NEA teachers' union nixes longtime gadfly's bid to cover convention

NEA teachers' union nixes longtime gadfly's bid to cover convention:

NEA teachers' union nixes longtime gadfly's bid to cover convention

When the USA’s largest teachers’ union gathers in Boston this weekend for its annual business meeting, a longtime journalist and gadfly who has dutifully covered the gathering for nearly two decades won’t be there.

Mike Antonucci, a Sacramento-based freelancer and consultant whose Education Intelligence Agency newsletter has made him perhaps the best-sourced reporter covering the National Education Association (NEA), said this week that his request for media credentials had been denied — apparently because he has also, for several months, been a columnist for a news outlet that is sharply critical of unions.

It’s the first time since 1998 that Antonucci won’t cover NEA’s Representative Assembly (RA).

“All these years they’ve considered me a reporter, but now apparently they’ve decided I’m not,” he said in an interview.

Antonucci, 58, has long made his living writing and consulting about labor issues. His Education Intelligence Agency is a private, for-profit, "one-man contract research firm" focused on the inner workings of teachers’ unions. It also publishes periodic reports on public school finances and education labor.

But for the past 11 months, Antonucci has also written a column for the online education news outlet The74, a non-profit site co-founded by former CNN anchor Campbell Brown, whose advocacy group, the Partnership for Educational Justice, is closely aligned with the K-12 education reform movement.

That apparently stuck in the craw of union leaders, despite the fact that Antonucci for decades has openly criticized the union. NEA spokeswoman Staci Maiers said The74"does not meet journalistic standards as a credible news outlet, so we were unable to issue a media credential."

Reformers, including Campbell herself, have frequently clashed with unions over labor NEA teachers' union nixes longtime gadfly's bid to cover convention:

CURMUDGUCATION: Why Your ESSA Plan Is Nonsense

CURMUDGUCATION: Why Your ESSA Plan Is Nonsense:

Why Your ESSA Plan Is Nonsense

At EdWeek, Andrew Ujifusa offers an explanation. In "Here's Why You Can't Understand Your State's New Plan for Education" he points the finger at jargon and offers some rather fun analytics for education argle-bargle. The top four bits of balonial verbage are, in descending order, stakeholder, engagement, professional development, and needs assessment. 

Yes, this can only end well

Ujifusa breaks down the nature of the nonsense in your state's ESSA plan, but he doesn't really address the cause. But at this juncture, it's useful to remember why ESSA plans will be just as much jelly-filled fluffernuttery as oh, so, many government-drafted educational master plans before them.

It's not complicated. Master Plans for Education, both Great and Small, are almost always nonsense because they are written by bureaucrats, not educators.

Imagine military strategy and tactics being written by people who have no military training and who have never set foot on a battlefield. Imagine a plan for manufacture and assembly of widgets concocted by someone who has never used, built or worked on a widget. Imagine someone holding the highest office in the land who had no concept of how any of the policies or functions under his control actually work.

That's where we have been with education for decades. On the state and federal level we consistently find bureaucrats overseeing education who don't really know what they're talking about. Their knowledge and understanding of actual education is second, third or fourth hand. Sometimes it's no hands-- just made up out of whatever they come up with in their own little heads.

So they come up with policies that sound good, or that are birthed by the committee process (it's CURMUDGUCATION: Why Your ESSA Plan Is Nonsense:

Los Angeles Times: Cheerleading for Privatization and the Trum-DeVos Agenda | Diane Ravitch's blog

Los Angeles Times: Cheerleading for Privatization and the Trum-DeVos Agenda | Diane Ravitch's blog:

Los Angeles Times: Cheerleading for Privatization and the Trum-DeVos Agenda

The Los Angeles Times editorial board published an editorial todaychastising the California Teachers Association for resisting privatization of public education via charters.

I assume that this editorial was in no way influenced by Eli Broad, who subsidizes the Times’ education coverage, which is a blatant conflict of interest.

The editorial board can’t see any critics of charters other than teachers’ unions, who presumably are protecting their jobs by fighting off the agenda that Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos are promoting.

