Parents can make a huge difference. No one can criticize them as looking out only for “adult interests,” that obnoxious term that Michelle Rhee popularized. The parent protest continues at CPE 1. Here is an update by retired teacher
I am not a big believer in the power of petitions, but sometimes they are a stimulus to more significant and visible activism. So for that reason I urge you to sign the petition on behalf of Sarah Chanbers. Her cause was brought to my
Watching the news on any given day is an exercise in masochism. We have to know what is going on, but it is usually not good. Therefore I conclude that we must take long walks, listen to music, see plays, go to museums, do whatever we
The New York Opt Out movement started in Bellmore, on Long Island. The parent leader there, Jeanette Deutermann, opposed the misuse and abuse of standardized tests, as well as Common Core. Every year, state officials predict
As reported earlier today, scores of parents are conducting a sit-in protest at CentralPark East 1, demanding the ouster of the principal. Leonie Haimson attended the meeting of the school’s leadership team last night and reports here on what she learned. https://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2017/04/amazing-evening-parents-and-teacher-sit.html?m=1 The complaints against the principal were
One of the great groups in Texas fighting against the far-right is “Raise Your Hand, Texas.” I am not in 100% agreement with them, since they consider charter schools to be part of public education, failing to recognize that the
Carol Burris spent time in Arizona to find out what happens with the state’s school choices. What she discovered was unbridled profiteering on the taxpayers’ dime. She wrote in the Arizona Capitol Times that Arizona taxpayers are being hoaxed by the education industry. It is time for Arizonans to take a hard look at who really benefits from school choice. While some families may want tax-payer fu
Central Park East 1 elementary school was founded by Deborah Meier many years ago. It is an iconic progressive public school in East Harlem that has attracted a diverse student enrollment. Debbie wrote to tell me that the school is interible trouble now. Its current principal is opposed to the original philosophy of the school. Parents are demanding her removal: “***Breaking Update: Following a m
Van Schoales is part of the corporate reformer group that has controlled public education in Colorado for most of the past decade. When I visited Denver in 2010 to talk about my recently published book “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education,” Van was running Education Reform Now on behalf of Democrats for Education Reform, the hed
Yesterday the Maryland General Assembly voted to override Governor Larry Hogan’s veto of a bill meant to protect public schools against the privatization agenda of Betsy DeVos. Maryland has a rightwing Republican Governor, Larry Hogan, who has appointed a pro-privatization state board of education. But Maryland also has a legislature controlled by Democrats. They hold a veto-proof majority. The l
The Network for Public Education has created a toolkit to help you fight back against the DeVostation of our public schools. Here are the one-pagers you need to answer questions about charters, vouchers, and privatization. Here is an interactive map that shows where every state has gone with the DeVos agenda. Here is the information you need to get involved, tell your friends, share with your nei
If ever there is an award for the mayor who did the most to disrupt and destroy public education, it will go to Rahm Emanuel. His own children attend the highly resourced University of Chicago Lab School, but he spitefully closes public schools that he controls. Mike Klonsky points out that the mass school closings have not saved money and have not improved student outcomes. They are part of Mayo
Jonathan Pelto reports that Connecticut will no longer use scores on SBAC or SAT to evaluate teachers. http://jonathanpelto.com/2017/04/06/connecticut-will-no-longer-use-sbac-sat-part-teacher-performance-evaluations/ Since this approach has failed everywhere, this is a great development. Every state should drop this failed methodology that was promoted by the Gates Foundation and Arne Duncan but
The Texas House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to prevent the authorization or funding of vouchers. “Members of the Texas House of Representatives officially registered their disgust with a school choice program that would funnel state funds to private schools Thursday by voting to ban the practice in the state’s next two-year budget. “Lawmakers in the midst of what promises to be an hou
I read the Washington Post every day. It is an excellent source of news about the events in the nation’s capital. One thing is clear. Trump is surrounded by leakers in his closest circle. There is great internal strife and leaking is a way of putting the shiv in your rival’s back. One story implies that a very senior official inside Trump’s circle is leaking. My guess: Jared Kushner. Maybe someon
The students are our future. And the students give me hope. When I hear “reformers” like DeVos and Gates and Klein and Rhee claim that our schools are “failure factories,” that they are “obsolete,” that they are a “deadend,” and that our students are woefully undereducated, I will think of the students at this typical high school in Kansas. They unmasked a fraud. They engaged in critical thinking
Seventeen Illinois school districts have banded together to sue Governor Bruce Rauner, the State of Illinois, and the Illinois State Board of Education for failing to fund public education adequately in accord with the state constitution. The state expects all students to meet its learning standards but not provide the funding to support what is expected. This is not equality of educational oppor
Russ Walsh has written an important post, which is a call to arms for all of us who care about public education and don’t want it to be turned into a free-market consumer good. Last week on his show, Real Time, Bill Maher introduced the Yale professor and author, Timothy Snyder, whose new book is entitled, On Tyranny. The book outlines 20 lessons we can learn from the rise of fascism and communis
This is the fourth and last editorial published by the Los Angeles Times about Trump. It contains links to the preceding three. These are strange times we live in. We have a president who lies and doubles-down on his lies and is incapable of apologizing; a president who refuses to divest or even disclose his worldwide financial holdings, which may be affected by decisions he makes; a man who trus
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker thought he could run for president based on his hardline hatred for public school teachers and public schools. He was rushing to enact Betsy DeVos’s agenda even before she became Secretary of Education. And his agenda is even more expansive because he wants to drive teachers out of public schools. It is hard to believe that Wisconsin was once a progressive state wi
Jennifer Berkshire writes that Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos i s visiting the Florida charter called SLAM started by misogynist rapper Pitbull. It is part of the controversial for-profit charter chain Academica, which was investigated last year by the UlS. Department of Education. Berkshire interviews Preston Green about The problems of cronyism, conflicts of interest, and corruption that ac
Carl Davis writes in “The American Prospect” that tax credits for private scholarships have become a scheme for money-laundering to benefit the wealthy. “Some states, in their zeal to subsidize private schools, have created an egregious tax scam that allows wealthy taxpayers to profit by donating to private school scholarship funds in return for lucrative tax credits. “Many states have constituti
In Miami, DeVos visits first public university since becoming education secretary, faces protesters
Social video shows protesters chanting "protect our schools" and "education matters" at Education Secretary Betsy Devos at Florida International University in Miami. (Twitter/Anonymous)
On her first stop at a public university since becoming education secretary, Betsy DeVos on Thursday praised an innovative nursing program for preparing students for jobs in an in-demand field, and faced protesters as well.
At Florida International University, the Miami New Times reported, she was confronted by a student yelling at her about her Cabinet position, while others outside chanted “Protect our schools!” at her SUV as she left.
Maydel Santana, a spokeswoman for the university in Miami, said university police reported about 30 protesters.
It was the only disruption in a full day of school visits in Florida, according to a spokesman for the Education Department.
DeVos was a controversial pick for education secretary. Her decades of advocating for charter schools, private school vouchers and other alternatives to public schools were praised by supporters eager to spark change and decried by those seeking to strengthen public schools with an experienced educator.
Amazing evening - parents and teacher sit in at CPE I demanding principal's removal
Yesterday afternoon I attended an amazing School Leadership Team meeting at Central Park East I, the renowned East Harlem progressive elementary school founded in 1974 by Debbie Meier. Since Monica Garg was appointed the principal last year, the school has devolved into angry accusations by parents, teachers and alumnae that she is intent on undermining the morale and democratic spirit of the school and destroy its progressive traditions. School Leadership Team meetings are now open to the public since we won our lawsuit in October vs. the DOE and Chancellor Farina in a unanimous decision by the NY Appellate Court.
More than 100 people crowded into the music room at CPE 1 to watch the meeting- advocates, parents and teachers from throughout the city, UFT reps, newly elected City Council Member Bill Perkins and former CM Robert Jackson.
At the meeting the CPE parents repeatedly brought up how the principal, Monica Garg, had repeatedly lied to them, had ruled the school in an authoritarian manner, had victimized children by her actions, and had removed at least two teachers who opposed her and put them in the rubber room -- the latest one the UFT chapter leader Marilyn Martinez.
A teacher on the SLT said that every single teacher who challenged her were put under investigation one by one by the DOE. One parent on the SLT, K.A. Dilday, made the point that not a single teacher said they trusted the principal on last year's DOE survey, and the majority of parents at the school have signed a petition asking for her removal. The principal, Monica Garg, then said that many of those teachers have since left the school -- and the audience erupted - of course they did -- you pushed them out!
Finally, parent and SLT member K.A. Dilday read a letter signed by many other members of the SLT, asking her to resign. Garg said she refused to resign and that she answers only to her superiors, the Superintendent Alexander Estrella and Chancellor Farina.
There were so many people crowding the room that the meeting they had to move it to the auditorium. At that point, one after another parent stood up and passionately spoke out how the principal had lied to them, had refused to respond to their concerns about events that had happened at the school, and one parent stood up in tears to say that Garg had grilled her child without her present, and tried to make her admit that her teacher had abused her.
Even under adjusted funding formula, California's poorest schools still lose out, report says
A funding formula signed into law four years ago has mostly leveled the playing field among the state’s school districts, a report released Thursday found — but the money is not necessarily going to the neediest students.
The Local Control Funding Formula, championed by California Gov. Jerry Brown, was intended to remedy educational inequities by giving districts extra money based on how many of their students were in high-needs categories: low-income children, foster youth and English learners.
“It is controversial, but it is right and it’s fair,” Brown said at the time.
Advocates and parents hailed the formula as progressive and called it a potential model for states across the U.S.
Have Silicon Valley Teachers Using Technology Daily Altered Their Classroom Practice? (Part 1)
In 2016, after I observed and interviewed 41 Silicon Valley teachers in various schools and districts identified by policymakers and principals as exemplary in integrating technologies into their daily lessons, I asked these teachers three questions: Has your teaching changed since you have begun regular use of laptops, tablets, interactive whiteboards, etc. in your lessons? If yes, in what ways? If no, why not?[i]
Of the 41, I had answers to the question from 37 teachers (90 percent) spread across all levels and academic subjects. Four teachers did not respond to my follow-up email requests. Of the 37 who responded in interviews and emails to the questions I asked, 65 percent (N=24) said that their teaching had definitely changed in how they managed and taught lessons.
Here are typical “yes” responses.
Brendan Dilloughery is a veteran teacher of nearly a decade in international schools in Ecuador, Switzerland, and elsewhere. He is in his second year at Mountain View High School teaching geometry and computer science.
The integration of technology into the classroom has definitely affected my teaching. The most notable changes are: distribution of and access to course resources, interactive activities that give immediate feedback and facilitating collaboration.
White's New School Accountability Plan . . . Guaranteed to Fail
The new Federal Every Student Succeeds (ESSA) which is replacing the failed No Child Left Behind law requires that each state submit an accountability plan to implement the new federal law.
Last week, BESE ignored the requests of most local superintendents and about 96% of the school principals and tentatively approved an accountability plan submitted by John White with some adjustments on a motion by BESE member Holly Boffy.
Only in Lake Wobegon are all students above average I pointed out in my 3 minute presentation to BESE that the plan, even as amended, is seriously flawed. It will fail because it is based on the false premise that all students, no matter what their poverty level. no matter their cognitive and other disabilities can all achieve mastery on the state tests. Sure, there are fudge factors in the plan that are supposed to make allowances for low performing students, by allowing extra points for students who improve above their predicted VAM score. But in the end they are all supposed to end up performing above average. Not Possible!
This blog has provided readers with much evidence that demonstrates that the state test results are subject to manipulation to produce whatever results White and his testing company want. But that does not fool the outside observers who don't give credibility to Louisiana's inflated LEAP tests and end of course tests.
The proposed ESSA plan is in violation of state law which requires our state tests to be comparable in rigor to NAEP. State law requires that our Louisiana state tests must be equivalent in rigor to national tests including the NAEP tests. John White has repeatedly claimed that our state tests are designed to be equivalent to NAEP, but the data shows something quite different. White claims that the performance of our students on LEAP at the Mastery level (level 4) or above is set by our testing company to be equivalent to the proficient level or above on NAEP. Here are the latest comparisons of Louisiana LEAP results Louisiana Educator: White's New School Accountability Plan . . . Guaranteed to Fail:
Requiem for St. Anthony's: A Casualty of Gentrification by Jesse Turner
I live down the block from Saint Anthony's. I have nephews who went to there, it was not only a school that produced great basketball teams. It was a good that produce outstanding, caring, compassionate students who went on to live outstanding lives. It is also the Catholic School with the highest percentage of Black and Latino students. Bob Hurley could have gone anywhere, but he stayed at Saint Anthony's the school he loved, and the school that loved him. It was the basketball power house without it's own basketball court at it's school. If you went to Saint Anthony's you had street respect and academic respect.
I grew up at the outside city basketball courts between Saint Anthon.ey's and the police station. What really happened in my local opinion is gentrification killed Saint Anthony's. When I grew up Downtown Jersey City was blue collar and poor. It was not unusual to see abandoned houses and factories. Families who could afford to keep their children out of the public schools did. The truth is those public schools were pretty good places for a kid to grow and learn as well. I went to Ferris High School, and we were always glade that Saint Anthony's was not on our schedule. Gentrification displaced many With A Brooklyn Accent: Requiem for St. Anthony's: A Casualty of Gentrification by Jesse Turner:
When I was growing up in Brooklyn in the 50's and 60's, the most powerful force uniting Catholics, Jews and Protestants, at least among boys, was the game of basketball. By the time you were 9 or 10, you knew this was a game that the people around you played better than anyone else in the country because the skills were transmitted with religious devotion in schoolyards, community centers, schools, and gyms attached to churches and synagogues.. Whether the players were Black, Jewish Irish, Italian or Puerto Rican, they were coached well, pushed to the highest levels of excellence by fierce early competition, and inspired by great players who were school and neighborhood legends.
As an aspiring player, and someone immersed in the legends of "The City Game" I followed every high school, college and professional star to come out of New York City and the New York Metropolitan area. And I was totally ecumenical in my fandom! Even though I was a Jewish public school kid, I rooted for all the great players coming out of New York City Catholic High Schools. By the time I was in college in the mid sixties, I knew as much about schools like Rice, Tollentine, Bishop St Anthony's of Jersey City Closes Its Doors: A Basketball Fan's Lament
I, the renowned East Harlem progressive elementary school founded in 1974 by Debbie Meier. Since Monica Garg was appointed the principal last year, the school has devolved into angry accusations by parents, teachers and alumnae that she is intent on undermining the morale and democratic spirit of the school and destroy its progressive traditions.
A teacher on the SLT said that every single teacher who challenged her were put under investigation one by one by the DOE. One parent on the SLT, K.A. Dilday, made the point that not a single teacher said they trusted the principal on last year's DOE survey, and the majority of parents at the school have signed a petition asking for her removal. The principal, Monica Garg, then said that many of those teachers have since left the school -- and the audience erupted - of course they did -- you pushed them out!
refused NYC Public School Parents: Amazing evening - parents and teacher sit in at CPE I demanding principal's removal:
