Monday, April 5, 2021

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Monday, April 5, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #openonlywhensafe #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES

Idaho should not support private schools - https://idahoednews.org/67h2Q via @idahoednews

Scholars show how to challenge voucher discrimination – School Matters - https://inschoolmatters.wordpress.com/2021/04/05/scholars-show-how-to-challenge-voucher-discrimination/amp/?__twitter_impression=true via @SteveHinnefeld

My student was shot dead on the first warm day of the year. He is more than a victim. - Chalkbeat Philadelphia - https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/4/5/22361320/antonio-walker-track-star-philadelphia on chalkbeat

LA Progressive - https://feedly.com/i/entry/RyCRJa45AzAZY+UDp6MyhryIEqSG30o7yqtI0VXkAGQ=_178a25b175a:2d87dda:de69aeb4

Conservatives lose their minds after Dr. Jill Biden wears tights with designs on them http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/LzhN_6K2eR4/

6 McClatchy student-athletes test positive for COVID-19 https://www.kcra.com/article/6-mcclatchy-student-athletes-test-positive-covid-19/36008331

Federal stimulus money won't replace NJ school aid | NJ Spotlight News - https://www.njspotlight.com/2021/04/federal-stimulus-funds-school-funding-formula-lost-state-school-aid-nj-senate-bill-s-2/ via @njspotlight

Vile racist death threats led the FBI to a student loan scamming operation: report http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/lidvKilG1mY/

L.A. Unified to open 25 community vaccination clinics as part of school reopenings http://feeds.latimes.com/~r/lanowblog/~3/o_92A4RDO5k/la-unified-opening-25-community-vaccination-clinics-at-schools

St. Paul, Minneapolis open summer school to all students - https://wp.me/p79gJ9-gbgP on @pioneerpress

Teachers Are Watching Students' Screens During Remote Learning. Is That Invasion of Privacy? - https://www.edweek.org/technology/are-remote-classroom-management-tools-that-let-teachers-see-students-computer-screens-intrusive/2021/04#new_tab by @Stephen_Sawchuk on @educationweek

Fed Up With Remote Learning, Governors Make a Push to Reopen Schools - The New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/03/us/covid-schools-governors-reopening.html#new_tab on @nytimes

Trial date set for historic Pa. school funding lawsuit; ‘It has been a long road to get here’ - pennlive.com - https://www.pennlive.com/news/2021/04/trial-date-set-for-historic-pa-school-funding-lawsuit-it-has-been-a-long-road-to-get-here.html#new_tab on @pennlive

Beyond just reopening schools, many parents want full-time in-person learning - The San Diego Union-Tribune - https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/education/story/2021-04-04/beyond-just-reopening-schools-many-parents-want-full-time-in-person-learning#new_tab by @Kristen_Taketa on @sdut

Amid NY budget talks, hope of charter school expansion appears DOA - https://wp.me/pb3Qpq-1cpGY by @nypmetro on @nypost

Texas parents sue Katy ISD for keeping mask mandate | The Texas Tribune - https://www.texastribune.org/2021/04/02/texas-katy-isd-mask-lawsuit/#new_tab by @neelambohratx on @TexasTribune

The Black Lives Matter Curriculum Has an Unintended Lesson - The Atlantic - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/black-lives-matter-curriculum-has-unintended-lesson/618501/#new_tab on @theatlantic

Schools plan full-time classes for fall - The Washington Post - https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/schools-fall-plans/2021/03/30/0fb982a8-8daf-11eb-a730-1b4ed9656258_story.html#new_tab

The participant effects of private school vouchers around the globe: a meta-analytic and systematic review: School Effectiveness and School Improvement: Vol 0, No 0 - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09243453.2021.1906283#new_tab on @tandfonline

‘I miss school’: 800m children still not fully back in classes | Education | The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/apr/05/schools-800-million-children-education-disrupted#new_tab on @guardian

Bill increases tax credits for Accountability Act donors | Alabama Daily News - https://www.aldailynews.com/?p=93645 via @ALDailyNews

