Alexander Russo Tries to Work the Refs Again - Living in Dialogue

Alexander Russo Tries to Work the Refs Again - Living in Dialogue
Alexander Russo Tries to Work the Refs Again

By Anthony Cody.

I am not sure who appointed Alexander Russo the chief scold of the education newsbeat,  but he has made it his business to criticize reporting in the field from his supposedly objective perch. Somehow, he almost always seems to be playing defense for one reform project or another.

In his latest column, he takes issue with coverage of the Trump administration’s proposed budget, and the kerfuffle that took place on Capitol Hill a couple of weeks ago. He focuses almost exclusively on one aspect of the story – the proposed cuts to Special Olympics. Of the grilling by Democrats of DeVos, he writes:

In and of itself, the back and forth was nothing new. Members of Congress routinely complain about proposed cuts to programs they favor. Everyone familiar with the process knows that it’s mostly theatrics, with lawmakers trying to score points.

Mistake number one. There was indeed something new in the back and forth. Lawmakers were reacting, in part, to a Network for Public Education report, Asleep at the Wheel, which found that as much as a billion dollars of federal funds have been wasted on charter schools that never even opened, or closed within a year or two.

A look at this video featuring Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro shows how seriously members of Congress took this information.

This report was real news, and it was carried as such by the Washington Post, which also made note of the report in its coverage of the hearing.

The money funneled into unaccountable charter schools OUGHT to be a big story, and so should the additional $5 billion DeVos wants to pour into “Freedom Scholarships.”

But Russo’s chief grievance is with the way the Special Olympics cuts turned into a major flashpoint for CONTINUE READING: Alexander Russo Tries to Work the Refs Again - Living in Dialogue

CURMUDGUCATION: Don't Be Fooled By This Proposal To End Testing

CURMUDGUCATION: Don't Be Fooled By This Proposal To End Testing

Don't Be Fooled By This Proposal To End Testing

Tom Vander Ark has a long and checkered past in the ed reform biz, and he is ready to cash in on the next big thing (he's been ready for a while), which is why we find him at Forbes proposing an end to standardized testing. Just to be clear from the jump-- that's not a good thing.

The article comes in two parts-- a pretty good take-down of the Big Standardized Test, and a pretty weak argument for the next reformster meal ticket.

Good schools know how every student is doing in every subject every day. They don’t need a week of testing in the spring to tell them what they already know.

True that. And here's an interesting way to summarize the way the Common Core testing bandwagon ended up in the weeds, while trying to pivot to his new product:

While most OECD countries have sweated validity (good measures of what’s important), the U.S. has been preoccupied with reliability (inexpensive measures of what’s measurable). The development of Common Core State Standards was a national effort to raise expectations and implement better tests. The addition of more writing made the tests longer and just added to the backlash against testing.

One problem with state-mandated tests is that they don’t take advantage of everything teachers know about their students. With the shift to digital learning, many students have experienced a big increase in formative feedback from adaptive assessments, embedded quizzes, and online resources like Khan Academy. All of these new forms of feedback don’t integrate very well (because we still  CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: Don't Be Fooled By This Proposal To End Testing

Mitchell Robinson: Beto, Beto, Beto…: "It's All About the Kids" Edition | Eclectablog

Beto, Beto, Beto…: "It's All About the Kids" Edition | Eclectablog

Beto, Beto, Beto…: “It’s All About the Kids” Edition

CNN reported today that presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke said, in 2012, that charter schools “were a good idea.” While this is a more definitive statement of support for charters than Mr. O’Rourke has been willing to make in his recent run for the White House, that’s not the sentence that caught my attention.

It was this one:

“Because remember, at the end of the day, the person that we care the most about in the educational system is the student.”

No, Beto. No, no, no.

While this is the sort of “feel good” platitude that is designed to make listeners feel all warm and fuzzy about the person who says it, it’s also the kind of verbal pablum that reveals more about the speaker than she or he probably intended.

Because, when you say that we care “most” about students, you’re also revealing your true feelings about everyone else who works in the schools.

You’re saying–whether you intended to or not–that you care less about…

teachers…

and secretaries…

and principals…

and nurses…

and custodians…

and counselors…

and school cafeteria workers…

and librarians…

and bus drivers…

and the people that take care of the athletic fields, and lawns, and maintain the district’s buildings and grounds.

And when you care less about all of those persons, you’re also less likely to support the policies CONTINUE READING: Beto, Beto, Beto…: "It's All About the Kids" Edition | Eclectablog

 Big Education Ape: Amy O’Rourke’s Charter School Dropped Two Grade Levels That It Still Advertises | deutsch29 - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/03/amy-orourkes-charter-school-dropped-two.html

Schott Foundation Partners with Journey For Justice — Here's How You Can Help | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Schott Foundation Partners with Journey For Justice — Here's How You Can Help | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Schott Foundation Partners with Journey For Justice — Here's How You Can Help

Since Schott made our first grant to an inspiring community-led organization fighting for education justice in the Chicago public schools—the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO)—we’ve remained allies as it’s grown into a national network. Through KOCO’s leadership, the Journey for Justice Alliance (J4J) is now a diverse, intergenerational network of 35 community-based organizations in 22 cities. J4J is organizing to build Black- and Brown-led multiracial coalitions to win victories for equity at local and national levels.

During April, we’re engaged in a new strategy of support — Schott is providing matching funds for every dollar contributed to J4J’s grassroots fundraising campaign, 30 Days to Make a Way!

We urge you to contribute to this people-powered donor campaign.

Journey for Justice has:

1. Led the fight for education equity and put education privatizers on the defensive
2. Inspired the NAACP's call for a moratorium on charter schools
3. Helped create the groundbreaking Sustainable Community Schools model
4. Won millions from the federal government to support community schools across the country
5. United and developed independent, Black and Brown grassroots leadership
6. Built multi-racial coalitions across the U.S. fighting for education justice

Watch Journey for Justice's National Director Jitu Brown on the hunger strike he helped lead to save Dyett High School:

What your donation to this campaign will help Journey for Justice accomplish:

• A J4J field organizer to help train parents, students and communities on sustainable community schools
• A Policy Director for J4J
• Posters, bumper stickers, t-shirts, buttons and other materials for the #WEChoose campaign
• Resources for local organizations to host #WeChoose Equity Town Hall Meetings in 40 cities across the country
• Local equity bus tours in campaign cities
• Regional mobilizations to Washington DC in order to advocate for full funding for IDEA, Title 1 and community schools

Give in April and Schott will match your donation:

Schott Foundation Partners with Journey For Justice — Here's How You Can Help | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Teach For America — except for California

Teach For America — except for California

Teach For America — except for California

SACRAMENTO — Backed by powerful teachers unions, Democrats are pushing to ban Teach For America from California amid a wave of teacher’s strikes and a heated debate over charter schools in the nation’s most populous state.

The push comes as education policy becomes an increasing point of tension, putting the national nonprofit and its recruits — promising college grads eager to teach in poor communities — in the crosshairs of the state's supermajority Democratic legislature.

Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), a Democrat in the state Assembly pushing legislation to ban the nearly 30-year-old organization in the state, says Teach For America’s goal of closing the achievement gap in public education actually hurts the poor and minority students it seeks to serve.

Teach For America fast-tracks teacher training for ambitious young people straight out of college and places them in the country’s most struggling school districts, committing them to a two-year teaching stint.

“Our most vulnerable students are getting our least trained teachers. If they’re good enough for poor, low-income schools, why aren’t they good enough for the Beverly Hillses of the world?” Garcia told POLITICO. “Why do low-income schools have to be the guinea pigs?”

It doesn’t help that during a recent teacher strike in Oakland — which followed a teacher walkout in Los Angeles and garnered support from national figures ranging from NBA star Stephen Curry to Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) —Teach For America seemed to encourage its California members to cross picket lines, prompting a backlash from its alumni.

