Florida: State Commissioner Fires Teacher for Supporting BLM | Diane Ravitch's blog #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER

Florida: State Commissioner Fires Teacher for Supporting BLM | Diane Ravitch's blog

Florida: State Commissioner Fires Teacher for Supporting BLM

Richard Corcoran, state commissioner of education in Florida, announced that he fired Amy Donofrio, a teacher in Duval County, because she supported #BlackLivesMatter.

Corcoran made his decision known during a lecture at conservative Hillsdale College in Michigan. He was speaking about “critical race theory” and curriculum oversight and used her as an example of his cleansing of the ranks. Donofrio learned of her termination on a YouTube video. If you look at the photograph accompanying the story, you will see that she teaches at Robert E. Lee Hgh School. (Irony alert.)

Richard Corcoran is not an educator. He was the Speaker of Florida’s House when he was appointed to run the state system. His wife is or was a board member of a charter school associated with Hillsdale College. The Corcorans’ six children were home-schooled.

Corcoran has made clear his hostility to public schools CONTINUE READING: Florida: State Commissioner Fires Teacher for Supporting BLM | Diane Ravitch's blog

Indoctrinate this, part 1: The voices of the Great Migration laugh at Richard Corcoran - Public Enemy Number 1

Indoctrinate this, part 1: The voices of the Great Migration laugh at Richard Corcoran - Public Enemy Number 1

Indoctrinate this, part 1: The voices of the Great Migration laugh at Richard Corcoran

A grifter who can't make finalist in a university president search rigged for him is no match for the honest, competitive study of America -- which is an unpoliceable classroom without walls.

I was already in the process of writing and documenting this piece about The Great Migration’s relevance to today’s economic and social moment when the comical ball of failure and grift that is Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran did what he tends to do.

He helped me — by saying really dumb stuff.

Indeed, it’s hard to quantify all the usefully dumb stuff he said to an audience at Hillsdale College during his recent freestyle Facebook rant dressed up as a Q&A. I will try, bit by bit, in weeks to come.

But the passage that follows is most relevant to this article. It’s about the importance of indoctrinating your kids and mine with whatever nonsense Richard Corcoran claims to believe at any given time. I see no evidence he actually believes in anything but petty personal dominance, which means the “indoctrination” will morph from moment to moment if he think he can bully you with it. Indeed, note the part in bold at the end. I think it illustrates pretty well Corcoran’s embarrassing sense of himself as tiny dictator.

But you have to police it on a daily basis, it’s 185,000 teachers in a classroom with CONTINUE READING: Indoctrinate this, part 1: The voices of the Great Migration laugh at Richard Corcoran - Public Enemy Number 1

WHAT YOU SEE, AIN’T ALWAYS WHAT YOU GET – Dad Gone Wild

WHAT YOU SEE, AIN’T ALWAYS WHAT YOU GET – Dad Gone Wild

WHAT YOU SEE, AIN’T ALWAYS WHAT YOU GET

“Sometimes I aint so sho who’s got ere a right to say when a man is crazy and when he aint. Sometimes I think it aint none of us pure crazy and aint none of us pure sane until the balance of us talks him that-a-way. It’s like it aint so much what a fellow does, but it’s the way the majority of folks is looking at him when he does it.”
― William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying

Recently I’ve spent a lot more time focused on the state and its education policies and less on MNPS and their actions. There are several reasons why.  First and foremost being that under the leadership of Commissioner Schwinn and her chief enabler Governor Lee, the TNDOE has become an ever-expanding dumpster fire. You can slap all the lipstick you want on the pig, but it remains an ever-growing swine.

At the same time, the administration under Dr. Battle’s leadership has proven to be a marked improvement, though there is still plenty of room for more. The tendency to treat everything as if it was a state secret still exists, as does the practice of crafting policy in isolation. Sure there is a parent advisory council, and a teacher panel, as well as a principal advisory committee, but in CONTINUE READING: WHAT YOU SEE, AIN’T ALWAYS WHAT YOU GET – Dad Gone Wild

Over a Billion – Tennessee Education Report

Over a Billion – Tennessee Education Report

OVER A BILLION

he surplus for the current fiscal year is now over $1 billion with six more months to go, according to figures released by the Tennessee Department of Revenue. This announcement comes as the Sycamore Institute recently released an analysis demonstrating that lawmakers will have at least $3.1 billion in “excess” or unplanned revenue with which to budget in the current cycle.

The figures for January indicated revenue coming in at $380 million above projections. This prompted TEA President Beth Brown to point out that the January surplus alone is three times what Gov. Lee has proposed investing in teacher pay this year.

Lee has shown no indication he plans to make any bold or meaningful investment in public schools, instead preferring to maintain the status quo of an underfunded school system.

The last decade has seen Tennessee’s Republican leadership consistently demonstrate that public schools are not a funding priority.

In fact, the Education Law Center has released a report noting that from 2008 to 2018 CONTINUE READING: Over a Billion – Tennessee Education Report

WHY QUIBBLE? – Dad Gone Wild

WHY QUIBBLE? – Dad Gone Wild

WHY QUIBBLE?

