Wednesday, May 26, 2021

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Wednesday, May 26, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform #TEACHTRUTH

THE TOP BANANA
TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES

Schools Matter: Tennessee Outlaws Critical Race Theory in Schools on Anniversary of George Floyd's Murder - http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2021/05/tennessee-outlaws-critical-race-theory.html

COLUMN: Tenure protects free speech. Racism threatens to undo it - https://hechingerreport.org/?p=79363 via @hechingerreport

Texas educators worry “critical race theory bill” will stifle learning | The Texas Tribune - https://www.texastribune.org/2021/05/26/texas-teachers-critical-race-theory-legislature/ by @McGeeReports on @TexasTribune

Students should get the vaccine for COVID, acting health chief says - Chalkbeat Philadelphia - https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/5/25/22453700/students-should-absolutely-get-vaccine-for-covid-philadelphias-acting-health-commissioner-says on chalkbeat

Infographic: “15 Writing Lessons From Successful Authors” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=117805 on @Larryferlazzo

Right-Wing Doctors Are Suing to Block COVID Vaccine for Kids http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/motherjones/main/~3/VurZEgbKNcM/

Educators helped reset the nation’s leadership, reshaping public schools for years to come https://educationvotes.nea.org/2021/05/26/educators-helped-reset-the-nations-leadership-reshaping-public-schools-for-years-to-come/

Miguel Cardona, unlike Betsy DeVos, believes undocumented students "should get an education while they are here." | The Washington Newsday - https://washingtonnewsday.com/?p=78999

When violence has been the chosen answer: Lessons from the Tulsa Race Massacre https://nondoc.com/2021/05/26/lessons-from-the-tulsa-race-massacre/ via @nondocmedia

Bricolage names interim CEO days before union election https://thelensnola.org/2021/05/26/bricolage-names-interim-ceo-days-before-union-election/

Arkansas middle school apologizes for 'biased' yearbook photos whitewashing Capitol riot http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/RMcGnw8W2og/

WATCH: Trump and Jesus Christ impersonators deliver racist and pro-GOP remarks at bizarre Texas high school pep rally http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/PicJJUPJyTY/

Howard University Names Arts College For Chadwick Boseman https://www.npr.org/2021/05/26/1000530709/howard-university-names-arts-college-for-chadwick-boseman

'We Can And Should Teach This History': New Bills Limit How Teachers Talk About Race https://www.npr.org/2021/05/25/1000273981/we-can-and-should-teach-this-history-new-bills-limit-how-teachers-talk-about-rac

Should Every Student Move Up to the Next Grade? https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/us/covid-grade-promotion.html

NJ schools to get $2.7 billion — and rules on how to spend it https://www.njspotlight.com/2021/05/nj-schools-arp-2-7b-districts-state-education-department/

Counting on summer school to catch kids up after a disrupted year https://hechingerreport.org/counting-on-summer-school-to-catch-kids-up-after-a-disrupted-year/

COLUMN: Tenure protects free speech. Racism threatens to undo it https://hechingerreport.org/column-tenure-protects-free-speech-racism-threatens-to-undo-it/

Accessible, affordable, quality child care is necessary for family economic security and U.S. economic prosperity. https://blog.ctnews.com/kantrowitz/2021/05/26/accessible-affordable-quality-child-care-is-necessary-for-family-economic-security-and-u-s-economic-prosperity/

Maryland law could make it difficult to hire the next schools superintendent https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/maryland-schools-superintendent-search-contract/2021/05/25/0d841816-bd9f-11eb-9c90-731aff7d9a0d_story.html

Wednesday’s Must-Read Articles On School Reopenings | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... - https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/?p=117829 on @Larryferlazzo

Ed Notes Online: UFT/Unity Troll Opposition, sometimes on our dime - https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2021/05/uftunity-troll-opposition-sometimes-on.html

Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education Announces Public Hearings on Protections for Students, Loan Repayment, Targeted Loan Cancellation Programs, and Other Higher Education Regulations | U.S. Department of Education - https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/department-educations-office-postsecondary-education-announces-public-hearings-protections-students-loan-repayment-targeted-loan-cancellation-programs-and-other-higher-education-regulations

Secretary Cardona Holds Virtual Roundtable to Discuss the Importance of Providing Pell Grants for Incarcerated Individuals | U.S. Department of Education - https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/secretary-cardona-holds-virtual-roundtable-discuss-importance-providing-pell-grants-incarcerated-individuals