It can’t see why parents and graduates of public schools (like me) think that turning public money over to private and unaccountable boards is a terrible idea.

One would think that the LA Times might express concern about the millions of dollars pumped into the school board race by billionaires like Eli Broad, Reed Hastings, Richard Riordan, and the Waltons. How did it happen that the California Charter Schools Association become the most influential lobby in Sacramento? Isn’t the Times just a little bit curious about the deployment of big money? Have they noticed that the same money has bought the school boards in Denver, Indianapolis, and other cities? Are they aware that Reed Hastings longs for the day when democratically elected school boards are obsolete. Meanwhile, he is willing to spend whatever it takes to buy them.

One would think that a major metropolitan newspaper would worry about the power of big money to buy local school board elections. When did any of these billionaires ever have a child or grandchild in the LAUSD public schools? Why doesn’t the editorial question why they want so badly to buy the school board? What do they want?

One would think that the LA Times might have noticed the numerous Los Angeles Times: Cheerleading for Privatization and the Trum-DeVos Agenda | Diane Ravitch's blog:

Should We Be Grateful? | educarenow

Should We Be Grateful? | educarenow:

Should We Be Grateful? 

In an odd turn of events, and with little explanation, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder has decided to return the state’s School Reform Office back to the Department of Education.

Why is this odd? Well, maybe it isn’t odd. What is odd is that Snyder initially removed the SRO from the Department of Education and placed it under the control of the Department of Technology, Management and Budget in March of 2015. And why did he do this? I’m honestly not sure anyone knows. However, the suspicion continues that this move was a means of moving the SRO out of the control of the state superintendent and the democratically elected (meaning accountable to us citizens) state school board. This certainly falls within Snyder’s established pattern of avoiding democracy. (Flint anyone?) He took what was ours.

In today’s statement, Snyder explains in an Orwellian sentence, “Improving our schools and holding them accountable for their performance is critical to Michigan’s students’ success.”

What?

Let’s fact check that. Detroit Public Schools (now named the Detroit Public Should We Be Grateful? | educarenow:

We Lost a Dear Friend of Public Libraries and Public Schools: Joan Kramer of Los Angeles | Diane Ravitch's blog

We Lost a Dear Friend of Public Libraries and Public Schools: Joan Kramer of Los Angeles | Diane Ravitch's blog:

We Lost a Dear Friend of Public Libraries and Public Schools: Joan Kramer of Los Angeles

Joan Kramer, a hero of public libraries, public education, and the common good, died a few days ago.

Joan was a hero to all who knew and loved her.

This is a tribute from some of her friends who knew her well.

Here she is testifying before the Los Angeles Unified School District board on behalf of libraries.

She had a fantastic blog, beautifully illustrated. I recommend that you read it.

You can see her beautiful spirit in her words. I especially loved her story about Allen Funt, the Candid Camera guy.

Farewell, Joan. We will miss you. Your followers will carry on and multiply, to spread your message about the values of literacy, knowledge, civilization, and the power of the public space.

 We Lost a Dear Friend of Public Libraries and Public Schools: Joan Kramer of Los Angeles | Diane Ravitch's blog:

CURMUDGUCATION: Ed Reform v 6.3 Accountability Lite

CURMUDGUCATION: Ed Reform v 6.3 Accountability Lite:

Ed Reform v 6.3 Accountability Lite

Full disclosure-- I made the number 6.3 out of the air, because frankly I've lost track of the various versions of ed reform that we've seen. But we're definitely on to something new.

The new ed reform has staked out a position against bureaucracy and paperwork. This conversation starts with a Rick Hess piece, which becomes a thing because Betsy DeVos decided to quote it in her address to charteristas. And so we arrive at a call for reformsters to stand up against reformocracy.

The call for getting rid of bureaucracy is not without disagreement. Checker Finn pushed back hard, and Mike Petrilli chimed in. But there continues to be a buzz surrounding the issue of accountability/bureaucracy. The most recent entry in the discussion is on the Fordham website, written by Max Eden of the Manhattan Insititute, defending the book project that Finn attacked.

