Latest News and Comment from Education

Show All

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/25/17


Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/25/17
Featured Post

Jitu Brown: School Choice Is A Scam In Segregated Neighborhoods | PopularResistance.Org




Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: A Citizen's Encounter With a Charter School
by mike simpson / 1h
Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: A Citizen's Encounter With a Charter School : A Citizen's Encounter With a Charter School I have on this blog exposed some of the unusual workings of Challenge charter school in Glendale, Arizona. In short, Greg Miller, who until recently, was Chairman of the Arizona State Board of Education. is the owner of Challenge charter school, from which he, his wife
The non-policy reasons Trump alarms many educators - The Washington Post
by mike simpson / 2h
The non-policy reasons Trump alarms many educators - The Washington Post : The non-policy reasons Trump alarms many educators Many educators have expressed deep concern about Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a Michigan billionaire who was chosen despite having no experience in the world of education other than being an advocate for school choice. But educators are also alarmed with President Trum
Celebrating Fred Rogers | The Merrow Report
by mike simpson / 3h
Celebrating Fred Rogers | The Merrow Report : Celebrating Fred Rogers Fifty years ago this week, Fred Rogers began appearing regularly on PBS, the beginning of a remarkable 34-year run that elevated and improved the lives of countless children, including my own. (His signature program, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” first appeared on national PBS in February, 1968. New episodes appeared until Aug
Fight for 6 NOT 540 Days of Testing – Education Town Hall Forum
by mike simpson / 4h
Fight for 6 NOT 540 Days of Testing – Education Town Hall Forum : Fight for 6 NOT 540 Days of Testing Today’s students lose 540 days, equivalent to three school years, to standardized testing and test prep during their K-12 years, according to Dr. Jesse Turner’s calculations. Back when, standardized tests were rare — occurring roughly three times in a school career — and test prep was forbidden,
Don't take a wrecking ball to our public schools - Lily's Blackboard
by mike simpson / 4h
Don't take a wrecking ball to our public schools - Lily's Blackboard : Don’t take a wrecking ball to our public schools A budget isn’t just a spending plan, but a moral document that tells the world what you care about and what you don’t, what you respect or disregard, what you prize or disdain. The Donald Trump-Betsy DeVos budget tells us everything we need to know about what they value. It is a
5/25/2017 – Jeff Bryant Welcome to the Opportunity Network Update!
by mike simpson / 6h
5/25/2017 – What Betsy DeVos Calls Education Transformation Is Actually Public Theft : Jeff Bryant Welcome to the Opportunity Network Update! What Betsy DeVos Calls Education Transformation Is Actually Public Theft May 25, 2017 Subscribe THIS WEEK: DeVos Upholds Discrimination … Democrats Delivered DeVos … Voucher Evils … School Choice Scam … Taking To The Streets TOP STORY What Betsy DeVos Calls
National teachers union president blasts Martinez during state Capitol visit - The Santa Fe New Mexican Education
by mike simpson / 6h
National teachers union president blasts Martinez during state Capitol visit - The Santa Fe New Mexican: Northern New Mexico Education : National teachers union president blasts Martinez during state Capitol visit The head of one of the country’s most powerful teachers unions came to Santa Fe on Wednesday and criticized Gov. Susana Martinez’s education policies as a “blame and shame” approach tha
Jitu Brown: School Choice Is A Scam In Segregated Neighborhoods | PopularResistance.Org
by mike simpson / 6h
School Choice Is A Scam In Segregated Neighborhoods | PopularResistance.Org : School Choice Is A Scam In Segregated Neighborhoods Above Photo: Photo by Marc Monaghan. Wendell Phillips Academy High School is a public school located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos seems not to hear the fierce protests of parents, teachers and school o
Who Is Behind the Assault on Public Schools? | Howard Ryan | Monthly Review
by mike simpson / 6h
Who Is Behind the Assault on Public Schools? | Howard Ryan | Monthly Review : Who Is Behind the Assault on Public Schools? Over the past three decades, public schools have been the target of a systematic assault and takeover by corporations and private foundations. The endeavor is called “school reform” by its advocates, while critics call it corporate school reform. Finnish educator Pasi Sahlber
The End of the Neighborhood School - CityLab
by mike simpson / 6h
