Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, February 23, 2020

EdAction in Congress February 23, 2020 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress February 23, 2020 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress February 23, 2020


Make higher education more affordable and accessible   

Members of the NEA Board of Directors met with lawmakers earlier this month and urged them to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA) and address the urgent need to make college more affordable and accessible. The College Affordability Act (H.R. 4674), a comprehensive reauthorization of the law, cleared the House Education and Labor Committee but has not yet come to the floor. NEA supports the bill and successfully advocated for expanding Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility 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. READ MORE and TAKE ACTION

February 24-28 is Public Schools Week


A record number of lawmakers signed the bipartisan, bicameral resolution declaring February 24-28 Public Schools Week: 45 senators and more than 70 representatives—and still growing. The resolution recognizes the importance of our nation’s public schools and honors those who work tirelessly to support and strengthen them. Public education is the foundation of 21st century democracy. Our public schools are open to every child—regardless of ability, wealth, or country of origin—and 9 out of 10 students attend them. The Public Schools Week resolution sends an important message: Strengthening our public schools strengthens America. The House sponsors of the resolution are Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Sam Graves (R-MO); the Senate sponsors are Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jon Tester (D-MT). Urge your representatives to contact one of them and become a cosponsor.  TAKE ACTION

Black Children Are Twice As Likely To Die By Suicide Than White Children | NewBlackMan (in Exile)

Black Children Are Twice As Likely To Die By Suicide Than White Children | NewBlackMan (in Exile)

Black Children Are Twice As Likely To Die By Suicide Than White Children


'Over the past decade suicide attempts among Black children rose 92%. The increase includes elementary aged children, some as young as 5 — and experts aren’t entirely sure why. We sat down with two mothers to hear their stories and how their sons’ suicides impacted their lives.' -- AJ+





Black Children Are Twice As Likely To Die By Suicide Than White Children | NewBlackMan (in Exile)

John Thompson : The complexity of seeking safe and orderly schools

The complexity of seeking safe and orderly schools

The complexity of seeking safe and orderly schools

Nothing in education is more complex than the quest for safe and orderly schools. However, the last two Oklahoma City Public School District board meetings have seemed to focus on simplistic and quick fixes, implicitly blaming teachers. The district would benefit from learning from the evidence-based U.S. Office of Civil Rights’ (OCR) study of disparate suspensions, as well as what has and hasn’t worked.

When I participated in the 2016 OCR committee, we did more than push for a reduction of suspensions through training on implicit bias, classroom management, and restorative justice. The report, Civil Rights and the School-to-Prison Pipeline, drew upon the knowledge of Oklahoma educators and service providers when recommending holistic approaches for reducing suspensions. Rather than blaming teachers, the OCR respected suggestions that in-school suspension services be bolstered. It also recommended wraparound student supports in the highest-challenge schools.
Then-OKCPS Superintendent Robert Neu testified that “limiting suspensions for the sole purpose of improving statistics neglects the root of students’ inappropriate behavior — a lack of support or unmet needs.” He said, “We could lower those suspensions, but it would create chaos, and that’s why much of my testimony was focused on solutions, that we absolutely have to take a look at underlying conditions.”
Nearly four years later, the Jan. 27 OKCPS working board meeting was mostly devoted to suspensions, which Brett Dickerson of Oklahoma City Free Press reported had increased CONTINUE READING: The complexity of seeking safe and orderly schools

Betsy DeVos is trying to buy herself a second term | Eclectablog

Betsy DeVos is trying to buy herself a second term | Eclectablog

Betsy DeVos is trying to buy herself a second term
The worst cabinet secretary in U.S. history wants another shot at wrecking our schools — help us stop her


If you were in need of a perfect metaphor for how the Department of Education operates when it’s being run by the nation’s foremost opponent to public education, check out this post by Eclectablog’s Mitchell Robinson. You’ll learn that a Betsy DeVos-sanctioned accreditation agency apparently gave approval to operate for Reagan National University in South Dakota, a “university” with no students, faculty, administration, or facilities. The only point of this so-called “educational” institution, it seems, is to get away with a massive bait and switch.
Sound familiar?
Born billionaire Betsy DeVos only took her first job in government — and the first job of her life — because she saw the opportunity she’s waited for her whole life, a national platform to wage war against public schools, which she calls “government schools” because she hates them, and a president willing to let big donors do whatever they want.
Everyone knows DeVos and her family have given millions to Republicans. No one is exactly sure what her Erik Prince brother did to help the Trumps swipe the 2016 election.
But we can be sure that they’re going to whatever they can to get Trump and Betsy a second term, when the guardrails that help kept her from assailing her own budget and the fundamental promise of a public education, could wither away, when we should be doing everything we can to make schools more equal, less segregated and generally better funded.
Mitchell does his darnedest — in between being a full-time educator and father — to keep track of CONTINUE READING: Betsy DeVos is trying to buy herself a second term | Eclectablog

International March of Living: Solidarity and Remembrance with my Jewish Brothers and Sisters | Cloaking Inequity

International March of Living: Solidarity and Remembrance with my Jewish Brothers and Sisters | Cloaking Inequity

