Latest News and Comment from Education

Saturday, March 13, 2021

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Saturday, March 13, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #openonlywhensafe

 Big Education Ape

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES 




'You’re not going to get herd immunity if you don’t get kids vaccinated:' Teachers' union president - https://finance.yahoo.com/news/youre-not-going-to-get-herd-immunity-if-you-dont-get-kids-vaccinated-teachers-union-president-150454907.html on @Yahoo

Long-Delayed Yeshiva Investigation Was 'Rigged' To Make Schools Look Better, Parents Allege https://gothamist.com/news/yeshiva-investigation-nyc-orthodox-report

A STATISTICAL PROFILE OF NEW
YORK’S K-12 EDUCATIONAL SECTOR
Race, Income, and Religion

Schumer and a Teachers’ Union Boss Secure Billions for Private Schools - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/13/us/politics/schumer-weingarten-stimulus-private-schools.html on @nytimes

The Noble charter school network is one of many charters nationally backing away from punitive discipline policies aimed at students of color. https://www.wbez.org/stories/top-chicago-charter-school-admits-a-racist-past/ebd3c82c-af3b-4320-befc-d7f565acc453

‘It’s like a dystopian version of school’: A day at Philadelphia’s Richard Wright Elementary - Chalkbeat Philadelphia - https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/3/12/22328401/its-like-a-dystopian-version-of-school-a-day-at-philadelphias-richard-wright-elementary on chalkbeat

Updated Dream Act would help nearly 3 million https://educationvotes.nea.org/?p=48947#.YEz-dA7kK6c.twitter via @EdVotes

U.S. Department of Education Continues Aggressive Plan to Safely Reopen Schools https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-continues-aggressive-plan-safely-reopen-schools

Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Signing of the American Rescue Plan https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/statement-us-secretary-education-miguel-cardona-signing-american-rescue-plan

Statement from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona on Federal Student Aid Leadership https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/statement-us-secretary-education-miguel-cardona-federal-student-aid-leadership

Justice signs bill legalizing faster charter expansion, fully online charters, approval by new unelected board | Legislative Session | wvgazettemail.com - https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/legislative_session/justice-signs-bill-legalizing-faster-charter-expansion-fully-online-charters-approval-by-new-unelected-board/article_36f6fa5b-831c-5b37-bb35-55365c88f883.html#new_tab on @wvgazettemail

Texas state rep. files bill to give teachers minimum pay of $70,000 | KVII - https://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/texas-state-rep-files-bill-to-give-teachers-minimum-pay-of-70000#new_tab on http://twitter.com/abc7amarillo

Stimulus Special (Podcast) Bloomberg - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/audio/2021-03-12/bloomberg-wall-street-week-stimulus-special-podcast on @business

Schumer and a Teachers’ Union Leader Secure Billions for Private Schools - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/13/us/politics/schumer-weingarten-stimulus-private-schools.html on @nytimes

NYC lawmakers call for summer school to make up COVID losses https://nypost.com/2021/03/13/nyc-lawmakers-want-summer-school-to-make-up-for-lost-learning/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons via @nypmetro

Act Will Help Restore Children’s Well-Being After Year of Widespread Hardship https://blog.ctnews.com/kantrowitz/2021/03/13/act-will-help-restore-childrens-well-being-after-year-of-widespread-hardship/

California offers COVID-19 rapid tests to reopening schools http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/lanowblog/~3/LHcEa8wWrIo/california-offers-covid-19-rapid-tests-to-reopening-schools

Alabama Could Allow Yoga in Public Schools After a 28-Year Ban https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/13/us/alabama-yoga-ban-bill.html

District announces initiative to recruit up to 900 Philadelphia teachers https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/3/12/22327941/district-announces-initiative-to-recruit-up-to-900-philadelphia-teachers

Biden’s Rescue Plan Will Cut Child Poverty in Half! | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://wp.me/p2odLa-tMR via @dianeravitch


Big Education Ape: Rep. Jamaal Bowman Sees Climate As The Next Big Education Push After COVID-19 Reopenings | HuffPost - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/03/rep-jamaal-bowman-sees-climate-as-next.html





