Wednesday, May 27, 2020

DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? A site to discuss better education for all

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


DID YOU MISS DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG TODAY? 
A site to discuss better education for all



Juan Gonzalez: The Struggle to Save a Public School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, from Corporate Clutches
Juan Gonzalez is a veteran journalist who wrote a regular column for the “New York Daily News” for many years. He retired from the “News” but frequently appears on “Democracy Now” as co-host with Amy Goodman. Gonzalez is renowned as an investigative reporter and champion of justice. He wrote this post for the blog. New Brunswick, New Jersey Community Fights to Save a Public School From Corporate
Holy Moley: Oklahoma Science Standards Include Evolution and Climate Change
This would not normally be news, but in the a Trump era, when science is disregarded, it is amazing. The Oklahoma Legislature approved state science standards that include evolution and climate change! The e-word — “evolution” — is unabashedly used: for example, a high school standard for biology expects students to be able to “[c]ommunicate scientific information that common ancestry and biologi
Save More with Honey—PayPal’s New Tool
If you aren't using this tool when you shop online, you're probably wasting money.
Mother Jones: The Incredible But True Story of ECOT, Ohio’s Virtual Disaster
This is the incredible but true story of the improbable rise and precipitate collapse of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT), which sucked nearly $1 billion out of public schools in Ohio over nearly 20 years. It was written by James Pogue and published by Mother Jones in 2018. Read this article in full. Pogue describes ECOT’s founder William Lager as a “washed-up lobbbyisr” with big dream
Massachusetts: The Challenges of Reopening Schools
The Boston Globe reports on the questions that public officials are trying to resolve in Massachusetts: State and city school officials haven’t made a firm commitment yet as to when Massachusetts public schools might reopen for a number of good reasons. Before they can welcome a million students back to their classrooms, administrators must resolve a seemingly endless series of hard questions. Ho

YESTERDAY

Washington Post: Joe Scarborough Did Not Murder His Staffer
Trump has repeatedly tweeted that MSNBC talk show host Joe Scarborough murdered a young woman in his Florida office when he was a member of Congress. Scarborough used to be a Republican, but has become an outspoken critic of Trump. Amber Phillips wrote in the Washington Post : This is a conspiracy theory that normally would not make it into this newsletter, were it not for President Trump allegin
NYCLU Wins a Victory for Black and Latinx Parents in East Ramapo, New York
The NYCLU just won a civil rights case in East Ramapo, New York, where all school board elections were at-large, guaranteeing that every member of the school board was elected by the tightly organized Orthodox Jewish community, whose children do not attend the public schools. EAST RAMAPO – A federal court today ruled that the East Ramapo Central School District’s at-large method for school board
My Zoom Talk to the Rutgers Conference on Education and Social Justice
A few days ago, I had a Zoom meeting with educators at Rutgers University, where I was invited to talk about education and social justice. Of course we talked about the pandemic and what happens next. But the theme of the day was equity. I hope you enjoy it.
An Open Letter to Joe Biden
More than 200 advocates of public education endorsed this open letter to Joe Biden, which was published on Valerie Strauss’s blog “The Answer Sheet” at the Washington Post. They call on presumptive Democratic nominee Biden to reject the stale and failed policies of the past 20 years. Their letter (our letter, since I signed it) begins with this preamble and then offers a list of specific proposal
Congressional Democrats Rebuke DeVos. She Ignores Them.
Democratic Congressional leaders wrote a stern letter to Betsy DeVos, rebuking her for turning coronavirus relief funds into cash for vouchers. They are acting in the belief that Congress decides how money is to be spent and defines who should receive federal funding. Betsy DeVos really doesn’t care what Congressional leaders say or do. She considers herself superior to Congress because she is a
G.F. Brandenburg: MAGA is a Fascist Movement
G.F. Brandenburg cites Jared Yates Sexton’s “American Rule: How a Nation Conquered the a World But Failed Its People.” I am not sure what part of the essay is Sexton and what part is Brandenburg. It almost doesn’t matter 
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all