With new aid, schools seek solutions to problems new and old - https://apnews.com/article/us-news-health-coronavirus-pandemic-mental-health-cdd7728bc85968866d9c8eca23ce5034#new_tab on @ap

Controversial class assignment on Derek Chauvin trial removed from Cedar Hill High School | wfaa.com - https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/education/controversial-class-assignment-on-derek-chauvin-trial-george-floyd-removed-from-cedar-hill-high-school/287-b0299dee-f79d-474b-a7a1-c1fd39e5a596#new_tab on wfaa

These schools are planning free summer camps and teacher pay rises with stimulus money - CNN - https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/05/us/oklahoma-tulsa-schools-stimulus-funds-wellness/index.html#new_tab

Teacher Tom: Teaching Young Children, the Interplay of Minds, and (Of Course) Fighting Imperialism

by Mike Simpson / 5min

Teaching Young Children, the Interplay of Minds, and (Of Course) Fighting Imperialism In Marshall McLuhan's book The Gutenberg Galaxy , he is concerned with the affects of media on humans, taking a deep look, in part, at how the adoption of the phonetic alphabet dramatically changed our relationship to the world. "When words are written, they become, of course, a part of the visual world. Like m

Cameron Vickrey: What’s the End Game with School Choice in Texas? | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Cameron Vickrey: What’s the End Game with School Choice in Texas? Cameron Vickrey is associate director of Pastors for Texas Children. In this opinion article published in the San Antonio Express-News , she asks the important question: What’s the end game with the privatization push? Texas has 5 million children in public schools, and about 356,000 in charter schools. The drive for vouchers has

Is This Who We Want on the Textbook Commission? – Tennessee Education Report

by Mike Simpson / 34min

IS THIS WHO WE WANT ON THE TEXTBOOK COMMISSION? A national civil rights group is calling on the Tennessee Senate to reject the appointment of Laurie Cardoza-Moore to state’s Textbook Commission in light of her anti-Muslim views and her propensity to peddle conspiracy theories. Here’s more from a press release: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil ri

Maurice Cunningham: The Rise of an Astroturf Rightwing “Parents” Group | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Maurice Cunningham: The Rise of an Astroturf Rightwing “Parents” Group Maurice Cunningham is professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts. He specializes in unmasking Dark Money groups. He writes: Radical Right Ramps Up War on School Boards, Superintendents, Principals, and Teachers A new professedly “grassroots” group called Parents Defending Education has joined the right

Why the Common Core standards failed — and what it means for school reform - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Why the Common Core standards failed — and what it means for school reform A new book tells the story The Common Core State Standards was one of the biggest initiatives in decades aimed at changing public education — and like many school “reforms” in the era of high-stakes standardized testing, it did not accomplish what its promoters said it would. (Harvard Education Press) How and why that hap

Washington Teachers' Union president Liz Davis dies in car crash - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union, killed in car crash on Easter Sunday Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union, was killed in a two-car crash in Prince George’s County Sunday night, the union confirmed Monday. She was 70. Davis was driving south in the Bowie area near Route 301 and Harbor Way when her car and another car driven by John Starr, 68,

Secretary of Education Joins Senator Warren and Senator Schumer for Discussion With Student Loan Borrowers and Advocates + HBCU Capital Finance Debt | U.S. Department of Education

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Secretary of Education Joins Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Chuck Schumer for a Roundtable Discussion With Student Loan Borrowers and Advocates | U.S. Department of Education Secretary of Education Joins Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Chuck Schumer for a Roundtable Discussion With Student Loan Borrowers and Advocates Today, Secretary Cardona joined a roundtable discussion alongside Se

The most effective civil rights protest that you probably never heard of | Eclectablog

by Mike Simpson / 34min

The most effective civil rights protest that you probably never heard of In 1977, the longest occupation of a federal building in the history of the United States of America took place and, when it ended, the protesters had achieved what nobody thought possible: regulations covering the enforcement of a four-year old law — Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The protest is now called

A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 #tBATs

by Mike Simpson / 34min

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 A VERY BUSY DAY Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 THIS WEEK IN EDUCATION Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/this-week-in-education-larry-f