The piece highlights some of the important features of v 6.3 reforminess. "Results: Yes. Regulation: No. How to beat back the new education establishment" is a rather mixed-up manifesto.

One of the curious features of current reforminess is the complete brain-wipe when it comes to Common Core State [sic] Standards. Reformers led the charge to inflict a set of national standards on every state and every public school district, and I'm happy that CCSS is more ghost-like these days, but it's mighty disingenuous for Core supporters to pretend that it's just awful how someone somehow created a mighty web of regulations and paperwork and bureaucratic hoop-jumping to make sure that the Core was properly implemented. This selective amnesia occurs periodically in the reform movement. Reformsters were shocked that the Big Standardized Test narrowed curriculum and warped education, after they CURMUDGUCATION: Ed Reform v 6.3 Accountability Lite:

Resisting Cultural Appropriation: A Human Response to the Inhumanity of Privilege | radical eyes for equity

Resisting Cultural Appropriation: A Human Response to the Inhumanity of Privilege | radical eyes for equity:

Resisting Cultural Appropriation: A Human Response to the Inhumanity of Privilege

When I posted K. Tempest Bradford’s argument “that cultural appropriation is indefensible,” the first comment I received (from a white man) suggested cultural appropriation is unavoidable, mostly discounting Bradford’s challenges.

Once I replied, the same person added: “The solution is to change the power relationships, not to erect artificial cultural walls.”

First, when so-called racial minorities speak against inequity, whites often fail to listen, shouting over or offering the condescending “yes, but”—in the same way men correct and marginalize when women confront sexism and misogyny.

In the situation above, the typical white male moderate or even self-proclaimed progressive response is at play, something like “Let’s work toward a color-blind society!”

This ploy fails on several layers.

As noted already, it fails because the response replaces a willingness to listen, to value the perspective, and then to act in alliance.

But more broadly, the premise is also flawed because the goal is not to be a color-blind society or to eradicate cultural (or racial, or gender) walls, but to make our identifiable differences worthy of equal celebration and to insure that those differences never stand as markers for injustice, inequity, and dehumanization.

As Bradford asserts, cultural appropriation must always be resisted because the U.S. is a capitalistic and materialistic society in which each Resisting Cultural Appropriation: A Human Response to the Inhumanity of Privilege | radical eyes for equity:

Where Should Foundations Put Their Money? - The Atlantic

Where Should Foundations Put Their Money? - The Atlantic:

Charitable Giving Is Only a Small Part of What Foundations Do With Their Money
Most of their capital doesn’t wind up in grants, but in investments. Is the latter the key to maximum impact?

Foundations make up a big part—about a sixth—of all the charitable giving that happens in the U.S. But some would argue that their biggest impact comes not from the money they give away, but from the far larger pile of assets they hold.

Most of the attention foundations receive is for the grants they make. U.S. law requires most foundations to pay out at least five percent of their net assets to charitable causes every year. That often leaves 95 percent of their holdings: a collection of assets that attracts much less attention. In 2012, a little over $300 billion was given away in total in the U.S.—that’s everything from foundation grants to money people gave at church. That year, foundations reported more than $700 billion in assets.

Typically, that heap of assets is managed like any other, to maximize its financial value. One set of people in a foundation would manage it, and another set would manage the grant-funded programs the foundation oversees. But a growing number of foundations are exploring impact investing with their portfolios—seeking not just financial returns, but social benefits.

Few foundations have gone further in this direction than the F.B. Heron Foundation, which aims to alleviate poverty and is based in New York. A few years ago, Heron announced that it was going to stop thinking of its capital in two parts—assets and programs. Instead, wrote Clara Miller, Heron’s president, “Our fundamental question for deployment of all capital will be, ‘What is the highest and best use of this asset for furthering our mission?’ Financial returns to our own portfolio will be a necessary part of answering that question, but so will returns toWhere Should Foundations Put Their Money? - The Atlantic: 

In The Land Of Bill Gates, A Standoff Over Money For Schools | GOOD Education

In The Land Of Bill Gates, A Standoff Over Money For Schools | GOOD Education:

In The Land Of Bill Gates, A Standoff Over Money For Schools
Not one of Washington State’s 13 resident billionaires pays a dime in income tax.