Going to College as a Parent Shouldn’t Be So Hard http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheAtlantic/~3/BSX9NLw3n7M/

Michigan Senate: No COVID-19 vaccine mandate for minors - https://apnews.com/article/michigan-coronavirus-pandemic-education-health-government-and-politics-9b4fb3d0793cf7333fdcaa3e696da531#new_tab on @ap

New Bill Would Require Illinois Schools To Teach Media Literacy | WBEZ Chicago - https://www.wbez.org/stories/new-bill-would-require-illinois-schools-to-teach-media-literacy/1bf8a3ca-e4e9-4f0b-8685-1373f53299a8

Schools try pep-rally tactics to get students vaccinated - https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-travel-coronavirus-pandemic-health-education-418fe38201db53d2848e0138a28ff824#new_tab on @ap

Nashua signs agreement with civil rights officials to address shortcomings in English language instruction | Education | unionleader.com - https://www.unionleader.com/news/education/nashua-signs-agreement-with-civil-rights-officials-to-address-shortcomings-in-english-language-instruction/article_4fa1db8c-639a-51fb-a118-98623144a02a.html#new_tab on @UnionLeader

Alabama teachers bring home more pay as salary increases outpace inflation - al.com - https://www.al.com/news/2021/05/alabama-teachers-bring-home-more-pay-as-salary-increases-outpace-inflation.html#new_tab on @aldotcom

IDEA Public Schools fires CEO, chief operating officer after financial audit - https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/IDEA-Public-Schools-fires-CEO-chief-operating-16202852.php#new_tab on @houstonchron

Momentum Stalls in Fight to Remove Police From Schools | Education News | US News - https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2021-05-25/momentum-stalls-in-fight-to-remove-police-from-schools#new_tab on @USNews

Accused of bilking district, Sacramento-area school board member may lose leadership post - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/accused-of-bilking-district-sacramento-area-school-board-member-may-lose-leadership-post/ar-AAKnFWv?ocid=uxbndlbing#new_tab

Children’s Hospital Colorado declares mental health state of emergency - https://coloradosun.com/2021/05/25/mental-health-emergency-children-teen-colorado/#new_tab via @coloradosun

Ohio Republicans introduce bill to ban teaching critical race theory - https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2021/05/25/ohio-republicans-introduce-bill-ban-teaching-critical-race-theory/7432289002/#new_tab via @DispatchAlerts

Baltimore City Schools Will Not Hold Back Failing Students Due To Pandemic | WBFF - https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/baltimore-city-schools-will-not-hold-back-failing-students-due-to-pandemic#new_tab on http://twitter.com/foxbaltimore

COVID stimulus checks arriving at schools: Will the money help kids? - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2021/05/26/covid-stimulus-checks-summer-school-money-help-kids/7433261002/#new_tab via @usatoday

New Mexico schools reject extra learning days — and millions in funding | Ap | santafenewmexican.com - https://www.santafenewmexican.com/ap/new-mexico-schools-reject-extra-learning-days-and-millions-in-funding/article_0426181e-e333-51cc-9b25-38e8c18c02ae.html#new_tab on @thenewmexican

Some students and parents want to repeat lost school year, but school leaders oppose it - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/some-students-and-parents-want-to-repeat-lost-school-year-but-school-leaders-oppose-it/ar-AAKddVz?ocid=uxbndlbing#new_tab

How Rural School Counselors Confront Life in a ‘Mental Health Desert’ - Oklahoma Watch - https://oklahomawatch.org/?p=683884 by @SoonerReporter

53 Mass. Teachers Refuse To Administer State Standardize Tests - https://www.wgbh.org/news/education/2021/05/24/53-mass-teachers-refuse-to-administer-state-standardize-tests by @MarilynSchairer on @wgbhnews

Shanker Blog: The Uncertain Short-Term Future of School Growth Models | National Education Policy Center - https://nepc.colorado.edu/node/10925 on @NEPCtweet

Big Education Ape: Some Things Are Always Wrong | Teacher in a strange land - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/05/some-things-are-always-wrong-teacher-in.html

Big Education Ape: School Choice and Charter Proponents Target Public Education in Key States | - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/05/school-choice-and-charter-proponents.html

Big Education Ape: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle School Board - A Roundup of Who is Running - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/05/seattle-schools-community-forum-seattle_26.html

Big Education Ape: We need more teachers of color. Getting there requires ambitious equitable solutions - Philly's 7th Ward - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/05/we-need-more-teachers-of-color-getting.html