Idaho: Vouchers Violate the State Constitution | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Idaho: Vouchers Violate the State Constitution Two prominent Idaho citizens, Jim Jones and Rod Gramer, warned that proposed voucher legislation violates the clear language of the Idaho state constitution and threatens the future of public schools. Jim Jones is the former Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court and former Idaho Attorney General and Rod Gramer is president of Idaho Business for E

A Year Ago, Today | JD2718

by Mike Simpson / 2h

A Year Ago, Today A Year Ago Today – COVID hit close | JD2718 - https://wp.me/pOjh-28H on @wordpressdotcom I didn’t learn about Tom Waters’ death until almost a week after the date, April 4, 2020. Tom’s son was my student. He was more of a humanities kid, but did fine in two courses. His final project for an elective, Combinatorics, was a nicely presented bijection between parenthesization and D

It Really Does Matter | okeducationtruths

by Mike Simpson / 2h

It Really Does Matter Sometimes when I follow the happenings of the Oklahoma Legislature, I just shake my head and repeat the mantra I learned from that 1979 Bill Murray classic, Meatballs . So far, the First Session of the 58th Oklahoma Legislature is shaping up to be as bad – if not worse – than the First Session of the 53rd. Let’s review. The 2010 election brought us Gov. Fallin and State Sup

Education Matters: Parents opt your students out of Florida's high stakes tests

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Parents opt your students out of Florida's high stakes tests I am finishing my 21st year teaching in Duval County Public schools. I have seen a lot, but without a doubt, the worst and what must go is the state's reliance on high-stakes testing, This is especially relevant as DCPS starts testing season. I call it a season because it will last for weeks. Students at private schools that accept vou

Getting Ahead on Easter | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

by Mike Simpson / 4h

Getting Ahead on Easter Evangelical Christianity in the political sphere is not pretty sight. The world has watched the hardness, harshness, and hypocrisy of self-righteousness on display in the name of some desired political end (not the least of which has been gaining and remaining in power), all of which bespeaks a lack of understanding about Jesus Himself. I won’t pretend to address the enti

YESTERDAY

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Sunday, April 4, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #openonlywhensafe #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform #HAPPYEASTER

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES California teachers’ latest demand: Free childcare https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/04/california-teachers-childcare-coronavirus-478972 Migrant families are leaving D.C.’s public schools. Will they return? https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-english-learners-enrollment-down/2021/04/03/69232afa-8cfc-11eb-9423-04079921c

CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Easter Edition (4/4)

by Mike Simpson / 1d

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Easter Edition (4/4) Easter Edition This is a hard day for the folks at my house. Easter is a big deal, with music and family breakfast and a bunch of things that we will not have yet again this year. But

Big Education Ape

Teacher Tom: Teaching Young Children, the Interplay of Minds, and (Of Course) Fighting Imperialism

Teaching Young Children, the Interplay of Minds, and (Of Course) Fighting Imperialism

In Marshall McLuhan's book The Gutenberg Galaxy, he is concerned with the affects of media on humans, taking a deep look, in part, at how the adoption of the phonetic alphabet dramatically changed our relationship to the world.

"When words are written, they become, of course, a part of the visual world. Like most of the elements of the visual world they become static things and lose, as such, the dynamism which is so characteristic of the auditory world in general, and of the spoken word in particular."

He argues that with the advent of the printing press and the widespread literacy that followed, the balance of our senses has shifted so that our visual sense has come to dominate, pushing our other senses to the background. Whereas pre-literate humans were more attuned to all their senses, modern humans have become increasingly reliant upon seeing. "Seeing is believing," we say, but for preliterate humans reality seems to reside far more in what is heard than what is said. Modern humans are conditioned to disregard much of our aural world, favoring the visual because that, we've come to believe, is where the most significance lies.

McLuhan makes the case that this narrowing of our CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: Teaching Young Children, the Interplay of Minds, and (Of Course) Fighting Imperialism

Cameron Vickrey: What’s the End Game with School Choice in Texas? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Cameron Vickrey: What’s the End Game with School Choice in Texas?

