the Sheraton Hotel in Lansing to deliver the speech that every candidate dreads.

The Michigan gubernatorial race that year had been a dogfight of personal attacks between DeVos, the Republican nominee, and Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm. Gloomy, bleached-out b-roll of shuttered factories in anti-Granholm ads made the governor’s sunny economic promise that “You’re gonna be blown away” sound less like an aspiration than a threat. Anti-DeVos ads cut closer to the bone, with one depicting a cartoon DeVos cheering a freighter hauling Michigan jobs to China. It was an unsubtle reference to DeVos’ time as president of Amway, the direct-sales behemoth his family co-founded and co-owns, when he eliminated jobs in Michigan while expanding dramatically in Asia. DeVos ended up personally spending $35 million on the race—the most expensive campaign in Michigan history—and when the votes came in, lost by a crushing 14 points.

At the Lansing Sheraton, the mood was grim. “If we aren’t going to be able to serve in this way, I look forward to the ways we can,” DeVos told his glum supporters. Behind him on the ballroom risers stood his family; closest to him was his wife, Betsy, choking back tears.

Though dressed in a blue skirt-suit, the uniform of a first ladyship that was not to be, Betsy DeVos was never a political accessory. Anyone who understood Michigan politics knew she had long been the more political animal of the pair. It was Betsy, not Dick, who had chaired the Michigan Republican Party; Betsy, who had served as a member of the Republican National Committee; Betsy, whose name was once floated to succeed Haley Barbour as head of the RNC; Betsy, who had directed a statewide ballot campaign to legalize public funding of religious schools; Betsy, who, as a college freshman, traveled to Ohio and Indiana to volunteer for Gerald Ford’s presidential campaign. She was a skilled and seasoned How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politics - POLITICO Magazine:

Image result for How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politics


Posted by at

Stop Betsy Devos! - Living in Dialogue #DumpDeVos

Stop Betsy Devos! - Living in Dialogue:

Stop Betsy Devos!

From Brave New Films with Dr. Diane Ravitch.


Stop Betsy Devos! - Living in Dialogue:

Posted by at

#ReclaimMLK2017!: Let's Honor Him with Words and Action - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom

#ReclaimMLK2017!: Let's Honor Him with Words and Action - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom:

#ReclaimMLK2017!: Let’s Honor Him with Words and Action



I’m gearing up for a week of action: family-friendly MLK teach-ins, marches, parent education and organizing. Being a “good mom” means modeling how to be a good person. That means speaking up for yourself and others.



No… MLK was NOT a Magical Negro

If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’m became pretty passionate about honoring the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life. If the #BlackLivesMatter movement has taught us anything, we need to stand up and be counted… As far as I’m concerned, all these white-washed MLK “peace dove” activities, and #AllLivesMatter “color-blind” BS has GOT. TO. GO.
In case you’re wondering, I’m not the only Black person who’s noticed the need to #ReclaimMLK day. It’s time to take King’s legacy back from corporate marketers and “progressive” racists. In case you weren’t listening, Dr. King didn’t have a dream about selling you more crap, and he didn’t go through the trouble of climbing proverbial mountain tops so White folks could use his words to tell Black folks to shut up and sit down. (Truth be told, MLK was not a magical negro. He was actually a real person, who organized protests, got sh*t done and pissed people off from time to time.)

If MLK were here today…

This year, celebrating and honoring MLK’s life and legacy seems more important than ever before. Fortunately, for those of us lucky enough to live in SF, there is so much to do. So much so, it can be difficult for parents to know which activities are age appropriate.
With that in mind, I’ve put together family-friendly activities to celebrate and honor Dr. King’s legacy of standing up and speaking out in developmentally and family-friendly ways. As Audre Lorde said: “Your silence will not protect you”. Now more than ever we must stand up and speak up for Black Lives, LGBT rights, women’s reproductive freedom, freedom from islamophobia and xenophobia… the list goes on…
Whether it’s doing family art (see MOAD below), watching a movie to celebrate #blackexcellence in STEM (Hidden Figures), or protesting discrimination (Dump Trump march), it’s time to #ReclaimMLK day and honor Dr. Kings life and legacy with words and action!

