Ohio Senate Releases Detailed State School District Takeover Plan | janresseger

Ohio Senate Releases Detailed State School District Takeover Plan | janresseger

Ohio Senate Releases Detailed State School District Takeover Plan

You will remember that on May 1, 2019, the Ohio House passed HB 154 to repeal Ohio state school takeovers, which have been catastrophic failures in Lorain and Youngstown under HB 70—the law that set up the state seizure of so-called failing school districts. HB70 was fast tracked through the Legislature in 2015 without hearings. Youngstown and Lorain have been operating under state appointed CEOs for four years now; East Cleveland has been undergoing state takeover this year.

Not only did the Ohio House pass HB 154 six weeks ago to undo HB 70, but its members did so in spectacular fashion, by a margin of 83/12.  The House was so intent on ridding the state of top-down state takeovers that its members also included the repeal of HB 70 in the House version of the state budget—HB 166.

Yesterday afternoon, the Ohio Senate released an amended, substitute HB166—the Senate’s proposal for the state budget.  In the Senate version, there is a detailed 54 page School Transformation Proposal to replace the House’s simple action to undo HB 70.  (The Senate’s School Transformation Proposal begins on p. 14 in the linked section of the Senate Budget.)

The three districts Ohio has already seized with HB 70—and 10 others slated to be taken over in the next two years—are all school districts that serve Ohio’s very poorest children. Last evening, as I plodded through the statutory language in the Senate Budget Proposal, I found myself wondering if the people envisioning this laborious, top-down, state takeover plan—a plan that pretends not to be a state takeover—have spent time trying to transform a complex institution like a school in the kind of community where many children arrive in Kindergarten far behind their peers in more affluent communities.  And I wondered why the Senate’s plan relies on so many of the failed “turnaround” strategies of No Child Left Behind—the federal law that imposed imposed a rigid plan for raising test scores and that left an CONTINUE READING: Ohio Senate Releases Detailed State School District Takeover Plan | janresseger

With A Brooklyn Accent: Mike Hutchinson's 2015 Article on the Billionaire Takeover of Oakland Schools

With A Brooklyn Accent: Mike Hutchinson's 2015 Article on the Billionaire Takeover of Oakland Schools

Mike Hutchinson's 2015 Article on the Billionaire Takeover of Oakland Schools

The Re-takeover

How 4 billionaires have taken control of education policy in Oakland

- Mike Hutchinson -

    Public education is under attack both nationally and here in Oakland.  There has been a well orchestrated and highly financed takeover of our schools in order to privatize them through policies proponents refer to as education reform.  The most known aspect of education reform is charter schools, but these reforms also include Common Core, high stakes testing, outsourcing, virtual schools, school closures, over reliance on technology, teacher evaluations tied to students test scores, and takeovers of parts or even entire school districts. Oakland now has over 40 charter schools and the highest rate of charter schools in the state of California.  Most of the charter schools are run by private companies based outside of Oakland and were started by application, not by parents, educators, or the community.  Charter schools are not required to take all students, are non-union, have not out performed public schools, receive public facilities for little or no cost, receive tax payer support, do not pay on Oakland’s debt to the state, are not subject to public oversight, are exempt from parts of the ed code, and in Oakland, have almost entirely been started in low income communities of color.  Oakland has had charter schools that have lost accreditation, abused students, and stolen money.  Even if Oakland’s School Board rejects a charter school application, the county or the state can overturn Oakland’s decision and grant the charter.  These education reformers have largely been successful in rewriting policy due to an unlikely alliance between conservative Republicans (ALEC, Koch brothers, Jeb Bush) who oppose public education and teachers’ CONTINUE READING: With A Brooklyn Accent: Mike Hutchinson's 2015 Article on the Billionaire Takeover of Oakland Schools

CURMUDGUCATION: FCC To Throttle School Internet

CURMUDGUCATION: FCC To Throttle School Internet

FCC To Throttle School Internet

It looks like a bunch of kerfluffling about more of those oddly-named, obscure gummint programs, but the news from the FCC is ominous for schools.