Cameron Vickrey is associate director of Pastors for Texas Children. In this opinion article published in the San Antonio Express-News, she asks the important question: What’s the end game with the privatization push? Texas has 5 million children in public schools, and about 356,000 in charter schools. The drive for vouchers has been blocked thus far by parents, the Pastors, and a legislative combination of rural Republicans and urban Democrats. But Texas is now ground zero for the charter lobby. Why? Betsy DeVos is one reason: As U.S. Secretary of Education, she poured hundreds of millions of dollars from the federal Charter School Program into corporate chains in Texas, such as IDEA and KIPP. And, Texas has its own home-grown billionaires and libertarians eager to destroy the public schools.

She writes:

Let’s have a serious conversation about the purpose of school choice.

A recent Senate Committee on Education hearing in the Texas Legislature revealed a fundamental divergence in CONTINUE READING: Cameron Vickrey: What’s the End Game with School Choice in Texas? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Is This Who We Want on the Textbook Commission? – Tennessee Education Report

IS THIS WHO WE WANT ON THE TEXTBOOK COMMISSION?

A national civil rights group is calling on the Tennessee Senate to reject the appointment of Laurie Cardoza-Moore to state’s Textbook Commission in light of her anti-Muslim views and her propensity to peddle conspiracy theories.

Here’s more from a press release:

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today renewed its call for Tennessee to drop consideration of anti-Muslim activist and possible 9/11 truther Laurie Cardoza-Moore to that state’s Textbook and Instructional Materials Quality Commission. Cardoza-Moore leads the Franklin, Tenn., group Proclaiming Justice to the Nations (PJTN).

Last Fall, CAIR called on Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton to rescind Cardoza-Moore’s appointment.

SEE: CAIR Calls on Tennessee House Speaker to Rescind Appointment of Anti-Muslim Activist to Textbook Commission

CAIR Calls on Tennessee House Speaker to Rescind Appointment of Anti-Muslim Activist to Textbook Commission

The Tennessee Senate Education Committee voted 7-1 Wednesday to move Cardoza-Moore appointment forward. Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis) voted against the CONTINUE READING: Is This Who We Want on the Textbook Commission? – Tennessee Education Report

Maurice Cunningham: The Rise of an Astroturf Rightwing “Parents” Group | Diane Ravitch's blog

Maurice Cunningham: The Rise of an Astroturf Rightwing “Parents” Group

Maurice Cunningham is professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts. He specializes in unmasking Dark Money groups.

He writes:

Radical Right Ramps Up War on School Boards, Superintendents, Principals, and Teachers

A new professedly “grassroots” group called Parents Defending Education has joined the right wing assault on public education. It combines white supremacy with a vicious plan to launch personal attacks on elected officials, administrators, and teachers. Just another day in corporate education reform.

This group says it is fighting to restore “healthy, non-political education for our kids.” What they mean is anything that critically examines America’s racial history or present. 1619 is out, Trump’s 1776 project to promote “patriotic education” is in. Ibram X. Kendi and anti-racism? Definitely out. Wally and the Beav, in.

Parents Defending Education is a campaign to direct and manage attacks on educators who candidly CONTINUE READING: Maurice Cunningham: The Rise of an Astroturf Rightwing “Parents” Group | Diane Ravitch's blog

Why the Common Core standards failed — and what it means for school reform - The Washington Post

Why the Common Core standards failed — and what it means for school reform

A new book tells the story

The Common Core State Standards was one of the biggest initiatives in decades aimed at changing public education — and like many school “reforms” in the era of high-stakes standardized testing, it did not accomplish what its promoters said it would.

How and why that happened is the subject of a new book by Tom Loveless, an expert on student achievement, testing, education policy and K-12 school reform — “Between The State And The Schoolhouse: Understanding The Failure of Common Core.” Below is an excerpt.

Common Core was an initiative to create and implement new math and English language arts standards that would be used by all schools. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded their creation, and they were promoted by the Obama administration.

Then-Education Secretary Arne Duncan used a federal grant program, Race to the Top, to pressure states to adopt them — and the vast majority did during Obama’s first term. The Obama administration spent some $360 million for two multistate consortia to develop new Core-related standardized tests, with Duncan promising that the new tests would be “an absolute game-changer” in public education. They weren’t. CONTINUE READING: Why the Common Core standards failed — and what it means for school reform - The Washington Post

Washington Teachers' Union president Liz Davis dies in car crash - The Washington Post

Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union, killed in car crash on Easter Sunday

Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers’ Union, was killed in a two-car crash in Prince George’s County Sunday night, the union confirmed Monday.

She was 70.

Davis was driving south in the Bowie area near Route 301 and Harbor Way when her car and another car driven by John Starr, 68, of Annapolis, collided, Maryland State Police said.

Davis was taken to Prince George’s Hospital where she later died. Starr died at the scene, police said.

Known as Liz to her colleagues and friends, Davis was elected to one of the city’s most powerful labor positions in 2013, and had spent the last year leading the more than 4,000-person union through a year of unprecedented school closures amid the pandemic. She had previously been a teacher for four decades, working at a half dozen or so schools during her career.

“President Davis has been at the forefront of public education advocacy and reform,” a statement from the union read. “We are confident that her legacy will continue to shape the WTU as well as education across the District.”

Mayor Muriel E. Bowser held a moment of silence at her biweekly press conference Monday and called her “a champion.”

Davis was a straight-talking and tireless old-school organizer who helped to revamp the beleaguered union when she took it over, imbuing it with a broad social justice mandate.

Teachers frequently would get frustrated because Davis allowed everyone to speak at union meetings, making them drag into the late evening hours. And she was known to give every teacher her cell phone CONTINUE READING: Washington Teachers' Union president Liz Davis dies in car crash - The Washington Post

Secretary of Education Joins Senator Warren and Senator Schumer for Discussion With Student Loan Borrowers and Advocates + HBCU Capital Finance Debt | U.S. Department of Education

Secretary of Education Joins Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Chuck Schumer for a Roundtable Discussion With Student Loan Borrowers and Advocates | U.S. Department of Education

Secretary of Education Joins Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Chuck Schumer for a Roundtable Discussion With Student Loan Borrowers and Advocates

Today, Secretary Cardona joined a roundtable discussion alongside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Elizabeth Warren to listen as student loan borrowers and advocates shared their stories about the impact student loan debt has had on their lives. The borrowers and advocates included a veteran father of five who was misled by a for-profit college, a recent college graduate, and a mother whose student loan debt led her to experience homelessness. The Secretary listened, asked questions of the advocates and promised to take the information he learned and the stories he heard back to the Department of Education to inform many of the future decisions regarding student loan debt.

"What I am hearing from you all is not only that there is this cloud hanging over your heads, but also that there is this great emotional impact which has severely interrupted your lives. This burden has created a generational impact of distress," said Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "Behind every case, there's a family, there's a person, there's a story. All of you sharing your stories helps to create a picture of what this is. There's work to be done. I'm committed to this, and your stories have strengthened my resolve to do as much as I can to support you and students like you."

Secretary of Education Joins Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Chuck Schumer for a Roundtable Discussion With Student Loan Borrowers and Advocates | U.S. Department of Education

Department of Education Discharges Over $1.6 billion in HBCU Capital Finance Debt

The U.S. Department of Education recently discharged approximately $1.6 billion of debt provided to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that participate in the HBCU Capital Financing Program. This action will provide debt relief to 45 HBCUs – 13 public institutions and 32 private institutions.

"Our HBCUs have long been on an uneven playing field, financially, as compared to many other postsecondary institutions," said Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "This relief will further support these mission-critical institutions and help to ensure they have more resources to educate and graduate students during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic."

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) signed into law in December 2020 provided authority and funding to discharge debts held by HBCUs under the HBCU Capital Financing Program. In combination with funds provided in the American Rescue Plan, signed by President Biden on March 11, 2021, and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), HBCUs will also receive more than $5 billion through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund programs.

