Wednesday, May 22, 2013

MORNING UPDATE LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-22-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

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

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Just Heard from Monica

Monica Ratliff just emailed to thank all of us for our help. She was rushing off to teach her fifth grade class. She never stopped teaching while running for office.
Dear friends, your contributions made a difference. Together we will turn the tide and restore American education to focus on children and learning and collaboration, not data and profits and budget cuts.
Thank you, Monica, for the lessons you taught us all: people matter more than money. Experience and knowledge count. Courage in the face of overwhelming odds is essential. Teaching is an honorable profession, and teachers must be heard and involved in decisions about schooling.
For your courage and I regroup, I add you to our honor roll as a champion of American education. And a Giant Slayer.




Join Discussion of Parent Trigger Hoax

Please join this important discussion about the corporate attempt to trick parents into handing their public schools over to private corporations:
The Parent Trigger from California to Florida
Sunday, May 26, 2013 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM Pacific Time
We will be hearing from Lori Yuan, a parent in Adelanto who fought the Parent Trigger at her school, and Parents Across America Founding Member Rita Solnet who, along with other organizations, defeated the Parent Trigger 


UTLA Leaders Spotted at Sanchez Headquarters, But Ratliff Wins

Monica Ratliff won by the same margin of victory as Steve Zimmer, 52-48.
Zimmer had the full support of the UTLA.
Ratliff did not.
UTLA gave her a contribution of $1,000, but endorsed both candidates.

The Connecticut Corporate Reform Gravy Train

Now that Commissioner Pryor has the go-ahead from Governor Malloy to apply the principles of corporate education reform, he has loaded up the payroll of the state education department with his fellow reformers. Here comes the privatization movement, prepared to bust unions, demoralize teachers, and generate profits for friends 

What You Need to Know About inBloom

Anthony Cody has an excellent post that explains what you need to know about the massive data-collection program called inBloom.
The database will contain detailed personal information about students and teachers. The corporation cannot guarantee the security of this data.
Arne Duncan made inBloom possible by loosening the regulations of FERPA, the federal law that is supposed to 

Monica Ratliff Wins, Beats Billionaires!

Monica Ratliff won a historic upset in Los Angeles!
She won with 52% of the vote!
She had less than $50,000 in small contributions.
Her opponent Antonio Sanchez had the support of billionaire Eli Broad, billionaire Michael Bloomberg, and organized labor groups.
People power beat money power!!!

Too Close to Call: Monica Leads in Early Returns: Update

I am holding my breath. In the early returns in the Los Angeles school board race, underdog Monica Ratliff is slightly ahead of Antonio Sanchez.
With only one-quarter of the precincts reporting, Monica had about 51% of the vote to Sanchez’ 49%. This could 

More Charter Operators Coming to Néw Orleans

New Orleans has a higher proportion of students in privately-managed charters than any other district in the nation. Most get poor ratings. Research on Reforms says that 79% of the charters in the Recovery School 

Mercedes Schneider Deconstructs the Hype about New Orleans

The Laura and John Arnold Foundation in Houston made a gift of $25 million to a group called New Schools for New Orleans to create and expand more high performing charter schools in that much touted city.
John Arnold made a fortune as a trader at Enron.
The hype surrounding New Orleans is so commonplace that many struggling urban districts are told that they 

Diane in the Evening 5-21-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

mike simpson at Big Education Ape - 5 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Rightwing Superintendents Oppose Randi Moratorium by dianerav http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/common-core-clash-aft-president-fires-back-at-state-ed-officials/2013/05/21/a93321e8-c245-11e2-8c3b-0b5e9247e8ca_story.html Common Core clash: AFT president fires back at state ed officials By Lyndsey Layton, The Washington Post Tuesday, May 21, 3:45 PM The head of a major teachers union fired back Tuesday at state education officials who had dismissed her call for a moratorium on stakes associated with new... more »