Register Now for NPE Action Conference! | Diane Ravitch's blog

Register Now for NPE Action Conference! | Diane Ravitch's blog

Register Now for NPE Action Conference!

It is almost time for the NPE/NPE Action Conference and we need you there. If you have not registered already, please do so today here.

We need you at the conference to engage with leaders of the Red for Ed movement so that we can keep the momentum going in 2020. Thanks to Red for Ed, our nation is renewing its faith in our teachers. Our communities understand the importance of increased funding for our public schools. Teacher leaders stood up and their communities stood with them. Learn what they did to earn their communities’ support and trust.

Learn how the rise of charter schools, especially schools controlled by charter chains, have exploited the communities they were supposed to serve by robbing parents of voice and creating school churn for children–a poor substitute for the well-resourced community schools they deserve.

You will hear from the experts on topics including privatization, grassroots organizing, high-stakes testing, and community schools. And you will learn how you can fight programs like Teach for America that are funded by billionaires who prefer teacher churn to stable school faculties that make long-term commitments to the communities and schools they serve.

You can find the entire conference schedule here.

And of course we want you there to celebrate Diane’s new book, joining us for a special celebration on Saturday evening, open to all who attend the conference.

Don’t wait. Enrollment is limited and there are only a handful of discounted rooms left in the conference hotel.

Register today to join friends of public education from across the nation on March 28-29 for our sixth annual conference in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia.

Register Now for NPE Action Conference! | Diane Ravitch's blog

EdAction in Congress January 12, 2020 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress January 12, 2020 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress January 12, 2020

Tell your representatives to support the College Affordability Act

The College Affordability Act (H.R. 4674), a comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), has cleared the House Education and Labor Committee and is headed to the floor. NEA supports the bill and successfully advocated for expanding eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness to include adjunct and contingent faculty—a huge victory. Tell your representative to support H.R. 4674 and your senators that students and educators need a comprehensive HEA reauthorization. TAKE ACTION

Tell Congress we need to rebuild America’s schools

It’s been nearly a year since NEA President Lily Eskelsen García helped call attention to the pressing need to modernize public schools and the Rebuild America’s Schools Act (S. 266/H.R. 865) passed out of the House Education and Labor Committee. The average public school building is 44 years old. The American Society of Civil Engineers gives the condition of America’s 100,000 public school buildings an overall grade of D+. We need action now! Tell your representatives to support the Rebuild America’s Schools Act. TAKE ACTION

Cheers and Jeers

Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act to give salaried employees in traditional office environments reasonable break times and private places to pump breast milk. NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia said, “The medical community for decades has encouraged women to breastfeed because breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for most infants. This legislation will go a long way toward supporting breastfeeding moms and ensuring that they have break time for expressing milk and a private, secure place in which to do it.”

EdAction in Congress January 12, 2020 - Education Votes

Black Families, Be Grateful for What You Have and Don't Ask for More. - Philly's 7th Ward

Black Families, Be Grateful for What You Have and Don't Ask for More. - Philly's 7th Ward

BLACK FAMILIES, BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU HAVE AND DON’T ASK FOR MORE.

From presidential candidates to affluent parents to public school principals, I am weary and wary of anyone trying to convince Black and Brown folks that fewer school options better serve their children’s advancement and liberation. The only thing these families should have less of are bad schools.

This morning, I read Nimet Eren’s piece in the Philadelphia Notebook. While I am sure Principal Eren is a strong advocate and principal, her piece has several pretty wild claims that don’t jive with the experiences of many Black families. However, her claims are very consistent with the mostly white teachers unions here and around the country. 

Parents want [only] what’s best for their own children. [Only] Teachers want what’s best for all children.

Eren makes the assumption that Black communities aren’t filled with adults who love and care for their community’s children and youth. I’ve been surrounded by Black parents and advocates who have consistently, over the course of 50 plus years, been staunch advocates for other people’s children, as CONTINUE READING: Black Families, Be Grateful for What You Have and Don't Ask for More. - Philly's 7th Ward

My Book Tour Dates for SLAYING GOLIATH | Diane Ravitch's blog

My Book Tour Dates for SLAYING GOLIATH | Diane Ravitch's blog

My Book Tour Dates for SLAYING GOLIATH

This is the current (and evolving) list of my speaking engagements in connection with the publication of my new book: SLAYING GOLIATH: THE PASSIONATE RESISTANCE TO PRIVATIZATION AND THE FIGHT TO SAVE AMERICA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

I am trying not to wear myself out. Ten years ago, I hopped from city to city like a mountain goat.

But now I am 81 years old, and my knees are worn out. I have to pace myself.

Come out and say hello if you are in one of these cities.

SLAYING GOLIATH is a pro-public education, pro-teacher, pro-social justice, pro-common-good book. It is a book meant to give hope and encouragement to those who stand up to the billionaires and fight the status quo of choice and high-stakes testing. It contains inspiring stories of parents, students, teachers, and civil rights activists who took action against the powerful and won. At some of these events, the bookstore charges a modest fee to cover its expenses. Most are free. 

My Book Tour Dates for SLAYING GOLIATH | Diane Ravitch's blog

Jersey Jazzman: Correcting the Facts About NJ Charter Schools and My Research

Jersey Jazzman: Correcting the Facts About NJ Charter Schools and My Research

Correcting the Facts About NJ Charter Schools and My Research

I'm trying to keep this short because there are many other things that deserve my attention. But I feel compelled to respond to mischaracterizations of my work when they are directly affecting public policy, especially in my home state.

Last month, Newark Public Schools superintendent Roger León called for the NJ Education Commissioner, Lamont Repollet, to deny the renewals of four charter schools in the Newark city limits.

I'm going to hold off expressing any opinions about these specific renewals, or León's arguments about their impacts on the finances of NPS. Suffice to say that there is plenty of empirical evidence that small school districts -- which are, for all intents and purposes, what NJ charter schools are -- are not as efficient as larger ones. There is reason to believe, therefore, that small charter schools with redundant systems of administration can produce fiscal pressures on hosting public school districts, which have the obligation to fund charters. My own work in New Jersey shows how this pressure manifests, although the issue is complex. Again, we'll save a discussion of all this for later.

For now: León's letters to the commissioner refer to several pieces of research on charter schools, including a brief I wrote with Julia Sass Rubin: New Jersey Charter Schools: A Data-Driven View - 2018 Update, Part I (2018). Here's how León characterized our work:

Research conducted at the Rutgers Bloustein School of Planning & Policy shows that the proportion of special CONTINUE READING: Jersey Jazzman: Correcting the Facts About NJ Charter Schools and My Research

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY

NewBlackMan (in Exile)

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY

A Conversation Between Friends: Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham and Sharon Harley

by Mark Anthony Neal / 3h

'A conversation with Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham , Victor S. Thomas Professor of History and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University and Sharon Harley , Associate Professor of African American Studies, University of Maryland. Moderated by Emily Owens , Assistant Professor of History, Brown University.' -- Brown University

Slick Rick: What's In My Bag?

by Mark Anthony Neal / 4h

' Slick Rick goes shopping at Amoeba Music in Los Angeles. The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick (30th Anniversary Edition) is available from Def Jam Recordings.' -- Amoeba

How Miles Davis Recorded "Kind of Blue"

by Mark Anthony Neal / 4h

' Miles Davis didn't provide sheet music for his musicians during the recording of his iconic album Kind of Blue . He said that "I didn't write out the music for Kind of Blue . But brought in sketches 'cause I wanted a lot of spontaneity in the playing".' -- American Masters PBS

Sea Levels Are Rising In Miami, Turning Little Haiti Into Hot Property

by Mark Anthony Neal / 4h

'While the city’s famous beaches will eventually be submerged by rising sea levels, Little Haiti sits on a ridge far above these properties. Its location has made it a hot spot for development, and Haitians say they are being forced out.' -- AJ+

Where is the Funk? How Prince Created the Minneapolis Sound (feat. Jellybean Johnson of The Time)

by Mark Anthony Neal / 4h

'The electro-funk style known as the Minneapolis Sound took over pop music in the 1980s and 90s. LA is in Minneapolis to meet with Jellybean Johnson of the Minneapolis Sound pioneering band, The Time, to find out how Prince and 

NewBlackMan (in Exile)

It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

It's Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... A VERY BUSY DAY

The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Important NY Times Interactive Comparing How History Textbooks From Different States Talk About The Same Topics

by Larry Ferlazzo / 42min

johnhain / Pixabay Two States. Eight Textbooks. Two American Stories. is a new New York Times interactive comparing textbooks used in California and in Texas, and how they talk about the same topics. There are a number of similar resources in The Best Tools To Help Develop Global Media Literacy , but those compare perspectives in different countries . This Times piece is particularly interesting

YESTERDAY

This Week’s “Round-Up” Of Useful Posts & Articles On Ed Policy Issues

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues (You might also be interested in THE BEST ARTICLES, VIDEOS & POSTS ON EDUCATION POLICY IN 2019 – PART TWO ): Installing air filters in classrooms has surprisingly large educational benefits is from Vox. California governor proposes nearly $1 billion to tackle teacher preparation, shortages is from Ed Source. Housing vouch

Video: “Mountains Size Comparison”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

Simon / Pixabay I’m adding this new video to The Best Sites For Learning About Mount Everest :

A Look Back: “Five ways to get kids to want to read and write”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

I thought that new – and veteran – readers might find it interesting if I began sharing my best posts from over the years. You can see the entire collection here . Today, I’m highlighting an excerpt from one of my books that The Washington Post published. The excerpt is titled Five ways to get kids to want to read and write. Here’s an excerpt:

SEL Weekly Update

by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h

I’ve recently begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists. You might also be interested in THE BEST SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES OF 2019 – PART TWO Finally, check out “Best” Lists Of The Week: Social Emotional Learning Resources . Here are this week’s picks: Is a Scholarship Promise En

This Is The Best Article I’ve Seen For Helping Students Prepare For Presentations

by Larry Ferlazzo / 21h

GraphicMama-team / Pixabay Two months ago I posted Not Sure If You’ll Find A Better Guide For Making Good Presentations Than This One… . That’s a good one. This week, The Harvard Business Review published what I think is even a better article for students headlined What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation. It’s very accessible and shares five important tips. Interestingly, both pieces are writt

Check Out This New Video From Vox: “Teaching in the US vs. the rest of the world”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

jerrykimbrell10 / Pixabay I’m adding this new video from Vox to: The Best Articles Providing An “Overall” Perspective On Education Policy The Best Posts & Articles About The Importance Of Teacher (& Student) Working Conditions

Tell The NY Times If Your Life Was Changed By A Book

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Mysticsartdesign / Pixabay Was Your Life Changed by a Book? We Want to Hear About It is the headline of a very short announcement in The NY Times this morning. Here’s what it says: What book — new or old, fiction or nonfiction 

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

January’s (2020) Useful Parent Engagement Resources – Part One

Engaging Parents In School… - http://engagingparentsinschool.edublogs.org/?p=6306