“I was naive and thought we could express our feelings to each other- not suppress them and keep holding them back. Well, it was what I felt, and why should I be untrue to myself? I came to believe the importance that if you feel something strong enough then you should say it.”
― George Harrison, I, Me, Mine

 

On Monday, I listened to Tennessee’s Governor Bill Lee give his State Of The State Speech. Then the next day I read the transcript because surely I didn’t hear what I thought I did. Surely I had missed the context of his words. But alas, I actually did and I did not.

With your indulgence, I’d like to share a recap along with a few excerpts. I invite you to join me on a trip to a parallel universe.

The speech starts off benign enough, with a general thank you to the expected. One line though, and its choice of words, set the tone for more to come. In thanking his advisors he refers to them thus,

They are battle-tested and I am proud of their work and their friendship.

Battle-tested? In a state that is a Republican super-majority, what battles of merit have CONTINUE READING: WHY QUIBBLE? – Dad Gone Wild

TOO MANY THREADS – Dad Gone Wild

TOO MANY THREADS – Dad Gone Wild

TOO MANY THREADS

“What we learn from history is that no one learns from history”
― Otto von Bismarck

 

Keeping up with everything that is going on in the education world is getting a little difficult. As the moves keep escalating and demands grow exponentially.

In regard to MNPS, the COVID-19 tracker has remained under 7 all weekend and currently sits at 6.9. Today at 3:30 Dr. Battle will hold a press conference to announce a likely return to school. It’s an announcement that will elicit mixed reactions.

While virtually everybody longs for the re-opening of schools, there is a difference of opinion on whether it can be done safely or not under current conditions. Let’s dive deeper.

RE-OPENING OF SCHOOLS

Since mid-Summer, Commissioner Schwinn, at the urging of Governor Lee, has been pushing for schools to re-open for in-person learning, even when doing so might be considered unsafe for teachers and students. There was some lip service paid to a commitment to improving remote instruction, along with some aid in securing technology, but the focus has remained squarely on opening school buildings.

The TDOE did produce some opportunities for teachers to get guidance and PD on remote learning, but most of the offerings were broad and general, with only some of the information applying to local LEAs. Instead, teachers were left to rely on each other and local district offerings which varied greatly in quality, while every effort was made to increase in-person learning opportunities.

In an effort, to pressure schools to return as quickly as possible, Schwinn and Lee issued a clarion call on the dangers of learning loss. This is where they first touted the dire prediction of students CONTINUE READING: TOO MANY THREADS – Dad Gone Wild

THE BURDEN OF PROOF – Dad Gone Wild

THE BURDEN OF PROOF – Dad Gone Wild

THE BURDEN OF PROOF

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters”
― Albert Einstein

 

Two days ago the Tennessean ran an article reporting that MNPS had received a letter from the Commissioner of Education accusing them of fiscal malfeasance regarding their management of federal funds delivered through the CARES Act. In the commissioner’s words,

“I cannot underscore enough the seriousness of the current financial management of federal funds and compliance issues in MNPS,” Schwinn wrote Monday. “It is imperative that these issues be resolved quickly, accurately, and comprehensively, so as to provide students with the resources that they need and to move the district to a space of compliance with federal and state law.”

Yikes, dems are some strong words. Department spokesman Victoria Robinson followed up with strong words of her own,

“The issues addressed in the letter represent systemic financial and programmatic concerns documented by multiple oversight agencies at both state and federal levels over multiple years,

Governor Lee’s spokesman Laine Arnold piled on,

“When student achievement, teacher compensation and all manner of CONTINUE READING: THE BURDEN OF PROOF – Dad Gone Wild

THE GLASS JUST MIGHT BE HALF FULL – Dad Gone Wild

THE GLASS JUST MIGHT BE HALF FULL – Dad Gone Wild

THE GLASS JUST MIGHT BE HALF FULL

“There are two ways to be fooled One to believe what isn’t true The other is to refuse to believe what is true.” Soren Kierkegaard

The battle between those who believe that school buildings should be open and those who believe they are unsafe under current circumstances shows no sign of abatement. In fact just the opposite, as opposing sides cling tighter to their positions.

Personally, my focus isn’t on either option, but rather encouraging policymakers to find means to ensure that students are getting what they need, be it in school buildings, rec centers, churches, or individual homes. Obviously, the benefits of in-school learning are well known, but we are still discovering the potential of remote learning. Yes, it is difficult, inconvenient, and the jury is out on its effectiveness. But in its defense, it is still in its infancy, so potential in addressing long standing issues with in-person instruction remains untapped.

Because remote learning is so new, and we don’t have reliable data on which to draw from, there is a concern with so-called learning loss. Policymakers and administrators are leaping to use that supposition as a weapon against schools. Whether the belief is backed by evidence, or not, is immaterial.

On a recent, Zoom call with Nashville’s PROPEL, State Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn went so far as to proclaim that when children are not in classrooms, learning can’t take place. In her words, “Learning does not happen through osmosis.” Yeah…that’s not exactly right. I would CONTINUE READING: THE GLASS JUST MIGHT BE HALF FULL – Dad Gone Wild

ENABLERS AND EXPLOITERS – Dad Gone Wild

ENABLERS AND EXPLOITERS – Dad Gone Wild

ENABLERS AND EXPLOITERS

“When people make a contract with the devil and give him an air-conditioned office to work in, he doesn’t go back home easily.”

― James Lee Burke, In the Electric Mist With Confederate Dead

It took almost 24 hours longer than I predicted, but Saturday morning brought news that former Vice-President Joe Biden had secured the necessary votes to win Pennsylvania. With that win, he secured the Presidency via the electoral college.

A Biden presidency is a reason to cheer on many levels, not the least is that it means the imminent departure of current Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. There is bipartisan recognition of her reign as an unmitigated failure. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that a Biden presidency will be a vast improvement. After all, the Obama years were nearly as misguided as the DeVos years.

There is a reason for hope though. As president, Biden promises a much larger investment in education. He’s promising to triple funding for Title 1 schools, as well as double the number of psychologists, counselors, nurses, and social workers in schools. Increased spending on school infrastructure is on his radar, as is a dramatic increase in special education funding. All very needed investments.

However, I hope we don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s just money schools need. In order to see improved outcomes, it’s imperative that teachers be given more freedom in addressing student needs and that some of the additional responsibilities that have fallen on their plates are alleviated. Fully fund our schools, has become such a familiar meme, yet nobody ever defines what that CONTINUE READING: ENABLERS AND EXPLOITERS – Dad Gone Wild

MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING – Dad Gone Wild

MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING – Dad Gone Wild

MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING

“The dream begins, most of the time,with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called truth”
― Dan Rathert  

In the wake of last week’s Dodger’s World Series win, I’ve read a lot of analysis about Game 6. The joy of is baseball lies in its ability to emulate life. In this case, unfortunately, it imitated some of the worst tendencies of the education world.

In the 6th inning of the pivotal game 6, the Ray’s were up 1-0. Their pitcher Blake Snell was cruising. He’d faced 18 hitter s and only 3 balls had left the infield, while he’d struck out 9 with no walks. Needing only 73 pitches to get this far meant there was plenty of juice left in his arm.

After getting the first out of the 6th, the Dodger’s Austin Barnes hit a floater to center field for a single. With a man on first Snell was set to face the heart of the Dodger lineup in Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, and Justin Turner. Reason for concern, but collectively they’d struck out 6 times today already. No one was expecting what happened next.

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash, called time out and made the trek to the mound for what most thought would be a pep talk. Instead, he took the ball from Snell and made a call to the bullpen. Inexplicably, he was removing his ace pitcher, who was cruising, prematurely, and calling for a reliever. The results of the move proved disastrous.

With Barnes on first, Betts — helpless against Snell — ripped a ball down the third baseline, a double to put runners on second and third. When the reliever,  Nick Anderson, uncorked a wild pitch, Barnes scampered home. Tie game. The Dodgers went on to score twice more, winning the game and the World Series.

What happened was that baseball, like education, has become a world dominated by data at the expense of human intuition. While Cash’s pitcher may have claimed he was good, the cyber CONTINUE READING: MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING – Dad Gone Wild

THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS Dad Gone Wild Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.

 Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.

THIS WEEK'S WILDNESS 

Dad Gone Wild 

Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.

BASEBALL IS MORE THAN A GAME

by TC Weber / 21h

“When the moon sails out with a hundred faces all the same, the coins made of silver break out in sobs in the pocket.” ― Federico García Lorca As the ball sailed out of the infield, runners began to circle the bases, and thus another baseball season came to an end. My son Peter has been playing ball since he was 4. Last night brought a close to his 8th season and 2nd of Fall ball. It also marked

OCT 21

IT IS NOT THE BUILDING THAT IS IMPORTANT

by TC Weber / 2d

“If you cheat on your road work in the dark of the morning, you will be found out in the big fight under the bright lights.” ― Joe Louis After all these years I’m starting to get a bit of an understanding of charter school parents, and some supporters, frustration with public schools. Before you slam the door, hear me out. In the early days of school closures, due to the ongoing pandemic, I thoug

OCT 19

THE PRIDE OF OVERTON CLUSTER

by TC Weber / 4d

“What we see changes what we know. What we know changes what we see.” ― Jean Piaget It was a deep hit ball to the outfield. As the ball traveled towards the wall, the outfielder moved towards it. Tracking its movements with his own. At the perfect moment, he lept high, glove meeting ball at its apex. Robbed! What was a sure home run, was suddenly just a long out. The outfielder might have been co

OCT 16

AN UNQUENCHABLE HUBRIS

by TC Weber / 7d

“The irony of our culture is that people are constantly telling other people to go to hell, but no one tells them to go to heaven.” ― Art Buchwald, Too Soon to Say Goodbye Well, that didn’t take long – 2 half days and one full – to shut a school down due to COVID-19. Robert Churchwell ES will go virtual after 21 

 Dad Gone Wild – Nobody reads it, everybody quotes it.