ZACHARY WARREN SPENDS A LOT OF HIS TIME THINKING ABOUT CHAIRS. Desk chairs, to be more specific. Though there’s a range of chair sizes in the classroom where he’s taught for years in the Seattle Public School system, he says, “They don’t fit the kids. The desks don’t fit the kids.”

The problem, Warren believes, is that public education in his state isn’t fully-funded. Which means equipment doesn’t always work. Or adequate supplies simply aren’t available. So teachers like him — who already struggle to make it on salaries that are well below what it takes to live in the blazing Seattle housing market — must dig into their own pockets to pay for them. And when it comes to desk chairs, well, they aren’t exactly available for a couple bucks at the corner store.

Teachers being asked to foot the bill isn’t a pattern that’s limited to Washington; it’s a nationwide problem, due in large part to the fact that teachers, who are evaluated on student success, can’t do their jobs without basic supplies. But it’s surprising that in a prosperous state with a booming economy — home to two of the world’s biggest corporations, Amazon and Microsoft — schools can’t seem to put the coins together to pay for pencils and paste.

It’s a familiar conundrum for the Washington State legislature. Colloquially referred to as the WaLeg, the state government entered its second special session this month, an extension to the 2017 legislative period. Though the word “special” is right in the name, there’s nothing unique or surprising about the fact that lawmakers are staying in Olympia, the capitol, for an extra 30 days. It happens almost every year.

Despite the state’s reputation as a liberal haven, the WaLeg is split nearly dead in half down the aisle (the Senate has 24 Democrats and 25 Republicans, while the House has 50 Democrats and 48 Republicans). It’s a division that has led to some unusual funding shortfalls in one of the nation’s wealthiest states: Not a single one In The Land Of Bill Gates, A Standoff Over Money For Schools | GOOD Education:

CT Voices for Children is absolutely right about CT budget situation - Wait What?

CT Voices for Children is absolutely right about CT budget situation - Wait What?:

CT Voices for Children is absolutely right about CT budget situation

Statement from CT Voices June 30, 2017;

Connecticut Voices for Children strongly believes that a fiscally responsible and stable state budget is the cornerstone for equitable economic growth. The only way to build a strong foundation for long-term inclusive economic prosperity is having a state government with solid finances that is willing and able to support long-term strategies for economic growth and equitable opportunity.

Connecticut’s current fiscal crisis is the result of years of short-term budget thinking and a failure to address our state’s economic challenges. During the past few months, Connecticut policymakers have struggled with the daunting task of closing a budget gap not of their own making. After years of short-term fixes, they are now confronted with a harsh fiscal reality with no easy solutions.

As the Governor and the Legislature go back to the drawing board this special session, we urge them to ground their work in an understanding of the economic, demographic, and political changes which have created today’s ever-growing challenge.

The state budget is the clearest statement of Connecticut’s policy priorities. Working from our strengths, and with the courage to address our weaknesses, we can build a more inclusive economy that enables all families to thrive, provides quality education for all children from cradle to career, and provides the support services necessary to ensure that no child is left behind.

To achieve these priorities, the Governor and General Assembly must seek a balanced approach that combines smart, strategic spending in key budget priorities with tax reforms that assure fairness, stability, predictability, and adequacy. Connecticut needs a stable, responsible budget, with real structural reforms, rejecting the crisis-driven, short-term approach that has marked state fiscal policy for years. Legislators should create a stable revenue stream by modernizing Connecticut’s tax structure to reflect its changing economy, which is increasingly built on services rather than goods. This will require combining bold revenue reforms with a strategic rethinking of budget priorities that include a renewed willingness for forward-looking investments in education, workforce development, and health.

