POLITICAL ROPE-A-DOPE – Dad Gone Wild

POLITICAL ROPE-A-DOPE – Dad Gone Wild

POLITICAL ROPE-A-DOPE

“Honest people don’t hide their deeds.”
― Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

“Nobody lives forever, nobody stays young long enough. My past seemed like so much excess baggage, my future a series of long goodbyes, my present an empty flask, the last good drink already bitter on my tongue.”
― James Crumley, The Last Good Kiss

I grew up watching Muhamad Ali fight. These days boxing has surrendered its crown to MMA, but when I was a kid it was king, and nobody held court like Ali. He was brave, fast, strong, funny, and frightening. Easily the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. We all admired him and talks of his exploits dominated our playground conversations.

I was 9 years old in 1974 when Ali challenged then-champion George Foreman in the classic fight that became forever known as the “Rumble in the Jungle”. Younger folks, familiar with Foreman through his infomercials, might not realize that the man was a devastating puncher. Pre-fight, many experts gave Ali little chance at taking the belt. Ali wasn’t just a great athlete though, he was a great tactician.

In the weeks prior to the fight, he would go out of his way to needle Foreman and anger him. During training sessions, he toughened up his mid-section by repeatedly having sparring partners punch him in the stomach. The early rounds of the fight found Ali repeatedly laying on the ropes, looking helpless while Foreman pummeled him with blows. Looks can be deceiving though, as noted by author Norman Mailer, “”Standing on one’s feet it is painful to absorb a heavy body punch even when blocked with one’s arm. The torso, the legs, and the spine take the shock. Leaning on the ropes, however, Ali can pass it along; the rope will receive the strain.”

As the fight entered the eighth round, the toll of throwing so many punches was starting to show on Foreman, as he grew physically exhausted. This is what Ali had been waiting for. Foreman tried to CONTINUE READING: POLITICAL ROPE-A-DOPE – Dad Gone Wild

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: About those teacher raises

Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: About those teacher raises

About those teacher raises

When DeSantis declared this the year of the teacher, little did we know that he meant, the year he would use them as a prop and put their lives in danger, but that is sure what happened.

Now about that teacher raise. He put 500 million towards them but then took out 480 million by eliminating the best and brightest and school recognition funds. Now I didn't like either program as they left out to many teachers, but they did put money in teacher's pockets. So that leaves 20 million dollars and since DeSantis wants this now money to go to raising starting salaries that doesn't leave a lot left over for those people already in the system.

Sadly despite the fact he did next to nothing for teachers, and many will actually see pay cuts, this did not stop DeSantis and dozens of GOP legislators from doing a victory lap and don't take it from me, take it from the superintendent of Leon County.

From the Tallahassee Democrat,

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is misleading the public about what teacher salaries will look like in the fall, CONTINUE READING: Mr. G for District 3: Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters: About those teacher raises

"We Must be in It for the Long Haul" - Black Foundation Executives Request Action by Philanthropy on Anti-Black Racism | Schott Foundation for Public Education

"We Must be in It for the Long Haul" - Black Foundation Executives Request Action by Philanthropy on Anti-Black Racism | Schott Foundation for Public Education

"We Must be in It for the Long Haul" - Black Foundation Executives Request Action by Philanthropy on Anti-Black Racism

“We are managing a pandemic within a pandemic. Police brutality is a scourge, it is a pandemic. The pre-existing condition before COVID, and it still exists, is racism.” -- Representative Ayanna Pressley

While COVID-19 is novel as a virus, the pestilence of anti-Black racism that dictates its disproportionate impact on Black communities is centuries old. Few things drive this point home more poignantly than the massive protests sparked by the recent killing of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Tony McDade at the hands of the police and white vigilantes. The inability to breathe for Black people stricken with COVID-19 and George Floyd’s last breaths being stolen from him by a white police officer’s knee on his neck are profoundly painful symbols of the intersecting threats to Black life caused by the ubiquitous plague of anti-Black racism. 

For several weeks ABFE worked with over 60 Black Philanthropic CEOs in the US, including Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands, to craft a set of imperatives for ensuring the well-being of Black communities to guide the philanthropic community’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. As we set to release our statement, the country erupted in righteous rage at the brutal murder of George Floyd and the demand to defend Black lives from state sanctioned violence. As the Black community struggles to manage these overlapping pandemics, we challenge philanthropy to be bold and be inspired by the courage of the protestors who are risking their well-being for the sake of defending Black lives.          

Our long-term goal is to free Black people from disparate treatment that result in the racial disparities we see in COVID-19, police brutality and on almost every indicator of well-being. To get there, we must dismantle the structures (institutional policies and practices) that disadvantage and marginalize Black people as well as the false narratives about Black communities that allow for continued inhumane treatment. This will lead to stronger Black communities. Philanthropy has a critical role to play and must step forward. In addition, a more robust partnership moving forward between philanthropy, government, businesses and Black communities is needed to address immediate needs and opportunities (targeted COVID-19 relief and police reform); as well as the longer-term strategies to address racial inequity. We need deep, transformative institutional change in this country; foundations and donors that support Black communities, in addition to those from other sectors (government, business, etc.) must commit to and deploy an equity analysis to investments moving forward. This is a marathon, not a sprint and all of us in philanthropy must be in it for the long haul.  

Our imperatives for the philanthropic sector are follows (for the full document, click here):   

1. BUILD AGENCY. Increase investments in Black-led organizations that connect individuals and families to a wide CONTINUE READING: "We Must be in It for the Long Haul" - Black Foundation Executives Request Action by Philanthropy on Anti-Black Racism | Schott Foundation for Public Education

 

Arkansas: Preparing to Sell the Children to Tech Entrepreneurs | Diane Ravitch's blog

Arkansas: Preparing to Sell the Children to Tech Entrepreneurs | Diane Ravitch's blog

Arkansas: Preparing to Sell the Children to Tech Entrepreneurs

Cathy Frye is a veteran journalist who worked for the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, then quit when she decided she could no longer stomach being part of the Walton Goubdation machine.

She writes here about the plan to outsource schooling this fall to a tech corporation that is under investigation.

She writes:

I got curious and took a little gander today at the Arkansas Public School Center’s website. And yep, there it was – APSRC’s latest attempt to help its digital “learning” providers by – once again – taking advantage of the pandemic’s effects on public schools.

Pay attention, folks: This partnership – announced today – involves the Arkansas Public School Resource Center, the Arkansas Department of Education and an outfit known as Lincoln Learning Solutions. This partnership will affect how public schools operate during the 2020-2021 school year.

APSRC and the Arkansas Department of Education are endorsing a digital learning provider that is currently CONTINUE READING: Arkansas: Preparing to Sell the Children to Tech Entrepreneurs | Diane Ravitch's blog

Organized to Disrupt | tultican

Organized to Disrupt | tultican

Organized to Disrupt

By Thomas Ultican 6/10/2020

The New Schools Venture Fund (NSVF) is the Swiss army knife of public school privatization. It promotes education technology development, bankrolls charter school creation, develops charter management organizations and sponsors school leadership training groups. Since its founding in 1998, a small group of people with extraordinary wealth have been munificent in their support. NSVF is a significant asset in the billionaire funded drive to end democratically run public schools and replace them with privatized corporate structures.

1990’s Silicon Valley was a Happening Place

Mark Andreessen had just co-written the world’s first web-browser, Mosaic, before he came to town from the University of Illinois to co-found Netscape. John Doerr left Intel in 1980 to join the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins where his reputation for picking winners became legendary. His wins include Amazon, AOL, Compaq, Electronic Arts, Google, Netscape and Twitter. Internet search engines were in their infancy when in 1999 Doerr convinced his partners to put $12.5 million into Google. Five years later that investment turned into billions.

Like elsewhere in America, every little strip mall in San Jose, California had a Blockbuster video rental store. In 1997, Reed Hastings and Netflix co-founder Mark Reynolds came up with a disruptive idea that put Blockbuster out of business. For a monthly fee, they offered DVD’s by mail with no late charges. Blockbuster did not adapt fast enough and went bankrupt.

In the Valley, everyone was aware that their business could be just one new technology innovation away from being the next Blockbuster.

“DoWopDon” Shalvey was the superintendent of schools in San Carlos, California a bedroom community about a third of the way up the peninsula between San Jose and San Francisco. When California passed its 1992 charter school legislation, Shalvey’s application for a charter turned into California’s first charter school. It officially opened in August 1994.

Apparently, Don Shalvey was an amateur DJ and very into music. His twitter handle is @dooWopDon.

Shalvey joined with Reed Hastings in writing a statewide initiative for the 1998 ballot that lifted the cap on charter schools and eased restrictions on starting one. At that time, Hastings was made president of Technology Network, a bipartisan lobbying group formed by Silicon Valley CEOs. With their support, CONTINUE READING: Organized to Disrupt | tultican