Big Education Ape: IDEA Charter Chain in Texas Admits Major Scandal and Corruption | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/05/idea-charter-chain-in-texas-admits.html

Chicken Little Journalism Fails Education (Again and Again): Up Next, the Science of Science? – radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 44min

Chicken Little Journalism Fails Education (Again and Again): Up Next, the Science of Science? Often education journalism is disturbing in its “ deja vu all over again “: Why Other Countries Keep Outperforming Us in Education (and How to Catch Up) . Criticizing U.S. public education through international comparisons is a long-standing tradition in the U.S. media, reaching back at least into the m

Teacher Tom: "The Bigger and More Important Education"

by Mike Simpson / 44min

"The Bigger and More Important Education" Ask any successful person for their secret and they'll inevitably talk about people: parents, teachers, relatives, and friends. Oh sure, some of them talk about hard work and perseverance, but that generally always strikes me as a matter of form, almost like we're expected to credit these Puritan work ethic traits, like a kind of good luck talisman, but

Maurice Cunningham: “Three Women and a Website” Plus the Support of Billionaires= National Parents Union | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 44min

Maurice Cunningham: “Three Women and a Website” Plus the Support of Billionaires= National Parents Union Maurice Cunningham is perpetually amazed that the mainstream media—and even Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona—take the so-called National Parents Union as an authentic parents’ group. Without the generous funding of Charles Koch, the Walton s, and other rightwing billionaires, there would

NANCY BAILEY: The Racism Behind Firing Librarians and Closing School Libraries

by Mike Simpson / 44min

The Racism Behind Firing Librarians and Closing School Libraries The Racism Behind Firing Librarians and Closing School Libraries Once you learn to read, you will be forever free. ~Frederick Douglass If a school has no school library or a flimsy excuse for a library, students are denied access to books and reading material. They miss opportunities to learn information and become proud of who they

President Biden Is Investing to Help Children at School: Secretary Cardona Needs to Provide the Policy Vision | janresseger

by Mike Simpson / 44min

President Biden Is Investing to Help Children at School: Secretary Cardona Needs to Provide the Policy Vision The Education Law Center headlined the press release about its annual Education Justice Lecture: “President Biden’s First 100 Days Set Stage for Overhaul of Federal Education Policy.” The press release sounded exciting as it described Linda Darling-Hammond, the event’s primary speaker, “

The Fall of the IDEA Charter Execs: No Luxury Jet Can Save Us Now. | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

by Mike Simpson / 44min

The Fall of the IDEA Charter Execs: No Luxury Jet Can Save Us Now The May 25, 2021 Houston Chronicle reports of the firing of IDEA Public Schools charter chain CEO JoAnn Gama and CFO Irma Muñoz “after a forensic review found ‘substantial evidence’ that top leaders at the state’s largest charter network misused money and staff for personal gain ‘in a manner to avoid detection by the standard exte

CURMUDGUCATION: What Privatization Actually Means

by Mike Simpson / 44min

What Privatization Actually Means When we talk about the privatization of education, the conversation is almost always about the privatization of the vendors. Publicly owned and operated schools replaced by privately owned and operated charter and private schools, plus a dizzying web of real estate developers, charter management organizations, other support businesses. Even the extreme form, whe

Education Matters: Troubled IDEA charter chain coming to Jacksonville in even more trouble

by Mike Simpson / 44min

Troubled IDEA charter chain coming to Jacksonville in even more trouble Some of the post may seem familiar as I wrote most of it last year. I am just going to update it every time a new IDEA scandal hits the news. IDEA Public Schools CEO JoAnn Gama and Chief Operating Officer Irma Munoz have been fired after a forensic review found “substantial evidence” that top leaders misused money and staff

Is it time for New York City Charter Schools to be absorbed into a redesigned New York City School System? | Ed In The Apple

by Mike Simpson / 44min

Is it time for New York City Charter Schools to be absorbed into a redesigned New York City School System? Twenty years ago Governor Pataki bundled a salary increase with a charter school law in a lame duck session of the state legislature. Has the law achieved its purposes? (See NYS Charter School Law here ). The law established two authorizers, the State Education Department and SUNY. The Stat

SPI Supports SB 698 that Counters Hate: Unite in Support of Bill that Counters Hate Through Education - Year 2021 (CA Dept of Education)

by Mike Simpson / 44min

SPI Supports SB 698 that Counters Hate - Year 2021 (CA Dept of Education) State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Senator Henry Stern, and Partners Unite in Support of Bill that Counters Hate Through Education SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) joined legislative leaders and partnering organizations to urge support for new legis

YESTERDAY

THE TOP BANANA: TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Tuesday, May 25, 2021 #REDFORED #tbats #edchat #K12 #learning #edleadership #edtech #engchat #literacy #edreform #TEACHTRUTH

by Mike Simpson / 23h

Big Education Ape THE TOP BANANA TODAY'S EDUCATION HEADLINES Ian Feld: University City students were captivated, not indoctrinated, by 1619 Project | Guest columnists | stltoday.com - https://www.stltoday.com/opinion/columnists/ian-feld-university-city-students-were-captivated-not-indoctrinated-by-1619-project/article_134fa0d9-2d16-5f24-bc94-66d763df6422.html on @stltoday National Framework for C

Education Research Report: Condition of Education 2021 IES NCES National Center for Education Statistic

by Mike Simpson / 23h

Education Research Report: Condition of Education 2021 Condition of Education The Condition of Education contains indicators on the state of education in the United States, from prekindergarten through postsecondary education, as well as labor force outcomes and international comparisons.

Big Education Ape

Some Things Are Always Wrong | Teacher in a strange land

Some Things Are Always Wrong

When we adopted our son, from South Korea, more than 30 years ago, our wonderful adoption counselor warned us that we would experience racism, having a child who did not look like us.

She shared incidents from her own parenting of children from three different parts of the world, ranging from the clueless—When she begins to talk, will she speak English?—to the downright repellent. She suggested that we think first to educate, before getting angry.

This was advice that resonated with me—teaching acceptance. Enlightening strangers in the grocery store to the beauty of diversity. Celebrating all the ways families are made. And so on. When a neighborhood kid, whose father had served in Vietnam, called my son a ‘flat-faced gook’ on the school bus, however, I had to re-think.

Some things—racism among them—are always wrong. And you can either face that fact and deal with it, straight on, wherever you encounter it, including schools, or you can employ any number of empty, defensive sophistries.

You can do what Rick Hess does here—spend half a column patting yourself on the back for pushing back against racism while simultaneously building a theoretical CONTINUE READING: Some Things Are Always Wrong | Teacher in a strange land

School Choice and Charter Proponents Target Public Education in Key States |

School Choice and Charter Proponents Target Public Education in Key States

But teachers and their allies are fighting back in Arizona, Kentucky and elsewhere.

Three years ago in West Virginia, roughly 20,000 educators went on strike and shut down public schools across the state, protesting low pay and high health care costs. Their historic nine-day labor stoppage led to a 5% pay increase for teachers and school service personnel. Inspired by the success in West Virginia, strikes in states including Oklahoma, Colorado and California soon followed.

The uprising sparked a wave of national attention, and the future of teacher organizing seemed more promising than it had in years. Their movement even had a name: “Red for Ed” — which referenced the red clothing educators and their allies wore each time they took to the streets for public schools. A year later, West Virginia educators walked off the job again in an effort to defeat a bill permitting charter schools to operate in their state. This time their success was more limited; teachers watered down the legislation, but lawmakers still rammed a version through in a special session, authorizing three charters to open by July 2023, with potential for more after that.

Join our email list to get the stories that mainstream news is overlooking.

Today, it’s school choice advocates who feel they have the momentum. Since the start of the year, two states that helped launch the national teacher uprising in 2018 — West Virginia and Kentucky — have passed some of the most expansive school choice policies in the country. And public education advocates in a third pivotal “Red for Ed” state, Arizona, have been fighting CONTINUE READING: School Choice and Charter Proponents Target Public Education in Key States |

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle School Board - A Roundup of Who is Running

Seattle School Board - A Roundup of Who is Running

The great folks at the 36th Dems invited all candidates for an endorsement interview before their Elections committee so here’s a link. Makes for interesting listening. The 36th will take a vote of their membership tonight and I’ll have an update here tomorrow.

Candidates - if one media outlet does a profile of a single candidate, you have the right to ask for an interview as well, especially if it is local media.

District 4 - Covers south Ballard, Queen Anne and Magnolia

There is no true incumbent as Eden Mack vacated her post months ago and the Board settle on Erin Dury to fill out her term. Here’s their info as provided to King County Elections.