We understand that this shift will not be easy; Connecticut’s fiscal woes are deep, and fixing them will require making many hard decisions. Connecticut Voices for Children believes, however, that working together we can reach a balanced budget that ensures that our state is an attractive place to find a job, start a business, and raise a family. It is time for everyone that cares about the future of our state to set our differences aside and work towards this common goal.CT Voices for Children is absolutely right about CT budget situation - Wait What?:

Student Data Deletion Day - Wouldn't That Be Great + Legislature to Pass Budget Today - Seattle Schools Community Forum

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Student Data Deletion Day - Wouldn't That Be Great:

Student Data Deletion Day - Wouldn't That Be Great

From Education Week:

Bradley Shear is a lawyer who focuses on digital privacy and social media. 
He's also the father of two elementary-aged children who attend the public schools in Maryland's Montgomery County. 

A little over a year ago, Shear says, the focus of his professional life became an intensely personal concern, as well.

"I got a phone call from my son's teacher, who said he had performed an internet search for inappropriate content on a school-issued Chromebook," Shear said in an interview. "It got me thinking about all the data being collected about kids, and whether it will ever be deleted.

From Shear's blog, Shear on Social Media Law:

Every time our kids may be admonished for talking out of turn or texting in class they may receive a permanent demerit in Class Dojo.  In the near future, classrooms may be filled with cameras and other tracking technologies that also analyze our kids every interaction with their teachers and class mates. This is not some type of crazy prediction; in China, this Orwellian future is already a reality.

Multiple companies in the educational technology space have intentionally misled students, parents, teachers, administrators, and lawmakers about how they are using the personal data they are collecting about our kids in school. For example, Google was caught intentionally scanning student emails for advertising and other troubling purposes despite prior promises it was not.  ConnectEDU tried to sell personal student data for profit when it went bankrupt despite promising not to do so.* Edmodo, another educational technology company, was recently caught surreptitiously tracking students online to monetize their web surfing habits despite promises to the contrary.

As a parent and privacy advocate, I have come to the realization that more Seattle Schools Community Forum: Student Data Deletion Day - Wouldn't That Be Great:





Legislature to Pass Budget Today

 I was actually going to give you all kinds of links and updates but here's all you really need to know - the Dems caved, schools will not be fully-funded and property-rich areas will pay for most of the increases. 


Schools will get $7.3B more over the next four years.  This is not enough and is likely to not pass judicial muster for fully funding schools.  After this budget is passed, the Supreme Court will review the part that addresses McCleary and allow the plaintiffs to give their thoughts.  Any ruling on this issue would probably come at the end of the summer.

Tweet
Robert Cruinkshank
Last year, McCleary plaintiffs said $5.6 billion needed just for next school year. $7.3b over 4 years won't cut it 

- Property taxes will go up in Seattle/King County - by a lot. 

Tweet

Joe O'Sullivan

Rough numbers, Seattle will see $440/yr increase in property taxes for average house, Ranker says. 

-There will be a cap on the per dollar amount that local levies can ask for.

From Representative Zack Hutchins:

Initiative 1351

Staffing enrichments provided in the prototypical funding formula under Initiative 1351 are recodified in a different chapter of the RCWs. If additional staffing units are funded in future operating budgets, those units will then become a part of basic education.

Accountability

By 2019-20, school districts must provide separate accounting of state and local revenues and expenditures data. The State Auditor must conduct regular financial audits to ensure districts are using local revenues in compliance with this act. 

Categorical programs

·         Career and Technical Education and Skills Center Programs’ class sizes reduced

·         Highly Capable Program allocation increased from 2.314 to 5 percent of a district’s enrollment

·         Additional Learning Assistance Program allocation for high poverty schools

·         Special Education allocation increased from 12.7 to 13.5 percent of a district’s enrollment

·         Increased Transitional Bilingual Program instruction in middle and high schools by two hours

Tweets
Joe O'Sullivan
Another tax change in deal: B&O tax rate for all manufacturing comes down to Boeing's preferential rate, Ranker says. #waleg

Because much of the McCleary plan doesn't kick in for some time, Billig said lawmakers can tweak things if problems w/ plan.