Jersey Jazzman: Lakewood, NJ: Where Public Schools Are Left To Wither, Part II
Lakewood, NJ: Where Public Schools Are Left To Wither, Part II Here's Part I of this series. In this series, I'm taking a look at Lakewood, NJ, with an eye toward what might happen if more communities abandon their public schools and, instead, embrace the idea of school "choice." Lakewood, in a state by some accounts with the highest ranked public schools in the nation, is a town where the vast
Success Academy Charter Chain Ordered to Pay $2.4 Million to SPED Families | Diane Ravitch's blog
Success Academy Charter Chain Ordered to Pay $2.4 Million to SPED Families Success Academy charter network was directed by a federal district court judge to pay $2.4 million to families whose children with disabilities were pushed out. Charter school network Success Academy, which touts its commitment to children “from all backgrounds,” has been ordered to pay over $2.4 million on a Judgment in
Progress Monitoring … But Whose Progress Are We Monitoring? – Grumpy Old Teacher
Progress Monitoring … But Whose Progress Are We Monitoring? What few people ever want to talk about is how 20 plus years of ed reform has taken the focus off the purpose of education. It’s easy to see why; when a person tries to convince parents and the public that public education, a/k/a the traditional school system of neighborhood schools managed by an elected school board, is the best option
The American Rescue Plan: A First Deposit Toward a Racial Equity Stimulus | Schott Foundation for Public Education
The American Rescue Plan: A First Deposit Toward a Racial Equity Stimulus The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, passed by both houses of Congress and signed by President Biden, is a watershed moment. That such legislation has become law — that our federal government acted decisively with a bill targeted to aid low- and middle-income families — evokes equal parts inspiration and relief in its r
Flast v. Cohen (1968) - Part Three: Consider This The Hint Of The Century | Blue Cereal Education
Flast v. Cohen (1968) - Part Three: Consider This The Hint Of The Century Recap of Part One : The Supreme Court explained in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Mellon (1923) that simply being a taxpayer didn’t give one the right to protest government actions – even potentially unconstitutional ones – in the courts. There were simply too many “what ifs” between the individual taxpayer sending in th
American Rescue Plan makes biggest education investment in U.S. history, cuts child poverty in half - Education Votes
American Rescue Plan makes biggest education investment in U.S. history, cuts child poverty in half President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law on March 11, the day after Congress finally passed it. The $1.9 trillion stimulus package will provide critical funding for public schools, create and support millions of jobs, cut child poverty in half, make health care more affordable, and
Marie Corfield: The 'New' Normal Post-Covid - Are YOU Ready?
The 'New' Normal Post-Covid - Are YOU Ready? If you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump out. If you put a frog in tepid water and slowly raise the heat, it will boil to death. - Unknown Photo Credit: Nick Fewings Covid-19 has been raising the heat on all of us for a year. Stress, depression and anxiety have paralyzed millions. Personally, I've battled all three. As someone who lived much o
Should KIPP Be Allowed to Build a School on a Toxic Waste Site? | Diane Ravitch's blog
Should KIPP Be Allowed to Build a School on a Toxic Waste Site? The tiny city of Cudahy, California, is locked in battle with the mega-powerful KIPP charter chain over KIPP’s determination to build a charter school on a toxic waste site. KIPP is avoiding the usual environmental review that would be required for public schools. Local environmental activists and parents are raising money to fight
Farewell, Carranza | JD2718
Farewell, Carranza Yesterday was Richard Carranza’s last day. He won’t be missed. Sadly. Because he arrived with good intentions. He arrived with a good attitude. He seemed friendly towards teachers. But he was probably not ready for New York City, and definitely not for the NYC Department of Education. His hires were semi-qualified cronies, and insiders pushed on him by City Hall. Anything he a
John White and Co: What Are They Up to Now? | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog
John White and Co: What Are They Up to Now? John White’s time as Louisiana state superintendent officially ended on March 12, 2020, after eight years of his wreaking opaque, ed-reform havoc on Louisiana public education. Two years prior to his exit, in June 2018 , White co-founded an education nonprofit, Propel America. However, according to the April 30, 2019, Advocate , he never mentioned to t
CA LSWP Collaborative Winning at Wellness AND National CACFP Week 2021Child and Adult Care Food Program - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)
