Top Posts This Week 4/6/19 #Unite4SACKids #WeAreSCTA #WeAreCTA #strikeready #REDFORED #SCTA #CTA

Top Posts This Week 4/6/19

Big Education Ape: Garn Press Publishes a Collection of My Most Important Essays | Diane Ravitch's blog - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/04/garn-press-publishes-collection-of-my.html

Breaking News: Donald Trump fired Betsy DeVos this morning on Twitter | Cloaking Inequity

JEFF BRYANT: How charter schools are scamming the US government

Will Oklahoma Rein In Epic Charter Failure? - Living in Dialogue

Why I was Shaking My Head at Betsy DeVos - Living in Dialogue

High school student activists are taking a stand against racism - Vox

Choosing Democracy: Sacramento Teachers Uprising ? #Unite4SACKids #WeAreSCTA #WeAreCTA #strikeready #REDFORED #SCTA #CTA

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos, Class Size, and the Reformistan Bubble

CURMUDGUCATION: Accountability Beyond the Bubble

LA Times Value-Added Reporters: Where Are They Now | VAMboozled!

Walmart Heirs Invest Heavily to Promote Charter Schools | janresseger

Top Posts This Month 4/6/19

Breaking News: Donald Trump fired Betsy DeVos this morning on Twitter | Cloaking Inequity

Reading Instruction, The Attack on Teachers, and Two Areas of Concern

JEFF BRYANT: How charter schools are scamming the US government

CURMUDGUCATION: What Did We Learn From DeVos Hearings This Week?

Bill Gates says AI should improve education and medicine - CNET

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

2019 Medley #5: Privatization | Live Long and Prosper

Education Gurus 30 - Global Gurus

CURMUDGUCATION: Gigging, Progress, and the Unmaking of American Work

50-State Comparison: K-12 Special Education Funding

Posts This Week  4/6/19

Alexander Russo Tries to Work the Refs Again - Living in Dialogue

by Mike Simpson / 28min

Alexander Russo Tries to Work the Refs Again - Living in Dialogue Alexander Russo Tries to Work the Refs Again By Anthony Cody. I am not sure who appointed Alexander Russo the chief scold of the education newsbeat, but he has made it his business to criticize reporting in the field from his supposedly objective perch. Somehow, he almost always seems to be playing defense for one reform project or

CURMUDGUCATION: Don't Be Fooled By This Proposal To End Testing

by Mike Simpson / 41min

CURMUDGUCATION: Don't Be Fooled By This Proposal To End Testing Don't Be Fooled By This Proposal To End Testing Tom Vander Ark has a long and checkered past in the ed reform biz , and he is ready to cash in on the next big thing (he's been ready for a while), which is why we find him at Forbes proposing an end to standardized testing . Just to be clear from the jump-- that's not a good thing. The

Mitchell Robinson: Beto, Beto, Beto…: "It's All About the Kids" Edition | Eclectablog

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Beto, Beto, Beto…: "It's All About the Kids" Edition | Eclectablog Beto, Beto, Beto…: “It’s All About the Kids” Edition CNN reported today that presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke said, in 2012, that charter schools “were a good idea.” While this is a more definitive statement of support for charters than Mr. O’Rourke has been willing to make in his recent run for the White House, that’s not the s

Schott Foundation Partners with Journey For Justice — Here's How You Can Help | Schott Foundation for Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Schott Foundation Partners with Journey For Justice — Here's How You Can Help | Schott Foundation for Public Education Schott Foundation Partners with Journey For Justice — Here's How You Can Help Since Schott made our first grant to an inspiring community-led organization fighting for education justice in the Chicago public schools—the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization (KOCO)—we’ve remained

Teach For America — except for California

by Mike Simpson / 1h

Teach For America — except for California Teach For America — except for California SACRAMENTO — Backed by powerful teachers unions, Democrats are pushing to ban Teach For America from California amid a wave of teacher’s strikes and a heated debate over charter schools in the nation’s most populous state. The push comes as education policy becomes an increasing point of tension, putting the natio

Teacher Habits - Helping Teachers inside the Classroom and Out

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Teacher Habits - Helping Teachers inside the Classroom and Out TEACHER HABITS Helping Teachers inside the Classroom and Out How a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum Ruined Teaching by Murph / 3h I sat in a meeting recently where an administrator reiterated the importance of having a “guaranteed and viable curriculum.” He shared this quote: It’s one of those things teachers have heard a thousand tim

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

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all Big Education Ape: The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch: A Review - Living in Dialogue - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-wisdom-and-wit-of-diane-ravitch.html NPE Grassroots Newsletter: Join Us! by dianeravitch / 49min The Network for Public Education is

Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Education Research Report Education Research Report Screen time -- even before bed -- has little impact on teen well-being by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 19h Data from more than 17,000 teenagers show little evidence of a relationship between screen time and well-being in adolescents . The study, published in Psychological Science , a journal of the Association for Psychological Science , casts doubt on

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Class Invention Project – Including Handout & Examples by Larry Ferlazzo / 3h TeroVesalainen / Pixabay We’re doing an Invention Project in my ELL U.S. History class, which I do each year, but don’t believe I’v

Competitive Academic Program 'Too White' For Sacramento City School District Officials - California Globe

by Mike Simpson / 2h

Competitive Academic Program 'Too White' For Sacramento City School District Officials - California Globe Competitive Academic Program ‘Too White’ For Sacramento City School District Officials Parents say white and Asian kids were purposely removed from program lottery In early March, parents of Sacramento’s C.K. McClatchy High School took to social media expressing their outrage and frustration