Candidates

All candidates in this race except Herb Camet, Jr have webpages. See the KC Elections page (link above). At this time, it appears that only Dury and Song Maritz have live pages. CONTINUE READING: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle School Board - A Roundup of Who is Running

We need more teachers of color. Getting there requires ambitious equitable solutions - Philly's 7th Ward

WE NEED MORE TEACHERS OF COLOR. GETTING THERE REQUIRES AMBITIOUS EQUITABLE SOLUTIONS

When Marie Lewis applied to the Nashville Teacher Residency (NTR), she was earning $18,000 per year as a paraprofessional, supporting students with special needs, one-on-one or in small groups.

To make ends meet, she also worked over the summers and during school breaks at a child care center, earning $10.25 per hour. A single Black mother of two, Marie loved children and knew she wanted to be a teacher, but couldn’t afford to pay for a licensure program, which can cost $30,000 or more at local universities for a degree and license.

Lewis loved the work and the difference she felt she could make in children’s lives, but the way things were going, neither her dreams nor her potential were going to be realized.

Sadly, her story isn’t unusual. Such lack of opportunity disproportionately affects people of color at a time when we are facing a national teaching CONTINUE READING: We need more teachers of color. Getting there requires ambitious equitable solutions - Philly's 7th Ward

IDEA Charter Chain in Texas Admits Major Scandal and Corruption | Diane Ravitch's blog

IDEA Charter Chain in Texas Admits Major Scandal and Corruption

The IDEA charter chain in Texas was one of Betsy DeVos’s favorite grantees. She handed over $200 million from the federal Charter Schools Program to IDEA to spur its expansion. With so much money, the management of IDEA indulged in luxuries. They planned to lease a private jet for $2 million a year but backed off because of adverse publicity. They bought season box seats at the San Antonio Spurs basketball games. When the founder resigned, he was given a $1 million golden parachute.

But the IDEA spending spree didn’t end there. The board of the charter chain received a whistleblower’s letter and commissioned an independent audit of its finances. When the audit was completed, the board fired the chief executive officer and the chief operating officer. Go to this link to read the board’s letter to the public and its recognition of the leadership’s corruption.

This scandal goes to the heart of the basic lie behind the CONTINUE READING: IDEA Charter Chain in Texas Admits Major Scandal and Corruption | Diane Ravitch's blog

Chicken Little Journalism Fails Education (Again and Again): Up Next, the Science of Science? – radical eyes for equity

Chicken Little Journalism Fails Education (Again and Again): Up Next, the Science of Science?

Often education journalism is disturbing in its “deja vu all over again“: Why Other Countries Keep Outperforming Us in Education (and How to Catch Up).

Criticizing U.S. public education through international comparisons is a long-standing tradition in the U.S. media, reaching back at least into the mid-twentieth century.

This is one of many crisis approaches to covering education—Chicken Little journalism—that makes false and misleading claims about the quality of U.S. education (always framed as a failure) and that because of the low status of the U.S. in international comparisons of education, the country is doomed, economically and politically.

Oddly enough, as international rankings of education have fluctuated over 70-plus years, some countries have risen and fallen in economic and political status (even inversely proportional to their education ranking) while the U.S. has remained in most ways the or one of the most dominant countries—even as we perpetually wallow in educational mediocrity.

Yet, this isn’t even remotely surprising as Gerald Bracey (and many others) CONTINUE READING: Chicken Little Journalism Fails Education (Again and Again): Up Next, the Science of Science? – radical eyes for equity

Education Research Report: NAEP Report Card: 2019 NAEP Science Assessment - http://educationresearchreport.blogspot.com/

Teacher Tom: "The Bigger and More Important Education"

"The Bigger and More Important Education"

Ask any successful person for their secret and they'll inevitably talk about people: parents, teachers, relatives, and friends. Oh sure, some of them talk about hard work and perseverance, but that generally always strikes me as a matter of form, almost like we're expected to credit these Puritan work ethic traits, like a kind of good luck talisman, but the long list, the thank yous and gratitude, is always reserved for the relationships they've had with other people.

Sometimes they might give credit to things they have been taught, like in the case of a mentor, but more often than not it's the relationship itself that they talk about.

"They believed in me."

"They supported me."

"They never gave up on me."

"They loved me."

Rarely does anyone give credit to their education, yet as a society we've convinced ourselves that school is the lynchpin to success.

Researcher, author, and Teacher Tom's Play Summit presenter Peter Gray points out that "almost nobody asks the question, 'What is my child actually learning in school?' Instead, they CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: "The Bigger and More Important Education"

Big Education Ape: Teacher Tom: Let's Turn The World Around: Teacher Tom's Play Summit - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/04/teacher-tom-lets-turn-world-around.html

TTPS 2021 Main Summit Registration - https://www.teachertomsplaysummit.com/?r_done=1

Maurice Cunningham: “Three Women and a Website” Plus the Support of Billionaires= National Parents Union | Diane Ravitch's blog

Maurice Cunningham: “Three Women and a Website” Plus the Support of Billionaires= National Parents Union

Maurice Cunningham is perpetually amazed that the mainstream media—and even Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona—take the so-called National Parents Union as an authentic parents’ group. Without the generous funding of Charles Koch, the Waltons, and other rightwing billionaires, there would be no NPU.

Maurice Cunningham: “Three Women and a Website” Plus the Support of Billionaires= National Parents Union | Diane Ravitch's blog

NANCY BAILEY: The Racism Behind Firing Librarians and Closing School Libraries

The Racism Behind Firing Librarians and Closing School Libraries

The Racism Behind Firing Librarians and Closing School Libraries

Once you learn to read, you will be forever free. ~Frederick Douglass

If a school has no school library or a flimsy excuse for a library, students are denied access to books and reading material. They miss opportunities to learn information and become proud of who they are. Look for racism behind the decision.

When school districts diminish school libraries and those who run them, they fail to address the critical issues involving history, civics, and race relations. With all the talk of schools and equity, it’s unconscionable that closing school libraries and firing school librarians are accepted practices.

In May 2020, the Washington D.C. school district passed a $70 million budget increase. In January 2021, the American Rescue Plan infused over $368 million of COVID relief and new aid to DC Schools. Today, school librarians there are begging to keep their jobs. Here’s the petition!

The dismal account of dwindling libraries and librarians is happening across the nation, especially in poor schools and schools with children of color. If your child’s school CONTINUE READING: The Racism Behind Firing Librarians and Closing School Libraries

President Biden Is Investing to Help Children at School: Secretary Cardona Needs to Provide the Policy Vision | janresseger

President Biden Is Investing to Help Children at School: Secretary Cardona Needs to Provide the Policy Vision

The Education Law Center headlined the press release about its annual Education Justice Lecture: “President Biden’s First 100 Days Set Stage for Overhaul of Federal Education Policy.”

The press release sounded exciting as it described Linda Darling-Hammond, the event’s primary speaker, “underscoring the backdrop of the multiple crises facing the United States and their impact on structural inequities and racism in the nation’s public schools.” It described Dr. Darling-Hammond explaining, “how these profound challenges are behind the President’s call for a comprehensive federal policy to support major investments and reforms in public education, including addressing discrimination and segregation, equitable funding and resources, universal preschool, wholistic student supports, investments in the teacher workforce and access to post-secondary education and college.”

Immediately I opened the link to Darling-Hammond’s presentation, where I found myself disappointed, even though she titled her remarks, “President Biden’s First 100 Days: A Transformation in Action”—and even though I agree that what Darling-Hammond reported is important. She describes the American Rescue Plan Act which would, according to Darling-Hammond, definitely help children and families by expanding access to affordable health insurance; boosting families’ access to needed nutrition services; supporting and stabilizing child care and Head Start; supporting child mental health; offering stimulus payments, unemployment supplements, and tax credits for family medical leave; and most important of all, expanding the child tax credit and making it fully refundable. As Darling-Hammond CONTINUE READING: President Biden Is Investing to Help Children at School: Secretary Cardona Needs to Provide the Policy Vision | janresseger

The Fall of the IDEA Charter Execs: No Luxury Jet Can Save Us Now. | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

The Fall of the IDEA Charter Execs: No Luxury Jet Can Save Us Now

The May 25, 2021 Houston Chronicle reports of the firing of IDEA Public Schools charter chain CEO JoAnn Gama and CFO Irma Muñoz “after a forensic review found ‘substantial evidence’ that top leaders at the state’s largest charter network misused money and staff for personal gain ‘in a manner to avoid detection by the standard external audit and internal control processes that the Board had in place at the time,'” according to IDEA board president Al Lopez.

The Chronicle continues:

The firings followed an anonymous tip received after the departures last year of two other high-ranking IDEA leaders, former CEO Tom Torkelson and former CFO Wyatt Truscheit. Lopez’s letter says the allegations of misconduct involve “a small number of IDEA senior leaders,” though it does not name any individuals alleged to have engaged in improper spending or use of staff.
IDEA’s finances came under fire in late 2019, following the board’s quickly-reversed decision to lease a private jet and the disclosure that the charter network spent money on luxury suites at San Antonio’s AT&T Center, among other decisions. Torkelson resigned in May 2020, agreeing to a $900,000 settlement payout with the charter’s board.