According to edscoop, the FCC has filed a notice of proposed rulemaking intending to cap the FCC's Universal Service Fund. That fund subsidizes broadband infrastructure and access for schools, libraries, and rural communities. It includes the E-Rate program, which helps get wireless internet into schools.

Yeah, that looks speedy.

E-Rate is not without its controversial features. Not everyone likes the funding mechanism, and in the tradition of the finest government programs, it somehow stands accused of coming wrapped in too much red tape AND lacking sufficient oversight and accountability. People smell free federal money, and so we have examples of schools that grab E-Rate money and use it improperly, as well as internet service providers who overcharge the schools they're serving. And that's before we get to the problems that arise with attempting to implement the filtering requirements.

So E-Rate would undoubtedly benefit from an overhaul. But that's not what the FCC is proposing. What they are proposing is a ceiling on USF growth. It wouldn't hit tomorrow-- the suggested cap is $11.42 billion and the 2018 spending for the fund was $8.2 billion. So this is not an immediate assault so much as a ticking delayed choke.

There's another problematic feature of the proposal. There has already been some capping of the CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: FCC To Throttle School Internet

NYC Public School Parents: NYC Parents, kids, advocates, union members and elected officials rally for smaller classes

NYC Public School Parents: NYC Parents, kids, advocates, union members and elected officials rally for smaller classes

NYC Parents, kids, advocates, union members and elected officials rally for smaller classes

For Immediate release: June 11, 2019Contact: Leonie Haimson, leoniehaimson@gmail.com; 917-435-9329

On Tuesday June 11 at noon, more than one hundred parents, students, advocates, elected officials and union members gathered on the steps of City Hall to urge the NYC Department of Education and the Mayor to allocate specific funding in next year's budget towards reducing class size.

The rally was co-sponsored by Class Size Matters, NYC Kids PAC, the UFT, Local 372, the Education Council Consortium, and others.  Among the elected officials who spoke eloquently about the need for the Mayor and Chancellor to reduce class size were Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, City Council Education Chair Mark Treyger, Council Majority Leader Laurie Cumbo, and Council Members Adrienne Adams, Inez Barron, Barry Grodenchik, and Brad Lander.  

Even though the state’s highest court concluded in 2003 that NYC public school classes were too large to provide students with their constitutional right to a sound basic education, class sizes have actually increased since then, especially in the early grades, where the research is strongest that smaller classes leads to higher achievement and better student outcomes all the way through college and beyond.

Among the other speakers on behalf of the need to fund for smaller classes were Kenneth Cohe,n Regional Director of the NAACP, Maria Bautista of AQE, Benny Lin of the Parent-Child Relationship Association, Eduardo Hernandez of NYC Kids PAC, Shino Tanikawa, co-chair of the Education Council Consortium, Anthony Harmon of the UFT, Donald Nesbit of Local 372 of DC 37,  and Lina Rosario, a 6th grade student in Sunset Park, Kathy Park of Citizen Squirrel and many others.

Leonie Haimson, Executive Director of Class Size Matters, said: “The mayor and the chancellor talk a lot about bringing equity and excellence to NYC schools and some the moves they are making may bring us closer to that goal. But there’s a huge gaping hole in their agenda and that is class size.  Without lowering class sizes there can be neither true equity or excellence in our schools. This fall, more than 330,000 NYC students were crammed into classes of 30 or more.   NYC class sizes are 10-30% larger on average than in the rest of the state.  Classes this large are neither equitable nor excellent, especially as studies show that students of color gain twice the benefit when class sizes are reduced.”

 “Funding for class-size reduction has to become a priority for New York City. Parents and teachers know it has a huge impact on student learning, especially for our most vulnerable populations,” said United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew.

"Class size reduction is one support that the New York City Department of Education has never fully implemented for students in NYC public schools," said NYC Council Finance Chair Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights, Elmhurst).  "It only makes sense that when there are fewer students in a class, a teacher can individualize their instruction and give students extra support.  More than anything else, this is what our students need.  If we truly want to see our students succeed, we must reduce our class sizes."

