Lily Eskelsen Garcia Pursues US Ed Sec Post | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

Lily Eskelsen Garcia Pursues US Ed Sec Post | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

Lily Eskelsen Garcia Pursues US Ed Sec Post

As the December 04, 2020, Politico reports, former National Education Association (NEA) president, Lily Eskelsen Garcia, is seriously pursuing President-elect Biden’s nod for next US secretary of education.

Eskelsen Garcia earned her BS in elementary education in 1980 and her MEd in instructional technology in 1985, both from the University of Utah. She taught at Orchard Elementary School (Utah) from 1980-1990, and was selected as the Utah Teacher of the Year in 1989. The next year, in 1990, Eskelsen Garcia ran as a write-in candidate for Utah Education Association (UEA) president and won. She exited the classroom at that time and was UEA president for nine years, until 1999. In 1998, Eskelsen Garcia ran for the Utah House of Representatives and gave a close showing of it, earning 45% of the vote as a Democrat and losing to Republican incumbent, Merrill Cook.

During her time as UEA president, in 1996, Eskelsen Garcia also served at the national level on the National Education Association’s (NEA) executive committee. Her career as NEA leadership contiued with a steady rise, from secretary treasurer (2002-2008), to vice president (2008-2014), to president (2014-2020). Eskelsen Garcia’s time as NEA president officially ended when newly-elected Becky Pringle took office on Septemner 01, 2020. After serving two three-year terms, Eskelsen Garcia did not run in 2020.

As she pursues Biden’s approval for US ed sec nomination, Eskelsen Garcia has several qualities in her favor. First of all, she was a classroom teacher. In July 2020, Biden said he would “make sure the secretary of education… is a teacher.” Eskelsen Garcia spent a decade in the classroom and is a bonafide classroom teacher, and not one who appeared merely for a year or two (or less) with the ulterior motive of padding a politcal or administrative career CONTINUE READING: Lily Eskelsen Garcia Pursues US Ed Sec Post | deutsch29: Mercedes Schneider's Blog

Can Biden v Trump Become Bush v Gore? | Ed In The Apple

Can Biden v Trump Become Bush v Gore? | Ed In The Apple

Can Biden v Trump Become Bush v Gore?

The election of our lifetimes is only a few hours away, oddly, everyone I know has already voted.

Up early, as usual, check my phone, 42 degrees and that squiggly line – gusty winds. Pull on my cold weather clothing, balaclava, and compression pants and off on my morning bike ride. Eddies of leaves swirling across the roads, a howling wind, part of the sky blue with billowing clouds, the other part with low swirling gray clouds; God (he/she) has a wry sense of humor.

I pedal along deserted roads; the Biden-Harris signs greatly outnumber the Trump signs: does signage predict election outcomes?  A few drops of rain splash across my face, I pedal harder, no pain, no gain, sort of a motto of life, I’m philosophical as I race along, carefully, on shoulder of the road.

The General Store is empty; I pull up my face mask, a steaming cup of black coffee and a banana, my standard breakfast. I sit outside, sip my coffee and nibble the banana, scroll through my phone, and, read Nate Silver’s Upbeat in the New York Times. 

Four years ago Silver’s column, closely following the polls and predicting the CONTINUE READING: Can Biden v Trump Become Bush v Gore? | Ed In The Apple

Prospects for COVID-19 Stimulus Package Fade: Will We Have to Wait for A New President and New Congress to Negotiate Relief for States and Their Public Schools? | janresseger

Prospects for COVID-19 Stimulus Package Fade: Will We Have to Wait for A New President and New Congress to Negotiate Relief for States and Their Public Schools? | janresseger

Prospects for COVID-19 Stimulus Package Fade: Will We Have to Wait for A New President and New Congress to Negotiate Relief for States and Their Public Schools?

Negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, White House negotiator Steve Mnuchin and Senate Republicans for a second coronavirus relief bill have collapsed until at least after the election—maybe until a new Congress convenes in 2021 and, perhaps, a new President takes over.  Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell has declared that the U.S. Senate will not even be back in session until November 9.

Of immediate urgency is essential assistance for individuals and small businesses now that most of the programs funded by last March’s CARES Act have run out—the one-time $1,200 stimulus checks, the small business paycheck protection program, pandemic emergency unemployment benefits, an eviction moratorium, and support for health coverage. But there is another critically important need—one that is slightly farther removed from families’ immediate crisis.

Through months of negotiations, the two sides could never reach any agreement on one of Nancy Pelosi’s top priorities and something essential for the nation’s over 13,000 local public school districts: significant relief for state and local governments. State funding averages 40 percent of all public school funding, with local funds comprising around 40 percent.  President Donald Trump and some Republican  Senators opposed what Trump called “a bailout for poorly managed ‘blue’ states.”  While Trump and so-called “deficit hawk” Republican Senators have politicized the issue, here is how—last April—Rutgers University education funding expert, Bruce Baker, and Albert Shanker Institute policy expert, Matthew Di Carlo defined the urgent need for relief for state and local governments: “The most terrible and lasting effects of the coronavirus pandemic will of course be measured in loss of life. But a parallel tragedy will also be unfolding in the coming months and years, this one affecting those at the beginning of their lives: an unprecedented school funding crisis that threatens to disadvantage a generation of children. It currently is difficult to make any precise predictions about the magnitude of the economic recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic, except CONTINUE READING: Prospects for COVID-19 Stimulus Package Fade: Will We Have to Wait for A New President and New Congress to Negotiate Relief for States and Their Public Schools? | janresseger

NYC Educator: Voting Is Worth the Wait

NYC Educator: Voting Is Worth the Wait

Voting Is Worth the Wait

Voting this year wasn't what it usually is for me. Most years I wake up really early, show up at my polling place around 6 AM, and I'm the very first person there. Last year we had this law that gave us up to four hours off to vote. I needed to organize our staff around it, so of course I took the four hours. This year is something entirely different. 

I'm sure I'm not alone here. This is the first time we've had early voting in NY State, and it's pretty exciting. Everyone wants to vote ASAP. On Saturday, I went to the Freeport Recreational Center, got frightened at the line, and turned right around for home. 

I mean, there was always the possibility of just waiting until Election Day and going in really early. This notwithstanding, it seemed worth checking on Sunday as well. Sunday was way worse than Saturday, so I suppose I was not the only one who had that idea. But Monday? Monday would surely be better. After all, a whole lot of people needed to report for work. I was working from home, so as soon as my last class finished, I'd drive to the rec and vote. Monday, though, looked like Saturday, and the line wasn't moving at all. 

I'd heard from friends that nearby sites were a little better, so I drove five minutes to the North Merrick

Library. The line was just as long as the one in Freeport, but it seemed to be moving faster. I got on line and decided to take my chances. Just across the street was this house. There's the Trump flag, the Trump sign, and smaller signs urging us to vote for every GOP 'candidate on the line. The thing that upset me most is the fact that the GOP congressional candidate here, whatever his name is, has signs all over the place. Our Congresswoman, Kathleen Rice, seems to have signs precisely nowhere. Now Rice is not my favorite politician, having compared AOC to Trump. Still, I don't want her to lose. It's funny how low your standards get when a demagogue like CONTINUE READING: NYC Educator: Voting Is Worth the Wait

Trump and Biden Finally Talk Schools - The New York Times

Trump and Biden Finally Talk Schools - The New York Times

Trump and Biden Finally Talk Schools

School reopening hasn’t been an issue in the presidential campaign — until last night.

The debate over when and how to reopen schools has been a burning question for parents since the pandemic began. But you wouldn’t know it from the presidential campaign — much to the frustration of families and educators whose daily lives have been disrupted.

“Remote schooling in particular has upended so many parents’ lives for months on end, not to mention the effect it’s having on kids,” said our colleague Abby Goodnough, who wrote about the issue this week. “If nothing else, I think families would like to hear the candidates acknowledge the strain they are under.”

Schools did get some airtime in Thursday night’s debate — but only briefly.

“They need a lot of money to open,” Joe Biden said. “They need to deal with ventilation systems, smaller classes, more teachers, more pods. And [Trump has] refused to support that money, at least until now.” Biden touted his “five-step road map” for reopening schools, and called for “clear, consistent, effective” national guidelines, but did not offer specifics, saying those decisions should be made at the state and local level.

That approach reflects a tactical dilemma: Biden’s supporters are split over whether schools should reopen at all. Some of his strongest support comes from teachers’ unions, which generally have opposed efforts to reopen schools. Other Biden backers, particularly some white college-educated parents, are pushing for schools to open with precautions where community spread is under control.

“In my district, everybody has their Biden yard signs but it’s about a 50-50 split as to who wants their kids back in school,” said Sarah Reckhow, an associate professor of political science at Michigan State University who studies education politics. “It’s a tricky calculus for him.”

President Trump, for his part in the debate, downplayed the risk that teachers and students would contract the coronavirus. He repeated his calls for schools to open, without offering details about additional funding or support from the federal government. “The transmittal rate to the teachers is very small,” he said. “I want to open the schools. The cure cannot be worse than the problem CONTINUE READING: Trump and Biden Finally Talk Schools - The New York Times

Calling Joe Biden: You Promised to Cut Back Federal Testing Mandates, Remember? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Calling Joe Biden: You Promised to Cut Back Federal Testing Mandates, Remember? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Calling Joe Biden: You Promised to Cut Back Federal Testing Mandates, Remember?

Joe Biden needs to have a talk with his policy director Stef Feldman. During the campaign, Biden made specific commitments to reduce the mandates for standardized testing and to reduce the stakes attached to testing. But Stef Feldman met with the Education Writers Association and she didn’t seem to know anything about what Biden had repeatedly said about the misuse and overuse of standardized testing. She said the question should be left to the transition team and the new administration. What?

Feldman refused to commit to granting waivers to the states to bypass the federal mandate for annual testing in spring 2021. DeVos granted waivers in 2020 after almost every school closed down due to the pandemic but said she would not do it again in spring 2021 (hopefully by then she will be back in one of her mansions or on one of her yachts).

It is now late October and the pandemic is still surging. Why not grant universal waivers to the states so that CONTINUE READING: Calling Joe Biden: You Promised to Cut Back Federal Testing Mandates, Remember? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Parents Are Worried About Schools. Are the Candidates? - The New York Times

Parents Are Worried About Schools. Are the Candidates? - The New York Times

Parents Are Worried About Schools. Are the Candidates?

The pandemic has made education a top issue for many voters. But you wouldn’t know that from the candidates’ stump speeches.

Communities large and small are battling over whether and how to reopen schools closed since March. Superintendents are warning of drastic budget cuts on the horizon, teachers’ unions are calling for standardized tests to be canceled for a second straight year and millions of children are learning remotely, with little evaluation of the impact on their academic growth.

Yet for months now, the extraordinary challenges of schooling during the coronavirus pandemic have not been a dominant campaign theme for either President Trump or his opponent, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.

That is partly because states and local districts have a larger role than the federal government in funding and running schools. But with so many families deeply affected by the pandemic’s upending of school routines and potentially lasting impact on childhood learning, the lack of thoughtful focus on the issue has frustrated parents and educators alike.

“It should really be a pivotal topic,” said Kisha Hale, principal of the upper grades at Eagle Academy Public Charter School in Washington, which has been providing virtual instruction to its largely low-income students since March. “With Covid-19, there are so many other things taking the focus away from education. But if our future doctors, teachers and lawyers can’t be properly prepared during this time and we’re not talking about it, what is it that we are saying really matters?”

Several recent polls have suggested the issue is a leading concern for many voters. A Politico and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health survey released last month found that schools and education was the second most important issue for likely voters, after the economy and jobs. And a poll conducted this month in Michigan for The Detroit Free Press found that reopening schools and the economy was the top issue concerning voters, followed by the public health crisis posed by the coronavirus.

In his rallies, Mr. Trump reliably mentions that he will fight for school choice and protect charter schools, which is both a pitch to urban Black and Hispanic voters, many of whom split with the Democratic Party on those issues, and a rallying cry for conservatives. And he has consistently called for schools to reopen, threatening at one point to withhold federal funds from those that CONTINUE READING: Parents Are Worried About Schools. Are the Candidates? - The New York Times

An Annotated Field Guide to 2020 Presidential Voters | Eclectablog

An Annotated Field Guide to 2020 Presidential Voters | Eclectablog

An Annotated Field Guide to 2020 Presidential Voters

Democrats…

You supported Amy Klobuchar, or Pete Buttigieg, or another “more centrist” candidate in the primaries; now voting for Biden…

You consider yourself a moderate; thoughtful, empathetic, perhaps fiscally conservative yet socially liberal; you were attracted to the intelligence of Pete, or Amy’s “seriousness”, but believe that at this point, they would want you to vote for Biden, too.

 

You supported Elizabeth Warren in the primaries; now voting for Biden…

You still can’t believe that more persons didn’t see the qualities in Warren that you thought made her the best choice among the Democratic contenders. Intelligence, experience, humor, policy depth–come to think of it, the same qualities that led you to vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016. But as you put away your disappointment after Warren withdrew from the race, the decision to vote for Biden took about 5 seconds. Because, come on.

 

You supported Bernie Sanders in the primaries; now voting for Biden… CONTINUE READING: An Annotated Field Guide to 2020 Presidential Voters | Eclectablog

Compare the town halls: How Biden and Trump will bring educators out of the pandemic - Education Votes

Compare the town halls: How Biden and Trump will bring educators out of the pandemic - Education Votes

Compare the town halls: How Biden and Trump will bring educators out of the pandemic

By Amanda Menas

On the night that was supposed to be the second presidential debate, Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump appeared at separate events presenting their vastly different visions to voters.

“The words of a president matter,” Biden said of Trump’s actions regarding the coronavirus pandemic during his town hall on ABC. “When a president doesn’t wear a mask, or makes fun of folks like me when I was wearing a mask, for a long time, then people say, ‘Well, you know, it mustn’t be that important.’”

Biden presented his vision of leadership to bring back the American economy, workforce, and middle class out of the recession caused by the pandemic and Donald Trump’s failed response. He pointed to his leadership throughout the spring in calling for school closures and reopening safely by listening to the experts, while Trump lied and hid the facts from the public.

“You can open businesses and schools if in fact you provide them the guidance that they need as well as the money to be able to do it,” said Biden about his school reopening plan if elected. Biden noted that Trump’s administration told the American public that they would provide masks for every student and teacher, and then subsequently walked it back. “We need more teachers in our schools to be able to open and smaller pods. We need ventilation systems changed,” Biden said.

Trump and his education secretary, Betsy DeVos, have failed students, educators, and the American people with their response to the pandemic. Trump even failed to take CONTINUE READING: Compare the town halls: How Biden and Trump will bring educators out of the pandemic - Education Votes

Do Not Commit the 8th Deadly Sin of Indifference | The Merrow Report

Do Not Commit the 8th Deadly Sin of Indifference | The Merrow Report

Do Not Commit the 8th Deadly Sin of Indifference

I imagine that almost everyone has at least a passing acquaintance with the Seven Deadly Sins, even if their names don’t roll easily off your tongue. For the record and to jog your memory, the Seven Deadly Sins are pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth.

If you’re like me, you have known most (maybe all) of them intimately, although hopefully only occasionally.

But my point is not to confess my own transgressions or to list how the current occupant of the White House seems to embody all Seven Sins.

Instead, I hope to convince you that, in this Elections Season, an 8th Deadly Sin is the greatest and most offensive of all. Let’s call this sin ‘Indifference,’ although it is often expressed in other terms, like ‘I’m So Tired of Politics,’ ‘Pandemic Fatigue,’ ‘I’m Sitting Out The Election,’ or even the absurd ‘Trump and Biden are Two Peas in a Pod so I say “A Plague on Both Their Houses.“‘

Indifference is a Cardinal Sin because this November the future of America is at CONTINUE READING: Do Not Commit the 8th Deadly Sin of Indifference | The Merrow Report

CURMUDGUCATION: The Biden Education Red Flags

CURMUDGUCATION: The Biden Education Red Flags

The Biden Education Red Flags

Before I get started here, let me be clear about one thing--it is almost impossible to imagine a candidate worse for public education than Donald Trump. His "polan" for education has only two items-- school choice (via vouchers) for everyone, and make every school teach American exceptionalism, which, given his recent assaults on the 1619 project and diversity training, appears to mean getting back to the white-centric education that gramps enjoyed as a boy. Plus you've got Betsy DeVos, who is twelve kinds of awful when it comes to public education, which she seems to pretty much hate and wants to get rid of.

So just to be clear-- there's no universe in which Donald Trump is a better choice for public education.

Now, let's look at what we've been hearing from the Biden campaign.

First of all, you may remember that something called the Unity Committee drafted up some platformy ideas by smushing the Biden and Sanders campaigns together. That resulted in an education platform that repudiated the private profit motive in education and called for tighter charter controls. They also promised to "end the use of high stakes tests"--well, they promised to "work" to do that, and then blah blah blah multiple and holistic measures. It was weak sauce, but it was something.

That language has disappeared entirely from the Biden platform on K-12 education. The words "charter" and "profit" don't even appear on the page.

Then there's this piece from yesterday's the74, profiling "Biden's most important staffer you've never CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: The Biden Education Red Flags

Who Should Be the Next Education Secretary at This Critical Juncture in History?

Who Should Be the Next Education Secretary at This Critical Juncture in History?

Who Should Be the Next Education Secretary at This Critical Juncture in History?

Bloggers have been speculating about a Biden/Harris education secretary. During this critical time in American history, that individual should be a black or brown woman, who has been a teacher of young children, and who understands child development. She should hold an education degree and have an additional leadership degree and experience that will help her run the U.S. Department of Education.

Children deserve to see more teachers who look like they do, who will inspire them to go on and become teachers themselves. A black female education secretary will bring more diverse individuals to the field and set an example. This will benefit all students.

Many individuals, including accomplished black men, have brilliant minds, and understand what we need in the way of democratic public education. Leadership roles should await them in the U.S. Department of Education, in schools, universities, or states and local education departments.

But with the fight for Black Lives to Matter and for an end to gender inequality, a knowledgeable black woman with a large heart to embrace these times should take this spot. The majority of teachers have always been women, and while men are critical to being role models for children and teens, it is time for a black woman to lead.

We have had eleven education secretaries, and only three of them have been women, including Shirley Hufstedler, Margaret Spellings, and Betsy DeVos. None of CONTINUE READING: Who Should Be the Next Education Secretary at This Critical Juncture in History?

Educators support Joe Biden’s stance on workers' rights and unions - Education Votes

Educators support Joe Biden’s stance on workers' rights and unions - Education Votes

Educators support Joe Biden’s stance on workers’ rights and unions

When unions are strong, our communities are strong. This is a long-held belief of former Vice President Joe Biden, who supports “laws that allow labor unions to flourish and fight for basic worker protections.” He knows that it was labor unions that led the fight for working families, winning protections such as the 8-hour day and the 40-hour week, overtime rights, and access to health care and retirement security. 

While the COVID-19 pandemic has knocked down many working families and small businesses, causing millions to lose jobs and healthcare, Biden has led with plans to protect all Americans from increased hardships. His Jobs and Economic Recovery Plan for Working Families addresses issues that were present long before the crisis, which disproportionately impact communities of color who have never been fully welcomed as participants in the economy or compensated equitably.

Workers in unions earn higher wages and are more likely to have employer-covered health coverage. President Donald Trump claims to align himself with workers, but supports “decreased labor protections, rolled back worker safety and weakened federal unions.” He has appointed anti-union judges and cabinet secretaries with life-long track records of fighting against working Americans. His education secretary, Betsy DeVos, has time and again tried to limit the voice of educators and educator unions since she was confirmed. 

Here are four ways Joe Biden and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris will protect workers’ rights:

He will support collective bargaining legislation

Joe Biden believes “the federal government should not only defend workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively, but also encourage collective bargaining.” As president, he plans to make it easier for all workers to unionize and supports educators being able to bargain for better pay and benefits in addition to having a voice in decisions that affect their students.

He supports #RedForEd and closing the teacher pay gap

“These walkouts are vital,” said the former vice president of the #RedForEd movement. “Not just to make sure you get paid fairly, or you get health care…you’re walking out to make sure CONTINUE READING: Educators support Joe Biden’s stance on workers' rights and unions - Education Votes

Will Teachers Determine the Next President? | Ed In The Apple

Will Teachers Determine the Next President? | Ed In The Apple

Will Teachers Determine the Next President?

Ballots for the November 3rd presidential election are in the mail in North Carolina, we are in the countdown phase heading towards selecting a president.

Teachers live and work in every hamlet, town and city, in every one of the over 13,000 school districts. 

There are 3.2 million public school teachers in the nation, if you add in guidance counselors, school nurses, teacher aides, and paraprofessionals etc, over four million educators in public schools; about 70% of whom belong to one of the two teachers unions. (See all the data here).

A majority of students are non-white.

Here’s a racial breakdown of the student population in American public schools, as of 2017:

• White students: 47.6%
• Hispanic students: 26.7%
• Black students: 15.2%
• Asian students: 5.2%
• Two or more race students: 3.9%
• American Indian/Alaska Native students: 1.0%
• Pacific Islander students: 0.4%

When it comes to race, America’s teachers look very different from its student CONTINUE READING: Will Teachers Determine the Next President? | Ed In The Apple

Choose a Teacher! | Live Long and Prosper

Choose a Teacher! | Live Long and Prosper

Choose a Teacher!

IN NOVEMBER: DUMP DEVOS

The upcoming election gives us the chance to change the occupant of the White House, which would also, thankfully, remove the person who purchased the office of Secretary of Education.

Betsy DeVos’s tenure at the US Education Department has not gone well. From her lack of educational qualifications to the “Where are the pencils” tweet to the attempt to “strip public money from public schools,” she has shown, to put it mildly, a general lack of interest in public schools.

The vast majority of American students attend public schools and they will all benefit when “dead end” DeVos goes back to her Michigan mansion and her yachts.

But who should replace her? Joe Biden, should he take the Presidential 0ath of Office on January 20, 2021, will nominate someone other than DeVos for Secretary, and he has promised to nominate a teacher.

But if you’ve been a public school educator in the last 20 years, you know that a promise from any presidential candidate, Republican or Democratic, about CONTINUE READING:  Choose a Teacher! | Live Long and Prosper

Biden, Trump offer two distinct paths; for public education, there’s one clear choice - Education Votes

Biden, Trump offer two distinct paths; for public education, there’s one clear choice - Education Votes

Biden, Trump offer two distinct paths; for public education, there’s one clear choice

From the first day of the Republican National Convention, there were stark differences from the previous week’s speeches and messages directed at educators, parents, and students at the Democratic National Convention. Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris have focused on listening to educators and supporting public schools. President Trump hounded on privatization as the way forward while he, Republicans in Congress, and those speaking at the RNC failed to take the global pandemic seriously. Educators know that without safely reopening schools by providing necessary funding and equipment for educators and students, the economy will not recover. During the coronavirus pandemic, the lives of students and educators are at risk with no support — now is not the time to play politics with our students’ futures.

President Trump during his acceptance speech said that if reelected, he would expand charter schools and voucher programs that take money from public schools, even though Congress has continuously rejected the administration’s voucher schemes. Vouchers and tax credits were a main talking point throughout the RNC, but with the backdrop of national protests against racist institutions, Trump ignored the fact that these policies leave out students of color and families who cannot afford a private education. Just prior to the start of the RNC, the Trump Administration released it’s second term agenda which only listed two priorities for the education sector: voucher schemes and “teach American exceptionalism”. 

Last week, Biden and the DNC focused on supporting public education. He emphasized his ability and experience in leading during a pandemic, and his dream of building together a more  equitable version of America.

“It’s time for us, for we, the people, to come together. And make no mistake. United we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America,” said Biden. The platform throughout the CONTINUE READING: Biden, Trump offer two distinct paths; for public education, there’s one clear choice - Education Votes