CA LSWP Collaborative Winning at Wellness - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) CA LSWP Collaborative Winning at Wellness On Tuesday, March 16, at 10 a.m., the California (CA) Local School Wellness Policy (LSWP) Collaborative will discuss the comprehensive health needs of students highlighting three specific examples of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model in action in the com
Defamiliarizing the Idea of the Modern: Where Do We Begin World History?
Defamiliarizing the Idea of the Modern: Where Do We Begin World History? By Paul Horton . No question is more puzzling to teachers of World or Global History than, when did the modern world begin? We inherited this question from the hand-me-down versions of Western Civilization and European history that served as the foundations for World History as it gradually evolved away from the “Rise of th
CONSTRUCTING UNICORN BARNS – Dad Gone Wild
CONSTRUCTING UNICORN BARNS “These stories aren’t told for the same reason you can’t go to the circus and see yetis riding on unicorns while playing bagpipes built out of skittles.” – Peter Greene, CURMUDGUCATION I have two kids enrolled in MNPS. One is in 5th, the other in 6th grade. Both are remaining virtual for the duration of this school year. My thinking is, back in August I enrolled them i
Poetry of Pain, Poetry of Hope – radical eyes for equity
Poetry of Pain, Poetry of Hope When I posted my newest poem yesterday, we weathered winter (silence & shouting) , I realized this is my first poem of 2021. It is unusual since it is mostly a poem of hope, a poem uniquely set in the Covid-19 pandemic. As I looked back, I also realized that the last poem of 2020 was about my aunt’s suicide, a human throat (ineffable) , a poem of pain anchored to t
They are gutting the most important privacy law you never heard of. | Parent Coalition for Student Privacy
THEY ARE GUTTING THE MOST IMPORTANT PRIVACY LAW YOU NEVER HEARD OF These Republican lawmakers have introduced bills to weaken privacy. You should have a choice whether a company uses photos of you or your family; you should be told when a company provides thousands of other companies and government entities access to photos of you. There should be a law against this invasive use of your image an
SPOTLIGHT BLOG OF THE WEEK JAN RESSEGER BLOG
janresseger janresseger "That all citizens will be given an equal start through a sound education is one of the most basic, promised rights of our democracy. Our chronic refusal as a nation to guarantee that right for all children…. is rooted in a kind of moral blindness, or at least a failure of moral imagination…. It is a failure which threatens our future as a nation of citizens called to a co
Education Matters: CATCH UP WITH MR. G - THIS WEEK IN DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS DCPS
Education Matters CATCH UP WITH MR. G THIS WEEK IN DUVAL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS DCPS In Florida its trade scholarships for vouchers and everyone loses. 24 by Unknown / 2d Among many of the bad education bills making their way through Tallahassee perhaps the worst are SB 48, a bill expanding vouchers, and senate bill 86, curtailing bright futures. On the surface, it might seem like once you get pas
THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it
Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it. CONSTRUCTING UNICORN BARNS by TC Weber / 18h “These stories aren’t told for the same reason you can’t go to the circus and see yetis riding on unicorns while playing bagpipes built out of skittles.” – Peter Greene, CURMUDGUCATION I have two kids enrolled in MNPS. One is in 5th, the other in 6th grade. Both are remaining virtual for the durati
TENNESSEE EDUCATION REPORT
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California Department of Education SSPI TONY THURMOND STUFF THIS WEEK FROM THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION National CACFP Week 2021 12h The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division (NSD) is pleased to invite Child and Adult Food Program (CACFP) operators to celebrate National CACFP Week, March 14–20, 2021! CA LSWP Collaborative Winning at Wellness 12h The Califo
THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER
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THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007
Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Saturday’s Must-Read Articles On School Reopenings by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h geralt / Pixabay Here are new additions to THE BEST POSTS PREDICTING WHAT SCHOOLS WILL LOOK LIKE IN THE FALL (you might also be interested in SCHOOLS WENT REMOTE A YEAR AGO – HERE ARE MY CHOICES FOR THE BEST PIECES WRITTEN ABOUT
KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all #REDFORED #tbats #REOPENSCHOOLSSAFELY #openonlywhensafe #CANCELTHETEST
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all Biden’s Rescue Plan Will Cut Child Poverty in Half! by dianeravitch / 38min Joe Biden just signed the most sweeping economic relief package since the New Deal. He has addressed poverty and inequality directly and fearlessly. Trump could boast of

YESTERDAY

 Big Education Ape

Rep. Jamaal Bowman Sees Climate As The Next Big Education Push After COVID-19 Reopenings | HuffPost

Rep. Jamaal Bowman Sees Climate As The Next Big Education Push After COVID-19 Reopenings | HuffPost
Rep. Jamaal Bowman Sees Climate As The Next Big Education Push After COVID-19 Reopenings
The New York Democrat is endorsing a $1.16 trillion plan to retrofit school buildings to be cleaner and greener and to hire more teachers.





The federal government is set to spend nearly $200 billion to safely reopen schools, boost state spending on low-income school programs and increase financial aid at universities as part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act.

To Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), that spending looks more like triage than investment. On Saturday, the first-term congressman is set to unveil a $1.16 trillion proposal to fund climate-friendly retrofits at every K-12 public school in the nation, hire and train more teachers, and beef up funding for low-income and disability-focused programs.

Before COVID-19 killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and made in-person classes unsafe, nearly 8,000 public schools sat within 500 feet of highways, truck routes and other traffic-clogged roads where roughly 4.4 million students breathed air filled with toxic levels of exhaust pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that nearly 1 in 5 schools has at least one classroom with unsafe levels of radon, a radioactive gas that causes lung cancer. Countless more schools struggle with mold, toxic building materials and excessive heat, particularly as climate change worsens heat waves.  

The proposal aims to spend $250 billion over 10 years to retrofit schools, remediating lead and asbestos, equipping facilities with solar panels and batteries, and increasing energy efficiency and air circulation. Once those upgrades are complete, it would slash emissions of planet-heating carbon dioxide by at least 29 million tons per year, the CONTINUE READING: Rep. Jamaal Bowman Sees Climate As The Next Big Education Push After COVID-19 Reopenings | HuffPost

Jersey Jazzman: Lakewood, NJ: Where Public Schools Are Left To Wither, Part II

Jersey Jazzman: Lakewood, NJ: Where Public Schools Are Left To Wither, Part II
Lakewood, NJ: Where Public Schools Are Left To Wither, Part II




Here's Part I of this series.


In this series, I'm taking a look at Lakewood, NJ, with an eye toward what might happen if more communities abandon their public schools and, instead, embrace the idea of school "choice." Lakewood, in a state by some accounts with the highest ranked public schools in the nation, is a town where the vast majority of families choose to send their children to private schools.


The Star-Ledger explained what's driving this phenomenon back in 2017:
Lakewood has more than 6,300 students registered in its public schools and another 30,000 mostly Orthodox Jewish students enrolled in the town's 130 private schools. Under state law, towns must fund buses for students attending private schools more than two miles from their houses.

In the upcoming school year, Lakewood expects to spend $27 million on busing alone, more than it spends on classroom instruction, according to the school budget.

Town leaders say Lakewood is severely underfunded by the state, which does not consider the busing of large numbers of private school students when calculating how much state aid the district receives. A permanent source of school funding for busing and special ed would ease many of the town's problems, said Rabbi Aaron Kotler, one of the leaders of the Orthodox Jewish community.

"It would also make Lakewood a place where you wouldn't have people feeling that your children's future is at risk due to a budget problem," Kotler said.
As we'll see throughout this series, the argument that Lakewood is "severely underfunded by the state" is open to debate. For now, let's do what regular readers know always comes CONTINUE READING: 
Jersey Jazzman: Lakewood, NJ: Where Public Schools Are Left To Wither, Part II

Success Academy Charter Chain Ordered to Pay $2.4 Million to SPED Families | Diane Ravitch's blog

Success Academy Charter Chain Ordered to Pay $2.4 Million to SPED Families | Diane Ravitch's blog
Success Academy Charter Chain Ordered to Pay $2.4 Million to SPED Families



Success Academy charter network was directed by a federal district court judge to pay $2.4 million to families whose children with disabilities were pushed out.

Charter school network Success Academy, which touts its commitment to children “from all backgrounds,” has been ordered to pay over $2.4 million on a Judgment in a case brought by families of five young Black students with learning and other disabilities who sued after the children were pushed out of a Success Academy school in Brooklyn. Success Academy’s efforts to oust the children even included the creation of a “Got to Go” list, as reported by the New York Times in October 2015, which singled out the students they wanted to push out, including the five child plaintiffs.

The lawsuit, brought by New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Advocates for Justice, and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, concluded on March 10, 2021 with Senior United States District Judge Frederic Block’s ruling, which included a precedent-setting determination that federal CONTINUE READING: Success Academy Charter Chain Ordered to Pay $2.4 Million to SPED Families | Diane Ravitch's blog

Progress Monitoring … But Whose Progress Are We Monitoring? – Grumpy Old Teacher

Progress Monitoring … But Whose Progress Are We Monitoring? – Grumpy Old Teacher
Progress Monitoring … But Whose Progress Are We Monitoring?




What few people ever want to talk about is how 20 plus years of ed reform has taken the focus off the purpose of education. It’s easy to see why; when a person tries to convince parents and the public that public education, a/k/a the traditional school system of neighborhood schools managed by an elected school board, is the best option, that person doesn’t want to admit that those schools (under the pressure of test-and-punish laws that began in 2001 with No Child Left Behind) are focused on the needs of adults, not the children who show up to learn.

We do a lot of progress monitoring in schools, which does not mean that teachers are carefully gauging how well their students are doing, but does mean that we do a lot of ill-timed, poorly written, state-test-guessing-as-to-what-May’s-questions-will-look-like assessment of children.

It’s like school improvement plans. Have you ever looked at one? In Florida, the state-mandated exercise that takes place every year asks each school to document how they will raise test scores. They pretend it’s about making CONTINUE READING: Progress Monitoring … But Whose Progress Are We Monitoring? – Grumpy Old Teacher



The American Rescue Plan: A First Deposit Toward a Racial Equity Stimulus | Schott Foundation for Public Education

The American Rescue Plan: A First Deposit Toward a Racial Equity Stimulus | Schott Foundation for Public Education
The American Rescue Plan: A First Deposit Toward a Racial Equity Stimulus



The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, passed by both houses of Congress and signed by President Biden, is a watershed moment. That such legislation has become law — that our federal government acted decisively with a bill targeted to aid low- and middle-income families — evokes equal parts inspiration and relief in its radical departure from previous trickle-down approaches that have increased inequality and racial injustice.

The Rescue Plan is a desperately needed life preserver for countless Americans, but what does it mean to be pulled from treacherous waters onto a leaking ship? As the end of the pandemic appears on the horizon and the federal government, states and localities rightfully deploy their fiscal resources to move the country forward, we must ensure that the society we return to isn’t the same inequitable and unjust outcomes we left in 2019.

Racial Equity Stimulus framework on the order of $10-12 trillion is what’s needed to properly tackle the structures of white supremacy built into our society, and the Rescue Plan proves two things: one, that far-reaching reforms can be made a reality; and two, that such reforms are widely popular with the American people.

The history of the United States is punctuated by transformative moments led by visionary acts of government: Reconstruction, the New Deal, the Great Society. These moments weren’t brought forth by unique, superhuman officials. They may be catalyzed by a crisis, but they are shaped by organizing and demanding change, and policymakers willing to rise to the occasion. In addition to the past year’s historic mass racial justice mobilizations, mutual aid and elections, the passage of the Rescue Plan is yet more evidence that we find ourselves in just such a transformative moment. What we must do now is CONTINUE READING: The American Rescue Plan: A First Deposit Toward a Racial Equity Stimulus | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Flast v. Cohen (1968) - Part Three: Consider This The Hint Of The Century | Blue Cereal Education

Flast v. Cohen (1968) - Part Three: Consider This The Hint Of The Century | Blue Cereal Education
Flast v. Cohen (1968) - Part Three: Consider This The Hint Of The Century




Recap of Part One:

Tax TimeThe Supreme Court explained in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Mellon (1923) that simply being a taxpayer didn’t give one the right to protest government actions – even potentially unconstitutional ones – in the courts. There were simply too many “what ifs” between the individual taxpayer sending in their $20 and any one specific expenditure.

In the 1960s, the Court began framing the Establishment Clause as something fundamentally different than the other protections in the Bill of Rights. As a result, arguments that this particular clause was being violated were sometimes handled with a different set of rules than other types of claims.

Recap of Part Two:

In Flast v. Cohen (1968), a group of taxpayers objected to the use of public funds to provide secular textbooks for sectarian schools. With any other issue, being taxpayers wouldn’t be sufficient to establish standing. When it came to Establishment Clause issues, however… maybe it kinda was?

The Supreme Court determined that there was nothing in the Constitution barring federal taxpayers from challenging taxing and spending they believed to be unconstitutional when they could demonstrate their fundamental constitutional rights were being violated in the process. In practice, this turned out to apply only when the Establishment Clause was involved. Establishment violations can also occur for non-taxpayers based on “unwanted exposure” to government-promoted religious messages.

The “Lemon Test” informally established in Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) set up a three-part checklist for determining whether or not a government action was constitutional: it must have a valid, secular legislative purpose, it’s principal effect can neither inhibit nor advance religion, and it must not create an “excessive government entanglement” CONTINUE READING: Flast v. Cohen (1968) - Part Three: Consider This The Hint Of The Century | Blue Cereal Education

American Rescue Plan makes biggest education investment in U.S. history, cuts child poverty in half - Education Votes

American Rescue Plan makes biggest education investment in U.S. history, cuts child poverty in half - Education Votes
American Rescue Plan makes biggest education investment in U.S. history, cuts child poverty in half



President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law on March 11, the day after Congress finally passed it. The $1.9 trillion stimulus package will provide critical funding for public schools, create and support millions of jobs, cut child poverty in half, make health care more affordable, and put this pandemic behind us.

“This historic legislation not only provides the resources to help every school building put in place the effective measures needed to keep students and educators safe; it also makes extraordinary investments that will lift countless children and families out of poverty and works to address the immense inequities that have systematically affected the most vulnerable students and communities of color,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. The bill provides economic relief, updates vaccination efforts, and helps educators and students return to in-person learning.

Over the past months, NEA members and activists wrote hundreds of thousands of messages and placed thousands of calls to their senators and representatives advocating for Congress to pass this package that will include the single largest investment ever in education funding, providing nearly $170 billion to public schools. READ MORE American Rescue Plan makes biggest education investment in U.S. history, cuts child poverty in half - Education Votes

Marie Corfield: The 'New' Normal Post-Covid - Are YOU Ready?

Marie Corfield: The 'New' Normal Post-Covid - Are YOU Ready?
The 'New' Normal Post-Covid - Are YOU Ready?



If you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump out. If you put a frog in tepid water and slowly raise the heat, it will boil to death. - Unknown

Photo Credit: Nick Fewings

Covid-19 has been raising the heat on all of us for a year. Stress, depression and anxiety have paralyzed millions. Personally, I've battled all three. As someone who lived much of my life in a state of chronic stress, I very quickly became that frog again and didn't realize it until I was almost ready to be served as an appetizer. I was sleeping either too much or too little, watching the same ten pounds turn my bathroom scale into a seesaw, and despite having almost twenty years of teaching experience under my belt, there were days when I just burst into tears because virtual teaching is just. so. hard. Even though I had Covid-19 and its accompanying brain fog, I've also had what Ellen Cushing, writing in The Atlanticcalls the Covid "fog of forgetting" that has crept into our brains simply from living in quasi-isolation for so long:

Everywhere I turn, the fog of forgetting has crept in. A friend of mine recently confessed that the morning routine he’d comfortably maintained for a decade—wake up before 7, shower, dress, get on the subway—now feels unimaginable on a literal level: He cannot put himself back there. Another has CONTINUE READING: Marie Corfield: The 'New' Normal Post-Covid - Are YOU Ready?

Should KIPP Be Allowed to Build a School on a Toxic Waste Site? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Should KIPP Be Allowed to Build a School on a Toxic Waste Site? | Diane Ravitch's blog
Should KIPP Be Allowed to Build a School on a Toxic Waste Site?



The tiny city of Cudahy, California, is locked in battle with the mega-powerful KIPP charter chain over KIPP’s determination to build a charter school on a toxic waste site. KIPP is avoiding the usual environmental review that would be required for public schools. Local environmental activists and parents are raising money to fight the KIPP machine.

Larry Buhl writes in “Capital & Main”:

At issue are a state law allowing different building standards for different types of schools, and a planning code, obscure to most local residents, that allows a charter school company to build a new school without thoroughly cleaning up the site’s alleged toxins.

Using a process that allows the company to skirt state environmental rules, KIPP SoCal Public Schools plans to build a new elementary school on land that its own reports show contains toxic substances including lead and arsenic. The company can do that because the CONTINUE READING: Should KIPP Be Allowed to Build a School on a Toxic Waste Site? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Farewell, Carranza | JD2718

Farewell, Carranza | JD2718
Farewell, Carranza



Yesterday was Richard Carranza’s last day. He won’t be missed.

Sadly.

Because he arrived with good intentions. He arrived with a good attitude. He seemed friendly towards teachers.

But he was probably not ready for New York City, and definitely not for the NYC Department of Education.

His hires were semi-qualified cronies, and insiders pushed on him by City Hall. Anything he attempted bogged down almost immediately. Moving through the DoE bureaucracy is like trying to walk through a river of molasses. And ham-fisted de Blasio was calling many of the (wrong) shots.

We expected much change on instruction for children whose first language is not English. And there was the issue of school segregation…

On ESL, a leader who gets it!  Ready to undo the lousy policies he inherited! (from the state, but also how the city coped with it). Where’s the progress? Where? Nowhere.

The integration initiatives were way overdue. He rolled out de Blasio’s specialized high school initiative about as clumsily as he could have. But that was de Blasio. They caught allies off guard. They angered CONTINUE READING: Farewell, Carranza | JD2718

John White and Co: What Are They Up to Now? | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

John White and Co: What Are They Up to Now? | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog
John White and Co: What Are They Up to Now?



John White’s time as Louisiana state superintendent officially ended on March 12, 2020, after eight years of his wreaking opaque, ed-reform havoc on Louisiana public education.

Two years prior to his exit, in June 2018, White co-founded an education nonprofit, Propel America. However, according to the April 30, 2019, Advocate, he never mentioned to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) that he co-founded a nonprofit– even as his nonprofit was piloting its career path product in Louisiana.

Propel America has the following mission statement:

Propel brings together high schools, community colleges, and employers in a unified system of skill-building, job placement, and ongoing planning for young adults. The model includes a “core course” in or directly after high school, in which students determine their job pathway and begin to prepare for it. Propel then covers the cost of job training, pays a modest stipend, provides mentorship and support, and guarantees a job interview for any “Propel fellow” who successfully completes their training. This process empowers recent high school graduates with the skills, credentials, experiences, and social networks to attain a well-paying job within one year, with opportunities for advancement and higher education. 

That’s a lot of effort to drop the ball with a promise of only a single job interview, but it sure reads impressive if one glosses over this critical, weak link. But back to White and some other “fellows,” if you will. 

On December 17, 2019, Lousiana Department of Education (LDOE) assistant superintendent of policy and governmental affairs, Erin Bendily, left LDOE to go work for White’s nonprofit. The LDOE press release downplayed White’s role (“a CONTINUE READING: John White and Co: What Are They Up to Now? | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog