Providence: State Takeover Stumbles As “Toe-Popping” Official and Superintendent Are Fired | Diane Ravitch's blog

Providence: State Takeover Stumbles As “Toe-Popping” Official and Superintendent Are Fired | Diane Ravitch's blog

Providence: State Takeover Stumbles As “Toe-Popping” Official and Superintendent Are Fired

When Gina Raimondo was Governor of Rhode Island (she is now Biden’s Secretary of the Treasury), she determined that the only way to fix the Providence schools was a state takeover. Raimondo, a former hedge fund manager, hired Angelica Infante-Green as state commissioner, although Green’s experience was limited to two years of Teach for America and a few years as a state bureaucrat (she was never a principal). Green promptly joined Jeb Bush’s Chiefs for Change, whose members favor privatization and oppose unions.

Green hired Harrison Peters as superintendent of schools for the troubled Providence district. Peters hired ex-Tampa administrator Olayinka Alege to be the Providence network superintendent of secondary schools.

Then parents and students began to complain that Alege liked to massage their feet and pop their toes. More boys came forward to report toe-popping incidents. Alege said CONTINUE READING: Providence: State Takeover Stumbles As “Toe-Popping” Official and Superintendent Are Fired | Diane Ravitch's blog

John King is Running for Governor of Maryland (probably not supported by NYS teachers) | Ed In The Apple

John King is Running for Governor of Maryland (probably not supported by NYS teachers) | Ed In The Apple

John King is Running for Governor of Maryland (probably not supported by NYS teachers)

John King, the former Obama-appointed US Secretary of Education and the highly controversial Commissioner of Education in New York State announced he is running for governor of Maryland; the current governor, a republican, Larry Hogan, is term-limited. King will be facing a number of others in the democratic primary..

As some of you are aware, pre-COVID, I traveled to Albany each month and attended the Board of Regents meetings, I tweeted, blogged, wrote memos, sort of a journalist/citizen lobbyist, and I observed and occasionally talked with the commissioner; he is both brilliant and totally dedicated to recasting education, however; you cannot impose change.

The New York State Board of Regent is a seventeen-member policy board elected by a joint meeting of the legislatures, effectively selected by the speaker, the democratic leader of the Assembly; the Board selects the head of the State Department of Education, the Commissioner. For decades the Board was made up primarily of non-educators, usually business leaders with roots in their communities; however, in 2009 the Regents elevated Merryl Tisch, a member of CONTINUE READING: John King is Running for Governor of Maryland (probably not supported by NYS teachers) | Ed In The Apple

It Really Does Matter | okeducationtruths

It Really Does Matter | okeducationtruths

It Really Does Matter

Sometimes when I follow the happenings of the Oklahoma Legislature, I just shake my head and repeat the mantra I learned from that 1979 Bill Murray classic, Meatballs. 

So far, the First Session of the 58th Oklahoma Legislature is shaping up to be as bad – if not worse – than the First Session of the 53rd. Let’s review. 

The 2010 election brought us Gov. Fallin and State Superintendent She Who Shall not be Named. It also led to the 2011 legislative session that gave us:

• Third grade retention law (since significantly improved)
• A-F report cards for schools (modified several times since, marginally improved)
• Private school vouchers (since increased)
• Teacher evaluations tied to test scores (removed from law before ever happening)

This is merely a sample of educational reforms passed (without additional funding, I might add) ten years ago. At the time, it was a low-water mark for public schools. Gradually, though, some of the bad policies improved, or went away entirely. That change happened because we as public school advocates fought for it. 

One notable example of this was in 2015. That year, the Oklahoma Legislature passed HB CONTINUE READING: It Really Does Matter | okeducationtruths

Oklahoma: A Sick Joke on the Public | Diane Ravitch's blog

Oklahoma: A Sick Joke on the Public | Diane Ravitch's blog

Oklahoma: A Sick Joke on the Public

You may recall that the Oklahoma State Board of Education recently voted 4-3 to allow charter schools to share in local tax revenues, over the opposition of State Commissioner Joy Hofmeister, who said that the decision might violate state law. You may also recall that the virtual charter school in Oklahoma called EPIC has been embroiled in scandal after scandal (just google “Oklahoma EPIC scandal” and you will get lots of references to allegations of theft, embezzlement, ghost students, etc.). For example, in fall 2020, the state auditor reported that EPIC owes the state $8.9 million for inaccurate reporting, improper transfer of funds, and a multitude of other egregious (you might say “epic”) calculations. That $8.9 million was the tip of a very large iceberg. The state auditor said that about 1 of every 4 dollars that the state paid to EPIC (a total of $458 million) was deposited as profit by the school’s owners. The story is breathtaking.

The Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee (PLAC) posted this on its Facebook page:

Oklahoma PLAC  Facebook post:

TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY???  Where art thou?

We’re wondering why State Board of Education member Jennifer Monies did not recuse herself during last week’s vote to settle a lawsuit that directly benefited another entity of which she serves as board member. She is both plaintiff and defendant in this case yet she still cast a CONTINUE READING: Oklahoma: A Sick Joke on the Public | Diane Ravitch's blog

Texas: Senate Education Committee Guts Local Control of Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Texas: Senate Education Committee Guts Local Control of Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Texas: Senate Education Committee Guts Local Control of Schools

The Texas Senate Education Committee bowed to the wishes of the powerful charter lobby and granted sole power to the State Commissioner (appointed by the Governor) to approve charter schools. His decisions can be vetoed only by a supermajority of the State Board of Education.

The State Commissioner of Education is Mike Morath. He is not an educator. He is a software executive who served on the Dallas school board and advocated for charter schools.

Local elected authorities—including mayors and school boards—are prohibited from blocking a charter school that wants to open in its jurisdiction. Charters can locate wherever they choose without regard to the views of local communities that want to protect their own public schools from rapacious charters.

Right now, Texas is being overrun by corporate charter chains aiming to grab market share. This bill will help them by canceling democracy and the will of the people.

This is the bill that passed the committee.

CSSB 28 (Bettencourt), as substituted, increases the CONTINUE READING: Texas: Senate Education Committee Guts Local Control of Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Give Me a Poke | Teacher in a strange land

Give Me a Poke | Teacher in a strange land

Give Me a Poke

Sign-of-the-times screen on my kitchen Alexa: Alexa, give me mental health tips.  Indeed.

So, it’s the end of January and I am finally getting a haircut, double-masked and trying out a new stylist because my regular haircutter has three children at home, due to the pandemic, and hasn’t worked for six months. You know, just another disrupted-life story, one of millions.

I already know what my regular haircutter thinks about politics, but New Stylist—a talker—is rambling on about Our Governor and how she’s destroying businesses, yada yada. Keeping in mind that the woman is holding scissors, I gently mention the declining rates of infection, hospitalization and, you know, death in Michigan, a direct result of the gov’s policies.

There’s a pause and then she notes that Governor Whitmer was in D.C. for the Inaugural—not surprising, as she is Vice-Chair of the Democratic National Party—after she told ordinary people in the state not to travel over the holidays. Do as I say, not as I CONTINUE READING: Give Me a Poke | Teacher in a strange land

THE PRIDE OF OVERTON CLUSTER – Dad Gone Wild

THE PRIDE OF OVERTON CLUSTER – Dad Gone Wild

THE PRIDE OF OVERTON CLUSTER

“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 cool in his reaction, but in a living room, in Nashville, a 10-year old boy lept from the couch screaming, “MMMMOOOOOOOOKKKIIIEEE!!!!”

The outfielder in question was Dodger outfielder Mookie Betts. The 2018 National League MVP selection. The game was game 7 of the National League Championship. It was the fifth inning and at the time Bett’s team, the Dodgers, were trailing by a run. Seeing as the Dodger’s only won by one run, some might say they wouldn’t be going to the World Series without that catch. Keep in mind that’s an 8-foot fence and Betts is only 5’9.

The rest of the country might have thought what they were seeing was something out of the ordinary, but here in South Nashville we’d tell them, “Nah, that’s just Mookie.”

Bett’s you see is the proud product of Overton High School. That’s right, public school Overton High School. Not BGA, or MBA, or and of the other private schools that regularly snap up all the CONTINUE READING: THE PRIDE OF OVERTON CLUSTER – Dad Gone Wild

HMMMM…THAT’S A COINCIDENCE – Dad Gone Wild

HMMMM…THAT’S A COINCIDENCE – Dad Gone Wild

HMMMM…THAT’S A COINCIDENCE

“grammar in learning is like tyranny in government – confound the bitch I’ll never be her slave.”― John Clare

I’ve been doing advocacy work for a minute or two now. Unfortunately, it’s made me a little jaded.

When I first started this work, it was imparted to me to always follow the money.

Want to understand the reasoning behind a politician’s actions? Follow the money.

Want to know why a seeming ineffectual policy is being implemented? Follow the money.

Want to understand why an unproven curriculum is experiencing widespread adoption? Follow the money.

By most accounts, House Education Committee Chairman Representative Mark White is a fine gentleman. Talk to people on both sides of the aisle and they’ll tell you tales of his decency. These tales are so widespread, that it makes it very difficult for an outside observer to align his reputation with his actions as chair over the last year.

If tales are to be believed, you have an ethical, caring, intellectual who has no qualms carrying water for a governor and his education commissioner who personally, and whose policies, possess none of the aforementioned traits. At every turn over the past 6 months, White has given cover and CONTINUE READING: HMMMM…THAT’S A COINCIDENCE – Dad Gone Wild

GUTCHECK – Dad Gone Wild

GUTCHECK – Dad Gone Wild

GUTCHECK

“[P]erhaps you notice how the denial is so often the preface to the justification.”
― Christopher Hitchens, Hitch 22: A Memoir

You would think that if a politician stood in front of a room full of microphones and made a pronouncement about pending dire outcomes, that the easiest question to answer after the announcement would be, where is the data to support your announcement? After all, if you are in a room full of microphones, you are likely in a room full of reporters. However, if the recent presser by Governor Lee and Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Lee is any indication, the follow up is much more difficult than one would anticipate.

Last Thursday, at one of his weekly press conferences – remember these events are scheduled in advance – Ms. Schwinn announced that she and Mr. Lee believed that proficiency rates for Tennessee students were fixin to drop by 50% in ELA and 65% in math.

Myself, I would view that as a pretty big announcement. One that I would anticipate requiring further explanation. Before leaving for the press conference I would probably give a shout out to department data guru Mike Hardy, and say, “Yo, Mike, don’t forget the data that backs up these dire warnings.”

If I was the Governor, I might text the Commissioner and say something like, ‘Yo Pen, make sure CONTINUE READING: GUTCHECK – Dad Gone Wild

WHEN IS COMMON CORE NOT EXACTLY COMMON CORE? – Dad Gone Wild

WHEN IS COMMON CORE NOT EXACTLY COMMON CORE? – Dad Gone Wild

WHEN IS COMMON CORE NOT EXACTLY COMMON CORE?

“This country’s drifting into serious trouble because of the clamor for simple and immediate solutions to complex problems that will take years to solve—even with total effort on both sides.”
― John Jakes, North and South

“What would men be without women? Scarce, sir…mighty scarce.”
― Mark Twain

Looking at my social media feed this AM makes for a strange juxtaposition. Across the country, and in surrounding communities, children are heading back to school while my children, and all the children of MNPS, prepare for week 5 of virtual schooling.

I think it’s the correct decision. COVID numbers may be dropping and the effects on children who contract the virus may be mild, but we still don’t know the extent of long term effects for children who contract the virus. Adults have reported long term heart and respiratory issues even after having recovered from COVID. That could hold true for children as well. In light of this, it’s important to err on the side of caution.

As critical as I can be of board member Gini-Pupo-Walker, her newest blog post makes a strong argument for the strategy that MNPS is presently employing. I concur when she states,

I am grateful that Dr. Battle has been clear and decisive, and that our board has supported her. For the first time in my memory, the MNPS family is unified, and rowing in the same direction. We are also collaborating with our charter schools, who support remaining in a virtual setting until October. Mayor Cooper has helped us get laptops and hotspots into the hands of every student who needs one. I recognize that remote learning is not a substitute for in-person learning, and never will be

Still, I feel for the student-athletes, musicians, actors, and such across the district that are facing cancelation of after school athletics. We need to find a way in which they can continue their passions, yet remain safe. For some, it potentially determines their pursuit of post-secondary CONTINUE READING: WHEN IS COMMON CORE NOT EXACTLY COMMON CORE? – Dad Gone Wild

Florida education chief tells districts: Don’t rush to close schools when covid-19 cases appear - The Washington Post

Florida education chief tells districts: Don’t rush to close schools when covid-19 cases appear - The Washington Post

Florida education chief tells districts: Don’t rush to close schools when covid-19 cases appear

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and his administration are doubling (or tripling?) down on opening schools during the coronavirus pandemic and keeping them open even when cases of the disease are diagnosed.

On a phone call with school district superintendents late last week, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran urged them to be “surgical” when dealing with covid-19 cases, as opposed to “sweeping” — and told them not to close a school without calling state officials first to discuss it.

A Florida school district wanted to wait to reopen school buildings. Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to cut its funding.

“Before you get to that point of closing a classroom or closing a school, we want to have that communication with you because we want to be as surgical as possible,” Corcoran said, offering to provide specific names and numbers of officials who could take a call.

There is no reason, he said, to automatically close a school just because a student displays symptoms of covid-19 but has not been diagnosed. The goals of a “surgical” approach are to keep “everybody safe” and to allow students to “get the best possible learning experience and the best possible emotional and social support,” he said.

Asked about Corcoran’s comments on districts calling the state before shutting down classrooms or schools, Taryn Fenske, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Education, said in an email: “They’re not asking permission nor are we giving permission. We are constantly talking with districts.”

But one district leader, who was on the call with Corcoran and who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal from the state, said some district leaders would now be reluctant to unilaterally shut down a school and send all students home for remote learning.

Meanwhile, the board of directors of the Florida High School Athletic Association voted late last week to allow schools to start fall sports Aug. 24 — a decision that ignores a recommendation from the organization’s own medical advisory panel, which had called for delaying fall sports until at least the CONTINUE READING: Florida education chief tells districts: Don’t rush to close schools when covid-19 cases appear - The Washington Post

CURMUDGUCATION: RI: Foxes In The Governor's Mansion

CURMUDGUCATION: RI: Foxes In The Governor's Mansion

RI: Foxes In The Governor's Mansion

I haven't paid much attention to Rhode Island (motto: That State Nobody Pays Much Attention To), but we should all take a look, because Rhode Island has become yet another example of the many ways that privatizers and profiteers get their hands into the cookie jar.

These frickin' people

We start with Gina Raimondo, a venture capitalist who decided to get into politics via the office of state treasurer. Her signature move in that office was to "fix" the state pension fund problem by taking an axe to it, in much the same way that you would "fix" the problem of not having enough gas to get to the hospital by deciding to drive to the house on the corner of your block instead. Also, she decided to direct a bunch of those pension funds to hedge funds of her own (generating lots of fees for the Wall Street crowd). Her play was backed by EngageRI, a dark money group that pumped $740K into a pension "reform" campaign; the donors were kept secret, though the WSJ determined that John Arnold had pumped anywhere from $100k to $500K into it. Arnold is not a resident of Rhode Island; he's just a guy who "retired" at age 38 from ENRON and went on to become a major funder of pension attacks in this country. And he has many CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: RI: Foxes In The Governor's Mansion

Florida Gov. DeSantis pressured schools to open with threat of withholding state aid - The Washington Post

Florida Gov. DeSantis pressured schools to open with threat of withholding state aid - The Washington Post

A Florida school district wanted to wait to reopen school buildings. Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to cut its funding

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida is making a high-stakes gamble on school openings, with superintendents pressured into decisions that some fear will result in outbreaks of covid-19. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week forced one of the country's largest school districts to reopen campuses by the end of August, threatening to withhold up to $200 million in state aid.

The Republican’s administration told Hillsborough County — the eighth-largest system in the country — that it would lose state aid if it did not drop plans to reopen schools remotely for the first month of the 2020-2021 school year. So the county revised its plan and will start with just one week of remote learning. Then parents will choose whether to send their children into school buildings.

“It was very clear. If we do not follow their emergency order, we will be financially hindered,” Hillsborough Superintendent Addison Davis said Thursday. “We would forfeit close to $200 million. We just can’t do that. That would bankrupt us. It would put us in a terrible situation financially.”

DeSantis, a strong ally of President Trump, who wants schools opened, cited Martin County Superintendent Laurie Gaylord’s view of reopening schools as a mission “akin to a Navy SEAL operation.”

“Just as the SEALs surmounted obstacles to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, so, too, would the Martin County school system find a way to provide parents with a meaningful choice of in-person instruction or continued distance learning,” DeSantis said in a speech Wednesday.

That day, nine students were sent home from an elementary school in Martin County to quarantine after a student showed covid-19 symptoms.

Florida governor compares reopening schools during coronavirus pandemic to U.S. military raid that killed Osama bin Laden

At least a dozen school systems in the state opened their doors for face-to-face learning this week, while still giving parents the option for virtual classes.

DeSantis’s administration is playing hardball with other school districts, too, in a state that is one of the nation’s coronavirus hot spots, forcing them to reopen buildings now or earlier than they want. Other CONTINUE READING: Florida Gov. DeSantis pressured schools to open with threat of withholding state aid - The Washington Post