“It’s common sense that smaller class sizes help set New York City students up for success,” said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. “Funding must be allocated for this important cause—the time to stand up for our students is now.” CONTINUE READING: NYC Public School Parents: NYC Parents, kids, advocates, union members and elected officials rally for smaller classes

Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools on the State and City’s Floundering Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog

Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools on the State and City’s Floundering Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog

Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools on the State and City’s Floundering Charters

Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools June 5, 2019For immediate release: Statement of APPS Re CREDO study

The CREDO study released today presents more evidence that the charter experiment foisted upon the state’s children has been a resounding failure, especially considering the enormous amount of taxpayer dollars that have been spent on charter schools.  

For many reasons, comparing charters to district schools is not an apples-to-apples exercise. Charter schools receive outside funding from private donors, including significant amounts every year from the Philadelphia School Partnership.  PSP identifies as a non-profit funder of schools, but they have been strong financial and political advocates for privatization and charter expansion. The bulk of their corporate funding goes to non-district schools. 

Charter schools have been cited over the years for unfair practices such as presenting barriers to enrollment, failure to inform students and parents of their due process rights when facing disciplinary action, and expelling students for trivial offenses including being out of uniform and lateness.  Thus, many charters are able to exclude students with special needs, both behavioral and academic.  

Studies done by both Philadelphia City Controller’s Office and the State Attorney General’s Office have documented fraud and questionable spending in some of the city’s largest charter organizations.   Organizations including PCCY and the Education 

Law Center have conducted in-depth studies that show charters do not outperform district schools in most categories. ELC’s recent report shows: 1) the population of economically disadvantaged students is much lower in Philadelphia’s charter schools—70% in the District, 56% in charters; 2) the percentage of English learners is nearly three times higher—11% in District, 4% in charters; 3) few of the special education students in the traditional charters are from the low-incidence disability categories, such as autism and intellectual disability, that are most expensive to serve.

The diversion of public funds to privately managed charters has made it more difficult for public schools to fund essential programs, but public schools still manage to outperform charters in most categories.  Lack of CONTINUE READING: Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools on the State and City’s Floundering Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog

Jeff Bryant: Charter Schools Are a Major Dividing Line for the 2020 Democratic Candidates—Education Fights in Pennsylvania Point the Way | Common Dreams Views

Charter Schools Are a Major Dividing Line for the 2020 Democratic Candidates—Education Fights in Pennsylvania Point the Way | Common Dreams Views

Charter Schools Are a Major Dividing Line for the 2020 Democratic Candidates—Education Fights in Pennsylvania Point the Way
Charter schools now cost Pennsylvania taxpayers over $1.8 billion annually and account for over 25 percent of the state’s basic education funding

Charter schools have finally broken into the national political dialogue, with presidential candidates in the Democratic Party proclaiming their stances on these schools. But a national debate about charters and “school choice” will be an exercise in empty rhetoric unless the candidates’ views are grounded in the real consequences of how charter schools and school choice affect communities.

Although much of the debate is stuck to a bumper sticker message about the need for families to have a choice to attend charter schools, few if any candidates seem willing to acknowledge providing families with an option to choose charters can come with considerable costs to everyone else in the community.

To understand those costs, consider Pennsylvania, where the costs of charter schools are most blatantly apparent but nevertheless representative of the cost of charters everywhere.

A ‘Perfect Storm’ Crushing the Middle Class

Across the state, charter schools are part of what Dan Doubet tells me is “a perfect storm of economic factors crushing down on middle- and working-class families.” Doubet is executive director of Keystone Progress, a Pennsylvania-based activist group focused on progressive issues and community organizing.

Pennsylvania passed its charter school law in 1997 and now has 179 charter schools enrolling 135,100 students, the sixth highest charter school enrollment in the nation. One in four of these students attends “cyber charters,” statewide schools that operate online.