It’s far from the first time Teach For America, which has enjoyed support on Capitol Hill, has faced resistance. In 2016, San Francisco school board members voted down what would have been a routine approval of TFA teachers, citing concerns similar to Garcia’s. In 2013, a group of Teach for America alumni CONTINUE READING:  Teach For America — except for California

Teacher Habits - Helping Teachers inside the Classroom and Out

Teacher Habits - Helping Teachers inside the Classroom and Out

TEACHER HABITS

Helping Teachers inside the Classroom and Out

How a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum Ruined Teaching

by Murph / 3h

I sat in a meeting recently where an administrator reiterated the importance of having a “guaranteed and viable curriculum.” He shared this quote: It’s one of those things teachers have heard a thousand times, and we all just nod our heads and say to ourselves that of course schools should know what students ought to learn and kids growing up in Minnesota should know some of the same, big, basic

Teaching Financial Literacy: How to Help High Schoolers Care More

by Murph / 4h

Lizzie Weakley Financial literacy is something that many teenagers do not have a firm grasp on, and it is something that many parents and teachers overlook the importance of. Young people need to understand the importance of financial literacy so that they are able to properly tend to their money in the future. The following information provides a closer look at three helpful ways to help high sc

10 Easy Ways To Implement Social Emotional Learning In Your Classroom Today

by Murph / 4h

Richard Allen Overmyer Children all over the world attend school to gain real-life skills as they prepare for their future. The academic and social skills they acquire will give way to their entrance to the workforce as citizens in society. With a growing trend of more parents working outside the home and increasing demand on highly qualified teachers to comprehensively prepare students for the f

YESTERDAY

5 Foreign Language Language Activities That Students Actually Look Forward To

by Murph / 1d

Lara Smith In the world that we live in, we now need to learn foreign languages to broaden our horizons. Not only does it seem cool if you know another language, due to globalization, being bilingual or knowing a foreign language often gives you more opportunities to get better jobs within your own country and abroad. Apart from that, due to a free market, most large scale businesses have collabo

MAR 25

4 Important Ways to Help a Grieving Student

40by Murph / 11d

4 Important Ways to Help a Grieving Student A guest post by Meghan Belnap As a teacher, watching over the mental and emotional health of your students can be difficult. Students who face tragedy are often in need of comfort and extra support, but it can often feel as if your options are limited in regards to how to help. 20 percent of all kids will grow up experiencing the death of someone close

MAR 21

The Easiest Way For Principals to Respect Teachers

by Murph / 16d

Teachers are the Rodney Dangerfields of the work world, constantly complaining that we get no respect. We have to take second jobs to make ends meet. We work extra hours for no extra pay. The teacher wage penalty is at an all-time high . We have less autonomy than we used to in our classrooms. We must endure teacher evaluation schemes that measure our worth using the outcomes of standardized test

MAR 12

The Benefits of Libraries for Teachers and Students

by Murph / 24d

By Frankie Wallace For a long time, libraries have served as sanctuaries for many students and teachers. Libraries aren’t being visited as often as they once were , but educators can still benefit from utilizing libraries in their lessons. Additionally, they provide a place of solitude and refuge from the hardships associated with day-to-day school life. Within the rows of books, there are other

MAR 09

5 Things Teachers Should No Longer Have to Do

by Murph / 28d

Of all the nonsense today’s educators must endure, perhaps the most galling is the mixed messages we regularly receive about how to perform our jobs. Teachers, once upon a time, were essentially independent practitioners, trusted to choose their own topics of study, craft their own lessons, design their own tests (or not give any at all), enforce their own grading policies, and shepherd their stu

MAR 02

11 Time-Saving Tips for Teachers

by Murph / 35d

A guest post by Lauren Adley Teachers are often overwhelmed by the numerous lessons they have to plan, the piles of marking waiting for them, and the various tasks on their to-do lists. Here are useful time management tips that 

Teacher Habits - Helping Teachers inside the Classroom and Out

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

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

Diane Ravitch's blog 

A site to discuss better education for all

Big Education Ape: The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch: A Review - Living in Dialogue - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-wisdom-and-wit-of-diane-ravitch.html

NPE Grassroots Newsletter: Join Us!

by dianeravitch / 49min

The Network for Public Education is very fortunate to have successfully persuaded Marla Kilfoyle, former national executive director of the BATS, to join us as our national coordinator of grassroots activities. This is the first newsletter of our grassroots groups, created by Marla. If your group wants to join, please contact Marla, so she can list your activities. The link is in the newsletter.

New Mexico: New Democratic Governor Eliminates A-F School Grades

by dianeravitch / 1h

One of Jeb Bush’s signature initiatives–and possibly the stupidest–was giving schools letter grades of A-F. Schools are complex institutions with many individuals engaged in their work, some doing better jobs than others, some essential, some not. No complex institution should be graded A-F. No individual child should be graded with a single letter, A-F. Imagine if your child came home with a rep

Julia Keleher: The Destroyer of Public Schools in Puerto Rico

21by dianeravitch / 2h

Julia Keleher will one day have engraved on her tombstone: “She Destroyed the Public Schools in Puerto Rico.” She joins the blog’s Wall of Shame for her shameless assault on public schools, the teachers’ union, and the students of Puerto Rico. Keleher r esigned her position as Puerto Rico’s Secretary of State earlier this week . Her resignation comes after two years of top down education reform.

Lisa Haver: How Many Lawyers Does It Take to Close Down a Failing Charter School?

by dianeravitch / 3h

Lisa Haver is a public school activist in Philadelphia. Here she writes about the long, drawn-out and very expensive proceedings to close down a failing charter school in that city. She writes: When the School District of Philadelphia targeted Germantown High School for closure just one year before its 100th anniversary, there was no legal recourse for students or families. No law required the Di

Bombshell Report About Copycat Legislation Written by ALEC but Adopted by Your State

200+by dianeravitch / 4h

Democracy is under attack, not only in D.C., but in the state capitols. To understand just how serious this attack is, how insidious it is, how well-funded it is, please open the link . This new USA Today/Arizona Republic/Center for Public Integrity in-depth investigation is a bombshell report on the thousands of “copy-and-paste bills” introduced and passed in state legislatures which purport to

YESTERDAY

About Joe Biden and #MeToo

by dianeravitch / 23h

I am astonished by the media uproar about Joe Biden and his habit of hugging and patting people (notably, women) on the back or the head. The #MeToo movement is about women who have been raped or sexually assaulted, not about friendly hugs or pats on the head. Turning Biden’s friendly gestures into sexual assault is ridiculous and diminishes the seriousness of sexual assault. When you contrast Bi

California: The Latest Charter Reform Is Unlikely to Change Much

by dianeravitch / 1d

When the California Teachers Association and the California Charter School Association stand side-by-side to applaud a law about charters, you have to wonder who wrote the law and whether it will rein in charter corruption. The latest reform effort was a law to guarantee charter transparency and accountability. Former Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill twice. The State Board of Education

Adam Schiff on the Mueller Report: A Brilliant Speech

by dianeravitch / 1d

Congressman Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, speaks here about the Trump campaign’s numerous dealings with the Russian government. Everything he says is in the public record. Nothing is merely rumor or speculation. Schiff says what Trump did, what he admits to doing, is not OK. I couldn’t agree more. The bar for ethical behavior by a presidential candidate just dropped s

Denisha Jones: First, Protect Childhood and Children from Harm

22by dianeravitch / 1d

Denisha Jones was recently invited to give a lecture at Sarah Lawrence College, and she turned it into this article. She describes the corporate threat to education and children, which was named GERM (the Global Education Reform Movement) by Pasi Sahlberg. Jones calls on teachers to become advocates and activists on behalf of children, protecting them from GERM. You will enjoy reading the article

Alan Singer: Is Promesa the “Worst Charter Chain” in the Nation?

by dianeravitch / 1d

Alan Singer writes here about Promesa, a charter chain in Texas owned by Southwest Key, the same company that runs detention center for immigrant children. As is often the case, the big profits are in real estate. Here is an excerpt from a powerful article: At one Texas Promesa charter school site, vermin roam the halls, offices, and classrooms and the roof leaks when it rains. The non-profit Sou

Will Teachers in Mississippi Be Next to Strike?

34by dianeravitch / 1d

! It is illegal for teachers to strike in Mississippi but they are considering a strike anyway. Legislators offered them a paltry $1,500 raise while setting aside $2 million for vouchers. The eyes of the nation are on Mississippi. Strike! The legislators won’t pay you any mind unless you put on your red T-shirt, make a sign, and gather at the State Capitol. Don’t agonize, organize! Strike!

APR 04

New York: 46% of Students on Long Island Opt Out of ELA Tests

62by dianeravitch / 1d

Opt Out lives! https://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/schools-ela-opt-outs-test-boycott-1.29381145 Meanwhile computer glitches across scattered districts caused student answers to disappear and other problems. Computer-based assessment is a dumb idea.

Massachusetts: Citizens for Public Schools Calls on State to Stop Bullying Parents Who Want to Opt Out of Tests

by dianeravitch / 1d

Citizens for Public Schools issued a statement today calling on the state to stop lying about parents’ right to opt out of state testing: For immediate release, April 3, 2019 Contact: Lisa Guisbond, Executive Director 617-959-2371 (cell) Citizens for Public Schools Calls on MA DESE to Remove Misleading Information on MCAS Participation Immediately With MCAS testing season upon us, Citizens for Pu

Ontario: Students at 700 Schools Plan Walkout to Protest Mandatory E-Learning and Increased Class Sizes

21by dianeravitch / 1d

In a remarkable show of solidarity, students at 700 elementary and secondary schools in Ontario planned a mass walkout today to protest the government’s imposition of mandatory e-learning in high school, a ban on cellphones, and increased class sizes. “Students have started a movement with a very clear message: Hands off our education,” said organizer Rayne Fisher-Quann in a statement. “Students

Providence: Charter School Takes Space in Historic African-American Community School Without Notice

by dianeravitch / 2d

Residents of the West End of Providence were startled to discover that a charter school was moving into a community facility–the John Hope Settlement House–without advance notice. Providence City Councilwoman Mary Kay Harris said the petition was started after a community meeting on Friday at John Hope regarding the interest from the Wangari Maathai Community School to be housed there prompted mo

Indiana: Virtual School Scams Taxpayers and Students

100+by dianeravitch / 2d

In every state that has authorized virtual charter schools, these schools are marked by two characteristics: 1. They are very profitable. 2. The “education” they provide is abysmal. Typically, they have high attrition, low graduation rates, and low scores on state tests. The state fails to monitor them for quality. Students and taxpayers are fleeced. The latest example is the Indiana Virtual Scho

Wisconsin: Charters and Vouchers Strip $193 Million from Public Schools

100+by dianeravitch / 2d

Yes, charters and vouchers take money from public schools, which enroll nearly 90% of students. In Tuesday’s election, a pro-public school slate swept the Milwaukee school board. It will be interesting to see what happens with that city’s heavy dose of privatized charters and vouchers. In Wisconsin, a legislator revealed that school choice removes $193 million in state aid from public schools. “M

“Have You Heard” Interviews Award-Winning Reporter about Arizona Charter School Scandals

by dianeravitch / 2d

Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider interview Arizona Republic reporter Craig Harris about the charter school scandals in Arizona, the “wild west” of charters. Harris was a member of the investigative team that won the prestigious George Polk Award for its coverage of charter schools in their state. You can listen here. Or, you can read the interview here. Here is a small excerpt, where they be

Texas: A Great Day for Public Education!

48by dianeravitch / 2d

The Texas House of Representatives endorsed sweeping legislation to fund public schools. Representative Dan Huberty (R-Houston), chairman of the House Public Education Committee, steered the legislation to a nearly unanimous vote. “House Bill 3 would increase base funding for each student by $890, fund full-day pre-K for low-income 4-year-olds in most school districts, compress tax rates for all

APR 03

Jennifer Rubin: Trump Is Mentally Unraveling Before Our Eyes

50by dianeravitch / 2d

Jennifer Rubin was hired by the Washington Post to be its “conservative” columnist, to counterbalance its liberal tilt on national issues (on education, the Washington Post is far-right and pro-privatization, with the exception of Valerie Strauss). But then Rubin encountered Trump, and she was horrified by the hash this man made of her fiscally responsible, conservative principles. In this articl

Massachusetts: Civil Rights Groups, Teachers’ Unions Demand Withdrawal of Racist Test Question

63by dianeravitch / 2d

Massachusetts’ Civil Rights groups and teachers’ unions are outraged by a racist question in the state ELA Test. “In response to accounts about racially troubling questions embedded in this year’s 10th-grade English Language Arts MCAS exam, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Boston Teachers Union, the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Education Justice Alli

Fun Fact from Today’s Boston Globe

by dianeravitch / 2d

i get a daily news summary from the Boston Globe and several other newspapers. This arrived this morning: “ In the late 1700s, there were more than 60 million bison roaming North America, but because of commercial hunting and slaughter, there were just 541 animals left 100 years later. Thanks to preservation and rescue efforts, there are about 31,000 in existence today, in national parks and on r

Milwaukee: Progressive Slate Sweeps School Board Election!

500+by dianeravitch / 2d

A progressive slate backed by the Working Families Party and the Milwaukee teachers’ union swept the school board election in Milwaukee. I received this statement from Rob Duffey of the Working Families Party: “Last night in Milwaukee the Wisconsin Working Families Party won big, electing a slate of five pro-public school champions who flipped the Milwaukee city school board from a pro-privatizat

Houston: Charter Founder Pays Her Companies $17 Million a Year

by dianeravitch / 2d

The board of Houston Independent School District is reviewing three charter networks founded by one woman, who is both the highest ranking employee and pays her “related companies” $17 million dollars. Lois Bullock runs the networks and pays rent to companies she owns. “Over the past half-decade, Bullock’s company has served as the landlord for Energized For Excellence Academy, taking in $10.8 mi

North Carolina: Judge Rules Charter School Requirement of Skirts for Girls Is Discriminatory

29by dianeravitch / 3d

A federal judge ruled that Charter Day School’s dress code –which requires girls to wear skirts and does not permit them to wear trousers or shorts–is unconstitutional. “Yes, the boys at the school must conform to a uniform policy as well,” Senior U.S. District Judge Malcolm J. Howard wrote. “But plaintiffs in this case have shown that the girls are subject to a specific clothing requirement that

Arkansas: Why Do Republicans Hate Local Control?

100by dianeravitch / 3d

Republicans were once the party that advocated for local control of schools. No longer. Now they support state takeovers. This is the Big Bad Wolf technique. State Control makes it easier to privatize public schools. No need to listen to parents or communities. No raucous school board meetings. No democracy. State control of schools is autocracy in action. In Arkansas, a state that is almost whol

Bob Braun Blasts the Weak-Kneed Charter Expose in New Jersey Press

200+by dianeravitch / 3d

Bob Braun was a reporter for New Jersey’s biggest newspaper—the Star-Ledger—for fifty years. Now he writes what he wants, without any constraints. In this post , he lacerates the series of articles about charter school corruption and theft of public dollars in New Jersey because it failed to reach the logical conclusion of the evidence it produced. The logical conclusion would be to call off the

New Jersey Expose, Part 5: How to Fix the State’s Broken Charter Financing Problem (NOT!)