The Problem of Geography in School Choice - CityLab : The End of the Neighborhood School Trump’s education budget aims to deliver a big boost to “school choice”—and siphon resources from urban schools in low-income areas. Donald Trump’s proposed education budget aims to cut spending by 13.5 percent, or $9.2 billion, from the current $68.2 billion budget. It’s the biggest single-year cut a preside
The Betsy DeVos School Choice Lie | deutsch29
by mike simpson / 7h
The Betsy DeVos School Choice Lie | deutsch29 : The Betsy DeVos School Choice Lie If you think that US ed sec Betsy DeVos wants anything other than to end American public education and replace it with an a-la-carte, private-school-favoring menu of largely underregulated school-like options, think again. This, readers, is her single goal. And if you don’t agree with her, you are of limited intelle
Chicago is a union town, charter schools are no exception. | Fred Klonsky
by mike simpson / 7h
Chicago is a union town, charter schools are no exception. | Fred Klonsky : Chicago is a union town, charter schools are no exception. I heard this morning that the teachers at Passages charter in Chicago won a late night agreement on a union contract. If they hadn’t, Passages would have been the first charter school strike in the United States. “Chicago has become the epicenter of charter union
The Condition of Education
by mike simpson / 7h
The Condition of Education : The Condition of Education This website contains key indicators on the condition of education in the United States at all levels, from prekindergarten through postsecondary, as well as labor force outcomes and international comparisons. The indicators summarize important developments and trends using the latest statistics, which are updated throughout the year as new
No Choice But to Unionize: Loss of Health Benefits Spurs ESPs to Organize
by mike simpson / 7h
No Choice But to Unionize: Loss of Health Benefits Spurs ESPs to Organize : No Choice But to Unionize: Loss of Health Benefits Spurs ESPs to Organize It was two days before Thanksgiving Day in 2015. Without warning or provocation, 27 education support professionals (ESPs) in the affluent Solana Beach School District in California were blindsided by an email from the district’s director of human r
Common Core Bombing in Brazil, World Wide Curriculum Base Faces Obstacles
by mike simpson / 7h
Folha de S.Paulo - Internacional - En - Culture - Under Discussion in Brazil, Curriculum Base Faces Obstacles in the USA - 22/05/2017 : Under Discussion in Brazil, Curriculum Base Faces Obstacles in the USA The current scenario in Brazilian education is very similar to what the situation was like in the United States back in 2010. That year, then-President Barack Obama, billionaire Bill Gates, an
Betsy DeVos Refuses to Rule Out Giving Funds to Schools That Discriminate - The New York Times
by mike simpson / 8h
Betsy DeVos Refuses to Rule Out Giving Funds to Schools That Discriminate - The New York Times : Betsy DeVos Refuses to Rule Out Giving Funds to Schools That Discriminate WASHINGTON — Betsy DeVos, the education secretary, on Wednesday fiercely defended budget plans to spend $1.4 billion on the Trump administration’s expanded school choice agenda, but refused to say whether her office would withho
STRIKE AVERTED: Passages Charter School (IL) Reaches Tentative Agreement | deutsch29
by mike simpson / 8h
STRIKE AVERTED: Passages Charter School (IL) Reaches Tentative Agreement | deutsch29 : STRIKE AVERTED: Passages Charter School (IL) Reaches Tentative Agreement Chicago-based Passages Charter School was set to strike on 7 a.m., Thursday, May 25, 2017, if it could not reach an acceptable agreement with its management organization. Asian Human Services, Inc. (AHS). Had Passages followed through with
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: If Chicago could vote, Claypool wouldn't have been CEO in first place.
by mike simpson / 8h
Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: If Chicago could vote, Claypool wouldn't have been CEO in first place. : If Chicago could vote, Claypool wouldn't have been CEO in first place. Marching through the rain yesterday through Chicago Loop. Visitors in town yesterday from the west coast were awed by this city's political life. First by the march for immigrant rights and Fight For15 march they encountered
Mother Crusader: Don't Like Chris Christie? Blame the Democrats.
by mike simpson / 8h
Mother Crusader: Don't Like Chris Christie? Blame the Democrats. : Don't Like Chris Christie? Blame the Democrats. Yesterday Diane Ravitch published a piece in The New Republic, titled Don't Like Betsy DeVos? Blame the Democrats. If you care about public education at all, it's a must read. When I heard today that Senate President Sweeney is paving the way for Governor Christie, the least popular