Although charter schools are promoted to Pennsylvania families as a free option to look outside their neighborhood public schools, the costs of charters are borne by local school districts—and all the taxpayers who support them. Charter schools now cost CONTINUE READING: Charter Schools Are a Major Dividing Line for the 2020 Democratic Candidates—Education Fights in Pennsylvania Point the Way | Common Dreams Views

Have West Sacramento Charters Become Self-Segregated Enclaves? | Capital & Main

Have West Sacramento Charters Become Self-Segregated Enclaves? | Capital & Main

Have West Sacramento Charters Become Self-Segregated Enclaves?
Borders, boundaries and barriers have been a way of life in the lower Sacramento Valley since the Gold Rush days. The newest form of green line here are charter schools.

West Sacramento is hardly alone when it comes to racially isolating charter schools. A 2017 Associated Press study was the latest to find rampant self-segregation in the national charter sector, reporting that charters are “vastly overrepresented” among so-called apartheid schools — those with at least 99 percent minority enrollments. Even in majority-minority California, which scores higher on charter school integration than other states, black students have been shown to typically move from a traditional public school that is 39 percent black to a charter that is 51 percent black.

“The problem with charters is their fundamental premise that if something’s not public it’s going to be better,” says Gary Orfield, co-director of the Civil Rights Project (CRP) and a research professor at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education. “We learned in the civil rights period that you had to have requirements on [school] choice if you’re going to get a positive outcome. But a lot of these charter schools are set up in a way that explicitly [segregate]. They don’t reach out for other groups of kids and have no integration policies at all, which raises big constitutional issues.”

---

“Dual-language programs have been a way that many people have seen to integrate schools. But they can be used to segregate kids.”

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A landmark, 2010 CRP study on school choice and segregation found that schools specifically CONTINUE READING: Have West Sacramento Charters Become Self-Segregated Enclaves? | Capital & Main

Have West Sacramento Charters Become Self-Segregated Enclaves? | Capital & Main

Gov. Newsom’s task force recommends more discretion to deny charter schools | EdSource

Gov. Newsom’s task force recommends more discretion to deny charter schools | EdSource

Gov. Newsom’s task force recommends more discretion to deny charter schools
Majority of members urge more restrictions, including cutbacks on appeal

In a report forwarded to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the statewide task force on charter schools is unanimously recommending that school districts be given more discretion to approve new charter schools by including “saturation” and need for new schools as factors that districts could consider.

Districts with large numbers of charter schools, like Oakland Unified and Los Angeles Unified, have clamored for financial relief and more controls over charter schools. If Newsom and the Legislature implement the task force recommendation, those districts could cite duplication of effort and charter school overload as reasons for rejecting new applications.

More leeway in decision-making on new charter schools was one of four recommendations — reached by consensus — of the California Charter School Policy Task Force, whose 11 membersinclude representatives of charter school organizations, labor unions and organizations representing county offices of education, school administrators and school districts. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond has led the task force, which has been meeting privately for between 3 and 5 hours each week from March through May. The recommendations are: CONTINUE READING: Gov. Newsom’s task force recommends more discretion to deny charter schools | EdSource

Report Alleges 'School-To-Guardianship Pipeline' - Disability Scoop

Report Alleges 'School-To-Guardianship Pipeline' - Disability Scoop

Report Alleges ‘School-To-Guardianship Pipeline’

Too many people with developmental disabilities are being funneled into guardianships rather than exploring less-limiting options, a new government report suggests, and schools may be to blame.

A report out this week from the National Council on Disability finds that schools often provide biased information leading many parents to pursue guardianship, creating a “school-to-guardianship pipeline.”

As a result, 58 percent of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities ages 18 to 22 have guardians. And, once established, the council said many people remain under guardianship for decades.

For the report, the federal agency tasked with advising Congress, the president and other government officials on disability issues, looked at data on guardianships, information collected from stakeholders across the country and examined the experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Washington, D.C. both before and after guardianship reforms took effect in the city in 2015.

School officials often ask parents about guardianship when students with disabilities turn 18, and in many cases educators do not present other options because they are unfamiliar with alternatives, the report found.

Families told the National Council on Disability that they were informed by schools that guardianship was the only way that a student with an intellectual or developmental disability could continue having a family member or friend assist at individualized education program, or IEP, meetings.

“Youth with ID/DD are ultimately disempowered by schools actively encouraging guardianship to the exclusion of less-restrictive alternatives, and not providing families and students in special education with sufficient information about the CONTINUE READING: Report Alleges 'School-To-Guardianship Pipeline' - Disability Scoop

BILL AYERS: about Becoming a Teacher | Teachers College Press

about Becoming a Teacher 9780807761496 | Teachers College Press

BILL AYERS: about Becoming a Teacher

\

about Becoming a Teacher

William Ayers

Publication Date: April 5, 2019

Pages: 96

Series: School : Questions

Education activist William Ayers invites new and prospective teachers to consider the deepest dimensions of a life in teaching. Should I become a teacher? How can I get to know my students? What commitments come with me into the classroom? How do I develop my unique teaching signature? In his new book, about Becoming A Teacher, Ayers muses on 10 such questions (and a little more) to shape and structure an indispensable guide that features hands-on advice and concrete examples of classroom practice, including curriculum-making, building relationships with students and parents, fostering an effective learning environment, and teaching toward freedom. This brilliant and concise text offers a conception of teaching as both practical art and essentially ethical practice.

Book Features:

• Specific strategies for becoming a successful classroom teacher.
• Foregrounds the ethical and intellectual qualities of excellent teaching.
• Recognizes the complexity of teaching even as it provides a map to achieve excellence.
• Accessible without oversimplifying the content and reducing teaching to something anemic and superficial.

about Becoming a Teacher 9780807761496 | Teachers College Press

Task force’s findings signal renewed fight over charters :: K-12 Daily :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Task force’s findings signal renewed fight over charters :: K-12 Daily :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Task force’s findings signal renewed fight over charters

(Calif.) A one-year moratorium on establishing new charter schools won majority support of a blue ribbon task force on charter reforms, the group announced Sunday.

The panel, convened by Gov. Gavin Newsom and led by state schools chief Tony Thurmond, also backed removing the California State Board of Education as the final court of appeal for charter applicants rejected on the local and county levels.

The 11-member task force, a majority of which represent labor unions and traditional public school entities, has no authority to dictate changes in state law or policy—but the backing of new restrictions on charter growth by the group signals a likelihood that lawmakers will return to battle over the question in the coming weeks.

Myrna Castrejón, president and CEO of the California Charter School Association, which was one of the organizations represented on the task force, said in a statement that the education community remains polarized over the growth of charter schools and that the work of the task force has not ended that debate.

“While we recognize that this marks an important step forward in fulfilling the charge entrusted by Governor Newsom to Superintendent Thurmond, there are elements that are deeply concerning and require more work ahead,” she said.

Earlier this year, the governor requested formation of the task force primarily to look at the fiscal impacts of charter growth on traditional public schools. That call came as a wave of legislation was being introduced targeting charter growth, the application process and management rules.

Although Newsom signed a bill in March that imposed new “good governance” requirements on charters, lawmakers set aside a number of further restrictions late last month in anticipation of the recommendations from the task force.

Now, efforts to revise the state’s charter school laws will no doubt take center stage again, and while the governor is generally not supportive of the charter movement, the question still deeply divides CONTINUE READING: Task force’s findings signal renewed fight over charters :: K-12 Daily :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

How Can Educators Navigate the STEM Technology Desert? - Teacher Habits

How Can Educators Navigate the STEM Technology Desert? - Teacher Habits

How Can Educators Navigate the STEM Technology Desert?

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) jobs are set to increase over the next year and likely beyond — demand has been growing for the past decade. Yet, there aren’t enough graduates pursuing STEM-related careers after graduation. Additionally, teachers who are skilled in these subjects and can teach them in a compelling way are few and far between.

STEM subjects are taught in schools everywhere, but students aren’t as excited about them as art, physical education, or theater (let alone lunch or recess). STEM classes are required, but electives and creative classes are what students get excited about. However, by approaching STEM education in a new way, teachers can show students just how thrilling STEM classes can be.

