Top Posts This Week 12/1/18
Posts This Week 12/1/18
TODAY
Hakeem Jeffries, a DFER Democrat, Joins the Party Leadership | Diane Ravitch's blog
by mike simpson / 54min
Hakeem Jeffries, a DFER Democrat, Joins the Party Leadership | Diane Ravitch's blog Hakeem Jeffries, a DFER Democrat, Joins the Party Leadership Rachel Cohen writes that the elevation of Hakeem Jeffries to chair of the Democratic House Caucus is a huge victory for the pro-charter school group Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), the hedge fund managers who control large campaign contributions.
The Persistence Of Segregated Schools - 1A
by mike simpson / 1h
The Persistence Of Segregated Schools - 1A The Persistence Of Segregated Schools Thousands of students, parents and educators rally in Brooklyn demanding an end to what they describe as separate and unequal education in New York City schools on October 7, 2015 in New York City. SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES Over the weekend, The Jackson Free Press reported that Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith attended and
Time’s 2018 Person of the Year? How about the American teacher? - The Washington Post
by mike simpson / 2h
Time’s 2018 Person of the Year? How about the American teacher? - The Washington Post Time’s 2018 Person of the Year? How about the American teacher? President Trump has said he can’t imagine anyone but himself as Time magazine’s Person of the Year. I can. In the past, Time has made entire groups of people the winner. In 2003, it was “The American Soldier,” honoring U.S. troops around the world,
Paul Pastorek Is Positioned to Charterize Puerto Rico. Who Is This Guy, Anyway? | deutsch29
by mike simpson / 2h
Paul Pastorek Is Positioned to Charterize Puerto Rico. Who Is This Guy, Anyway? | deutsch29 Paul Pastorek Is Positioned to Charterize Puerto Rico. Who Is This Guy, Anyway? The Puerto Rican Department of Education has decided to contract with former Louisiana state ed superintendent, Paul Pastorek, at $250 an hour ($155,000 max) for assistance that includes soliciting the US Department of Educatio
Review and Preview Thurmond v Tuck | tultican
by mike simpson / 2h
Review and Preview Thurmond v Tuck | tultican Review and Preview Thurmond v Tuck This year’s biggest election win in California was for the down-ballot office, Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI). Tony Thurmond defeated Marshall Tuck in a proxy battle between billionaires supporting public school privatization and teachers’ unions fighting for democratically run neighborhood schools. More
CURMUDGUCATION: Common Core Testing And The Fracturing Of Literature
by mike simpson / 3h
CURMUDGUCATION: Common Core Testing And The Fracturing Of Literature Common Core Testing And The Fracturing Of Literature The Common Core Standards do not require reading complete long works of literature. Even by the time we arrive at the 11th and 12th grade set of standards for reading literature , the standards only refer to "stories, dramas, and poems." There are, throughout the standards, re
Billionaire Heiress Lashes Out at Unions Because Her Fortune Didn’t Buy Election | gadflyonthewallblog
by mike simpson / 3h
Billionaire Heiress Lashes Out at Unions Because Her Fortune Didn’t Buy Election | gadflyonthewallblog Billionaire Heiress Lashes Out at Unions Because Her Fortune Didn’t Buy Election Betsy DeVos is furious! She and her family spent boatloads of money this election cycle and few of their candidates won. Instead, lawmakers were largely selected by these things called… ew… voters. She was so enrage
Educator Discussions That Avoid “The Problem” | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
by mike simpson / 3h
Educator Discussions That Avoid “The Problem” | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice Educator Discussions That Avoid “The Problem” In 1942, Paul Diederich, senior research associate at Educational Testing Service, wrote “The Light Touch: 27 Ways to Run Away from an Educational Problem” for Progressive Education. He wrote this piece after being part of intense discussions with hundr
YESTERDAY
The Nation’s First Major Charter School Strike Is Brewing in Chicago – Mother Jones
by mike simpson / 23h
The Nation’s First Major Charter School Strike Is Brewing in Chicago – Mother Jones The Nation’s First Major Charter School Strike Is Brewing in Chicago “We’ve had less rights, less pay, and less benefits. At the end of the day, these are our schools.” For the last five years, Martha Baumgarten has taught fifth-graders at Carlos Fuentes Elementary School, a charter school on Chicago’s North Side.