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/24/17
by mike simpson / 23h
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 5/24/17 Featured Post FULL Video: Betsy DeVos Testifies About Trump's Education Budget at Congressional Hearing Disability Advisory Committee Agenda for June 2017 - List of Organizations (CA 

Top Posts This Week



Posted by at

Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: A Citizen's Encounter With a Charter School

Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: A Citizen's Encounter With a Charter School:

A Citizen's Encounter With a Charter School

Image result for big education ape charter schools

I have on this blog exposed some of the unusual workings of Challenge charter school in Glendale, Arizona. In short, Greg Miller, who until recently, was Chairman of the Arizona State Board of Education. is the owner of Challenge charter school, from which he, his wife and his daughter draw more than $400,000 in salary annually. While this would set off conflict-of-interest alarms in nearly any other state in the Union, in Arizona it is simply business as usual. Last fall, the Arizona Governor decided he wanted to remove Miller from the State Board. Miller apparently could read the handwriting on the wall and he agreed to leave. As he walked out the door, Miller told the press that he agreed to quit if he got some assurances that the charter school he runs would get "political protections that I no longer could provide." He doesn't simply profit from his conflicts of interest, he's actually proud of them.

So when a parent recently contacted me about an incident of unprofessional treatment by the staff of Challenge charter school, I was not surprised. But that parent's experience should stand as a warning to other parents who consider doing business with the company known as Challenge Charter School: Arizona's First Official Core Knowledge School.
The parent speaks:The other day we had a horrific experience with Wendy and Pam Miller [the principal and board member, and Greg Miller's daughter and wife, respectively] at Challenge Charter School. We had never met them before but we were the first on the list in 2015 for Kindergarten open-enrollment. We completed all subsequent paperwork on-time.

However, last Friday my wife received a patronizing voicemail from Wendy Miller stating that she reviewed our March 2017 updated information form and compared it to our February 2017 updated information form and found a discrepancy. She then continued by saying she was so sorry but that we would need to start from the beginning and complete an entirely new open-enrollment

Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: A Citizen's Encounter With a Charter School:
Image result for big education ape charter schools
 Image result for big education ape charter schools
Posted by at

The non-policy reasons Trump alarms many educators - The Washington Post

The non-policy reasons Trump alarms many educators - The Washington Post:

The non-policy reasons Trump alarms many educators

Image result for The non-policy reasons Trump alarms many educators
Many educators have expressed deep concern about Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a Michigan billionaire who was chosen despite having no experience in the world of education other than being an advocate for school choice. But educators are also alarmed with President Trump for reasons other than policy.
In this post, Mike Rose, a respected research professor in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, explains why Trump’s disregard for the truth, displays of historical ignorance and other behaviors are of such concern to many educators.
Rose is the author of books that include “The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker,” which demonstrated the heavy cognitive demands of blue-collar and service work and what it takes to do such work well despite the tendency of many to underestimate and undervalue the intelligence involved in such work. Other books he has written include “Back to School: Why Everyone Deserves a Second Chance at Education,”“Possible Lives: The Promise of Public Education in America,”  and “Why School? Reclaiming Education for All of Us.” 
By Mike Rose
In his May 3 column in The Washington Post, conservative commentator George Will wrote a sentence that I can’t get out of my head. Will is trying to pinpoint what he sees as the “disability” that makes Donald Trump unfit to be president. “[T]he problem isn’t that he does not know this or that, or that he does not know that he does not know this or that. Rather, the dangerous thing is that he does not know what it is to know something.” I’m not typically in agreement with Will, but his insight here is, I think, stunning — diagnostically astute but also exceedingly relevant to those of us in education.
Knowing what it is to know something is a key concern in epistemology, that branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of knowledge and methods of analyzing knowledge. Epistemology can get pretty heady, and, to be honest, I quickly find myself in the weeds when I try to read deeply in it. But the general concerns of epistemology are central to The non-policy reasons Trump alarms many educators - The Washington Post:


Posted by at

Celebrating Fred Rogers | The Merrow Report

Celebrating Fred Rogers | The Merrow Report:

Celebrating Fred Rogers

Image result for Celebrating Fred Rogers
Fifty years ago this week, Fred Rogers began appearing regularly on PBS, the beginning of a remarkable 34-year run that elevated and improved the lives of countless children, including my own.
(His signature program, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” first appeared on national PBS in February, 1968. New episodes appeared until August, 2001, and reruns through 2008. Even today some PBS stations run the series.  The forerunner, “Mister Rogers,” debuted on Canadian television in 1963.)
Twitter has been lighting up this week about Fred, particularly in light of the Manchester terrorist attack.  I think the best story came from @Breznican.  I suggest you search Twitter for his tale of meeting Fred.  Here’s one link.
I met Fred Rogers around 1980 under circumstances that still amaze me.  I had a weekly program on NPR, “Options in Education,” and we had just aired a two-part program about children with mental illness, contrasting what was provided privileged kids with what was offered to the less fortunate.
I described what happened in my forthcoming book, Addicted to Reform.
I interviewed Mary, who had been recommitted to a Texas state institution for older children for the third time.
Sometimes I feel so down at heart
I feel like I might fall apart
But then these words come back to me,
‘Just take your time, and you’ll be free.’
Mary wrote that song, which she sang for my tape recorder.  She talked about wanting to Celebrating Fred Rogers | The Merrow Report:

Posted by at

Fight for 6 NOT 540 Days of Testing – Education Town Hall Forum

Fight for 6 NOT 540 Days of Testing – Education Town Hall Forum:

Fight for 6 NOT 540 Days of Testing

Today’s students lose 540 days, equivalent to three school years, to standardized testing and test prep during their K-12 years, according to Dr. Jesse Turner’s calculations. Back when, standardized tests were rare — occurring roughly three times in a school career — and test prep was forbidden, understood as it was to skew results. Students then lost 6 days, not years. Jesse Turner tells the Education Town Hall the cost, in dollars and student experience, of this 540-day loss and discusses his “Fight for 6” campaign.
Segment begins at 10:14 —
The Education Town Hall broadcasts from Historic Anacostia
in Washington, DC, on We Act Radio, Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern
Listen live via TuneIn.
Shows are archived for convenient listening shortly after broadcast.
After years of weekly broadcasts, the program now focuses one show each month on local issues and one on “the BUS,” organized by BadAss Teachers, United Opt Out, and SOS March. Fight for 6 NOT 540 Days of Testing – Education Town Hall Forum:
On the BUS: Responding to the White House’s Education Budget

The White House’s proposed budget would cut public education by hundreds of millions, while giving money to voucher and charter programs. In addition, Denisha Jones tells the Education Town Hall, cuts in Medicaid and other programs will affect the ability of schools and families to educate, with many of the changes designed to enrich certain segments of the population at the expense of others. A large-scale effort to share concerns with staff and representatives, in the House and Senate, will be needed to change the budget proposal into a budget that protects the interests of young people.
Segment begins at 33:00 —
The Education Town Hall broadcasts from Historic Anacostia
in Washington, DC, on We Act Radio, Thursdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern
Listen live via TuneIn.
Shows are archived for convenient listening shortly after broadcast.
After years of weekly broadcasts, the program now focuses one show each month on local issues and one on “the BUS,” organized by BadAss Teachers, United Opt Out, and SOS March. On the BUS: Responding to the White House’s Education Budget
Posted by at

Don't take a wrecking ball to our public schools - Lily's Blackboard

Don't take a wrecking ball to our public schools - Lily's Blackboard:

Don’t take a wrecking ball to our public schools

A budget isn’t just a spending plan, but a moral document that tells the world what you care about and what you don’t, what you respect or disregard, what you prize or disdain.
The Donald Trump-Betsy DeVos budget tells us everything we need to know about what they value. It is a wrecking ball, and it is aimed directly at our nation’s students and public schools.
This Robin Hood-in-reverse budget takes funding from neighborhood public schools and diverts it to voucher programs. It is yet another indication that the dangerous duo of Trump and DeVos cares little about America’s students, has no regard for public schools, and opposes the idea that all students—wherever they live—deserve the opportunity for the support, tools, and time to learn.
Given its embrace of voucher schemes and deep funding cuts, the Trump-DeVos spending plan—or rather, cutting plan—is a direct attack on the opportunities that we educators champion for each and every student. Trump and DeVos are proposing to slash billions of dollars from programs that are vital to student success.
 The budget they have proposed cuts deeply into funds for, among other things:
  •  after-school programs;
  • ·         college loans for low-income students;
  • ·         arts education;
  • ·         reductions in class size; and
  • ·         professional development for educators.
It does not reflect the promise we make as educators to ensuring that every student has a quality education or our commitment as a nation to the values that define America. To borrow a phrase that meant little during the presidential campaign and means even less now, this budget will definitely not “make America great again.”
Education is hit hard (you can click here to see how the budget would affect students and particular programs in your state), but it’s not the only area that suffers. Cuts are planned for a variety of programs that help poor people and families who are struggling to make ends meet, including the modern-day food stamp program and Medicaid. (And by the way: Cuts to Medicaid would have a tremendous impact on special education.) Even Meals on Wheels isn’t safe in Trump’s hands. 
Trump also wants to cut programs that protect the environment and fund research on cancer and other diseases.
The budget is the latest example of why Americans have no confidence in Donald Trump or Betsy DeVos: Their priorities are reckless and wrong for students and working families.
One of these priorities, as we all know, is vouchers. DeVos—who is not an educator and never even attended a public school—has been fascinated with them for decades. She made Michigan’s students guinea pigs for her voucher schemes. The result has been the collapse of schools in some of the poorest communities, driven by for-profit operators.
You would hope DeVos might have learned something from her experiment. I mean, after all, in science classes, our Don't take a wrecking ball to our public schools - Lily's Blackboard:


 
Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)