Thursday, November 1, 2012

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The Strange Disappearance of “Won’t Back Down”

I decided that I had to see “Won’t Back Down.”
I had read so many reviews that I felt I knew every line.
But I still wanted to see it.
Morbid curiosity.
But it is not showing anywhere in the New York City metropolitan area.
The producer of the movies owns a 12-plex only a few blocks from my home

America’s Largest Charter Chain Is…?

No, it is not KIPP. It is the Gulen charters, a group of nearly 150 charters located in many states and loosely affiliated or “inspired by” a reclusive Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen. Mr. Gulen lives in seclusion in the Poconos but leads a major political movement in Turkey.
The Gulen charters often specialize in math and science. They have a board of directors composed of Turkish men. Some though not all of their teachers are Turkish. They have names like Harmony, Magnolia, Horizon, and Sonoran. Check here for a full list.
To find out more about the Gulen schools, check this website.
To learn about the Gulen movement, read this.
To read about Gulen schools in Texas and lucrative deals for Turkish construction firms, read here
To read about Gulen schools that were audited in Georgia, read here
To read about a Gulen school and its treatment of autistic students in Minneapolis, read here..



Ohio Legislature Finds New Way to Meddle in Education

Just when you think that state legislatures have run out of bad ideas, some state takes teacher abuse to the next level.
The Ohio Legislature wants to make sure that every third grade student is a proficient reader. They think they know how to do that: They passed a new law.
It’s called the “Third Grade Reading Guarantee.”
That should do the trick. Just like No Child Left Behind left no child behind.
More testing. And better yet, the law requires every teacher of students in the early grades to take additional 



The Future of Teaching?

TeachPlus is one of those Gates-funded teacher organizations that is supposed to provide a different perspective on teaching than the teachers’ unions. It can be counted on to advocate for the interests of new teachers who allegedly want merit pay, don’t care about job protections, and want to be judged by the test scores of their students. The teachers for whom it seems to speak are part of the New American Economy, where jobs are short-term, not seen as part of a career.
TeachPlus has just conducted a survey of teachers. Its first startling discovery is that “For the first time in almost 



Why Teachers Are Angry and Confused

An article in the Connecticut Post says that “Teachers Are Confused for Good Reason.”
The bottom line:
“If Democrats continue with their right-wing conservative educational policies, they will alienate the teachers and teacher unions that have traditionally been the party’s staunchest supporters. More importantly, these misguided policies and initiatives will deal a severe blow to public education and to the quality of the teaching profession as well as to the morale of our teachers. You cannot on one hand preach about the importance of teachers while implementing educational policies that are destroying public education in this country.”
It is indeed confusing and demoralizing to realize that Democrats have adopted Republican education policies of 



Me Vs. Goliath

I sent a check for $100 to Karran Royal Harper, the parent activist who is running for a seat on the New Orleans school board.
Her opponent has raised more than $110,000 from out-of-state funders.
Karran, who is a champion for children, has raised about $5,500. In other words, she is being outspent about 20-1.
My contribution was so huge that it was enough to produce a story in the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I admit right now that I also sent an equally whopping contribution of $100 to “No on 1240,” the Washington State charter referendum.
That should strike fear into the hearts of the billionaires on the other side of the issue.
It’s not too late to help Karran in her race against the big boys.
Here is her website, where you can learn more about her. She takes credit cards.
She is strong and fearless.
New Orleans should have a home-grown parent on its school board.




“We need volunteers, we need your donations and we need you to tell everyone you know in District 3 to vote for Karran Harper Royal,” she said to rounds of applause during her speech. Harper Royal’s campaign web site can be found at www.karran4kids.com.