Louisiana: The “Miracle School” That Was a Fraud | Diane Ravitch's blog
by mike simpson / 1d
Louisiana: The “Miracle School” That Was a Fraud | Diane Ravitch's blog Louisiana: The “Miracle School” That Was a Fraud About five weeks ago, I read a story online about a small private school in Louisiana whose students had a 100% college entry rate and were admitted to America’s most selective colleges and universities. It was truly a miraculous school, said the story, because its students wer
Big Picture Learning: Priming Workforce Development for Impact Profit-Taking – Wrench in the Gears
by mike simpson / 1d
Big Picture Learning: Priming Workforce Development for Impact Profit-Taking – Wrench in the Gears Big Picture Learning: Priming Workforce Development for Impact Profit-Taking This post is the second in a Q&A exchange on social impact bonds and pay for success finance with UK blogger Privatising Schools . The focus of this post is Big Picture Learning. For additional background on Big Picture in
A Call to Modernize American Philanthropy | Schott Foundation for Public Education
by mike simpson / 1d
A Call to Modernize American Philanthropy | Schott Foundation for Public Education A Call to Modernize American Philanthropy The giving practices of rich magnates and foundations still suggest a colonial mind-set, the author of a new book argues, as he offers ideas for change. When America’s philanthropic and social sector were developed early in the 20th century, the design resembled elements of
DeVos Again Protects For-Profit Colleges and Federal Loan Servicing Contractor at Expense of Vulnerable Students | janresseger
by mike simpson / 1d
DeVos Again Protects For-Profit Colleges and Federal Loan Servicing Contractor at Expense of Vulnerable Students | janresseger DeVos Again Protects For-Profit Colleges and Federal Loan Servicing Contractor at Expense of Vulnerable Students Betsy DeVos once announced: “Government really sucks.” She doesn’t like government regulation, and she prefers to free up the marketplace. One of the best plac
NYC Public School Parents: Yet another legal complaint vs Success for violating students' civil rights - & this time, it's clear that DOE is culpable as well
by mike simpson / 1d
NYC Public School Parents: Yet another legal complaint vs Success for violating students' civil rights - & this time, it's clear that DOE is culpable as well Yet another legal complaint vs Success for violating students' civil rights - & this time, it's clear that DOE is culpable as well Advocates for Children filed a new complaint with the State Education Department about Success Academy’s failu
NOV 29
Faith in High Stakes Testing Fades, Even Among the Corporate School Reformers | janresseger
by mike simpson / 2d
Faith in High Stakes Testing Fades, Even Among the Corporate School Reformers | janresseger Faith in High Stakes Testing Fades, Even Among the Corporate School Reformers After a recent twenty-fifth anniversary conference at the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington, Bothell—a Gates funded education-reformer think tank, Chalkbeat ‘s Matt Barnum summarized presentat
Common Core Creator Slammed Reading Teachers for Having a Research Gap—How Ironic
by mike simpson / 2d
Common Core Creator Slammed Reading Teachers for Having a Research Gap—How Ironic Common Core Creator Slammed Reading Teachers for Having a Research Gap—How Ironic Teachers have enough difficulties. Sometimes you find an article so full of hubris and irony it cannot be ignored. Several weeks ago, I criticized a series of reports about reading by journalist Emily Hanford. Hanford claimed teachers
CURMUDGUCATION: Trump, Apple, but No Teacher
by mike simpson / 2d
CURMUDGUCATION: Trump, Apple, but No Teacher Trump, Apple, but No Teacher Ivanka Trump, Czarina of Shiny Things, traveled to an Idaho school and took Tm Cook, Big Boss Apple, along with her, to contemplate the glossy beauty of post-teacher education. The Idaho Statesman covered her visit in severe detail (including coverage of an omelet she ate before leaving). The visit was intended to be quick
Where Do Teachers Get the Most Respect? - NEA Today
by mike simpson / 2d
Where Do Teachers Get the Most Respect? - NEA Today Where Do Teachers Get the Most Respect? How educators are respected in relation to other professions can be a key marker in determining their overall status in an individual country. In China and Malaysia, the teaching profession is often placed on par with doctors. In Finland, the public aligns teaching with social work. Other countries rank te
Bullying, Suicide, and Murder | The Merrow Report
by mike simpson / 2d
Bullying, Suicide, and Murder | The Merrow Report Bullying, Suicide, and Murder Last week in this space I connected the dots between bullying and the suicides and attempted suicides by children and adolescents, pointing out the close correlation between them. This week, I want to surface an equally grim reality: school shootings are also closely correlated with bullying. Fortunately, there are a
NOV 28
ACLU appeals use of public tax dollars for private schools
by mike simpson / 3d
ACLU appeals use of public tax dollars for private schools ACLU appeals public tax dollars for private schools The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan, public education leaders and parent groups filed an appeal Tuesday asking the Michigan Supreme Court to rule the use of public tax dollars to fund private schools unconstitutional. Dan Korobkin, ACLU of Michigan's deputy legal director, sai
DeVos: Teachers union has a ‘stranglehold’ on many federal, state politicians | TheHill
by mike simpson / 3d
DeVos: Teachers union has a ‘stranglehold’ on many federal, state politicians | TheHill DeVos: Teachers union has a ‘stranglehold’ on many federal, state politicians Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on Tuesday ripped teachers unions across the country, saying they have a “stranglehold” over many federal and state officials and are resistant to “changes that need to happen.” “The teachers union
How Betsy DeVos Does the Koch Brothers’ Bidding | OurFuture.org by People's Action
by mike simpson / 3d
How Betsy DeVos Does the Koch Brothers’ Bidding | OurFuture.org by People's Action How Betsy DeVos Does the Koch Brothers’ Bidding While the serial outrages of the Trump administration continue to make headlines, the more mundane activities of his cabinet officials and their underlings often fly under the radar. Take U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, for instance, whose nomination drew a h
CURMUDGUCATION: When Is Personalized Learning Not Personalized Learning
by mike simpson / 3d
CURMUDGUCATION: When Is Personalized Learning Not Personalized Learning When Is Personalized Learning Not Personalized Learning Personalized Learning is a hot new brand in education, the Great New Thing that is going to revitalize education and elevate students to new levels of awesome. And yet, what is being pitched in many school districts is not personalized learning at all. When we hear the w
NOV 27
Former Louisiana schools chief Paul Pastorek gets Puerto Rico contract: report | nola.com
by mike simpson / 4d
Former Louisiana schools chief Paul Pastorek gets Puerto Rico contract: report | nola.com Former Louisiana schools chief Paul Pastorek gets Puerto Rico contract: report Louisiana’s former education superintendent has accepted a six-figure contract to revitalize the school system in Puerto Rico, Education Week reports. The website’s story comes from The Metro newspaper in Puerto Rico . The report,
What’s Behind the Chan Zuckerberg (CZI) Push for “Brain Science?”
by mike simpson / 4d
What’s Behind the Chan Zuckerberg (CZI) Push for “Brain Science?” What’s Behind the Chan Zuckerberg (CZI) Push for “Brain Science?” It doesn’t matter how much trouble Mark Zuckerberg might appear to be in with Facebook, he and his wife still find time to mess with education and give elitist advice to teachers. Their latest initiative is to claim teachers need to learn brain science . They’re dona
Teacher-Led Schools: The Mouse and Hippo | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice
by mike simpson / 4d
Teacher-Led Schools: The Mouse and Hippo | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice Teacher-Led Schools: The Mouse and Hippo Groups of teachers founding charters, taking over failing schools, or simply creating different ones is a smart idea. It is worthwhile and needs much support to spread since teachers can design, implement, and administer such schools as well as if not better than
Teach for America Is Looking for a Lobbyist. Interested? | deutsch29
by mike simpson / 4d
Teach for America Is Looking for a Lobbyist. Interested? | deutsch29 Teach for America Is Looking for a Lobbyist. Interested? On November 15, 2018, Teach for America (TFA) posted this Linkedin job listing for a government affairs manager (in other words, a lobbyist). Though TFA is fine with putting inexperienced college grads in classrooms as temp teachers following a five-week sneeze of *trainin
Brooklyn students fight against the Summit online platform and the Zuckerberg-Gates corporate machine | Parent Coalition for Student Privacy
by mike simpson / 4d
Brooklyn students fight against the Summit online platform and the Zuckerberg-Gates corporate machine | Parent Coalition for Student Privacy BROOKLYN STUDENTS FIGHT AGAINST THE SUMMIT ONLINE PLATFORM AND THE ZUCKERBERG-GATES CORPORATE MACHINE Update: this David vs. Goliath story with national implications was reported also on Fast Company , Business Insider, EdSurge , and NY Magazine . The Washin
Group tied to charter school backers spent thousands in Va. school board election - Network For Public Education
by mike simpson / 4d
Group tied to charter school backers spent thousands in Va. school board election - Network For Public Education Group tied to charter school backers spent thousands in Va. school board election By Debbie Truong November 25 at 3:00 PM “By stacking the board . . . they can get charter schools in,” said Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education, a nonprofit advocacy group
NOV 26
Education Week Grading System Gets a Failing Grade – School Finance 101
by mike simpson / 4d
Education Week Grading System Gets a Failing Grade – School Finance 101 Education Week Grading System Gets a Failing Grade It’s that time of year again. Time for Education Week Quality Counts to grade the states on a number of education policy issues – ranging from accountability systems to school finance systems. But, once again, Education Week’s Quality Counts ratings of state school finance po
This week in charter school scandals - YouTube
by mike simpson / 5d
This week in charter school scandals - YouTube This week in charter school scandals I could easily devote every episode to covering charter schools. A simple search will turn up half a dozen scandals on any given week. Like the story this week out of Arizona, where the multimillionaire CEO of an online charter school gave himself a $1.3 million raise, while giving teachers 1%. Keep in mind that o
Badass Teachers Association: Just say #NoTFA!!
