School Privatizers Restructure State of Iowa to Seize Public Funds | Dissident Voice

School Privatizers Restructure State of Iowa to Seize Public Funds | Dissident Voice

School Privatizers Restructure State of Iowa to Seize Public Funds

School privatizers and their political representatives are relentless in their efforts to restructure the state along neoliberal lines so as to restrict democracy and funnel more public funds into private hands. Privatization is a main mechanism for enriching major owners of capital, eliminating democratic arrangements, and degrading the public interest in the context of a continually failing economy. Privatization allows neoliberals to temporarily avert the law of the falling rate of profit under capitalism.

Recently, the Governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds, signed a law that significantly increases the ability of major owners of capital to siphon public funds from public schools by creating more charter schools while also eliminating long-standing democratic arrangements, namely local school control over what happens in local school districts.

Under the new law, neoliberals seeking to privately appropriate public money can circumvent local public school boards and apply directly to the State CONTINUE READING: School Privatizers Restructure State of Iowa to Seize Public Funds | Dissident Voice

Teacher Tom: Raising Free People

Teacher Tom: Raising Free People

Raising Free People

"What are you going to be when you grow up?"

It's a question adults asked me as a boy and one I still hear adults asking children. From quite a young age I knew that questions required answers to it so I always had one ready. "I'm going to be a cowboy." "I'm going to be an astronaut." "I'm going to be a baseball player." "I'm going to be an engineer like my dad."

My answers varied, often week to week, but I always had one at the ready. Adults expected it. None of them ever thought to ask about my current interests, my plans for the day, or about who I was right then. It was as if I, as a child, wasn't really a complete human being yet. That my real life wouldn't start until I'd become something else, and as a white boy in America becoming was naturally attached to one's profession. 

Of course, I realize that for most adults it was simply a convention to ask this question of children, a way of making conversation with the smaller humans, but it seems as if I've always known there were limits to which answers were CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: Raising Free People

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

What Do White Folk Fear? – radical eyes for equity

What Do White Folk Fear? – radical eyes for equity

What Do White Folk Fear?

Consider this description of public schools in the U.S.:

[P]ublic schools … [are] a “dragon … devouring the hope of the country as well as religion.” Secular public education … [is filled with] “Socialism, Red Republicanism, Universalism, Infidelity, Deism, Atheism, and Pantheism—anything, everything, except religion and patriotism.”

FREETHINKERS: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN SECULARISM, SUSAN JACOBY, (PP. 257-258)

Some of this language is archaic, but the attack on public schools here is little different than the current climate in the U.S. where Republicans in at least 15 states are taking aim at Critical Race Theory (CRT) and the 1619 Project, as Sarah Schwartz reports:

In total, lawmakers in at least 15 states have introduced bills that seek to restrict how teachers can discuss racism, sexism, and other social issues.

The legislation, all introduced by Republican lawmakers, uses similar language as an executive order former President Donald Trump put in place to ban diversity training for federal workers. The order has since CONTINUE READING: What Do White Folk Fear? – radical eyes for equity

Jane Nylund: I-Ready Stinks | Diane Ravitch's blog

Jane Nylund: I-Ready Stinks | Diane Ravitch's blog

Jane Nylund: I-Ready Stinks

Jane Nylund is a parent activist and educator in Oakland.

She writes:

A bit of background: we are a family of two kids through OUSD, nearly 20 years with the district. Strong foundation in math and science, and some experience with statistics. As a classified educator in a high-needs school, I have recently spent time proctoring the I-Ready diagnostic in my fourth grade class. Out of concern for my math group, who all had pained looks on their faces, I was able to view some of the math test questions.

I was appalled at what I saw. Yes, I know the test is supposed to be adaptive, but the material that they expected the kids to try and answer was 6th grade level math, possibly higher. I noted the following:

1) Multi-step unit conversions in the context of a word problem2) Definitions/examples of independent and dependent variables3) Simplification of algebraic CONTINUE READING: Jane Nylund: I-Ready Stinks | Diane Ravitch's blog

A year and a day | JD2718

A year and a day | JD2718

A year and a day

Yesterday people wrote meaningful remembrances.

Today I am asking: What’s changed?

One conviction. Almost a thousand more people killed by cops. Police still lying about deaths in custody.

After a few months of outrage and protest – what’s changed?

Why are armed, uniformed police still in charge of traffic stops?

Why are armed, uniformed police still in charge of dealing with the mentally ill?

Why has there been no discernible change in policing?

There is certainly more awareness today, among white people, that police treat Black people differently.

But after that horrible video (and how many other videos?), after those massive protests, after those demands for real change – shouldn’t we have done more than raise awareness?

Oh, that change is still needed, desperately.

I’m glad to see Trump gone from the White House, but that’s not the change I’m talking about. And that change, having a new president, is that going to change policing? Of course, of course, I know lots of CONTINUE READING: A year and a day | JD2718

CURMUDGUCATION: Should Some School Districts Be Broken Up?

CURMUDGUCATION: Should Some School Districts Be Broken Up?

Should Some School Districts Be Broken Up?

New York City's school system is not really an example of anything except itself, despite the many times it's written about and pointed at. This should not be a surprise. We are lousy at history in this country, and so we miss obvious things, like the change in scale. Thomas Jefferson was the President of a country with roughly six million people in it; New York City contains a bit over eight million. 

Our biggest school districts are huge. NYC schools contain almost a million students; the tenth largest school district (Palm Springs) just under 200K. 

So when Howard Husock writing for the reliably right-tilted Fordham Institute thinky tank says that large urban districts should be broken up, he's raising a topic worth talking about. 

Unfortunately, he mostly likes the idea of breaking up large districts because it would break up large unions, which is certainly in keeping with the current narrative that the Biden administration was Very Naughty for talking to teachers unions about re-opening schools. Why is it that when business folks form community groups in order to insert themselves into education policy, that's commendable and swell, but when unions that represent the people who actually work on the ground in education try to speak up, that's considered bad and selfish?

But it's still worth talking about.

The bigger the district, the harder to represent the interests and needs of communities within the larger whole. It's harder for voters to have a voice in the district, harder for teachers to have a CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: Should Some School Districts Be Broken Up?

I Fought the Do-Nothing-Incumbent, and He Won | gadflyonthewallblog

I Fought the Do-Nothing-Incumbent, and He Won | gadflyonthewallblog

I Fought the Do-Nothing-Incumbent, and He Won

The best candidate doesn’t always win.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from running for office, it’s that.

This spring, I ran for Allegheny County Council in the Pittsburgh region of Pennsylvania – and got my butt handed to me.

My opponent was a 15-year incumbent, a nominal Democrat known for doing next to nothing, and he promised to do the same upon re-election.

I am a public school teacher, activist and blogger who ran on change and getting things done – education, infrastructure, transportation, jobs, justice.

Sounds like a slam dunk, right?

Wrong.

My opponent took majorities in nearly every community, nearly every ward or precinct. However, it was close in many of them. I even whipped him in a few places CONTINUE READING: I Fought the Do-Nothing-Incumbent, and He Won | gadflyonthewallblog

i-Ready, Johns Hopkins and Oakland Public Schools | tultican

i-Ready, Johns Hopkins and Oakland Public Schools | tultican

i-Ready, Johns Hopkins and Oakland Public Schools

By Thomas Ultican 5/26/2021

The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) signed an agreement on March 10 to substitute i-Ready diagnostic testing for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). The no cost agreement calls for the data to be given to Johns Hopkins University for comparative analysis with SBAC. Oakland teachers administering the program claim that the project is being financed by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.

An Oakland fourth grade math teacher who administered the test stated that the it appeared to be designed to insure that students missed at least 50% of the problems. She observed,

“1) Multi-step unit conversions in the context of a word problem”

“2) Definitions/examples of independent and dependent variables”

“3) Simplification of algebraic equations with two variables”

These skills all appear to be well beyond what should be expected of 9- and 10-years-old students.

i-Ready is a product of Curriculum Associates (CA) out of Billerica, Massachusetts. It was originally formed in 1969 to publish workbooks. Ron Waldron an equities manager at Berkshire Partners took the reins in 2008 and immediately converted it to an ed-tech company.

That was the same year that former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, launched CONTINUE READING: i-Ready, Johns Hopkins and Oakland Public Schools | tultican

Year-End Deadline for CNIPS Payments - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Year-End Deadline for CNIPS Payments - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Year-End Deadline for CNIPS Payments

The California Department of Education’s (CDE) Child Nutrition Fiscal Services (CNFS) unit is advising Child Nutrition Program Operators of a temporary payment scheduling change.

CNFS has been notified that the State Controller’s Office will not be processing payments for a brief period in June 2021. Claims submitted between June 3 – 23, 2021 may be affected. For this reason, CNFS encourages you to submit your April and May claims in the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) no later than Wednesday, June 2, 2021.

Claims in Pending status are not considered complete and need to be certified and submitted by your agency. If you have submitted an April or May 2021 claim, and it has a status of Accepted or Processed in the CNIPS, please disregard this message.