On the public not being able to weigh in or even see the real actual budget in a timely manner:

Melissa Santos
 Lawmakers June Robinson and Dan Kristiansen are telling me public has had time to vet much of budget through past proposals

Tim Eyman
Mega-victories on the final budget deal - what's NOT in it is our biggest successNo income tax. No new capital gains tax.  No new carbon tax.  No increases in business taxes. 

Legislature to Pass Budget Today

Trump’s proposed cuts to education funding creates friction in charter school community | EdSource

Trump’s proposed cuts to education funding creates friction in charter school community | EdSource:

Trump's proposed cuts to education funding creates friction in charter school community

his should be a time of celebration for charter school advocates. Both President Donald Trump and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have focused their education agenda on providing parents with more choices, which include charter schools. The number of charter schools continues to grow, with nearly 3,000 charter schools enrolling nearly 3 million students nationally.

But instead, Trump’s and DeVos’ endorsement of charter schools is driving a wedge between traditional allies and is threatening to undermine the bipartisan support charter schools have received almost throughout the quarter century since they emerged on the education landscape.

In a remarkably frank speech earlier this month, Nina Rees, president of the National Alliance of Charter Schools, acknowledged at her organization’s annual conference in Washington D.C. that “the Trump administration’s policies have put us in a difficult spot.”

The difficulty, she explained, is that the Trump administration is proposing a $168 million increase in funding for the Charter Schools Program, on top of the current level of $333 million, while at the same time cutting other education funding. Most of the charter program funds are used to help new charter schools get off the ground.  Trump is also proposing adding $1 billion to the Title 1 program for low-income students to allow parents to send their children to any public school of their choice, which could include charter schools.

However, Trump’s budget also includes massive cuts to federal education programs — some $9.2 billion from the current level of $68 billion in federal K-12 education Trump’s proposed cuts to education funding creates friction in charter school community | EdSource:

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

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

Friday News Diane Ravitch's blog

A site to discuss better education for all

Civil Rights Activists Outraged by Trump Choice to Lead Civil Rights Division at Justice Department

by dianeravitch / 33min

The key job in the federal government in terms of civil rights enforcement is the leader of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department. Trump has selected Eric Dreiband, who has represented numerous clients accused of violating civil rights laws. Activists are outraged. The selection of Dreiband is in keeping with 

Los Angeles Times: Cheerleading for Privatization and the Trum-DeVos Agenda

4by dianeravitch / 16min

The Los Angeles Times editorial board published an editorial today chastising the California Teachers Association for resisting privatization of public education via charters. I assume that this editorial was in no way influenced by Eli Broad, who subsidizes the Times’ education coverage, which is a blatant 

We Lost a Dear Friend of Public Libraries and Public Schools: Joan Kramer of Los Angeles

7by dianeravitch / 43min

Joan Kramer, a hero of public libraries, public education, and the common good, died a few days ago. Joan was a hero to all who knew and loved her. This is a tribute from some of her friends who knew her well. Here she is testifying before 

Big Oil Sells Fossil-Fuel Love to Children in Elementary Schools

by dianeravitch / 5min

This is an alarming story, prepared by the Center for Public Integrity. . Teaching materials are being distributed by the fossil fuel industry to elementary schools. It begins: “Jennifer Merritt’s first-graders at Jefferson Elementary School in 

National Education Policy Center: New Research on Virtual Charter Schools

1by dianeravitch / 22min

The National Education Policy Center has released new research on virtual charter schools that shows variation among those in different states, though all have poor academic results: Key Takeaway: Case studies from the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute suggest that policymakers should prioritize understanding and improving virtual school performance before permitting further growth Pre

Nancy E. Bailey: Beware! Computer Instruction is NOT Inclusion!