INTERNATIONAL MARCH OF LIVING: SOLIDARITY AND REMEMBRANCE WITH MY JEWISH BROTHERS AND SISTERS
I was honored to be asked by Professor David Machlis to join the College of Education Deans’ mission to Poland for the annual International March of the Living to visit historically significant holocaust sites with survivors and citizens from around the world in April of 2020. The march is at the same time as the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference. I have only missed the AERA conference once in the last 18 years, but this year I will not be attending because of this important solidarity and remembrance with my Jewish brothers and sisters.
A major theme of The International March of The Living  is human rights and they believe that “education is a tool to prevent violent extremism… and the world is witnessing a rise in anti-Semitic attacks worldwide.”
In response, the organizers are scheduling an international live streamed broadcast from Auschwitz sponsored by The Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience at Rutgers University on April 20th at 5 pm Poland time. The passing of survivors and the increase in anti-Semitism make this all the more important.
Here is the link to a full description of the program.
The program, sponsored by the Miller Center at Rutgers University will run for 75 minutes. The program so far includes
  • John Allen- Retired 4 star General and current President of Brookings Institute. General Allen is a great speaker and has done extensive research on protecting religious communities worldwide.
  • Irving Roth – A very articulate survivor of Auschwitz who lectures regularly to college students.
  • Abe Foxman – A child survivor who was the head of the Anti-Defamation League.
There will be student involvement, photos depicting life in Auschwitz, statements from famous participants on the March and from world leaders, and several European Heads of State. In the audience will be university deans and Chiefs of Police in uniform, led by Commissioner Ray Kelly.
They also anticipate TV coverage in approximately 30 major cities with a total viewing population of 70 million. As the program becomes more formalized I will post updates here at Cloaking Inequity. If you have any further questions please contact Dr. Wallace Greene at wally@motlmail.org
I also plan to live stream from the International March of the Living in Poland here at Cloaking Inequity.
Please Facebook Like, Tweet, etc below and/or reblog to share this discussion with others.
Check out and follow my YouTube channel here.
Twitter: @ProfessorJVH
Click here for Vitae.

Audrey Watters: Is Our Democracy for Sale to the Highest Spender? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Audrey Watters: Is Our Democracy for Sale to the Highest Spender? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Audrey Watters: Is Our Democracy for Sale to the Highest Spender?

Audrey Watters asks the question that we should all be asking: is our democracy for sale to the candidate with the most billions? 
Apparently our schools sold out years ago when money was dabbled before them.
People who take money from that powerful education foundation — you know the one, the one that turns 20 years old this year — always insist to me that they’ve never been compelled to change their policies or practices. Of course, it doesn’t have to coerce its grantees to say and do things. People self-censor. They shape their initiatives to suit the foundation’s philosophy and its goals. They value the things the foundation says it values; they measure the way the foundation says it measures. Because if they rely on the foundation for funding, they know to fall in line. They needn’t be told. That’s how the power of philanthropy works. It sets the agenda. Personalized learning. The Common Core. Charter schools. Measures of Effective Teaching. It didn’t push for these ideas because that’s what people wanted. It helped convince politicians that these were the ideas CONTINUE READING: Audrey Watters: Is Our Democracy for Sale to the Highest Spender? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Arthur Goldstein: Stop overcrowding schools and classrooms

Stop overcrowding schools and classrooms

Save our city: Stop overcrowding schools and classrooms




Mayor de Blasio says he wants to save the city.
As someone who’s spent years fighting ridiculous crowds at my workplace, I have a great idea. How about, instead of gallivanting around the country running for president or supporting your favorite candidates, you figure out a way to accommodate the thousands of students who haven’t got seats in Queens?
Francis Lewis High School has been over 200% capacity for decades. We take everyone, including students with severe disabilities who will never receive a regular diploma, and the kids I teach, English Language Learners.
If Mayor de Blasio wants to save the city, placing a cap on admissions in overcrowded neighborhood schools would be a great start. Maybe instead of trying to sell space to Amazon, we could use it for our own children.
In 2009, when I became the union chapter leader of FLHS, we met at Tweed with higher-ups in the UFT, the DOE, the principals’ union, and parents to work out a plan. We made a deal to reduce the population of Francis Lewis, which was built for 2,100.
For a few years, we made progress. We came down to 4,012 and aimed for 3,500. Soon after Mayor de Blasio was elected, his Department of Education, in its infinite wisdom, CONTINUE READING: Stop overcrowding schools and classrooms

TX’s Kauffman Leadership Academy to Close with One Week’s Notice to Parents | deutsch29

TX’s Kauffman Leadership Academy to Close with One Week’s Notice to Parents | deutsch29

TX’s Kauffman Leadership Academy to Close with One Week’s Notice to Parents

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will be closing the Kauffman Leadership Academy (KLA) (Cleburne) charter school with one week’s notice, as reported in WFAA.com.
In this February 13, 2020, letter to KLA leadership, TEA cites, “the [closure] order was issued as a result of the financial situation at the charter school having deteriorated significantly, including federal tax liens and levies issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that had frozen all accounts of the charter school.”
KLA filed with the Texas Secretary of State (SOS) as a business entity on August 23, 2010 (search here; KLA’s taxpayer ID# is 32042519895). According to KLA’s charter application dated 02/23/11 and on file with TEA, KLA planned “to open in August 2011 operate as a private school, pending charter approval.” These archived web pages from July 2011 and May 2015 have KLA identifying itself as an “open enrollment private school pending charter approval.”

Dr. Duane E. Campbell - Choosing Democracy: SCUSD Not Insolvent- It Just Can't Count

Choosing Democracy: SCUSD Not Insolvent- It Just Can't Count

SCUSD Not Insolvent- It Just Can't Count

Sacramento City Unified says  due to its own financial crisis it will need to lay off 100 certificated employees ( teachers, counselors, etc). for 2020/2021.  The district predicts a shortfall of  $ 28 million dollars for next year.   This is their fiscal recovery plan. 
Recall that the district predicted a similar emergency short fall for 2019/2020.  It never happened.  At the end of the year, the district had a deficit of some $100,000.  And, a budget surplus of $ 31,000,000.

The district projects that it will have a deficit of some 28,707, 835 for 20/21.  The projection of the Community Priorities Coalition is that the district will have a deficit of some $ 7,221,409.  A deficit of this size can be easily dealt with while the district has a budget surplus of $31 million.  

It is clear that the district can not count. Their  failure has been well documented in the FCMAT report(Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team) in 2018.   It is the job of the Board to require clear and open accounting. Instead of balancing the budget, they implement a public relations strategy.  They have failed. And, today, they continue to fail. 

In addition to the continuing claims and campaigns of insolvency of the district by the Board,  the local LULAC ( League of United Latin American Citizens) has notified the Board and the Superintendent in 2017, 2018, and 2019, that we are concerned about the misuse of funds provided to the district for assistance for English Language Learners.  The district receives some $ 6 million per year from the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) directed to improve the educational opportunities of English learners. The district budget is difficult to read. However as best we can read it, the district spends some $1.6 million per year for instruction of English learners.

We have been unable to trace where the remaining money goes.  However, in other districts with this similar pattern, the money is not spent it the year allocated on CONTINUE READING: Choosing Democracy: SCUSD Not Insolvent- It Just Can't Count

Saturday, February 22, 2020

TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 2/22/20 #REDFORED #tbats

Big Education Ape



TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 2/22/20








TOP POSTS THIS MONTH 2/22/20









POSTS THIS WEEK 2/22/20

TODAY

Gene V Glass: Education in Two Worlds: How Much Academic Growth?

How Much Academic Growth? Recently, a colleague in England very politely called me on the carpet for something I wrote in 1981 that did not mercifully die in the interim. Here is his question. Dear Dr. Glass As you may know, the Education Endowment Foundation in England, in order to help with interpreting effect sizes in education, has suggested to teachers that an effect size of one standard de
Sacramento City Unified School District Board Votes To Lay Off Dozens - Elk Grove Tribune

Sacramento City Unified School District Board Votes To Lay Off Dozens Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education voted to eliminate dozens of positions within its district. Last year, more than 100 employees were laid off. On Friday, the board voted for approval of 82 layoffs for full time positions. Of those being cut, 54 are K-12 teachers and four are adult education teachers.
Women Read. Women Write. Women Vote. | Teacher in a strange land

Women Read. Women Write. Women Vote. One of the more extraordinary end-of-2019 retrospective/resolution columns was Leonard Pitts’s announcement of his decision to read only female authors in 2020. Pitts, a self-proclaimed avid reader, realized, a couple years back, that he’d read 48 books that year—and only one of them was written by a woman. What made the piece memorable was not Pitts’s determ
Column: You'll need a shower after reading about this school board race that's descended into the gutter - Los Angeles Times

Column: You'll need a shower after reading about this school board race that's descended into the gutter By Steve Lopez latimes.com — There she was, sitting right in front of me. Evil in the flesh, or so you’d believe from the fliers now landing in mailboxes across a wide swath of Los Angeles. She stands accused of discriminating against Latino families, putting children in the line of fire beca
CURMUDGUCATION: Social and Emotional Learning Is Drawing Fire

Social and Emotional Learning Is Drawing Fire I told you so. If you are of a Certain Age, you remember Outcome Based Education, the Next Big Education Thing of the 1990s . Its basic idea was to reduce education to observable behaviors-- all those lesson plans with "The Student Will Be Able To...," are artifacts of OBE. The architects were intent on reducing all learning to something cold, hard a
Detroit: Why Are School Closures Concentrated in Black and Brown Communities? | Diane Ravitch's blog

Detroit: Why Are School Closures Concentrated in Black and Brown Communities? In this study of school closures in Detroit , the authors note that the closures were concentrated in black and brown communities. Terrance L. Green, Joanna D. Sanchez, and Andrene J.Castro note this spatial concentration of closures and point out that it typically has negative effects on students. It reads in part: Be
Cartoons on Old Technologies for Nostalgic Readers | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Cartoons on Old Technologies for Nostalgic Readers Anyone under the age of 35, do not look at these cartoons. I target the middle-aged and elderly viewers of this blog for a trip down a memory lane of old technologies. Wait. Maybe for those under 35, take a look. I have also included some that may skewer them. Enjoy! MORE CARTOONS: Cartoons on Old Technologies for Nostalgic Readers | Larry Cuban
California’s $53 Million Lawsuit Settlement to Improve Reading | Ogo Okoye-Johnson

California’s $53 Million Lawsuit Settlement to Improve Reading On Thursday February 20, 2020, in the Los Angeles Superior Court, 75 elementary public traditional and charter schools won a $53 million lawsuit settlement against the State of California for violating the students’ civil rights. The Ella T. vs. the State of California , lawsuit filed by students and their teachers two years ago clai
We Don’t Need Charter Schools in New York City – the Affinity District is a Far Better Model for Children and Teachers | Ed In The Apple

We Don’t Need Charter Schools in New York City – the Affinity District is a Far Better Model for Children and Teachers The New York State charter school law begins by differentiating charter and traditional public schools, Provide parents and students with expanded choices in the types of educational opportunities that are available within the public school system; and (f) Provide schools with a
James Baldwin (1979): “you can’t change a school without changing the neighborhood” – radical eyes for equity

James Baldwin (1979): “you can’t change a school without changing the neighborhood” Every time I make the case that in order to offer every child the very highest quality education all children deserve, we must address the socioeconomic inequity of homes and communities as well as the schools that serve them, I am chastised by some that teachers and schools cannot control any of those out-of-sch
Fifth National Conference on School Integration - Education Law Prof Blog

Education Law Prof Blog Fifth National Conference on School Integration Join over 400 people from across the country to discuss and strengthen strategies for promoting racial and socioeconomic integration in elementary and secondary schools at our fifth national conference: National Conference on School Integration March 26-27th, 2020 JW Marriott Washington, DC Register for NCSD2020 Book your hot
Catch Up With Newblackman (In Exile)

NewBlackMan (in Exile) After 40 Years, 'A Soldier's Play' Finally Marches Onto Broadway by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d 'In 1981, Charles Fuller 's A Soldier's Play premiered in New York City, featuring actors who would go on to become household names, like Samuel L. Jackson and Denzel Washington . The following year, Fuller became the second African American in history to win the Pulitzer Prize for D
THIS WEEK Education Research Report

Education Research Report THIS WEEK Education Research Report Want to live longer? Stay in school, study suggests by Jonathan Kantrowitz / 1d Life expectancy in the United States has been in decline for the first time in decades, and public health officials have identified a litany of potential causes, including inaccessible health care, rising drug addiction and rates of mental health disorders,
This Week With Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the 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 Video: “How to do Mardi Gras like a New Orleans local” by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h hannahalkadi / Pixabay I’m adding this new Washington Post video to The Best Sites To Learn About Mardi Gras & Carnivals : A Look Back: “Teacher: How my 9th graders graded me” by Larry Ferlazzo / 8h I thought that new – and
KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all #tBATS

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all KEEP UP/ CATCH UP WITH DIANE RAVITCH'S BLOG A site to discuss better education for all Slaying Goliath The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America's Public Schools CLICK HERE TO Order NOW Susan Edelman: Bloomberg’s Test Score Con by dianeravitch / 42min Strange as it may seem, the best education reporte

YESTERDAY

February 24-28 is Public Schools Week - Education Votes #PUBLICSCHOOLPROUD #PUBLICSCHOOLSWEEK

February 24-28 is Public Schools Week - Education Votes February 24-28 is Public Schools Week A record number of lawmakers signed the bipartisan, bicameral resolution declaring February 24-28 Public Schools Week: 45 senators and more than 70 representatives—and still growing. The resolution recognizes the importance of our nation’s public schools and honors those who work tirelessly to support an
San Diego prosecutors: Districts that authorized A3 charter schools should pay back oversight fees - The San Diego Union-Tribune

San Diego prosecutors: Districts that authorized A3 charter schools should pay back oversight fees Prosecutors say A3 charter schools were vehicles of fraud; six small districts benefited Prosecutors leading the A3 charter school criminal case want to take back potentially millions of dollars of charter school oversight fees that were paid to small school districts that were supposed to hold the
New Mexico Sues Google For Collecting Children's Data In Schools | HuffPost

New Mexico Sues Google For Collecting Children’s Data In Schools The suit accuses Google of using its “education services package” to spy on children and their families. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico ’s attorney general sued Google Thursday over allegations the tech company is illegally collecting personal data generated by children in violation of federal and state laws.' The lawsuit file
CURMUDGUCATION: OH: Whose Gold Makes That Parachute?

OH: Whose Gold Makes That Parachute? It turns out there's one more problem with the kind of autocratic corporate-style takeover that Ohio implemented under HB 70. You may recall that Lorain, Ohio, is one of three districts to be placed under the control of an all-powerful CEO . It was not pretty. An Ohio-style school CEO has all the powers of a school board and a superintendent, less the ability
American Federation of Teachers urges members to support Biden, Sanders, Warren - POLITICO

American Federation of Teachers urges members to support Biden, Sanders, Warren The move was a pointed rebuke of former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. The 1.7 million member American Federation of Teachers union announced Thursday that it would encourage its local and state affiliates to back or endorse the presidential bids of former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders or Sen. Elizabe
Eye Opening Book: The Power Worshippers | tultican

Eye Opening Book: The Power Worshippers By Thomas Ultican 2/20/2020 Katherine Stewart’s The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism is a brilliant piece of investigative journalism. It shines a light on significant threats to American pluralism and representative democracy. The religious rights amazing successes now influence every aspect of American life, from the
Inequitable Opportunity to Learn: Student Access to Certified and Experienced Teachers | Cloaking Inequity

INEQUITABLE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN: STUDENT ACCESS TO CERTIFIED AND EXPERIENCED TEACHERS I gave a keynote for the Tucson Urban League yesterday and one of the topics of discussion was the persisting inequality in teacher quality for low income and students of color. On cue, The Learning Policy Institute (LPI) has released Inequitable Opportunity to Learn: Student Access to Certified and Experience
NANCY BAILEY: ‘Screens in Schools Action Kit’ to Help Parents Push Back Against Edtech Overuse

‘Screens in Schools Action Kit’ to Help Parents Push Back Against Edtech Overuse ‘Screens in Schools Action Kit’ to Help Parents Push Back Against Edtech Overuse Parents and educators worry about how much time students spend facing digital devices. Here is a useful resource to help children live lives that aren’t dominated by screen use. Contact: Seth Evans, Chair, (seth@commercialfreechildhood.o
CURMUDGUCATION: Common Core Is Dead. Long LIve Common Core.

Common Core Is Dead. Long LIve Common Core. The Common Core State Standards are dead. Done. Finished. Authorities have told us so. Betsy DeVos delivered a brief eulogy at the American Enterprise Institute back in January. “And at the U.S. Department of Education, Common Core is dead,” she declared. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis just announced that the work of “rooting out all vestiges of Com
NYC Educator: NYC Educator Endorses AFT's Multi-Endorsement

NYC Educator Endorses AFT's Multi-Endorsement Last night I got a phone call from AFT, which evidently had something to do with a presidential endorsement. Sensing near-certain disappointment, I decided to walk my dog instead. Upon my arrival home I got a few questions about it, and went to AFT's website where I found this . I will cut to the chase in case you don't want to read the whole thing:
After Years of Failed Initiatives, Gates Foundation Keeps on Trying to Fix the Schools | janresseger

After Years of Failed Initiatives, Gates Foundation Keeps on Trying to Fix the Schools You might imagine that Bill and Melinda Gates, with all their money, a large staff, and access to research would have developed a more nuanced and helpful strategy for school reform. But you’d be wrong. In their 2020 Gates Foundation Annual Letter , Bill and Melinda Gates continue to assume that academic outco
Make Your Own Light | Live Long and Prosper

Make Your Own Light COLD WAR FEARS Many of us who grew up during the Cold War were emotionally traumatized by the fear of nuclear annihilation. Those of us old enough to remember hiding under our school desks during an air-raid drill remember the feelings of fear. Those of us old enough to understand what was happening in Cuba in late 1962 remember the feelings of fear… Research on the effects o
How should we evaluate teacher quality? | Cloaking Inequity

HOW SHOULD WE EVALUATE TEACHER QUALITY? The education psychologist have recently released a policy brief that discusses empirically based assessment of teacher quality. They write, Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association is proud to announce their second policy brief, “Addressing Teacher Evaluation Appropriately.” This brief, focused on teacher evaluation p
Don’t Extend Kids’ School Day; Shorten Parents’ Work Week | gadflyonthewallblog

Don’t Extend Kids’ School Day; Shorten Parents’ Work Week It’s rough being the parent of an American school student. You often leave for work before your kids have even made it to school yet – and you get home long after they’ve returned. When exactly are you supposed to parent ? Your kids have to get themselves to school. They have to get themselves home. And helping with homework, talking abou
Charter School Advocates Spending Big in LAUSD Board Elections – Los Angeles Education Examiner

Charter School Advocates Spending Big in LAUSD Board Elections The California Charter School Association (CCSA) is the largest and most visible pro-charter organization in Los Angeles’ political scene. CCSA has chosen to endorse just one candidate in LAUSD’s 2020 school board elections, but that doesn’t mean that pro-charter candidates aren’t receiving millions of dollars in support from indepen

FEB 20

Michael Bloomberg has invested heavily in promoting charter schools in California | EdSource

Michael Bloomberg has invested heavily in promoting charter schools in California f there is on e issue on which Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump agree, it is on the value of charter schools. One difference is that Bloomberg does not appear to back using taxpayer funds to underwrite tuition for private and parochial schools, as Trump does. Another is that Bloomberg has actually been able to im
Andrea Gabor: Betsy DeVos’s Voucher Obsession Could Boomerang on Republicans | Diane Ravitch's blog

Andrea Gabor: Betsy DeVos’s Voucher Obsession Could Boomerang on Republicans Veteran journalist Andrea Gabor explains that Betsy DeVos got the Trump administration to commit fully behind her voucher obsession, rolling some 29 or 30 programs into a block grant, including the toxic federal Charter Schools Program. In exchange, the Trump administration is seeking $5 billion for national voucher pro
Growing Awareness of "Period Poverty" in Schools - NEA Today

Growing Awareness of “Period Poverty” in Schools Delaware high school teacher Kerry Stahl keeps a stash of tampons and menstrual pads—which she pays for herself—in her classroom for students. This way, she says, students can grab one, run to the bathroom, and be back in class in five minutes. Otherwise, Stahl’s students would have to trek to the nurse’s office (their school has one, but many don
CURMUDGUCATION: Avoiding Teacher Compensation

Avoiding Teacher Compensation Erik Hanushek has been at this for a while, and his shtick is pretty well polished. With Raj Chetty , he's been making the assertion that having a good teacher will make a student wealthier . While he can occasionally seem like a champion of teachers and teaching, he also lapses often into the old reform whinge that teachers don't really want to be held accountable
Don’t Mess with Texas’ Schools – Have You Heard

Don’t Mess with Texas’ Schools Have You Heard heads to fast-growing north Texas for a first-hand look at how support for public education is upending the state’s politics. Spoiler: GOP candidates are scrambling to paint themselves as lovers of public schools and their teachers. But does their new-found love translate into actual policy? And will former GOP voters who prize public education end u
¡Prop 13 Is Not About Property Tax! (But It Is About Funding Schools) – Los Angeles Education Examiner

¡Prop 13 Is Not About Property Tax! (But It Is About Funding Schools) In 1978 Californians voted to limit their personal tax liability. The ballot initiative approved at that time was titled and summarized by the CA Secretary of State as “ Proposition 13, Tax Limitations Initiative (1978)”. Click here for a terrific retrospective (or primer, depending on your age). This is not the Proposition 13
New flyer for the Feb. 28 class size hearings; please come! | Class Size Matters

| A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes New flyer for the Feb. 28 class size hearings; please come! Here and below is the updated flyer for the Feb. 28 class size hearings at City Hall, starting at 10 AM. Please share widely, and sorry for all the confusion. Please come to show your support for smaller classes, even if you don’t choose to testify.
CURMUDGUCATION: Shoving Babies Into The Pipeline

Shoving Babies Into The Pipeline I knew I was going to be cranky after the very first sentence: The workforce pipeline begins with quality early education. This is Gil Minor, a retired CEO of a Fortune 200 company; he's also the chair of the Virginia Higher Education Council and vice-chairman of the group he's plugging in this op-ed, E3: Elevate Early Education. And not everything he has to say
NYC Public School Parents: Update: Class size hearings to be held on Friday Feb. 28, 10AM at City Hall!

Update: Class size hearings to be held on Friday Feb. 28, 10AM at City Hall! Our class size hearings have been rescheduled again, and will now be held on Friday February 28, at 10AM at City Hall in the Committee Room. We really need parents, teachers, and concerned citizens to come out and show their support for this event. You can come to testify and/or bring signs to show your support for smal
Project-Based Learning, #3 | The Merrow Report

Project-Based Learning, #3 Recently in this space I have been praising project-based learning, because it enables students to become producers of knowledge, not merely consumers (and sometimes regurgitators). As noted earlier, the best projects are ones where the teacher or teachers do not know ‘The correct answer’ because they also are engaged in the journey of discovery. In the end, students o

FEB 19

The Real Reading Debate and How We Fail to Teach Reading – radical eyes for equity

The Real Reading Debate and How We Fail to Teach Reading Sometimes cliches hit the nail on the head: It’s deja vu all over again. Sometimes hackneyed metaphors paint the best picture: When you find yourself in a hole, keep digging. And that brings us to the “science of reading” version of the Reading War. Here, I want to address the often misunderstood real reading debate as well as outline how
Report Shows Racial Divide in Academic Success

Report Shows Racial Divide in Academic Success in Progressive Cities The American education system is rife with problems. Schools go underfunded, teachers barely can make a living wage and students have to worry about either getting shot at or body-slammed by school resource officers. While many of those problems tend to be attributed to schools in lower-income areas, a study shows that’s not qu
Standardized tests voided at three dozen New Orleans schools due to irregularities | The Lens

Standardized tests voided at three dozen New Orleans schools due to irregularities Thirty-four New Orleans public schools had at least one state standardized exam voided last school year due to test policy violations or suspected cheating, according to the Louisiana Department of Education’s annual testing irregularities report . Across the state, 1,497 exams at 299 schools were voided for a var
Agency saved by DeVos appears to have accredited a college with no students, faculty or classrooms | Salon.com

Agency saved by DeVos appears to have accredited a college with no students, faculty or classrooms A joint investigation by USA Today and The Argus Leader calls the ACICS' ability to vet schools into question The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools (ACICS) accredited a college which appears to have no faculty or students after Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reversed an Oba
Amplifying Profits Selling Harmful Pedagogy | tultican

Amplifying Profits Selling Harmful Pedagogy By Thomas Ultican 2/19/2020 Amplify education Inc. has a two decade history of trying to profit by selling education technology. The bottom line is even if their pedagogy was good – which it is not – it would be unhealthy for children. The big dream of replacing teachers with digital screens and making gobs of money has a fatal flaw. The last thing 21
Food Fight: How 2 Trump Proposals Could Bite Into School Lunch | 89.3 KPCC

Food Fight: How 2 Trump Proposals Could Bite Into School Lunch Two pending rule changes meant to reduce what the Trump administration calls abuse of federal benefit programs could also mean hundreds of thousands of children lose access to free school meals. The first proposed change: The Trump administration wants to tighten states' standards for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SN
Public Schools Are a “Pillar of our Democracy.” Trump and DeVos Declare Them “Antiquated and Oppressive.” | janresseger

Public Schools Are a “Pillar of our Democracy.” Trump and DeVos Declare Them “Antiquated and Oppressive.” If you are going to read one article about public education this week, I recommend Derek Black’s commentary in last Friday’s USA Today , Trump’s ‘Education Freedom’ Plan Is an Attack on Public Schools. That’s Un-American . Derek Black is a professor of law at the University of South Carolina
School Reforms That Are Persistent and Admired But Marginal (Part 4) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

School Reforms That Are Persistent and Admired But Marginal (Part 4) Every school reform is a solution to a problem. How a problem is identified (e.g., unilaterally, multilaterally) and who does the framing of it (e.g., policymakers, practitioners, parents), of course, matters. The cartoonish superintendent (or elected official) sees the problem in test scores declining the longer students are i
Rounding Up the Top News – Los Angeles Education Examiner

Rounding Up the Top News Every week we’ll be rounding up the top education news. Here’s the top news from the last eight days. Who is funding the LAUSD elections ? LAUSD Board elections are becoming more and more expensive. We’ve already discussed how much of that money is from dark money PAC’s, but over the last week larger, legacy media have taken a look at the mega-bucks that are taking over
NYC Public School Parents: Class Size and School Overcrowding Citywide Trends

Class Size and School Overcrowding Citywide Trends Here is a presentation explaining why class size is important, with data showing citywide class size trends since 2006. NYC Public School Parents: Class Size and School Overcrowding Citywide Trends

FEB 18

What it really means when Trump, DeVos and their allies refer to public schools as ‘government schools’ - The Washington Post

What it really means when Trump, DeVos and their allies refer to public schools as ‘government schools’ If you were listening to President Trump deliver his State of the Union address this month, you heard him refer to public schools as “government schools.” It was not the first time, and you can expect to hear it with increasing frequency from him, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and their alli
CURMUDGUCATION: Choice, Parents, Power, Caveat Emptor, and Stupid

Choice, Parents, Power, Caveat Emptor, and Stupid Here's an opening sentence from a recent piece of charter advocacy from the74 : But charter schools and the new, more consumer-oriented public education landscape they represent are here to stay. Well, no. I'm going to skip past the "here to stay" part, because what caught my attention was the "consumer-oriented pub lic education landscape" bit.
Getting Rid of Gym Class | Teacher in a strange land

Getting Rid of Gym Class In 2006, Michigan established a ‘merit curriculum’—a set of HS graduation requirements for every student in MI. There was a lot of fanfare around this standardizing and toughening up, with everyone from the governor to local representatives crowing about rigor and high expectations. Here’s the official blurb: A high school diploma in Michigan will soon say a lot more abo
Statement of Solidarity In Support of Wet’suwet’en First Nation: All The Darkness Shall Be Exposed To The Light – Wrench in the Gears

Statement of Solidarity In Support of Wet’suwet’en First Nation: All The Darkness Shall Be Exposed To The Light Today I had the luxury of enjoying time with my child who is home from college for a brief visit. As wonderful as it was to have a day off of work, it felt wrong to enjoy a “holiday” celebrating two colonizers. This feeling was particularly strong for me this year. You see my child is
Federal Charter Schools Program, a Lifeline for Owners of Capital, Under Threat | Dissident Voice

Federal Charter Schools Program, a Lifeline for Owners of Capital, Under Threat Neoliberals established the Federal Charter Schools Program in 1994, three years after the nation’s first charter school law was passed in Minnesota. Since then, billions of public dollars have been handed over to privately-owned-operated non-profit and for-profit charter schools through the federal program. The mone
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 A Look Back: Students Remember More When They Tell Stories 21 by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h I thought that new – and veteran – readers might find it interesting if I began sharing my best posts
A surprise big spender funds attack campaign mailers in key L.A. school board races - Los Angeles Times

A surprise big spender funds attack campaign mailers in key L.A. school board races The barrage of campaign mail flooding voters in a Los Angeles school board race includes images of a child holding what appears to be a gun, with the message that school board member Jackie Goldberg is responsible for putting children at risk from gun-related violence. The multiple mailings that Goldberg calls “p
Aaron Wright: The Unintended Consequences of IDEA - NANCY BAILEY'S EDUCATION WEBSITE

The Unintended Consequences of IDEA The Unintended Consequences of IDEA By Aaron Wright It is undeniable that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has aided educational access for autistic children. Prior to the first iteration of the law, children with disabilities did not necessarily have the right to a public education. However, an unforeseen side effect of the IDEA’s deficit
CURMUDGUCATION: How To Improve The Quality Of Teaching With Tools Districts Already Have At Hand (And How To Mess It Up)