Ways to #ReclaimMLK in 2017!

I’ve organized events for ALL families and also listed events for my peeps! Props to the SFUSD African-American Achievement and Leadership Initiative (AAALI)

Upcoming Events for All Families:#ReclaimMLK2017!: Let's Honor Him with Words and Action - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom:

Posted by at

Will Betsy DeVos Restart The ‘Education Wars’? | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community

Will Betsy DeVos Restart The ‘Education Wars’? | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community:

Will Betsy DeVos Restart The ‘Education Wars’?

Education, which was hardly ever mentioned in the recent presidential election, has suddenly been thrust to the frontline in the increasingly heated conflict over President-Elect Donald Trump’s proposed cabinet appointees. The reason for that turn of events is his choice of Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education. Her nomination risks “reigniting the education wars,” according to Randi Weingarten, the leader of the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second largest teachers union.
Weingarten stated that warning in an address this week at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, and broadcast live on the AFT Facebook page.
The union leader joins a chorus of education leaders and activists, as well as Democratic party government officials on Capitol Hill, in calls to delay the hearing for DeVos until after government ethics officials have finished their review of DeVos’ numerous ties to financial and charitable interests. After these calls for delay, the confirmation hearing was indeed postponed for a week.
But what education wars?
During her address, Weingarten referrs to the passage of new federal education legislation in 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act, that resolved many of the disputes over testing, teacher evaluation, and test-based “accountability” provisions that had been instigated by the previous federal law, No Child Left Behind.
Weingarten calls the consensus over ESSA “hard won” and “positive progress” in the way Republicans and Democrats could work together to govern the nation’s schools. But in Trump’s selection of DeVos, Weingarten sees “the antithesis of public education, ESSA bipartisanship, and what kids need.”
She calls DeVos “the most anti-public education figure ever” to hold the office and says her nomination would make education “a strong issue again” that would divide Republicans and Democrats.
In a phone conversation with Weingarten after her speech, I asked more specifically where she sees signs of a return to a more polarized policy debate over education.
She points to DeVos’ opposition to a bipartisan bill in Michigan, her home state and where she wields considerable influence, that would have returned some oversight of Detroit’s public education system – including regulating the openings and closings of traditional public schools and charter schools – to a mayor-appointed education commission.
Weingarten calls the bill a product of “consensus” among prominent stakeholders in Will Betsy DeVos Restart The ‘Education Wars’? | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community:



Posted by at

Maybe Teaching Special Ed Doesn't Have To Be So Hard : NPR Ed : NPR

Maybe Teaching Special Ed Doesn't Have To Be So Hard : NPR Ed : NPR:

Maybe Teaching Special Ed Doesn't Have To Be So Hard

Stephanie Johnson works with a student at the Renaissance Academy, a charter school in Lehi, Utah.
Dan Krauss for NPR

This time last year, Stephanie Johnson was miserable.
She was in her third year teaching special education at a junior high school in Lindon, Utah, about 40 minutes south of Salt Lake City.
On the outside it looked like she was doing great. Her classes ran smoothly, students loved her, parents loved her, but like many special education teachers, inside she felt as though she was drowning.
She said she thought about leaving all the time: "I don't know how to describe it, it's just so much work. I just feel like I cannot do it."
It's a very different Johnson I find this year at her new school, the Renaissance Academy, a charter school in the nearby city of Lehi.
Johnson says it's not that she's doing less work now, it's that she's doing the right work.
Dan Krauss for NPR
On a Friday afternoon, her classroom, which she shares with one other special education teacher, is empty of kids.
Monday through Thursday, these two teachers instruct all of the school's special education students.
On Fridays, though, they have the classroom to themselves, meaning they'll actually have the time to do the thing so many special education teachers find so difficult — the record keeping.
"There's still a lot of work to do and I love that we have Fridays to get that done."
In fact, Johnson says she loves a lot about her new job. And there's one person behind Maybe Teaching Special Ed Doesn't Have To Be So Hard : NPR Ed : NPR:


Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)