by dianeravitch / 3d

This article is the last of a five-part series called “Cashing in on Charter Schools,” published by northjersey.com and USA Today New Jersey and written by Jean Rimbach and Abbott Koloff. The post examines possible fixes for the problems and profiteering described in previous entries in the series. This concluding article in a series that revealed widespread theft of public funds is deeply disapp

Inside Philanthropy: Charters Lose Their Luster in the Philanthropic World

26by dianeravitch / 3d

Caitlin Reilly of “Inside Philanthropy” writes that philanthropies no longer see charter schools as the means to transform American education. Although a few have doggedly doubled down on their commitment to charters, there seems to be a broad shift underway. Reilly calls it an “inflection point,” a point where change is undeniable. She writes: “Though charter schools have acquired a powerful all

Randy Rainbow on Betsy DeVos

40by dianeravitch / 3d

Randy Rainbow reprises the budget hearings where Betsy DeVos attempts to defend her deep cuts to education. He calls her Cruella DeVos.

APR 02

Chicago Teachers Union on Mayoral Election

26by dianeravitch / 3d

The militant Chicago Teachers Union issued a statement following the election of Lori Lightfoot, who was not its first choice. The CTU celebrates the end of the nightmare rule of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Governor Bruce Rauner. And it commemorates the historic leadership of its President Emerita Karen Lewis, who inaugurated a historic awakening of teacher militancy with the Chicago teachers’ strike

California: Who Gave the Charter Reform Task Force to the Charter Industry? Mystery Solved!

500+by dianeravitch / 3d

Sometimes it helps to solve a mystery when you put it out there for public review. Like posting photos of the “Ten Most Wanted Criminals” in every postoffice. Tips come in. An hour ago, I learned the identity of the person who named the members of the Task Force that is supposed to propose reforms to the state’s notoriously weak charter law. Seven of the 11 members of the Task Force are connected

Los Angeles: Enrollment in Charter Schools Declines While Executive Salaries Soar

24by dianeravitch / 4d

Blogger Red Queen in LA (Sara Roos) has combed through tax filings to reveal the exorbitant salaries paid to charter school execitives, demonstrating that the ban of for-profit charter corporations has not limited the raid on taxpayers’ dollarsby charter profiteers. At the same time that charters executives are pulling down hefty salaries, charter enrollments are declining. She writes: “Overall,

New York: NYSAPE Protests Commissioner Elia’s Efforts to Harass and Intimidate Parents to Prevent Opt Outs

by dianeravitch / 4d

The New York State Allies for Public Education issued this statement in opposition to State Commissioner MaryEllen Elia’s efforts to “bribe, coerce, manipulate, and threaten students and parents into complying with a broken assessment system.” NYSAPE has led the opt out movement for several years. About 20 percent of eligible students in grades 3-8 do not take the state tests. About half the stud

California: How Did Charters Gain Control Of Gavin Newsom’s Task Force to Reform Charter Law?

by dianeravitch / 4d

Bill Raden of Capital & Main presents us with this puzzle: how did it happen that seven of the 11 members of Gavin Newsom’s Task Force in charter school reform are part of the charter industry? The Fox is in charge of the henhouse. Since the Task Force is supposed to examine the fiscal impact of charters on public schools, why is the industry judging itself? Shouldn’t the Task Force have been com

New Jersey Expose, Part 4: Cashing in on Real Estate Deals in the Charter Market

by dianeravitch / 4d

This post is part 4 of a series published by northjersey.com and USA Today New Jersey. Written by Jean Rimbach and Abbott Koloff, it is called “Cashing in on Charter Schools.” It explores the many ways that charter operators exploit taxpayers. This post describes how charter operators and real estate developers are cashing in. “ I nterest-only mortgages with rates that grow each year. Multimillio

Garn Press Publishes a Collection of My Most Important Essays

by dianeravitch / 4d

Garn Press, one of the nation’s valuable independent publishers, has compiled a collection of my most important essays. I am grateful for their hard work and dedication in bringing the book to fruition. The book is titled “The Wisdom and Wit of Diane





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