The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch: A Review - Living in Dialogue

by Mike Simpson / 3h

The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch: A Review - Living in Dialogue The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch: A Review The Wisdom and Wit of Diane Ravitch By Anthony Cody. We think of historians as observers after the fact. They pore over the ephemeral and permanent records of past times and, from that evidence, construct stories that help us understand, and see the larger patterns at work. Diane Ravit

Julia Keleher: The Destroyer of Public Schools in Puerto Rico | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 3h

Julia Keleher: The Destroyer of Public Schools in Puerto Rico | Diane Ravitch's blog Julia Keleher: The Destroyer of Public Schools in Puerto Rico Julia Keleher will one day have engraved on her tombstone: “She Destroyed the Public Schools in Puerto Rico.” She joins the blog’s Wall of Shame for her shameless assault on public schools, the teachers’ union, and the students of Puerto Rico. Keleher

2019 Medley #7: Things I didn’t get to edition | Live Long and Prosper

by Mike Simpson / 3h

2019 Medley #7: Things I didn’t get to edition | Live Long and Prosper 2019 Medley #7: Things I didn’t get to edition I often bookmark an article that I’d like to use as a basis for a blog entry…and then a week later, it seems like there are more important things I have to do so it gets pushed down the list until I forget about it completely. So today I’d like to look back at some still-relevant

NYC Public School Parents: Will the Mayor and the Chancellor allow the School Siting Task Force to comply with Open meetings law, or insist on keeping their deliberations private?

by Mike Simpson / 3h

NYC Public School Parents: Will the Mayor and the Chancellor allow the School Siting Task Force to comply with Open meetings law, or insist on keeping their deliberations private? Will the Mayor and the Chancellor allow the School Siting Task Force to comply with Open meetings law, or insist on keeping their deliberations private? In City Limits , Jarrett Murphy reports on the continuing lack of

Public Education 'Ground Zero' in Radical Right's Assault on Democracy, Says Historian

by Mike Simpson / 4h

Public Education 'Ground Zero' in Radical Right's Assault on Democracy, Says Historian Public Education ‘Ground Zero’ in Radical Right’s Assault on Democracy, Says Historian Nancy MacLean is an American historian and the William H. Chafe Professor of History and Public Policy at Duke University, where she teaches courses on modern U.S. history and the history of social movements. NEA Today caught

Schools Matter: TN Commish Blames Teachers for Not Improving More

by Mike Simpson / 4h

Schools Matter: TN Commish Blames Teachers for Not Improving More TN Commish Blames Teachers for Not Improving More Published at the Tennessean : After reading the Tennessean article “ Large numbers of Tennessee students not ready for college, new state data show ,” I was scratching my head and wondering why alarm bells are going off now about high numbers of high school graduates needing college

The Arne Duncan rumor. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 4h

The Arne Duncan rumor. – Fred Klonsky THE ARNE DUNCAN RUMOR. If you don’t spend an unhealthy amount of time on social media you might have missed the breaking news the other day that Lori Lightfoot had put Arne Duncan on her transition team. The news wasn’t that she planned to do it. It was a fact. And that fact – with no sources cited – was repeated and repeated and repeated. Only it wasn’t true

Lisa Haver: How Many Lawyers Does It Take to Close Down a Failing Charter School? | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4h

Lisa Haver: How Many Lawyers Does It Take to Close Down a Failing Charter School? | Diane Ravitch's blog Lisa Haver: How Many Lawyers Does It Take to Close Down a Failing Charter School? Lisa Haver is a public school activist in Philadelphia. Here she writes about the long, drawn-out and very expensive proceedings to close down a failing charter school in that city. She writes: When the School Di

How Come Schools and Teachers Change Yet Both Remain So Familiar?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 4h

How Come Schools and Teachers Change Yet Both Remain So Familiar?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice How Come Schools and Teachers Change Yet Both Remain So Familiar?* Why has the act of teaching in public schools (including charters) that serve wealthy, middle-class and poor children looked so familiar to past generations of journalists, researchers, parents and grandparents

YESTERDAY

The LAUSD School Board’s Secret Committee – Carl J. Petersen – Medium

by Mike Simpson / 19h

The LAUSD School Board’s Secret Committee – Carl J. Petersen – Medium The LAUSD School Board’s Secret Committee Board President Monica Garcia and Vice-President Nick Melvoin both make reference to a Rules Committee that has not held any public meetings. Where is the transparency? “ Let’s go to that committee .” - LAUSD Board President Monica Garcia At the April 2, 2019 “special” meeting of the LA

Standardized Testing is a Tool of White Supremacy | gadflyonthewallblog

by Mike Simpson / 21h

Standardized Testing is a Tool of White Supremacy | gadflyonthewallblog Standardized Testing is a Tool of White Supremacy Let’s say you punched me in the face. I wouldn’t like it. I’d protest. I’d complain. And then you might apologize and say it was just an accident. Maybe I’d believe you. Until the next time when we met and you punched me again. That’s the problem we, as a society, have with st

Jeff Bryant: I asked these 3 simple questions of Betsy DeVos’ Education Department. It ‘created havoc’ among the staff. – Alternet.org

by Mike Simpson / 1d

I asked these 3 simple questions of Betsy DeVos’ Education Department. It ‘created havoc’ among the staff. – Alternet.org I asked these 3 simple questions of Betsy DeVos’ Education Department. It ‘created havoc’ among the staff. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is famous for giving nonresponses to fairly straightforward questions. More than one commentator has had fun with her contorted ev

New Oversight Law Won’t Prevent Charter School Financial Difficulties | Capital & Main

by Mike Simpson / 1d

New Oversight Law Won’t Prevent Charter School Financial Difficulties | Capital & Main New Oversight Law Won’t Prevent Charter School Financial Difficulties Gavin Newsom hailed a new charter school transparency law he signed. Why won’t the law prevent charters from failing? California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed into law Senate Bill 126 , written to hold the state’s charter schools to the s

CURMUDGUCATION: MO: Bipartisan Fight Against Charter Expansion

by Mike Simpson / 1d

CURMUDGUCATION: MO: Bipartisan Fight Against Charter Expansion MO: Bipartisan Fight Against Charter Expansion Rep. Rebecca Roeber (R) of Lee's Summit, Missouri has proposed a bill to expand charter reach ; the state has basically confined charter schools to the Kansas City and St. Louis districts. But response to the bill has not been exactly a slam dunk. The bill would allow charters to open in

Q&A: Sacramento City Unified School District budget crisis | The Sacramento Bee

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Q&A: Sacramento City Unified School District budget crisis | The Sacramento Bee You asked us about the Sac City Unified crisis. Here are answers to your top questions With a teachers strike and a possible state takeover looming for the Sacramento City Unified School District, The Sacramento Bee put out a call this week for our readers’ most pressing questions about the crisis. Dozens have respond

30 Days To Make a Way! THE JOURNEY FOR JUSTICE ALLIANCE (J4J)

by Mike Simpson / 1d

30 Days To Make a Way! 30 Days To Make a Way! People Powered Donor Campaign WILL YOU DONATE $25 OR $10 TO THE JOURNEY FOR JUSTICE ALLIANCE (J4J) TODAY? The Schott Foundation will match every $10 donated with $20 up to $60,000! Help us maximize these matching dollars! Journey for Justice has: 1. Led the fight for education equity and put privatizers on the defensive! 2. Inspired the NAACP's call f

Weingarten calls DeVos a liar over teachers’ union comments | New York Amsterdam News: The new Black view

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Weingarten calls DeVos a liar over teachers’ union comments | New York Amsterdam News: The new Black view Weingarten calls DeVos a liar over teachers’ union comments American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called out Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, saying she lied about the teachers’ unions losing members in the wake of the Janus v. AFSCME decision. Weingarten said that while

Alan Singer: Is Promesa the “Worst Charter Chain” in the Nation? | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Alan Singer: Is Promesa the “Worst Charter Chain” in the Nation? | Diane Ravitch's blog Alan Singer: Is Promesa the “Worst Charter Chain” in the Nation? Alan Singer writes here about Promesa, a charter chain in Texas owned by Southwest Key, the same company that runs detention center for immigrant children. As is often the case, the big profits are in real estate. Here is an excerpt from a powerf

Defining “Educator” During a Teacher Shortage and the Privatization of Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Defining “Educator” During a Teacher Shortage and the Privatization of Public Education Defining “Educator” During a Teacher Shortage and the Privatization of Public Education Define educator for America’s schools. It’s critical to nail this down during a teacher shortage and when there are attempts to privatize public schools. We don’t want people with inappropriate or no credentials teaching Am

Let’s fact-check this Betsy DeVos tweet about Trump’s $5 billion school tax credit proposal - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Let’s fact-check this Betsy DeVos tweet about Trump’s $5 billion school tax credit proposal - The Washington Post Let’s fact-check this Betsy DeVos tweet about Trump’s $5 billion school tax credit proposal Despite what some may try to tell you . . . Education Freedom Scholarships are privately funded and do not take any money from public schools. #EducationFreedom That comes from a tweet that Edu

Choosing Democracy: SCUSD Budget Crisis

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Choosing Democracy: SCUSD Budget Crisis Community Priority Coalition Both the Education and Democracy Insitute, and LULAC, League of United Latin American Citizens, are part of the Community Priority Coalition. Our goal is to improve the quality of education for those under served in SCUSD. Below is the Coalition's response to the current Budget Crisis. Community Priority Coalition 4625 44 th Str

APR 04

We Investigated The Investigator Of All Wrongdoing In LAUSD. Here's What They Think About That: LAist

by Mike Simpson / 1d

We Investigated The Investigator Of All Wrongdoing In LAUSD. Here's What They Think About That: LAist We Investigated The Investigator Of All Wrongdoing In LAUSD. Here's What They Think About That A pile-up of unresolved investigations . A sharp drop in the number of cases closed. Allegations from at least four employees of a hostile working environment . These were the findings of a KPCC/LAist i

Who was at the closed-door DeVos meeting? – TNJTNJ

by Mike Simpson / 1d

Who was at the closed-door DeVos meeting? – TNJTNJ Who was at the closed-door DeVos meeting? While reporters headed out to set up for a photo-op and gaggle at a Nashville charter school, Gov. Bill Lee and U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos hosted a closed-door roundtable in a conference room in the state Capitol. The specifics of what was discussed were not divulged, but attendees helpfully too

A change to Proposition 13 that homeowners can get behind - Los Angeles Times

by Mike Simpson / 1d

A change to Proposition 13 that homeowners can get behind - Los Angeles Times A change to Proposition 13 that homeowners can get behind Could a reassessment of Proposition 13 finally be in the wings? Advocates of the long-needed change have their fingers crossed, now that a measure to revise Proposition 13 has qualified for the November 2020 ballot. The initiative wouldn’t involve a wholesale rev

The Cure for Boring Curriculum | Teacher in a strange land

by Mike Simpson / 2d

The Cure for Boring Curriculum | Teacher in a strange land The Cure for Boring Curriculum The New York Times published a story this weekend about an amazing research-based discovery : a way to fix high schools. The writers (Jal Mehta, who teaches at Harvard, and Sarah Fine, who works at High Tech High in San Diego) spent six years traveling the country, visiting 30 public schools, looking for a c

'As society goes, school goes:’ New report details toll on schools in President Trump’s America - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 2d

'As society goes, school goes:’ New report details toll on schools in President Trump’s America - The Washington Post 'As society goes, school goes:’ New report details toll on schools in President Trump’s America In this age defined by the presidency of Donald J. Trump, our nation is increasingly divided and our political atmosphere highly charged. The contentious environment contributes to othe

Education Privatizers Have Gone Global. So Must We If We Want to Stop Them.

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Education Privatizers Have Gone Global. So Must We If We Want to Stop Them. Education Privatizers Have Gone Global. So Must We If We Want to Stop Them. In February 2018, West Virginia teachers launched a strike that reawakened a movement. Tens of thousands of teachers from around the country have taken part in what is now the largest strike wave in decades, demanding better public education in th

Students at school slated for closure face yet another hurdle: no bathrooms | The Lens

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Students at school slated for closure face yet another hurdle: no bathrooms | The Lens Students at school slated for closure face yet another hurdle: no bathrooms lumbing contractors were digging up Edgar P. Harney elementary school’s lush front lawn on Willow Street Tuesday afternoon while a portable toilet trailer sat on the school’s blacktop playground along busy Claiborne Avenue. “The bathroo

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

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all Diane Ravitch's blog A site to discuss better education for all Indiana: Virtual School Scams Taxpayers and Students by dianeravitch / 1h In every state that has authorized virtual charter schools, these schools are marked by two characteristics: 1. They are very profitable. 2. The “education” they provide is abysmal. Typically, th

To survivors of school shootings: your survival is ultimate form of protest

by Mike Simpson / 2d

To survivors of school shootings: your survival is ultimate form of protest To the survivors of school shootings Your survival is the ultimate form of protest Dear survivors of the Parkland school shooting, I’m thinking of you, unsure of what to say, fearful that I will say the wrong thing. The last three weeks have been hard: Two of your Parkland classmates, maybe your friends, ended their lives

Attorneys General Sue Trump Administration Over School Nutrition Rollbacks : The Salt : NPR

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Attorneys General Sue Trump Administration Over School Nutrition Rollbacks : The Salt : NPR Attorneys General Sue Trump Administration Over School Nutrition Rollbacks A coalition of state attorneys general is suing the Trump administration for weakening the federal nutrition standards for school meals that are fed to about 30 million children across the country. "Over a million children in New Yo

Congress Approves National Award Program for ESPs - NEA Today

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Congress Approves National Award Program for ESPs - NEA Today Recognition Long Overdue: Congress Approves National Award Program for ESPs After the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Recognizing Achievement in Classified School Employees Act ( H.R. 276 ) by a vote of 387-19 in February, the Senate quickly followed suit with its own unanimous approval in March. “This recogniti

A (Mostly) Brief History Of The SAT And ACT Tests

by Mike Simpson / 2d

A (Mostly) Brief History Of The SAT And ACT Tests A (Mostly) Brief History Of The SAT And ACT Tests H/T Sonja Luchini late 1800s Average Scores SAT (1952–present) Data | Graph ACT (1970–present) Data | Graph By the end of the 19th century, tests for admission to U.S. colleges are specific to each school. (The arithmetic portion of Harvard's 1869 entrance exam can be seen here . The corresponding

“Have You Heard” Interviews Award-Winning Reporter about Arizona Charter School Scandals | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 2d

“Have You Heard” Interviews Award-Winning Reporter about Arizona Charter School Scandals | Diane Ravitch's blog “Have You Heard” Interviews Award-Winning Reporter about Arizona Charter School Scandals Jennifer Berkshire and Jack Schneider interview Arizona Republic reporter Craig Harris about the charter school scandals in Arizona, the “wild west” of charters. Harris was a member of the investiga

High School Doesn’t Have to Be Boring (Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 2d

High School Doesn’t Have to Be Boring (Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice High School Doesn’t Have to Be Boring (Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine) This op-ed appeared in the New York Times, March 30, 2019 “The writers spent six years traveling the country studying high schools. Jal Mehta is an associate professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Sa

CURMUDGUCATION: College Board's AP Rate Hike Backlash

by Mike Simpson / 2d

CURMUDGUCATION: College Board's AP Rate Hike Backlash College Board's AP Rate Hike Backlash The College Board, the company behind the dreaded SAT and popular AP courses has made changes to the registration for the AP exams . AP courses and the exams that go with them are supposed to provide students with a leg up on college applications. Though the changes, which amount to an increase in cost, we

Conservative’s White Nationalism Dog Whistle: The Political Lie of School Choice | radical eyes for equity

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Conservative’s White Nationalism Dog Whistle: The Political Lie of School Choice | radical eyes for equity Conservative’s White Nationalism Dog Whistle: The Political Lie of School Choice A dog whistle is designed so that to unintended audiences (humans), the whistle is silent, but to the intended audience (dogs), the whistle is a sharp alert. Now here comes the metaphorical portion of this post.

Why We're Striking April 11th - Sacramento City Teachers Association

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Why We're Striking April 11th - Sacramento City Teachers Association WHY WE’RE STRIKING APRIL 11TH For Our Students! Sixteen months ago, educators and the District reached an historic agreement that redirected District priorities away from the Serna Center and into the classroom. Since then Superintendent Jorge Aguilar, School Board President Jessie Ryan and the Sac City school board have backtra

APR 03

Want More Money for a Federal Program? Get DeVos to Put It on Her Budget Elimination Wish List | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Want More Money for a Federal Program? Get DeVos to Put It on Her Budget Elimination Wish List | deutsch29 Want More Money for a Federal Program? Get DeVos to Put It on Her Budget Elimination Wish List On March 28, 2019, I wrote a post about US ed sec Betsy DeVos’ attempts to eliminate federal funding for Special Olympics from the past three US Department of Education (USDOE) annual proposed budg

Betsy DeVos is unfit to lead the Education Department. It's time for her to resign.

by Mike Simpson / 2d

Betsy DeVos is unfit to lead the Education Department. It's time for her to resign. Rep. Mark Pocan Betsy DeVos is unfit to lead the Education Department. It's time for her to resign. DeVos' confirmation hearing raised many red flags. Now America's children are dealing with the consequences of her incompetence. By Rep. Mark Pocan, U.S. Representative Last week, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos

I say enough with the failing schools narrative. Teachers perform miracles every day for our students. - PublicSource

by Mike Simpson / 2d

I say enough with the failing schools narrative. Teachers perform miracles every day for our students. - PublicSource | News for a better PittsburghPublicSource | News for a better Pittsburgh I say enough with the failing schools narrative. Teachers perform miracles every day for our students. Editor's note: This is a first-person essay in response to recent PublicSource stories on the racial ach

Jesse Hagopian to Appear on Second Season of HBO’s “Problem Areas” with Wyatt Cenac – I AM AN EDUCATOR

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Jesse Hagopian to Appear on Second Season of HBO’s “Problem Areas” with Wyatt Cenac – I AM AN EDUCATOR Jesse Hagopian to Appear on Second Season of HBO’s “Problem Areas” with Wyatt Cenac Season 2 of Problem Areas Premieres on HBO Friday, April 5th The great comedian and writer Wyatt Cenac, formerly a correspondent on The Daily Show , hosts the HBO show Problem Areas . The first season of the show

Abandoning public education will be considered unthinkable 50 years from now - Vox

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Abandoning public education will be considered unthinkable 50 years from now - Vox Abandoning public education will be considered unthinkable 50 years from now Private and charter schools, and public schools in expensive communities, fuel inequality. Adia Harvey Wingfield is a professor of sociology at Washington University in St. Louis. She is the author of Flatlining: Race, Work, and Health Car

High school student activists are taking a stand against racism - Vox

by Mike Simpson / 3d

High school student activists are taking a stand against racism - Vox High school students of color are protesting racism and inequality After racist incidents at schools in Charlottesville and the Bronx, students have taken action to make school officials address deeper inequities. Since the civil rights movement, student protests have been a powerful driver of social change. More than 60 years

Sac City Unified teachers union announce strike for April 11 | The Sacramento Bee

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Sac City Unified teachers union announce strike for April 11 | The Sacramento Bee Teachers union at Sacramento City Unified announces one-day strike for April 11 The teachers union at Sacramento City Unified School District announced Tuesday its intention to strike April 11. The strike will last one day, according to union leaders, and is in response to failed mediation attempts between the distr

New Jersey Expose, Part 5: How to Fix the State’s Broken Charter Financing Problem (NOT!) | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 3d

New Jersey Expose, Part 5: How to Fix the State’s Broken Charter Financing Problem (NOT!) | Diane Ravitch's blog New Jersey Expose, Part 5: How to Fix the State’s Broken Charter Financing Problem (NOT!) This article is the last of a five-part series called “Cashing in on Charter Schools,” published by northjersey.com and USA Today New Jersey and written by Jean Rimbach and Abbott Koloff. The post

Inside Philanthropy: Charters Lose Their Luster in the Philanthropic World | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Inside Philanthropy: Charters Lose Their Luster in the Philanthropic World | Diane Ravitch's blog Inside Philanthropy: Charters Lose Their Luster in the Philanthropic World Caitlin Reilly of “Inside Philanthropy” writes that philanthropies no longer see charter schools as the means to transform American education. Although a few have doggedly doubled down on their commitment to charters, there se

Chicago scores a win. We don’t want nobody sent. – Fred Klonsky

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Chicago scores a win. We don’t want nobody sent. – Fred Klonsky Chicago scores a win. We don’t want nobody sent Lori Lightfoot on Hitting Left with the Klonsky Brothers. June, 2018. Nobody could have predicted the scope of the election results in Tuesday night’s Chicago municipal election. There was the defeat of the head of the storied Chicago Democratic Party by no less than a margin of 2-1 in

The Special Olympics funding outcry is over, but it’s been crickets over some of DeVos’s other proposed education budget cuts. Think civics, history, arts . . . - The Washington Post

by Mike Simpson / 3d

The Special Olympics funding outcry is over, but it’s been crickets over some of DeVos’s other proposed education budget cuts. Think civics, history, arts . . . - The Washington Post The Special Olympics funding outcry is over, but it’s been crickets over some of DeVos’s other proposed education budget cuts. Think civics, history, arts . . . The Trump administration has proposed eliminating a $4.

Will Oklahoma Rein In Epic Charter Failure? - Living in Dialogue

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Will Oklahoma Rein In Epic Charter Failure? - Living in Dialogue Will Oklahoma Rein In Epic Charter Failure? By John Thompson. As the Network for Public Education documents a billion dollars wasted on failed charter schools, the national news is full of the latest charter financial scandals stretching from New Jersey to California. We can’t forget, however, that virtual charters, like Oklahoma’s

NYC Should Fund Class Size Reduction Now! | Class Size Matters

by Mike Simpson / 3d

NYC Should Fund Class Size Reduction Now! | Class Size Matters NYC Should Fund Class Size Reduction Now! | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes NYC Should Fund Class Size Reduction Now! Class Size Matters is proposing that the NYC Council allocate $200 million to be targeted to reducing class size, starting first in the early grades and in struggl

APR 02

CURMUDGUCATION: MT: Meat Widgets And Personalized Learning

by Mike Simpson / 3d

CURMUDGUCATION: MT: Meat Widgets And Personalized Learning Meat Widgets And Personalized Learning In Montana, the connection between Personalized [sic] Learning and vocational training has been made pretty explicit. There, some leaders are throwing support to PL not because it would be good for students or would solve educational problems, but because it would solve workforce development problem

Failing Charter Schools and a School Board’s Choice

by Mike Simpson / 3d

Failing Charter Schools and a School Board’s Choice Failing Charter Schools and a School Board’s Choice Photo by Ben White on Unsplash “ Data doesn’t close opportunity gaps. People have to do that, so we now need people to take action. ” - Carrie Hahnel, EdTrust-West It is easy to blame a public school for failing to successfully educate a child. Teachers and schools make easy scapegoats in a soc

Truth For America: Why was Republican Legislator and TFA alum punished? | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Truth For America: Why was Republican Legislator and TFA alum punished? | Cloaking Inequity TRUTH FOR AMERICA: WHY WAS REPUBLICAN LEGISLATOR AND TFA ALUM PUNISHED? Why did this happen to @ KevinKileyCA ? A republican and @ TeachForAmerica alum who sits on the California Assembly Education committee? Listen to the latest episode of Truth For America podcast to find out why… See all of Cloaking Ine

With business groups allied against it, L.A. parcel tax faces big hurdle | EdSource

by Mike Simpson / 4d

With business groups allied against it, L.A. parcel tax faces big hurdle | EdSource With business groups allied against it, L.A. parcel tax faces big hurdle They sign ballot argument and plan $4 million campaign to kill it in June. T hree Los Angeles area business associations have signed the official ballot argument opposing L.A. Unified’s sizable 12-year parcel tax on the June 4 ballot — compou

California Kids Are Falling Behind in Education and More. What Is the State Doing to Help? | Starting Blocks | The California Report | KQED News

by Mike Simpson / 4d

California Kids Are Falling Behind in Education and More. What Is the State Doing to Help? | Starting Blocks | The California Report | KQED News California Kids Are Falling Behind in Education and More. What Is the State Doing to Help? In KQED’s new series, Starting Blocks , we’ll look more closely at why California has failed to gain traction on addressing the needs of kids and what it will take

Expanding School Choice: Making Education More Accessible or Bureaucratic Boondoggle?

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Expanding School Choice: Making Education More Accessible or Bureaucratic Boondoggle? Expanding School Choice: Making Education More Accessible or Bureaucratic Boondoggle? The Trump administration’s proposal would make Catholic schooling more accessible, but it raises concerns about federal overreach. WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos introduced a proposal last month, aimed at expandin

Ed Notes Online: NYSAPE Final Press Release - NYS Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia Creates a Culture of Fear, Intimidation, and Misinformation in our Schools

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Ed Notes Online: NYSAPE Final Press Release - NYS Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia Creates a Culture of Fear, Intimidation, and Misinformation in our Schools NYSAPE Final Press Release - NYS Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia Creates a Culture of Fear, Intimidation, and Misinformation in our Schools Today's straw man: Old UFT/AFT buddy Mary Ellen Elia under attack. Anti-Opt- out is a UF

CHARTERS: NJ press–finally–smells rot, but proposes reforms that continue racist policy |

by Mike Simpson / 4d

CHARTERS: NJ press–finally–smells rot, but proposes reforms that continue racist policy | CHARTERS: NJ press–finally–smells rot, but proposes reforms that continue racist policy Deseret Segura, 16, comforts her grandmother, Deseret Richardson, 83. The older woman was weeping her granddaughter would be transferred to a school far from home they shared because of the so-called “One Newark” enrollme

New Jersey Expose, Part 4: Cashing in on Real Estate Deals in the Charter Market | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d

New Jersey Expose, Part 4: Cashing in on Real Estate Deals in the Charter Market | Diane Ravitch's blog New Jersey Expose, Part 4: Cashing in on Real Estate Deals in the Charter Market This post is part 4 of a series published by northjersey.com and USA Today New Jersey. Written by Jean Rimbach and Abbott Koloff, it is called “Cashing in on Charter Schools.” It explores the many ways that charter

Garn Press Publishes a Collection of My Most Important Essays | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Garn Press Publishes a Collection of My Most Important Essays | Diane Ravitch's blog Garn Press Publishes a Collection of My Most Important Essays Garn Press, one of the nation’s valuable independent publishers, has compiled a collection of my most important essays. I am grateful for their hard work and dedication in bringing the book to fruition. The book is titled “The Wisdom and Wit of Diane R

Charter Chains Pay Out Salaries Like… Corporations, Even While Enrollment Erodes – redqueeninla

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Charter Chains Pay Out Salaries Like… Corporations, Even While Enrollment Erodes – redqueeninla Charter Chains Pay Out Salaries Like… Corporations, Even While Enrollment Erodes Education Privatizers have made a private market out of the public sector. In tax year 2016, the top-10 salaries from among LAUSD’s 37 Charter Management Organizations/Groups (CMO/Gs) totaled $3.4 million dollars: Private-

Badass Teachers Association Blog: Don’t Treat Schools Like Competitive Businesses by David Negaard

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Badass Teachers Association Blog: Don’t Treat Schools Like Competitive Businesses by David Negaard Don’t Treat Schools Like Competitive Businesses by David Negaard Originally posted at: https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/03/dont-treat-schools-like-competitive-businesses/?fbclid=IwAR0COMqiueZzgJf8UNZBdYU5WpcYnS24UzhunPQxoIRIUpJYBWxLtUMf2MU Once more for the people in the back: Schools aren’t businesse

Choosing Democracy: Sacramento Teachers Uprising ?

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Choosing Democracy: Sacramento Teachers Uprising ? Sacramento Teachers Uprising ? The #RedForEd Wave has already swept through Los Angeles and Oakland this year, with thousands of brave educators going on strike and leading massive movements to fight for the soul of public schools. Is Sacramento the next big fight of the Educator Uprising? Frustrated and fed-up by continued deceit, disrespect and

CURMUDGUCATION: Accountability Beyond the Bubble

by Mike Simpson / 4d

CURMUDGUCATION: Accountability Beyond the Bubble Accountability Beyond the Bubble Accountability has always been an educational buzzword, and the modern reformy era has put accountability on a high, if somewhat cockeyed pedestal. Testing? Not testing? Running test scores through models soaked in magic VAM sauce? Regular school visits, inspections and audits? Administrators and school boards that

Charter Moratorium on Tap: Update on Legislative Effort in California | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 4d

Charter Moratorium on Tap: Update on Legislative Effort in California | Cloaking Inequity CHARTER MORATORIUM ON TAP: UPDATE ON LEGISLATIVE EFFORT IN CALIFORNIA First, a charter moratorium bill was filed this morning in California SB 756 . I knew the spot bill would be a moratorium, but of course I couldn’t say that publicly before it happened. Here is how it reads now. The Charter Schools Act of

APR 01

How “illegal” teacher strikes rescued the American labor movement – VICE News

by Mike Simpson / 5d

How “illegal” teacher strikes rescued the American labor movement – VICE News HOW “ILLEGAL” TEACHER STRIKES RESCUED THE AMERICAN LABOR MOVEMENT Organized labor in the U.S. is having a moment. Sen. Bernie Sanders recognized a staff union for his campaign, the first presidential candidate ever to do so. Kamala Harris, the California senator running for president, unveiled her first big 2020 policy

In Classrooms: Social Justice Humanitas Academy (Part 3) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

by Mike Simpson / 5d

In Classrooms: Social Justice Humanitas Academy (Part 3) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice In Classrooms: Social Justice Humanitas Academy (Part 3) I come into the Ethnic Studies class just as Sasha Guzman, wearing a denim jacket over a T-shirt and jeans, is walking around the room checking on small groups of students at each table. The 19 ninth graders wearing ID lanyards are

Breaking News: Donald Trump fired Betsy DeVos this morning on Twitter | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Breaking News: Donald Trump fired Betsy DeVos this morning on Twitter | Cloaking Inequity I just saw this this tweet from Donald Trump! As it was rumored recently, Betsy DeVos has finally been fired! Who do you think Trump will nominate next for Secretary of Education now that DeVos is on her way out the door? Michelle Rhee? Rhee was said to be in the running the last time around and the rumor wa

A Life Lesson: Don’t Cheat Yourself. Read the Whole Book. | deutsch29

by Mike Simpson / 5d

A Life Lesson: Don’t Cheat Yourself. Read the Whole Book. | deutsch29 A Life Lesson: Don’t Cheat Yourself. Read the Whole Book. I just finished grading this semester’s major essay for my senior English classes. My goal was to have each student read a book– cover to cover– and write a paper on that book. Sound simple? Not so much. We are in an age in which the technology at our fingertips makes ch

Teaching Intolerance | The Jose Vilson

by Mike Simpson / 5d

Teaching Intolerance | The Jose Vilson TEACHING INTOLERANCE You’re not even supposed to be this public. You stood out in a space that was 80% people of color. Your scruff and leather coat belied your notoriety. The managers and custodians stopped mopping to whisper to their co-workers as you passed by with the tacky cell phone pose. New York natives know not to gawk at people we’ve seen on TV, re

MAR 31

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos, Class Size, and the Reformistan Bubble

by Mike Simpson / 5d

CURMUDGUCATION: DeVos, Class Size, and the Reformistan Bubble DeVos, Class Size, and the Reformistan Bubble I almost feel sorry for Betsy DeVos. Her two big news breaks this week are not entirely her fault. First, there's the Special Olympics fiasco. It appears that the budget office made the hugely unpopular cut, and DeVos stood by it like a good soldier, right until Donald Trump threw her under

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Snowy Relapse Edition (3/31)

by Mike Simpson / 5d

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Snowy Relapse Edition (3/31) ICYMI: Snowy Relapse Edition (3/31) The weather outside is, in fact, frightful. So here's a list of things to read inside today. Teen Boys Ranked Their Female Classmates Based On Looks, And The Girls Weren't Having It It's a great story, in part because it's about working the issue out, not just getting somebody in trouble. Small District Reaps

LA Times Value-Added Reporters: Where Are They Now | VAMboozled!

by Mike Simpson / 6d

LA Times Value-Added Reporters: Where Are They Now | VAMboozled! LA Times Value-Added Reporters: Where Are They Now In two of my older posts ( here and here ), I wrote about the Los Angeles Times and its controversial move to solicit Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) students’ test scores via an open-records request, calculate LAUSD teachers’ value-added scores themselves, and then publ

Have Charters Already Gamed Gavin Newsom's Schools Task Force? | Capital & Main

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Have Charters Already Gamed Gavin Newsom's Schools Task Force? | Capital & Main Have Charters Already Gamed Gavin Newsom’s Schools Task Force? Rather than senior researchers, public finance experts and classroom learning specialists, seven of the governor’s 11 appointees appeared to have been recruited from the charter-industrial complex. “Learning Curves” is a weekly roundup of news items, profi

Mitchell Robinson: The Stunning Hypocrisy of Betsy DeVos: Class Size Edition | Eclectablog

by Mike Simpson / 6d

The Stunning Hypocrisy of Betsy DeVos: Class Size Edition | Eclectablog The Stunning Hypocrisy of Betsy DeVos: Class Size Edition In light of Betsy DeVos’ comments on the benefits of large class sizes and hiring fewer teachers – “In fact, students may be better served by being in larger classes, if by hiring fewer teachers, a district or state can better compensate those who have demonstrated hig

UC Berkeley Chancellor says Kopp Monologue is Free Speech | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 6d

UC Berkeley Chancellor says Kopp Monologue is Free Speech | Cloaking Inequity UC BERKELEY CHANCELLOR SAYS KOPP MONOLOGUE IS FREE SPEECH Wendy Kopp, who infamously created Teach For America to temporarily place teachers in classrooms in her Princeton undergraduate thesis, has been invited to give the 2019 graduation address at UC Berkeley. I recieved the following note protesting the invitation fr

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007 Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... Here’s My Short Unit On Folktales – Including Student Handouts by Larry Ferlazzo / 44min Merio / Pixabay I’ve previously shared posts about specific writing units I do with ELLs (and non-ELLs) that have shared detailed instructions and student-handouts: * On writ

How charter schools are scamming the US government

by Mike Simpson / 6d

How charter schools are scamming the US government How charter schools are scamming the US government A new report issued by the Network for Public Education provides a detailed accounting of how charter schools have scammed the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program (CSP) for up to $1 billion in wasted grant money that went to charters that never opened or opened for only brief p

Education Research Report

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Education Research Report Education Research Report The teacher shortage is a growing national crisis by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d A new paper by Economic Policy Institute Economist Emma García and Research Associate Elaine Weiss confirms that the teacher shortage is a large and growing problem for our nation’s schools. Additionally, when indicators of teacher credentials associated with effective

New Jersey Expose, Part 3: How Charter Operators Collected Hundreds of Millions from a Federal Fund for Building Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

by Mike Simpson / 6d

New Jersey Expose, Part 3: How Charter Operators Collected Hundreds of Millions from a Federal Fund for Building Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog New Jersey Expose, Part 3: How Charter Operators Collected Hundreds of Millions from a Federal Fund for Building Public Schools Northjersey.com and USA Today New Jersey are publishing a five-part series of the abuse of taxpayer funds by charter ope

March 2019 Grassroots Education Network Newsletter - Network For Public Education

by Mike Simpson / 6d

March 2019 Grassroots Education Network Newsletter - Network For Public Education March 2019 Grassroots Education Network Newsletter I am very proud to present our first newsletter! As we discussed in our February meeting I will be putting out the NPE Grassroots Education Network Newsletter at the end of each month. NPE is honored to do this work with you and inspired by all that you are doing fo

Teach For America may lose model in California! | Cloaking Inequity

by Mike Simpson / 6d

Teach For America may lose model in California! | Cloaking Inequity Teach For America may lose model in California! This week the California Assembly Education Committee heard AB 221. Here is the original text of the bill. AB 221 SECTION 1. Article 14 (commencing with Section 32440) is added to Chapter 3 of Part 19 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code, to read: Article 14. Teach for Ame

MAR 30

Top Posts This Week 3/30/19 #REDFORED

by Mike Simpson / 7d

Top Posts This Week 3/30/19 California: An Alert for Supporters of Public Schools! | Diane Ravitch's blog Is School Funding Fair? A National Report Card CURMUDGUCATION: What Did We Learn From DeVos Hearings This Week? NJ charter schools: Tax money is disappearing into a flawed experiment