Opinion | School Choice Logic Doesn’t Apply Here. Does the Supreme Court Get That? - The New York Times

Opinion | School Choice Logic Doesn’t Apply Here. Does the Supreme Court Get That? - The New York Times

School Choice Logic Doesn’t Apply Here. Does the Supreme Court Get That?
The Montana education system was designed for fairness and pulling together. The justices should appreciate that legacy.

Scrutinizing the avuncular sphinx Chief Justice John Roberts throughout the impeachment trial of President Trump, I kept wondering whether he will preserve or ransack the legacy of the framers we revere — framers like the Republican Betty Babcock and the Democrat Dorothy Eck. It’s the question on all Americans’ minds: Do Mr. Roberts and his eight co-workers fully appreciate the public-spirited grandeur of the winter of 1971-72, when 100 Montanans, including housewives, ministers, a veterinarian and a beekeeper, gathered at the state capital, Helena, for the constitutional convention, affectionately nicknamed the “Con Con”?

The question haunts the current Supreme Court case Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. This newspaper has called the dispute over whether state tax credits can apply to donations for scholarships to private religious schools “a proxy battle over school choice.” However, the back story is so clumsily specific to Montana’s small population and immense geography that the case doesn’t entirely translate to states where people outnumber cows.

The novelist Ivan Doig wrote that in the scruffy Montana of yore, “when you met up with someone apt to give you trouble from his knuckles, the automatic evaluation was ‘too much Butte in him.’” When, as the grateful graduate of a Montana public school, I was determining whether I had a duty to stick up for the Con Con framers regarding the Espinoza case, I spotted a sequence in the web address of an article about it in The Atlantic that read “montana-bigoted-laws.” At that moment this Bozeman girl had too CONTINUE READING: Opinion | School Choice Logic Doesn’t Apply Here. Does the Supreme Court Get That? - The New York Times

Black Agenda Report: The Looting of Oakland’s Public Schools by Broadies | Diane Ravitch's blog

Black Agenda Report: The Looting of Oakland’s Public Schools by Broadies | Diane Ravitch's blog

Black Agenda Report: The Looting of Oakland’s Public Schools by Broadies

This is an astonishing report about the destruction and privatization of public schools in Oakland, California, and the billionaires who facilitated the looting of that city. The article by Eugene Stovall appeared in “Black Agenda Report.” The audacity of this attack on public education is astonishing. The mechanism for the destroyers were graduates of the Broad Academy, known as Broadies. Since billionaire Eli Broad gave Yale University $100 million to take charge of his program, someone should warn Yale about its record.

Read it all. It will take your breath away.

Stovall writes:

Eli Broad (rhymes with “toad”) conconcted a scheme to privatize Oakland’s public schools and produce a revenue stream for his billionaire cronies.

“Operating unethically and illegally, Broad managers used their training to cripple and plunder Oakland’s schools.”

Eli Broad is a liberal Democrat. He opposes Trump’s Muslim ban, immigration policies and withdrawal from the climate change treaty. In fact, like Democratic billionaires Tom Steyer and Michael Blloomberg, Broad opposes CONTINUE READING: Black Agenda Report: The Looting of Oakland’s Public Schools by Broadies | Diane Ravitch's blog

Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry – Alternet.org

Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry – Alternet.org

Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry

Editor's note: AlterNet has covered the school privatization story in great detail. Over time, we became alarmed at what we were seeing. The Independent Media Institute, AlterNet’s parent organization, has published an ebook, Who Controls Our Schools? The Privatization of American Public Education, the full text of which you can access for free online with this link. What follows is a summary of its findings and recommendations.)

The Problem

America’s public schools, which over the 20th century came to embrace the promise of equal opportunity for all children, are at a historic crossroad. Once the heart of our democracy and a bastion of local accountability, our K-12 schools now bear the scars of a nearly 25-year assault from a cadre of very wealthy ideological reformers who seek to privately run them using taxpayers' funds. Their most popular tool to dismantle this public good? Charter public schools, especially those run by corporate franchises, which now educate millions of students.

The growth of charter schools nationwide (whose numbers have increased exponentially since 2000) would not have occurred without a handful of heirs to the world’s largest family fortunes and other billionaires directing their tax-exempt foundations using their wealth to remake public schools in a corporate image. Critics have called it a virtual conspiracy while charter school promoters see themselves as K-12 education’s saviors. Either way, the result has been the creation of a little-understood, parallel, privatized CONTINUE READING: Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry – Alternet.org

“Purple Lit Book”: A Poem | deutsch29

“Purple Lit Book”: A Poem | deutsch29

“Purple Lit Book”: A Poem

In a recent creative writing assignment connected to our study of the Romantic period in British literature, I asked my senior English students to compose a poem about an item, object, experience, or person associated with the everyday.