1by dianeravitch / 22min

Nancy E. Bailey writes here about current efforts to put children with disabilities on a computer and call it “personalized learning” and “inclusion.” It is neither. “Personalized learning must not be mistaken for inclusion. The reality is that it’s student isolation! “Inclusion is generally defined as the action or state of including or of being included within a group or structure. Doing school

Montana Teacher: Questions About AP Courses

5by dianeravitch / 1h

This comment by a reader called amontana Teacger continues a discussion of the value of AP courses. My observation: AP courses are a big money-maker for the College Board, which on its face is nonprofit, but aggressively pursues opportunities to generate revenues, like claiming that access to AP courses promotes equity. Other posts are here and here . Montana Teacher writes: “Thank you for all of

Tomorrow Is My Birthday!

3by dianeravitch / 2h

Tomorrow I will be 79! My older sister says that it’s all downhill from here, but I’m not going anywhere, not without raising a ruckus. Carol Burris has created a giant birthday card for me. I hope you will consider signing it. https://networkforpubliceducation.org/2017/06/help-wish-diane-happy-birthday/ This will be the first time in my life that I ever asked anyone to sign a birthday card that

Urgent Note to Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan: Hands Off Our Schools and Our Children!

37by dianeravitch / 3h

Education Week reports on the plans of billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan to redesign American education. They have launched something called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative–or CZI Initiative–to carry out their plan for “personalized learning”‘( I.e., “depersonalized learning”) to remake education into whatever they think in their limited experience is best. They have hired J

June 30: Join Student Data Deletion Day!

9by dianeravitch / 4h

Today is the first Student Data Deletion Day. This is a parent’s response to the obscene amounts of personal data collected about every child. Why do they do it? Because they can, and because you let them. Please open to see the many links. As usual, this is an excerpt: “Our K-12 public schools are collecting an enormous amount of data about our kids that will pre-determine whether their dream sc

YESTERDAY

Phyllis Bush: Facing Cancer Head On, with Humor and Determination

100+by dianeravitch / 21h

My dear friend and ally, Phyllis Bush, started a blog to write about her experience with cancer, which she insists on calling cancer schmanzer. She is feeling better . She is cleaning closets. She is ready for the fight for her life. Phyllis keeps me informed about the corporate and billionaire funded effort to destroy public education in Indiana. She is a fighter. She is a founding board member

Twelve Seconds of Gunfire on a Playground in South Carolina

10by dianeravitch / 22h

This is a heartbreaking story . A young man appeared at a playground in Townsville, South Carolina, where first-graders were playing. He opened fire. A child died. The shooter, it turned out, was not a man. He was 14 years old. He stopped when his gun jammed. He was captured. There are states and cities that think the answer to school shootings is to arm teachers. Given the speed of this shooting

North Carolina: Employee of State’s Largest Voucher School Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $400,000

36by dianeravitch / 23h

Isn’t it great to be free of people watching over your shoulder when you are in charge of the money? That’s what the employee of North Carolina’s largest voucher school thought. He just pleaded guilty to embezzling $400,000 over an eight-year period from the school. Lindsay Wagner writes: Heath Vandevender is a coach, teacher and the employee tasked with managing the payroll operations of the sta

Mercedes Schneider: A Close Reading of the Church-State Decision

4by dianeravitch / 1d

Mercedes Schneider is not a lawyer but she is a very smart reader, who cuts to the chase. She read the recent decision by the Supreme Court about the church that wanted to participate in a state program to resurface its preschool playground with recycled tires. The decision doesn’t reach the voucher issue but it gives strong hints about where justices are likely to rule when they do get a voucher

Steven Singer: If Churches Get Public Funds, They Should Pay Taxes and Anticipate Government Regulation

27by dianeravitch / 1d

Steven Singer has a new view of the recent Supreme Court ruling that the state of Missouri is obliged to pave the playground of a church. If churches are going to receive federal funding, he writes, they should pay taxes. What is more, think long term. Church schools that receive federal and state funding should expect to meet accountability standards for their curriculum and their hiring practic

NAACP on Charter Moratorium: “We Won’t Back Down!”

33by dianeravitch / 1d

Corporate privatizers like Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump, Arne Duncan, and Peter Cunningham (previously Duncan’s communications director, now editor of the billionaire-funded Education Post) claim that turning public money over to 

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