And just that fast, both Gama and Muñoz were scrubbed from the IDEA leadership page.

I wanted some background on Gama and Muñoz, which I found on this archived CONTINUE READING: The Fall of the IDEA Charter Execs: No Luxury Jet Can Save Us Now. | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

CURMUDGUCATION: What Privatization Actually Means

What Privatization Actually Means

When we talk about the privatization of education, the conversation is almost always about the privatization of the vendors. Publicly owned and operated schools replaced by privately owned and operated charter and private schools, plus a dizzying web of real estate developers, charter management organizations, other support businesses. Even the extreme form, where education is unbundled and can be provided piece by piece--a nice prospect for those who balk at operating an entire school, but can imagine making a buck selling math tutoring.

This vision also includes a privatization of oversight. Let the parents vote with their feet. Let free market forces handle the issue of "quality." Make it easier for vendors to have access to the market and make a buck; let the market sort out winners and losers.

How far do some of these folks want to go? Here's Jeremy Kaufman, voice of the Libertarian Free State outfit, being blunt on Twitter.

All of this privatized profiteering can well be a feature of reformster policies (they never, ever, call it privatization), but to stop here is to miss a critical part of the picture.

The education privatization movement is also about privatizing "consumption" of education.

In a public system, education is "consumed" by the public. All of the public, together, collectively. Hence the system of everyone CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: What Privatization Actually Means

Education Matters: Troubled IDEA charter chain coming to Jacksonville in even more trouble

Troubled IDEA charter chain coming to Jacksonville in even more trouble

Some of the post may seem familiar as I wrote most of it last year. I am just going to update it every time a new IDEA scandal hits the news.

IDEA Public Schools CEO JoAnn Gama and Chief Operating Officer Irma Munoz have been fired after a forensic review found “substantial evidence” that top leaders misused money and staff at the state’s largest charter school network for personal gain, the organization’s board president announced Tuesday.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/IDEA-Public-Schools-fires-CEO-chief-operating-16202852.php

Jacksonville needs another charter school like the average person needs another hole in their head and I think most people would agree. That however isn't going to stop DCPS from approving a massive expansion at their next board meeting. Here is the thing, the state despite the Florida constitution saying the school board is the final say doesn't give them a lot of leeway, but that being said wouldn't you like a little fight out of the board?

The IDEA charter school wants to open, and this is just a start, three new charter schools. You may have CONTINUE READING: Education Matters: Troubled IDEA charter chain coming to Jacksonville in even more trouble

Is it time for New York City Charter Schools to be absorbed into a redesigned New York City School System? | Ed In The Apple

Is it time for New York City Charter Schools to be absorbed into a redesigned New York City School System?

Twenty years ago Governor Pataki bundled a salary increase with a charter school law in a lame duck session of the state legislature. Has the law achieved its purposes? (See NYS Charter School Law here).

The law established two authorizers, the State Education Department and SUNY. The State Education Department created Charter School Frameworks. (See Charter School Frameworks here)

The charter school law requires charters schools to:

* Improve student learning and achievement;

*Increase learning opportunities for all students, with special emphasis on expanded learning experiences for students who are at-risk of academic failure;

*Encourage the use of different and innovative teaching methods;

* Provide schools with a method to change from rule-based to performance-based accountability systems by holding the schools established under this article accountable for meeting measurable CONTINUE READING: Is it time for New York City Charter Schools to be absorbed into a redesigned New York City School System? | Ed In The Apple

SPI Supports SB 698 that Counters Hate: Unite in Support of Bill that Counters Hate Through Education - Year 2021 (CA Dept of Education)

SPI Supports SB 698 that Counters Hate - Year 2021 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Senator Henry Stern, and Partners Unite in Support of Bill that Counters Hate Through Education

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and Senator Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles) joined legislative leaders and partnering organizations to urge support for new legislation to strengthen the implementation of education on genocide, including the Holocaust, and provide tools and resources to schools and teachers to confront complex issues of bias, bigotry, racism, and the rise in incidents of hate.