Below is one student’s response, which I offer to my readers for their enjoyment.

Without further ado, and with student permission, I give you “Purple Lit Book,” by Nikolas.

Purple Lit Book

Oh when I turn the page

how the words change and

they inform me of different people daily.

From Sam Pepys and William Blake

to how King George is CONTINUE READING: “Purple Lit Book”: A Poem | deutsch29

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "I Don't See Color":Why Educators Should Acknowledge the Race & Ethnicity of Students.

DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "I Don't See Color":Why Educators Should Acknowledge the Race & Ethnicity of Students.
"I Don't See Color":Why Educators Should Acknowledge the Race & Ethnicity of Students.

"I don't see color".

This was a phrase that was used by a teacher in a Facebook discussion regarding an article about
why more teachers of color are needed. The educator in the group took offense because
she felt that she didn't see color in her classroom, therefore the race of the teacher
should not matter. That's the part that resounded with me.

 We all see color, it's something that can't be avoided.

There is nothing wrong with "seeing color." It's a natural way we use to identify our fellow human beings.
I once had a teacher describe a student  with every identifying feature, but their race. I finally asked her
the student's race.Did she believe that I would misinterpret the identification of the student's race as racist? 

"Seeing color" becomes an issue, when along with a person's racial identity, we focus on the stereotypes
that go along with it. When we assume the Latino children can't speak English, or that they
are in the country illegally.When we assume the black children are dumb, and their parents are drug

addicts CONTINUE READING: DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "I Don't See Color":Why Educators Should Acknowledge the Race & Ethnicity of Students.

Important update: invitation to speak at Council hearings on class size Feb. 24! | Class Size Matters

Important update: invitation to speak at Council hearings on class size Feb. 24! | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes

Important update: invitation to speak at Council hearings on class size Feb. 24!

1. Just a quick note to let you know that the hearings on class size have now been rescheduled on Mon. Feb. 24 at 1 PM at 250 Broadway; 14th floor across from City Hall.

We really need parents and concerned citizens and, if possible, teachers to come speak about why this is an important issue to them. The hearings are likely to continue to at least 4 PM.

If you cannot attend, you can also send a statement or written testimony by Feb. 27 at 5 PM to jatwell@council.nyc.gov who will share it with Education Committee members.  

If you do plan to testify or send a statement, is always best to speak from your own experience as a parent or teacher. But additional points you could make are provided in our Class Size FAQ here.

We may hold a rally beforehand at City Hall, but not yet sure; will let you know as soon as this is settled.

2. If you haven’t already, please also call Speaker Corey Johnson at 212-564-7757 or 212-788-7210 and your own Council Member – you can find out their contact info at https://council.nyc.gov/districts/

Urge them to allocate at least $100 million in next year’s budget for class size reduction.

Then follow up by letting us know at our quick survey.  Thanks so much to those of you who’ve done this already.

Hope to see you next Monday, Leonie

PS I was flattered to discover I was just named the 16th most powerful education leader in NY State by City and State Magazine; you can check out the entire list here.

Important update: invitation to speak at Council hearings on class size Feb. 24! | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes

Jeff Bryant: The Charter School Movement Is Imploding. What Comes Next May Be Worse - Progressive.org

The Charter School Movement Is Imploding. What Comes Next May Be Worse - Progressive.org

The Charter School Movement Is Imploding. What Comes Next May Be Worse
Trump’s plan for ‘school choice’ will lead to the further privatization of public education.

“For too long,” Trump declared in his State of the Union address on February 4, “countless American children have been trapped in failing government schools.”

Trump, to shore up his point, introduced two guests in the audience: Stephanie Davis, a black single mom from Philadelphia, and her fourth-grade daughter, Jayinah, who the President said was on a waitlist in Pennsylvania's voucher program. Trump then revealed that one of these voucher had magically “become available” for Jayinah.

It turns out that none of this was quite true. 

First, federal officials—Trump, included—do not have the power to issue a school voucher for a child in Pennsylvania or any other state. Jayinah was only able to skip a waiting list more than 40,000 applicants for a voucher because of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who promised to personally fund her tuition for an indefinite number of years. 

Second, Trump called Jayinah’s school a “government school”—the term privatization advocates use when they refer to public schools. But, as The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, she wasn’t enrolled in a public school. She was attending a charter school, which are often privately managed and, though run on public funds, not truly public. 

And finally, Trump blamed Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf for thwarting the girl’s admission into a private, voucher-supported school. He claimed that CONTINUE READING: The Charter School Movement Is Imploding. What Comes Next May Be Worse - Progressive.org

Peter Greene: How Do The Current Democratic Candidates Stack Up On Public Education?

How Do The Current Democratic Candidates Stack Up On Public Education?

How Do The Current Democratic Candidates Stack Up On Public Education?

You’d be hard-pressed to find many single-issue voters whose single issue was public education, but if you could find such animals, what could they make of the current set of Democratic contenders? Ignoring other issues, including what may be the biggest question of them all (”How would you get Congress to enact any of this?”), how do the candidates stack up in education?

It is heartening to see so much substantive education policy discussion; four years ago it was good enough to be for pre-K schools and against for-profit charters, the policy equivalent of being for kissing babies and against armed yetis riding on unicorns. But this time we have seen a series of policy ideas appear, garner discussion, and spread across campaigns. At this stage of the race, most campaigns agree that IDEA should be fully funded, that Title I should be increased by some large amount, teachers should be paid more, and Betsy DeVos should be done as secretary of education (this is not exactly a revelation, as most new-party Presidents clean out the cabinet, but it still gets plenty of applause).

Here’s the stack, in descending order.

Elizabeth Warren

The strength of Warren’s plan is that it is deep and wide. Warren understands that there is a whole for-profit industry hiding behind non-profit charter schools, and she supports the promise of strong schools for all students. She understands that the foundation of school segregation is community segregation. She has taken a stand against high-stakes testing. Her plan has the details and the funding to indicate that she understands the complexities involved in being a strong supporter of public education, and in turn making public education a strong part of our country itself. And she has it planned down to the pennies she’ll collect to pay for it. For an education voter, she’s one of two top choices.

Bernie Sanders

Sanders brought out his education plan early, and it was a strong support for public education then, particularly in the need for funding for education and support for teachers. At the time it was CONTINUE READING: How Do The Current Democratic Candidates Stack Up On Public Education?

Carl J. Petersen: The Children Are Left Behind in LAUSD School Board Race

The Children Are Left Behind in LAUSD School Board Race

The Children Are Left Behind in LAUSD School Board Race

In 2015, the California Charter Charter School Association (CCSA) ran a campaign for now convicted felon Ref Rodriguez that first accused incumbent Bennett Kayser of being a racist and then referenced his diagnosis with Parkinson’s. Two years later they stumped for the ethically challenged Nick Melvoin by blaming his opponent for John Deasy’s iPad Debacle, even though Steve Zimmer was the only board member not to vote for the former Superintendent. In 2020, it is Scott Schmerelson’s turn to be savagely attacked by the charter school industry as they try to regain a majority on the school board and overturn all attempts to hold their schools accountable for the public funds that they receive.

Funded by billionaires such as Reed Hastings and Alice Walton, whose families will never set foot in the public schools they wish to destroy, the flyers opposing Schmerelson have been relentless. Day after day these attacks arrive in the mail spreading easily disproved lies like the accusation that he “tripled his own pay.” In fact, the salaries of school board members are set by an independent commission from the City of Los Angeles. This CONTINUE READING: The Children Are Left Behind in LAUSD School Board Race

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California: Charter Schools Advocates Distribute Vile, Anti-Semitic Poster of School Board Member Scott Schmerelson | Diane Ravitch's blog

California: Charter Schools Advocates Distribute Vile, Anti-Semitic Poster of School Board Member Scott Schmerelson | Diane Ravitch's blog

California: Charter Schools Advocates Distribute Vile, Anti-Semitic Poster of School Board Member Scott Schmerelson

A front group for the California Charter Schools lobby, which calls itself “Families and Teachers United,” released a flyer that attacked school board member Scott Schmerelson, a pro-public school member of the LAUSD school board and well-qualified educator. Schmerelson has been endorsed by every Democratic club in Los Angeles.

The scurrilous flyer accuses him of investing in mutual funds that include products that are harmful to children (tobacco). Anyone whose pension is invested in large mutual funds knows that individual shareholders do not choose the stocks in the fund’s portfolio. My own pension fund includes companies I find abhorrent and there’s nothing I can do about it.