Since 1994, the HBCU Capital Financing Program has provided low-cost loans to finance and refinance infrastructure improvements at the nation's HBCUs.

Discharging these debts helps enable these institutions to focus their resources on supporting students, faculty, and staff for the duration of the COVID-19 national emergency. HBCUs can dedicate more funds to innovating the academic experience, supporting the socio-emotional development of their students, and continue as the leading producers of Black doctors and teachers during a time when the United States needs them most.

Institutions Receiving HBCU Capital Finance Debt Discharges

Alabama A&M University
Allen University
Alabama State University
Arkansas Baptist College
Saint Augustine's University
Benedict College
Bennett College
Bethune–Cookman University
Barber-Scotia College
Central State University
Claflin University
Clark Atlanta University
Florida A&M University
Florida Memorial University
Grambling State University
Hampton University
Harris–Stowe State University
Huston-Tillotson University
Jarvis Christian College
Johnson C. Smith University
Lane College
Lawson State Community College
LeMoyne-Owen College
Livingstone College
Meharry Medical College
Miles College
Morgan State University
Morehouse College
Morehouse School of Medicine
Philander Smith College
South Carolina State University
Shaw University
Stillman College
Southern University at Baton Rouge
Southern University at Shreveport
Talladega College
Texas College
Texas Southern University
Tuskegee University
University of the Virgin Islands
Virginia Union University
Voorhees College
Wilberforce University
Wiley College
Xavier University of Louisiana

Department of Education Discharges Over $1.6 billion in HBCU Capital Finance Debt

The most effective civil rights protest that you probably never heard of | Eclectablog

The most effective civil rights protest that you probably never heard of

In 1977, the longest occupation of a federal building in the history of the United States of America took place and, when it ended, the protesters had achieved what nobody thought possible: regulations covering the enforcement of a four-year old law — Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The protest is now called “The 504 Sit-In” and for over three weeks, members of the disability community occupied the Federal Building at 50 United Nations Plaza in San Francisco, which housed the regional office of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), the federal agency tasked with creating the regulations required by Rehabilitation Act.

The original protest rally at the HEW office in San Francisco was part of nationwide day of protests which began on 44 years ago today on April 5th. Unlike the protests in other cities, the organizers of the San Francisco rally had been quietly planning an occupation of the office there. Occupiers came to the rally with backpacks filled with some essentials and, when the rally concluded, the entered the building and refused to leave until HEW Secretary Joseph Califano signed the Section 504 regulations which gave guidance on how the law would be enforced.

Stories from the nearly month-long occupation are riveting and dramatic. Over 100 people with disabilities of all kinds participated. People with deafness. People with blindness. People living CONTINUE READING: The most effective civil rights protest that you probably never heard of | Eclectablog

Idaho: Vouchers Violate the State Constitution | Diane Ravitch's blog

Idaho: Vouchers Violate the State Constitution

Two prominent Idaho citizens, Jim Jones and Rod Gramer, warned that proposed voucher legislation violates the clear language of the Idaho state constitution and threatens the future of public schools.

Jim Jones is the former Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court and former Idaho Attorney General and Rod Gramer is president of Idaho Business for Education.

They wrote:

Supporters of privatizing education are about to change the Idaho Constitution and 130 years of education policy without going to a vote of the people. Instead, those who want taxpayers to fund private schools should take their case to the people and let them decide as the Constitution requires.

Idaho’s founders were clear when they adopted the Constitution that the Legislature should support public schools. In Article IX, Section 1 they wrote: “The stability CONTINUE READING: Idaho: Vouchers Violate the State Constitution | Diane Ravitch's blog

A Year Ago, Today | JD2718

A Year Ago, Today

A Year Ago Today – COVID hit close | JD2718 - https://wp.me/pOjh-28H on @wordpressdotcom

I didn’t learn about Tom Waters’ death until almost a week after the date, April 4, 2020.

