Robert Kuttner: Biden’s Chance to Save College Students from Crushing DebtKuttner on TAP New Hope for Student Debt Relief With the appointment of Richard Cordray as chief of federal student loan programs, we will now see the potential of executive power to bring relief and end abuses. Cordray is a close ally of Elizabeth Warren and former head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The first best policy, of course, would be outright cancellation of up to $50,000
Michael Gerson: The Only Republican in Good Standing Must Be a Liar or ResignMichael Gerson has been active in Republican politics for many years. He is appalled now that national and state leaders have created a loyalty test based on the Big Lie, the lie that Trump won the election, and Biden stole it. Liz Cheney was ousted from her senior role in the House Republican Caucus because she spoke the truth: Biden won, Trump lost, and its time to move on. Mitt Romney was booe
Teachers, Bloggers, Writers: Tell Your StoryExperienced education journalist Jeff Bryant is collecting stories about successful community schools and he would like to hear from you. Jeff writes: Education Writers, Bloggers, Podcasters, Content Sharers Wanted A national network has organized a project to lift up stories from public schools about their success in using the community schools approach for transformational school improvement. T
Maurice Cunningham: Questions for the “National Parents Union”Maurice Cunningham is a political science professor at U of Mass who specializes in following the money, especially Dark Money, where the donors are anonymous. The Koch-Walton backed National Parents Union is experiencing turmoil at the top and severe mismanagement with two boards of directors featuring revolving directors and a disappeared co-founder.. The organization is holding a convening on
Oklahoma: State Officials Say It’s “Racist” to Teach About RacismJohn Thompson, historian and retired teacher, reports that the Republican Governor and Legislature are determined to stop teachers from teaching about racism, sexism, and bias because such topics Dow discord and racism. This “cancel culture” at its worst. Every sentient adult who has studied American history knows that racism runs deep and strong in our history and present culture and the best wa
North Carolina: Voucher Zealots Want to Destroy Public SchoolsThe editorial board of the News & Observer, the state’s largest newspaper sharply c riticized the Republicans in the General Assembly for rushing to expand the state’s voucher program. They plan to raise the income requirement so that many more families are eligible, and they expect to increase the size of the voucher. Senate leader Phil Berger peddles the same lie that Betsy DeVos so often spewe
What Does the Republican Party Stand For?I have been trying to understand what happened to the Republican Party. The Republican Party seems to have abandoned its core principles during the Trump era. Once upon a time there was a vigorous “moderate” wing of the GOP. It’s gone. Once they were the party of personal responsibility, family values, multilateralism, supportive of immigration, free trade, and reflexive anti-Sovietism. They were
Kansas City: “Never Seen This Kind of Money” in School Board RacesThe Kansas City Star reported on an unprecedented injection of money i nto the city’s local school board races. An unknown group with unknown donors has given more than $100,000 to pro-charter candidates. This concealment is known as Dark Money. A newly formed nonprofit has already pumped tens of thousands of dollars into two contested races for the Kansas City Public Schools board, raising s
Mississippi: School Bus Drivers Face Fine, Even Jail, for 2–Day StrikeSchool bus drivers in Greenville, Mississippi, did not report to work for two days to protest their low wages. Apparently they were unaware that the legislature had passed a law in 1985-36 years ago-absolutely prohibiting any strikes by any school employees, including bus drivers. The local school board debated whether the drivers’ failure to work was or was not a strike. They did not realize tha
NEPC: Five Myths About TeachingThe National Education Policy Center is a think tank known for its incisive reviews, studies, and reports. In this post, it demolishes five myths about teaching. Myth 1: Evaluating teachers based on student test results is fair, objective, and effective. Wrong. Myth 2: We’d get better performance out of teachers and attract better candidates to the profession if we handed out bonuses. Doesn’t wor
EPI: If You Appreciate Teachers, Pay Them MoreThe following post was published by the Economic Policy Institute, which is pro-worker, pro-union, and not funded by free-market billionaires. As we near the end of #TeacherAppreciationWeek, it is worth remembering that one of the ways we can show our appreciation for teachers is to pay them a living salary. EPI has been tracking trends in teacher pay for over a decade and a half. Our most recent
Leslie T. Fenwick: All Students, Especially The Most Vulnerable, Need Certified, Well-Prepared TeachersLeslie T. Fenwick is Dean emerita of the Howard University School of Education. She is an eloquent critic of efforts to deprofessionalize teaching. She believes that teachers need more, not less, preparation for the classroom. This post appeared in Politico. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated harmful educational inequalities in the preK-12 public education system. The nation’s poorest students
Charter Lobby Backs Leading Candidates for NYC MayorThe executive director of StudentsFirstNY, Jenny Sedlis, has taken a leave of absence from her job to manage a fundraising PAC for Eric Adams, one of the leading candidates for mayor. The election is this November. Sedlis previously was the lead spokesperson for Success Academy, Eva Moskowitz’s charter chain. The new entity plans to run digital and TV ads supporting Adams’ candidacy, without bein
Maurice Cunningham: Who Got Suckered? Secretary Cardona or Readers of The74?Maurice Cunningham is a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts. His specialty is following the gobs of money poured into “education reform.” His exposes of Dark Money in the 2016 charter expansion referendum was a crucial element in turning the public against the referendum (you can read more about him in his blogs and in my book Slaying Goliath. ) In this post, publish
Mercedes Schneider: Whistleblower in Texas Fired for Reporting Misused SPED FundingThis is a deep dive into a serious problem in Texas. An employee in the Special Education division was upset by a no-bid contract to an inexperienced, unqualified company. She filed a whistleblower complaint to the Office of the Inspector General. She was fired. A lower court upheld her appeal for compensation and protection. An appeals court rejected her claim. Parents in Texas of children with
Wyoming Passes Charter Law that Guts Local Control and AccountabilityThe Wyoming Legislature passed a charter law that allows new charters to open wherever they wish, without the approval of the elected local school board. Governor Mark Gordon neither signed nor vetoed the law, expressing confidence that kinks could be fixed in the future. The legislation allows the State Loan and Investment Board to approve a charter school. Typically, local school districts have