by mike simpson / 5d
Badass Teachers Association: Just say #NoTFA!! Just say #NoTFA!! Dear Representative-Elect, Congratulations on your successful election to become a representative of your state in the House of Representatives or U.S.Senate! As educators, many of us became very involved in your election, whether it was to volunteer for your campaign, fight for your endorsement within our union, share your informat
CURMUDGUCATION: The Factory, The Computer, and the Marketing Problem
by mike simpson / 5d
CURMUDGUCATION: The Factory, The Computer, and the Marketing Problem The Factory, The Computer, and the Marketing Problem Nancy Flanagan notes her frustration this week with the continued complaints about public schools, about how they are an outmoded factory model producing students on an assembly line. And she correctly notes where that comes from, and where it's headed. Public school has been
NON-ELECTED WEALTH-DRIVEN FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS OWN OUR GOVERNMENT | Dr. Edward F. Berger
by mike simpson / 5d
NON-ELECTED WEALTH-DRIVEN FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS OWN OUR GOVERNMENT | Dr. Edward F. Berger NON-ELECTED WEALTH-DRIVEN FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS OWN OUR GOVERNMENT Hey, I’m blogging again. My last blog was in June. I am completing research and writing a new book exploring the challenges presented by AI and machine intelligence and the evolution of our education system so that we prepare humans to
NOV 25
Toxic Philanthropy Part 2: Hewlett Packard Re-Engineers the Social Sector – Wrench in the Gears
by mike simpson / 6d
Toxic Philanthropy Part 2: Hewlett Packard Re-Engineers the Social Sector – Wrench in the Gears Toxic Philanthropy Part 2: Hewlett Packard Re-Engineers the Social Sector Hewlett Packard: The Tech Titan Few Education Activists Talk About Increasingly people are casting a wary eye in the direction of Silicon Valley, concerned about the power its billionaires wield over public education and society
A Washington Post Discussion about Education | Diane Ravitch's blog
by mike simpson / 6d
A Washington Post Discussion about Education | Diane Ravitch's blog A Washington Post Discussion about Education I will be in Washington, D.C., on Thursday for a “discussion” about education. I put the scare quotes around discussion because the schedule is jam-packed, and there won’t be enough time for any in-depth discussion of anything. But hope springs eternal. A few things on the program of i
Peter Greene to Mike Petrilli: A Not So Fond Farewell to “Reform” | Diane Ravitch's blog
by mike simpson / 6d
Peter Greene to Mike Petrilli: A Not So Fond Farewell to “Reform” | Diane Ravitch's blog Peter Greene to Mike Petrilli: A Not So Fond Farewell to “Reform” Mike Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham think tank in D.C., penned a piece suggesting that Ed Reform was over, that it had reached a stalemate with its enemies, but that whatever it had done was here to stay. He called it “The End of
The Teacher Life: Grading Papers Over Holiday Break | deutsch29
by mike simpson / 6d
The Teacher Life: Grading Papers Over Holiday Break | deutsch29 The Teacher Life: Grading Papers Over Holiday Break Like many teachers across these United States, I am finishing a holiday week, which means I was off from school– technically. It is true that I did not need to report to school this week. However, a notable part of Teacher Life is that school clings to the teacher whether said teach
NOV 24
Top Posts This Week 11/24/18 #REDFORED
by mike simpson / 6d
Top Posts This Week 11/24/18 4-H: Trump agency push to dump LGBT policy led to Iowa leader's firing Toxic Philanthropy Part 1: Surveillance – Wrench in the Gears How Facebook Dealt with Crisis: A Tale of Denial | Diane Ravitch's blog My Review of Eve L. Ewing’s “Ghosts in the Schoolyard” | Diane Ravitch's blog John Thompson: Goliath, King of the Zombies | Diane Ravitch's blog CURMUDGUCATION: Fail