The flyer accuses Schmerelson of “double dipping” because he collects a pension for his decades of service as an educator in the LAUSD schools and a salary as a board member, like other board members.The flyer does not mention that board salaries were increased in 2017 based on the recommendation of an independent commission.

Should he give up his well-earned pension? Of course not! Should he refuse to take the same salary as other board members? Of course not!

Who paid for this vile, lying, unethical anti-Semitic ad? CONTINUE READING: California: Charter Schools Advocates Distribute Vile, Anti-Semitic Poster of School Board Member Scott Schmerelson | Diane Ravitch's blog

Support Scott for LAUSD 

https://wp.me/Pbsp1S-Z 

FOLLOW THIS DISGUSTING STORY ON 

 Los Angeles Education Examiner 

News and views on public education in and around Los Angeles

https://wp.me/bFuBr

New Hampshire Seeks to Pilot Online Pre-Schooling and Tries Again for Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog

New Hampshire Seeks to Pilot Online Pre-Schooling and Tries Again for Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog

New Hampshire Seeks to Pilot Online Pre-Schooling and Tries Again for Charters

New Hampshire’s Governor is a Trump-style extremist, Chris Sununu, whose father John advised the first President Bush. Sununu appointed Frank Edelblut as state commissioner of education. The state commissioner home-schooled his children and follows the ideology of Betsy DeVos. He thinks government money should go wherever children go, regardless of who gets the money. That’s called “Learning Everywhere.”

Edelblut is an extremist libertarian.

Now he wants to pilot online leaning for pre-schoolers. This is his response to the growing recognition of the value of early childhood education.

Not surprisingly, advocates for ECE are alarmed that sitting in front of a computer is being substituted for play, where children learn to cooperate with others and make things and use their imagination. One group said:

Kids aren’t meant to sit still in front of a screen. They use their whole bodies to learn, and they want and need to move. Let’s not forget that some of the essential CONTINUE READING: New Hampshire Seeks to Pilot Online Pre-Schooling and Tries Again for Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog

Do You Know About Mike Bloomberg’s Record on Public Education? | janresseger

Do You Know About Mike Bloomberg’s Record on Public Education? | janresseger

Do You Know About Mike Bloomberg’s Record on Public Education?

Much of what follows is from a November post on this blog about the education policies of New York City’s former three-term mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who was granted the right, by the state legislature, to run New York City’s public schools.  In November when this was originally posted, Bloomberg was exploring whether to join other Democrats running for President in 2020. Bloomberg has now declared his candidacy. He has spent millions of dollars already on widespread television advertising. But his ads don’t tell us much about his extensive record as a mayor who, for more than a decade, controlled the nation’s largest school district.

Bloomberg is a plutocrat and he ran the schools as a technocratic businessman, with disruption conceptualized as the key to making everybody work harder to raise student achievement as measured by test scores.  Turnarounds, more charters, more school co-locations: all of these so called “reforms” were introduced by Bloomberg and his schools chancellor Joel Klein in New York City before Arne Duncan brought the same turnaround strategy to the whole country through Race to the Top.

On December 14, at a Public Education Forum 2020, we had an opportunity to hear from other leading candidates for the Democratic nomination about their plans for the nation’s public schools.  Additionally, we were able to listen as each one responded to questions from parents and public school students and schoolteachers.  All of the leading candidates pledged at least to triple Title I spending for public schools serving children in poverty as a top priority.  Neither Bernie Sanders nor Joe Biden nor Elizabeth Warren nor Pete Buttigieg nor Amy Klobuchar promoted the sort of policies that Mike Bloomberg launched as the mayor CONTINUE READING: Do You Know About Mike Bloomberg’s Record on Public Education? | janresseger

With A Brooklyn Accent: Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection

With A Brooklyn Accent: Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection

Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection

Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection

As someone who is exactly the same age as DJT and went to school during the same years, I look at his rise to the top of our society with astonishment. As a young person from a family of modest means, going to public schools in Brooklyn, I did everything people told me to allow me to move into the middle class and become a respected professional. I got good grades. I scored well on standardized tests and on my SAT's. I became a successful athlete whose exploits were written up in school newspapers and occasionally the local press I applied for every scholarship in sight. And it worked. I got into Columbia where, after a slow start, the same pattern emerged.Starting in my sophomore year, I got excellent grades in my major. My sports exploits were written up in the school paper. With the support of my professors, I received numerous fellowships to go to graduate school. Every single thing I mentioned here is a matter of public CONTINUE READING: With A Brooklyn Accent: Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection