DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all

   Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? 

A site to discuss better education for all

Grassroots Arkansas: An Open Letter to Superintendent Mike Poore of Little Rock

by dianeravitch / 12min

Grassroots Arkansas is a coalition of parents and civil rights activists. When reading anything about Arkansas, bear in mind that in the background is the Walton Family. They pull the strings. Grassroots Arkansas sent the following letter to Mike Poore, the state-appointed superintendent of the Little Rock School District: Mr. Poore, We realize that you have been serving the LRSD community as Sup

The Intercept: Rightwing Media Planted in Trump News Conferences

by dianeravitch / 12min

Robert Mackey of The Intercept reports that the White House plants far-right journalists in Trump’s press conferences and he makes sure to call on them. In the past, these fringe media never had White Gouse press credentials. He writes: IN AN APPARENT effort to make his daily news conferences even more like campaign events than they already are, the White House press office has been packing the b

Trump Defends QAnon Conspiracy Theorists as “People Who Love Our Country”

28by dianeravitch / 1h

Trump defended the QAnon conspiracy theorists at a news conference as “people who love our country.” President Trump on Wednesday offered encouragement to proponents of QAnon, a viral conspiracy theory that has gained a widespread following among people who believe the president is secretly battling a criminal band of sex traffickers, and suggested that its proponents were patriots upset with unr

New York: Demand Cuomo Restore School Funding!

by dianeravitch / 2h

Governor Cuomo slashed school funding across the state of New York. Other governors have found ways to protect their schools and children. Please sign the petition of the Network for Public Education Action , calling on Governor Cuomo to restore school funding. Schools cannot safely reopen with less money.

A Shameful Shortage of School Nurses

by dianeravitch / 2h

The New York Times reports today on the shameful shortage of school nurses. Students are returning to schools even when there are no trained health professionals there. The previous post described the response to the pandemic a century ago. At least in the cities, every school had a nurse and some had doctors. That was the Progressive Era. This is the Regressive Era, where schools are expected to

What Schools Did During the Spanish Flu Pandemic a Century Ago

by dianeravitch / 3h

CNN published a very good article about what happened to the schools and their students during the so-called “Spanish Flu” pandemic of 1917-18. Many schools closed. Three large urban districts stayed open because officials believed that children were better off in schools than in their crowded tenements. The striking point in the article is that the schools were well-supplied with nurses and doct

Gail Collins’ Annual Contest for the Worst Trump Cabinet Member

by dianeravitch / 4h

Gail Collins, regular columnist for the New York Times, former editor of its editorial page, conducted her annual contest for the worst member of Trump’s Cabinet. Previously, the contest was won by Betsy DeVos. This year there was a new winner. She writes: If you run into Attorney General William Barr over the weekend, be sure to congratulate him. The readers have spoken! Barr was the runaway win

My Reaction to Day 3 of the Virtual Democratic Convention

by dianeravitch / 13h

I really really like Kamala Harris. I find her warm, intelligent, thoughtful. I love her smile and her laugh. But Barack Obama blew me away. He was intense, coiled, quietly angry, and very powerful. His words were gripping. The video of his speech is not yet online. The transcript is. But if you didn’t see it, you should. In the morning, I will post the video. You have to see him. You have to se

Harold Meyerson on Day 2 of the Democratic Convention

by dianeravitch / 23h

Harold Meyerson, editor of The American Prospect and a prominent spokesman for the American left, explains here what he liked and did not like about the second day of the Democratic National (virtual) Convention. I loved Bernie Sanders’ speech on the first night. I loved the roll call on the second night. In a usual convention, the roll call is a succession of politicians making political stateme

Fred Klonsky: Mailboxes Are Disappearing Across Chicago and It Matters

by dianeravitch / 1d

Fred Klonsky says there are many reasons to worry about postal service , including delivery of medicines. Open the link and see the photograph of the discarded mailboxes. Destroying federal property is a crime, isn’t it?

Los Angeles: Vote for Scott Schmerelson and Patricia Castellanos for LAUSD School Board

34by dianeravitch / 1d

Control of the Los Angeles Unified School District is up for grabs in the 2020 election. You can be sure that the LAUSD prioritizes public schools by voting for incumbent Scott Schmerelson and newcomer Patricia Castellanos. The issue now is the same issue that has drawn a sharp divide on the school board for the past decade. Will the schools be controlled by a cabal of billionaires who favor priv

South Carolina: The Hoax of School Choice

67by dianeravitch / 1d

Jen Gibson, who lives in Charleston, writes about how school choice will drain resources from underfunded public schools while not providing access to better schools or better education: Normally this time of year, my son and I are on the hunt for new shoes and the perfect pencil pouch. This year, we are struggling with masks and stocking up on hand sanitizer. Like most parents, our family is wre

Peter Greene: Rhode Island is a Henhouse Controlled by Foxes

by dianeravitch / 1d

Peter Greene turns his attention to Rhode Island and finds that it has been subject to a corporate education reform takeover. Not only is the governor a former venture capitalist who made her reputation by taking an axe to 

   Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

CURMUDGUCATION: MI: Teacher Fired Over Political Tweet. If Only There Was A Way Protect Against Such Injustice.

CURMUDGUCATION: MI: Teacher Fired Over Political Tweet. If Only There Was A Way Protect Against Such Injustice.

MI: Teacher Fired Over Political Tweet. If Only There Was A Way Protect Against Such Injustice.

Be careful what you wish for.

Conservative media made a small summer meal out of the story of Justin Kucera, a 28-year-old social studies teacher/coach at Walled Lake Western High School.

The known facts of the story appear to be this:

On July 6, Kucera retweeted the Trump classic, "SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL."  He followed that with “I’m done being silent. @realDonaldTrump is our president … Don’t @ me” Further down the thread, he responded to someone with a "liberals suck, man." That tweet, which Kucera later characterized as a sort of light sarcasm, was later deleted, but the damage, apparently, was done.

The district superintendent offered a bit of a subtweet on July 7, including "We believe in the importance of discourse, but we will not stand for speech or actions from those that represent our District that seek to divide or demean our staff, students, citizens."

Kucera was pulled into a virtual meeting with his administrators, the HR department and his union reps on July 10. They asked him why he tweeted those particular messages, and ultimately gave him the choice of resigning or being fired in a July 15 meeting. He chose not to resign, and the district fired him.

The district has maintained that they did not fire Kucera for boosting Trump, but Kucera has presented his story to many outlets as "I was fired for supporting Trump." Many folks have poked around the tweeterverse to unearth other Walled Lake teachers who have been critical of Trump without repercussions. His termination letter cited "a lack of professional judgment."

The superintendent reached out to Kucera, and on July 22 they met. The personnel file obtained by the Detroit News says the superintendent was looking for ways "we may be able to save this CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: MI: Teacher Fired Over Political Tweet. If Only There Was A Way Protect Against Such Injustice.

Texas school district's dreadlocks ban "discriminatory," court rules | The Texas Tribune

Texas school district's dreadlocks ban "discriminatory," court rules | The Texas Tribune

Texas school district's dreadlocks ban discriminatory, federal court rules
The decision comes a month after the Barbers Hill Independent School District board of trustees voted to keep the dress code policy, which advocates have deemed racist.

A federal judge has prevented a Houston-area school district from enforcing a dress code policy that states that male students must keep their hair ear-length or shorter. Earlier this year, that policy spurred national attention and outrage after it was used to punish two students who wore their hair in dreadlocks.

The decision from the U.S. District Court in Houston overturns the grooming policy from the Barbers Hill ISD. Earlier this summer, despite criticism from advocates who described the restriction as racist, the Barbers Hill board of trustees voted to keep the policy.

Administrators informed Kaden Bradford and De’Andre Arnold, two Black students at Barbers Hill High School, in January that they had to cut their hair or face consequences. Arnold was told he would not get to walk on the stage at his school's graduation ceremony in May, while Bradford would be indefinitely enrolled in in-school suspension. Both students refused to comply and filed lawsuits against the school district that argued the policy was discriminatorily construed and enforced.

Both students and their families are represented by the NAACP’s Legal and Defense and Educational Fund.

"Locs are communicative, they express pride in one's Black racial heritage, family heritage," attorney Michaele Turnage Young said. "It's 2020, this is a basic recognition ... but to have a federal court recognize that, it's a huge step in the right direction.”

This court decision grants Bradford "temporary relief" while lawsuits against the school continue, Turnage Young said. Both Arnold and Bradford transferred out of the district to another high school earlier this year. Bradford will now be able to return to his former high school for junior year without the threat of suspension. Arnold was unable to graduate from Barbers Hill.

The case has also gained the attention of Texas lawmakers. In February, members of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus announced their intent to bring their version of the CROWN Act — a California bill that aims to ban hair discrimination in public CONTINUE READING: Texas school district's dreadlocks ban "discriminatory," court rules | The Texas Tribune

Florida education chief tells districts: Don’t rush to close schools when covid-19 cases appear - The Washington Post

Florida education chief tells districts: Don’t rush to close schools when covid-19 cases appear - The Washington Post

Florida education chief tells districts: Don’t rush to close schools when covid-19 cases appear

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and his administration are doubling (or tripling?) down on opening schools during the coronavirus pandemic and keeping them open even when cases of the disease are diagnosed.

On a phone call with school district superintendents late last week, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran urged them to be “surgical” when dealing with covid-19 cases, as opposed to “sweeping” — and told them not to close a school without calling state officials first to discuss it.

A Florida school district wanted to wait to reopen school buildings. Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to cut its funding.

“Before you get to that point of closing a classroom or closing a school, we want to have that communication with you because we want to be as surgical as possible,” Corcoran said, offering to provide specific names and numbers of officials who could take a call.

There is no reason, he said, to automatically close a school just because a student displays symptoms of covid-19 but has not been diagnosed. The goals of a “surgical” approach are to keep “everybody safe” and to allow students to “get the best possible learning experience and the best possible emotional and social support,” he said.

Asked about Corcoran’s comments on districts calling the state before shutting down classrooms or schools, Taryn Fenske, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Education, said in an email: “They’re not asking permission nor are we giving permission. We are constantly talking with districts.”

But one district leader, who was on the call with Corcoran and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal from the state, said some district leaders would now be reluctant to unilaterally shut down a school and send all students home for remote learning.

Meanwhile, the board of directors of the Florida High School Athletic Association voted late last week to allow schools to start fall sports Aug. 24 — a decision that ignores a recommendation from the organization’s own medical advisory panel, which had called for delaying fall sports until at least the CONTINUE READING: Florida education chief tells districts: Don’t rush to close schools when covid-19 cases appear - The Washington Post