Tom’s son was my student. He was more of a humanities kid, but did fine in two courses. His final project for an elective, Combinatorics, was a nicely presented bijection between parenthesization and Dyck Paths (Catalan). He was also a standout in the Drama Club, but my role there as “advisor” was less than minimal. Carmen (and Lillie) were really in charge.

But there were parent-teacher conferences. I met Tom and Hillary several times. I knew they were progressives, some sort of activists, but not much more.

When I heard of his passing, I looked him up. I was stunned. Tom was a housing activist, whose work affected many. I will not summarize – instead I implore you to read this memorial/obituary. Take a moment to look at how young he was. But please read – Tom strove to make a difference for renters in New York City – and he sometimes succeeded.

Reading this article a year ago (the tab is still open. Bad habit, I know, but I have periodically returned to read more) I was amazed that I had met such an activist, but had not thought to ask him about his work. It was the wrong feeling, I know, but I felt sorry for myself, for not having learned from him.

I tweeted – and got an unexpected reply:

Lazar was referring to the work I have been involved in, trying to increase representation/diversity at my high school. We first met when Lazar visited the UFT Specialized High School Task Force (I was CONTINUE READING: A Year Ago, Today | JD2718

It Really Does Matter | okeducationtruths

It Really Does Matter

Sometimes when I follow the happenings of the Oklahoma Legislature, I just shake my head and repeat the mantra I learned from that 1979 Bill Murray classic, Meatballs.

So far, the First Session of the 58th Oklahoma Legislature is shaping up to be as bad – if not worse – than the First Session of the 53rd. Let’s review.

The 2010 election brought us Gov. Fallin and State Superintendent She Who Shall not be Named. It also led to the 2011 legislative session that gave us:

Third grade retention law (since significantly improved)
A-F report cards for schools (modified several times since, marginally improved)
Private school vouchers (since increased)
Teacher evaluations tied to test scores (removed from law before ever happening)

This is merely a sample of educational reforms passed (without additional funding, I might add) ten years ago. At the time, it was a low-water mark for public schools. Gradually, though, some of the bad policies improved, or went away entirely. That change happened because we as public school advocates fought for it.

One notable example of this was in 2015. That year, the Oklahoma Legislature passed HB CONTINUE READING: It Really Does Matter | okeducationtruths

Education Matters: Parents opt your students out of Florida's high stakes tests

Parents opt your students out of Florida's high stakes tests

I am finishing my 21st year teaching in Duval County Public schools. I have seen a lot, but without a doubt, the worst and what must go is the state's reliance on high-stakes testing, This is especially relevant as DCPS starts testing season. I call it a season because it will last for weeks. Students at private schools that accept vouchers paid for by the public already don't have to take these pernicious tests, and it's time public schools joined them.

Testing and preparing for the tests take away weeks of instruction. They don't provide any value either because the results aren't made known for months until after the school year has ended, and they rob teachers of the ability to be flexible, reteach or do deep dives into subjects. On the other hand, these tests affect everything from teachers losing their jobs to housing values and to a city's ability to attract businesses.

This is not to say we shouldn't have standards or accountability; we should, though, for some reason, the CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: Parents opt your students out of Florida's high stakes tests

Getting Ahead on Easter | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

Getting Ahead on Easter

Evangelical Christianity in the political sphere is not pretty sight.

The world has watched the hardness, harshness, and hypocrisy of self-righteousness on display in the name of some desired political end (not the least of which has been gaining and remaining in power), all of which bespeaks a lack of understanding about Jesus Himself.

I won’t pretend to address the entire off-putting issue here, but I will offer just a smidge– and a critical one, at that– of how the Jesus handled ultimate power over others– including over one of His own who He knew would within hours betray Him.

The setting is the Passover feast, which happened to be the night before Jesus would die (by His own choice; see Matthew 26: 53-54).

Here’s how John records the situation in John:13:3-5:

Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

Knowing He had untlimited power, Jesus chose to serve. To serve. Not to make sure others knew how powerful He was, or to use His power to serve Himself or to unleash wrath upon His enemies. No self-gratulation; no putting an agenda CONTINUE READING: Getting Ahead on Easter | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

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Monday, April 5, 2021