Senate Bill (SB) 693, the Never Again Education Act, sponsored by State Superintendent Thurmond and authored by Senator Stern, which successfully advanced from the Senate Appropriations Committee last week, establishes the Governor’s Council on Genocide and Holocaust Education. It would assemble leading experts on teaching about crimes against humanity, genocide, and the Holocaust in particular to provide resources offering new teaching methods and enhanced resources for teachers and students to counter a recent rise in acts of hate, bigotry, and anti-Semitism across our country and embrace the importance of diversity, human rights, and the roles and responsibilities of citizens in democratic societies to combat misinformation, indifference, and discrimination.

This effort aligns with the “Education to End Hate” initiative that State Superintendent Thurmond launched in September 2020, in which the California Department of Education (CDE) has utilized a series of strategies—including educator training grants, partnerships with community leaders, and virtual classroom sessions—that leverage the power of education to create a more just society. In the announcement yesterday, State Superintendent Thurmond underscored that as part of the ongoing efforts, the CDE is prepared to work with any school district in real time, along with partners such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation, to respond to and provide the resources and support schools need when there are incidents of anti-Semitism and acts of hate. All questions regarding the Education to End Hate Initiative can be directed to edtoendhate@cde.ca.gov.

Speaking yesterday at the virtual press conference, State Superintendent Thurmond stated, “Our students are victims of a broken society; every day we encounter more heartbreaking examples of anti-Semitism, bullying, and violence against Asian Americans, Islamophobia, LGBTQ discrimination, and racism and actions of hate against people of color. Education has the power to help us grow, understand, and find a pathway to healing. SB 693 will build the necessary infrastructure to provide the trainings to hold the courageous conversations. It is not enough for us to say ‘never forget’ genocide or the experience of the Holocaust, but what we need to realize is that there is an interconnectivity that we all experience and that, with the right information and tools, we can and we must address hate wherever and whenever it occurs.”

During Monday’s virtual press conference, Senator Stern shared, “Holocaust genocide education isn’t just a lesson in history class or an issue only affecting people who are Jewish; it should be a bulwark against rising anti-Semitism for all California students. Hate has a history. Building action-oriented Holocaust and genocide education will give teachers and students the tools to uproot hate when it rears its head in schools across California, so it doesn’t fester and erupt as violence on our streets.”

Several other participants in the press conference shared their personal stories and encouraged support for SB 693.

“Education can be an exceptionally powerful antidote to hate,” said Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills), Assembly Majority Whip and Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. “The Jewish Caucus is deeply concerned that in too many places, and especially for too many young people, the Holocaust is fading from view. We are proud to support SB 693 and applaud Senator Stern for his leadership on this important issue.”

Senator Scott Weiner stated, “My childhood and recent experiences as a victim of anti-Semitism and homophobia have repeatedly reminded me that ignorance and bigotry are alive and well. SB 693 will help educate the next generation of Californians about what happens with bigotry goes unchecked, which is one of the best ways to prevent future acts of hatred against vulnerable communities.”

Dr. Anita Friedman of Jewish Family and Children’s Services commented, "Teachers and students truly want to learn the lessons of the Holocaust and about genocide worldwide. We know this: Education has proven to be one of the most effective ways to address the extraordinary increase in hate occurring in our communities. With this initiative, California will again be leading the nation at a time when such leadership is needed most."

Speaking for the ADL, Regional Director Seth Brysk offered, “ADL is grateful for State Superintendent Tony Thurmond’s support of Senator Henry Stern’s bill SB 693, the Never Again Education Act. ADL was proud to offer guidance to Senator Stern in drafting the statute to improve Holocaust and genocide education in California. At a moment of sustained high levels of anti-Semitism, coupled by recent sharp increases, including social media messages asserting “Hitler was right", Holocaust education is as important and relevant as ever. The benefits of Holocaust education are clear; improved knowledge of the Holocaust also fosters better critical thinking skills, openness to differing views, and willingness to challenge intolerant behavior.”

Dr. Kori Street from the USC Shoah Foundation commented, “It shows extraordinary commitment and leadership for the State Superintendent to join forces with Senator Stern and other leaders on this initiative. Education—especially when anchored by innovative resources and tools—can make California stronger than hate.”

“Mandates are not enough; we must ensure we lead with action,” said Senator Stern. “I applaud the efforts of the CDE and State Superintendent Thurmond on his ‘Education to End Hate’ initiative and for prioritizing these issues that affect our youth, schools, and the balance of our society.”

An archived broadcast of the full press conference can be viewed on the CDE Facebook page.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

SPI Supports SB 698 that Counters Hate - Year 2021 (CA Dept of Education)

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Wednesday, May 26, 2021