To start, they simply need to skim news headlines: From increasingly sophisticated AI finding its way into our classrooms to the possibility of insect droids pollinating Mars, what seemed like science fiction a decade ago is now reality. Technology of the future is all part of STEM, and giving learners a window into these developments is sure to spark interest.

But what can educators do once they’ve caught students’ interest? Let’s explore some ways we can improve STEM education in technology deserts.

Three Ideas for Better STEM Education

The best STEM lessons combine interesting, hands-on activities with CONTINUE READING: How Can Educators Navigate the STEM Technology Desert? - Teacher Habits

Democrats Once Proposed Tripling Charter Schools. Here's What's Changed - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Democrats Once Proposed Tripling Charter Schools. Here's What's Changed - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Democrats Once Proposed Tripling Charter Schools. Here's What's Changed

In 2000, Vice President Al Gore ran for president as a Democrat on an education plan that called for tripling the number of the nation's charter schools —a plan that was mirrored in his party's platform that year.

Nearly two decades later, many of the busload of politicians seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination are hesitant to say anything positive about charters, and some have sought to distinguish themselves through sharp critiques and even calls for a national moratorium on the publicly funded, privately operated schools. It's been one of the most notable education talking points in the primary.

A look at the two major parties' platforms in the years since the first charter school law was passed shows that Democrats first supported charters as an alternative to private school vouchers, which were supported by both Sen. Bob Dole in his 1996 GOP bid for the White House and by former President George W. Bush during his 2000 campaign.

You can see the evolution of the platform language in the chart below and explore the changes for yourself.

"We should expand public school choice, but we should not take American tax dollars from public schools and give them to private schools," says the Democrats' 1996 platform in its first mention of charter schools since Minnesota passed the first state charter law in 1991. "We should promote public charter schools that are held to the highest standards of accountability and access."

But the party has  added conditions to its support of the concept, at least in print, while Republicans have largely remained consistent in lauding both private-school vouchers and charters.

Some highlights:

• In 2004, Republicans' support for charters included a call for assistance with facilities, a major issue for the sector.
• In 2008, Democrats specifically mentioned promoting charter schools "that are accountable," along with other priorities, like reforming teacher-preparation programs.
• In 2012, Republicans listed virtual schools among the options they supported. Concerns about accountability of virtual charter schools have divided some in the school choice advocacy community.
• In 2016, the Democratic platform included opposition to charter schools managed by for-profit organizations, calls CONTINUE READING: Democrats Once Proposed Tripling Charter Schools. Here's What's Changed - Politics K-12 - Education Week

The Problem with Too Much Screen Time And Too Little Privacy Is Parents (Anya Kamenetz) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

The Problem with Too Much Screen Time And Too Little Privacy Is Parents (Anya Kamenetz) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

The Problem with Too Much Screen Time And Too Little Privacy Is Parents (Anya Kamenetz)

Anya Kamenetz is an NPR education reporter and the author of “The Art of Screen Time.”

This appeared as op-ed in the New York Times, June 5, 2019

Parents this year were introduced to a goblin for the digital era: Momo, a bird-woman with an eerie grin who commanded the children who watched her videos on YouTube to harm themselves. The story turned out to be essentially a hoax, but it went viral in the first place because it seemed to validate a widely held belief: Our kids are in danger because of threats associated with the dark corners of social media and risk of addiction to phones and tablets.

The annual American Family Survey found last fall that “overuse of technology” had risen to the top of the list of concerns for parents of teenagers, above drugs, sexual activity and mental health. Viral headlines like “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” and books like “Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids” are resonating with parents. One of the authors of the original American Academy of Pediatrics “no screens before age 2” rule (it has since been softened) has written a book with the fearsome title “The Death of Childhood.” Screens are his main culprit.

The truth isn’t so simple. Smartphones and social media may be, in fact, transforming the experience of childhood and adolescence in some ways. But the hard (for many adults to hear) truth is that many of technology’s effects on kids have less to do with screen time per se than they do with the decisions grown-ups are making — many of which place children’s privacy at great risk.

First, there’s surveillance. Children are now under intense scrutiny from a young age, from platforms and advertisers, but also parents and other authority figures.

Many public schools use online gradebooks, and sometimes app-based communication systems like Class Dojo. Depending on their settings, these systems allow parents to instantly see the score on every quiz, and a record of every time their child is disciplined or praised. Family dynamics vary; these CONTINUE READING: The Problem with Too Much Screen Time And Too Little Privacy Is Parents (Anya Kamenetz) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

West Virginia Lawmakers Out to Punish Educators for Taking a Stand

West Virginia Lawmakers Out to Punish Educators for Taking a Stand

West Virginia Lawmakers Out to Punish Educators for Taking a Stand

In October, the West Virginia Legislature promised to give educators a pay raise. It failed to deliver on that promise and so a special session was called to hash out the details. As many suspected, strings would be attached.

“Not exactly an earth-shattering revelation,” wrote Dale Lee, president of the West Virginia Education Association, in an editorial in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, “but even we’re a little shocked at how far West Virginia’s [senate] has gone to punish public school teachers and service personnel for striking two years in a row to defend their livelihoods and the kids they teach.”

On June 3, the state senate narrowly passed an amendment to its Student Succeeds Act (S.B. 1039), which does include some provisions educators support, like providing more social workers, counselors, and nurses. But the bill also comes with a heavy dose of bitter pills: banning teacher strikes, removing local control from county superintendents to close school districts for a strike, canceling extracurricular activities during work stoppages, and docking the pay of teachers and staff who go on strike—or firing them altogether.

Additionally, the bill proposes an unlimited number of charter schools and diverts public dollars toward voucher programs.

“[T]he Student Success Act … [was] never about students at all,” Lee explained. “[T]his late addition is petty and vindictive, and probably what Senate President Mitch Carmichael … wants more than anything, after being embarrassed by the teachers, school service personnel, and their unions two years in a row.”

In 2018, WVEA members statewide went on strike for nine days, which lit the fire for#RedForEd across the U.S. Thirteen months later, they showed their power again with another work stoppage over charter expansion and vouchers.

West Virginians Ignored

The Student Success Act is similar to a previous senate bill (S.B. 451) that died in the house in February 2019. The main discord between the two chambers was over charter schools and vouchers.

Wendy Peters, an elementary school teacher, told MetroNews at the time, “Some CONTINUE READING: West Virginia Lawmakers Out to Punish Educators for Taking a Stand

A Billionaire Declares: Better Public Schools Won’t Fix America | Diane Ravitch's blog

A Billionaire Declares: Better Public Schools Won’t Fix America | Diane Ravitch's blog

A Billionaire Declares: Better Public Schools Won’t Fix America

Nick Hanauer was a big supporter of charter schools. As he explains in this fascinating article, he swallowed the Corporate Reform Dogma whole. He believed that America’s “failing public schools” were the cause of poverty and inequality. Fix the schools and—poof—poverty and inequality will disappear.

He writes:

Taken with this story line, I embraced education as both a philanthropic cause and a civic mission. I co-founded the League of Education Voters, a nonprofit dedicated to improving public education. I joined Bill Gates, Alice Walton, and Paul Allen in giving more than $1 million each to an effort to pass a ballot measure that established Washington State’s first charter schools. All told, I have devoted countless hours and millions of dollars to the simple idea that if we improved our schools—if we modernized our curricula and our teaching methods, substantially increased school funding, rooted out bad teachers, and opened enough charter schools—American children, especially those in low-income and working-class communities, would start learning again. Graduation rates and wages would increase, poverty and inequality would decrease, and public commitment to democracy would be restored.

But after decades of organizing and giving, I have come to the uncomfortable conclusion that I was wrong. And I hate being wrong.

What I’ve realized, decades late, is that educationism is tragically misguided. American workers are struggling in large part because they are underpaid—and they are underpaid because 40 years of trickle-down policies have rigged the economy in favor of wealthy people like me. Americans are more highly educated than ever before, CONTINUE READING: A Billionaire Declares: Better Public Schools Won’t Fix America | Diane Ravitch's blog