NC Voucher School Bars Gay Students and Children from Gay Families
NC Policy Watch reports that Myrtle Grove Christian School will not admit students who are gay or who come from gay families. The school is now eligible to receive public funding under North Carolina’s new voucher program.
The Obama-Duncan Plan to Redesign High Schools
The Wall Street Journal had an article today about a new plan from the U.S. Department of Education to bring Race to the Top (such a glorious success!) to the redesign of the American high school. Unfortunately the article is behind a paywall, but I will summarize. President Obama will announce a competition to find new way to prepare high-school students for the global economy. It will of
Carol Burris: Who are the “Enemies” of Common Core?
Carol Burris has written an article for Valerie Strauss’ The Answer Sheet in the Washington Post in which she reviews the effort by Arne Duncan and New York’s John King to identify the “enemies” of Common Core. First, Duncan and King agreed it was the Tea Party. Then, as protests grew in New York, King said the enemies were “special interest groups,” but didn’t name them. Now Duncan says the enemy
Rhee Cancels Debate at Lehigh University
I earlier posted that Michelle Rhee and I would debate at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania on February 6. As you may recall, Rhee first demanded that we have two people on each team, then three people on each team. I readily assented and selected a wonderful second and third for the debate. Early on, Rhee said her second would be Rod Paige. My choices were the Finnish educator Pasi Sahlberg (a vi
What Happened When LA Gave iPads to Anti-Technology Waldorf School?
Waldorf schools do not use technology until sixth grade. They want their students to experience nature, “A strict, private Waldorf school might not have even accepted the devices. For more than 100 years, Waldorf schools have emphasized child development over skill development. “Instead of plastic dolls with detailed faces, for example, young children in a Waldorf environment play with toys made
Justice Departments Abandons Effort to Block Vouchers in Louisiana
The U.S. Department ok Justice abandoned its effort to block the Louisiana voucher program in districts where it undermined federal desegregation orders. Republicans were jubilant. Millions of state funds will now be spent to send children to fundamentalist religious schools that teach creationism and have no curriculum or certified teachers. This is called “reform.”
Outstanding Teacher in North Carolina Reluctantly Quits
Chris Gable is a beloved teacher of language arts and social studies in Asheville, North Carolina. People consider him not just a good teacher, but a great one. And he is leaving North Carolina. Teachers’ salaries have sunk so low that Gable can’t afford to stay in North Carolina. Yet Gable, whose low salary qualifies his family for Medicaid and food assistance, finds himself on a path toward fi
As Students Are Buried in Debt, US DOE Pulls in $42.5 Billion in Profits
This is an astonishing article. The US Department of Education is making profits from student loans while the kids go deeper into debt. This is 21st century entrepreneuralism at its worst. Shahien Nasiripour of the Huffington Post writes: The U.S. Department of Education says it has been working to help borrowers who are struggling under the weight of crushing student loan debt. But as Washington
North Little Rock Turns Down Charter As Unnecessary
Arkansas is the home of the Walton Family Foundation, which gives heavy support to charters and Small change to local public schools. But even in Arkansas, there is local pushback. The North Little Rock School District turned down a charter application from the Capitol City Lighthouse Charter School, in North Little Rock. “North Little Rock officials said the school wouldn’t meet a need not alrea
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 11-19-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: EduShyster on John Arnold’s Hurt FeelingsEduShyster here recounts the sad tale of billionaire John Arnold, who apparently did not like my apology to him for a factual inaccuracy in an earlier post. I made a factual error in a post on October 10. I said that he left Enron with $3 billion. That was an honest error on my part. I wrong