We apologize for any inconvenience this delay may causes. CNFS expects to resume normal batching and scheduling processes around June 24, 2021. CNIPS Payment Summaries will be updated accordingly after that point.

Contact Information

If you have any question regarding this subject, or if you are having difficulty entering your claim into the CNIPS, please contact your assigned Nutrition Fiscal Analyst immediately. Please locate your assigned Nutrition Fiscal Analyst on the CDE Nutrition Services web page under the Analyst Directory tab.

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609

Year-End Deadline for CNIPS Payments - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education)

Pandemic EBT Status Update - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/pandemicebtstatusupdate.asp

Poultry Product from People’s Republic of China - Nutrition (CA Dept of Education) - https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/poultryfrpplsrpblcchina.asp

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER

 NewBlackMan (in Exile)

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY

Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) -

http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/05/newblackman-in-exile-today-this-week.html

Branford Marsalis' 'Ma Rainey' Score Makes 100-Year-Old Blues Sound Relevant Today

by Mark Anthony Neal / 5h

'There has been plenty to discuss since the release of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom last year. But there's more to the film than its star players, especially once the music in the film takes flight. Saxophonist and bandleader Branford Marsalis was tasked with scoring the film, to make the blues of 100 years ago sound true to the era but still relevant now. New Orleans Sessions correspondent Gwen Thom

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with The Sound Of Blackness ft. Ann Nesby Performs "Optimistic"

by Mark Anthony Neal / 5h

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with The Sound Of Blackness featuring Ann Nesby Performs "Optimistic" at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards.

Soledad O’Brien & Brittany Packnett Cunningham Dive Deeper Into America's Racial Reckoning

by Mark Anthony Neal / 14h

' Soledad O’Brien and social activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham take a deeper dive and address America’s racial reckoning one year after George Floyd’s death with a focus on accountability. '

“America on Fire”: Historian Elizabeth Hinton on George Floyd, Policing & Black Rebellion

by Mark Anthony Neal / 20h

'Protests and vigils were held across the U.S. to mark one year since the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Floyd’s death sparked a national uprising and global movement against systemic racism and police brutality. Elizabeth Hinton , an associate professor of history and African American studies at Yale University and a professor of law at Yale Law School, connects the Black Lives Ma

Lorraine Hansberry's Upbringing

by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d

' Soyica Colbert , interim dean of Georgetown College and professor of African American studies and performing arts, joins us for the next installment of our “Full Bio” series. This week, we’re taking a deep dive into her biography of Lorraine Hansberr y titled, Radical Vision . All Of It talks with Colbert about Hansberry’s parents and her upbringing, which served as part of the inspiration for

Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away | Official Trailer | American Masters | PBS

by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d

' Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase The Blues Away dives into the career of the legendary blues guitarist, a pioneer of Chicago’s West Side sound and major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton . Featuring new performances and interviews with John Mayer , Carlos Santana and more.' -- American Masters PBS

'Shuffle Along' Changed Musical Theater 100 Years Ago

by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d

'If you wanted to see a musical on the Great White Way in 1921 — that name came about because of the electric lights on Broadway but was true about the color of the actors and audience — you could see a European-influenced operetta or a splashy Ziegfeld revue. But 100 years ago, on May 23, you could also see something completely new: Shuffle Along , by an all-black team of creators. "Shuffle Alon

George Floyd's Murder Sparked a Global Movement

by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d

'In the immediate aftermath of George Floyd’s murder last May, activists organized protests against police brutality in the biggest cities and smallest towns across the U.S. -- e verywhere from New York City and Washington, D.C., to Portland, Maine, and Wilmington, North Carolina. These mass public actions demanding justice were not restricted to the United States. People in Thailand, Argentina,

Reimagining Blackness & Architecture: To Be Really Free Is To Be Spatially Free | Mario Gooden

by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d

'What does liberation look like? Architect Mario Gooden discusses his project “The Refusal of Space” and the ongoing histories of Black people in Nashville, Tennessee who occupied the city’s spaces, demanded freedom, and taught us that liberation is a spatial practice.' -- The Museum of Modern Art

Invisible Blackness – Smiling While Black, An Interview with Raphael Saadiq

by Mark Anthony Neal / 2d

' Raphael Saadiq 's extraordinary talent has made him one of the most distinguished voices in American music. From his very humble beginnings in Oakland, he’s become an internationally renowned superstar. In this episode of Invisible Blackness, host Adrian Younge speaks with Raphael about growing up in a drug riddled community and processing death through art.'

 NewBlackMan (in Exile)