How To Improve The Quality Of Teaching With Tools Districts Already Have At Hand (And How To Mess It Up) There is never a shortage of ideas about how to improve the quality of teaching in U.S. classrooms. From the intrusive and convoluted (“Let’s give every student a test and then run the test through a complex mathematical formula and use it to identify the strongest and weakest teachers and th
National Education Policy Center: Are Zillow and Real Estate Agents Promoting Segregation? | Diane Ravitch's blog

National Education Policy Center: Are Zillow and Real Estate Agents Promoting Segregation? How do renters or buyers judge the quality of the schools zoned to their prospective homes? Often it starts not with schools or teachers or students, but with the real estate industry. Two recent pieces of investigative journalism call attention to a prominent flaw with this system: Realtors and real estat
The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems (second edition) | School Finance Indicators Database

The Adequacy and Fairness of State School Finance Systems Download the full report When it comes to American education, few policy areas are as misunderstood — or as crucial — as school finance. Over the past several years, a political and empirical consensus has emerged about the importance of equitable and adequate school funding for high quality K-12 education. In other words, the evidence is
Opinion | School Choice Logic Doesn’t Apply Here. Does the Supreme Court Get That? - The New York Times

School Choice Logic Doesn’t Apply Here. Does the Supreme Court Get That? The Montana education system was designed for fairness and pulling together. The justices should appreciate that legacy. Scrutinizing the avuncular sphinx Chief Justice John Roberts throughout the impeachment trial of President Trump, I kept wondering whether he will preserve or ransack the legacy of the framers we revere —
Black Agenda Report: The Looting of Oakland’s Public Schools by Broadies | Diane Ravitch's blog

Black Agenda Report: The Looting of Oakland’s Public Schools by Broadies This is an astonishing report about the destruction and privatization of public schools in Oakland, California, and the billionaires who facilitated the looting of that city. The article by Eugene Stovall appeared in “Black Agenda Report.” The audacity of this attack on public education is astonishing. The mechanism for the
Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry – Alternet.org

Who Controls Our Schools? How Billionaire-Sponsored Privatization Is Destroying Democracy and Enriching the Charter School Industry Editor's note: AlterNet has covered the school privatization story in great detail. Over time, we became alarmed at what we were seeing. The Independent Media Institute, AlterNet’s parent organization, has published an ebook, Who Controls Our Schools? The Privatizat
“Purple Lit Book”: A Poem | deutsch29

“Purple Lit Book”: A Poem In a recent creative writing assignment connected to our study of the Romantic period in British literature, I asked my senior English students to compose a poem about an item, object, experience, or person associated with the everyday. Below is one student’s response, which I offer to my readers for their enjoyment. Without further ado, and with student permission, I g
DIARY OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER!: "I Don't See Color":Why Educators Should Acknowledge the Race & Ethnicity of Students.

"I Don't See Color":Why Educators Should Acknowledge the Race & Ethnicity of Students. "I don't see color". This was a phrase that was used by a teacher in a Facebook discussion regarding an article about why more teachers of color are needed. The educator in the group took offense because she felt that she didn't see color in her classroom, therefore the race of the teacher should not matter. T
Important update: invitation to speak at Council hearings on class size Feb. 24! | Class Size Matters

Important update: invitation to speak at Council hearings on class size Feb. 24! | A clearinghouse for information on class size & the proven benefits of smaller classes Important update: invitation to speak at Council hearings on class size Feb. 24! 1. Just a quick note to let you know that the hearings on class size have now been rescheduled on Mon. Feb. 24 at 1 PM at 250 Broadway; 14th floor a

FEB 17

The Charter School Movement Is Imploding. What Comes Next May Be Worse - Progressive.org

The Charter School Movement Is Imploding. What Comes Next May Be Worse Trump’s plan for ‘school choice’ will lead to the further privatization of public education. “For too long,” Trump declared in his State of the Union address on February 4, “countless American children have been trapped in failing government schools.” Trump, to shore up his point, introduced two guests in the audience: Stepha
How Do The Current Democratic Candidates Stack Up On Public Education?

How Do The Current Democratic Candidates Stack Up On Public Education? You’d be hard-pressed to find many single-issue voters whose single issue was public education, but if you could find such animals, what could they make of the current set of Democratic contenders? Ignoring other issues, including what may be the biggest question of them all (”How would you get Congress to enact any of this?”
Carl J. Petersen: The Children Are Left Behind in LAUSD School Board Race

The Children Are Left Behind in LAUSD School Board Race The Children Are Left Behind in LAUSD School Board Race In 2015, the California Charter Charter School Association (CCSA) ran a campaign for now convicted felon Ref Rodriguez that first accused incumbent Bennett Kayser of being a racist and then referenced his diagnosis with Parkinson’s . Two years later they stumped for the ethically challe
California: Charter Schools Advocates Distribute Vile, Anti-Semitic Poster of School Board Member Scott Schmerelson | Diane Ravitch's blog

California: Charter Schools Advocates Distribute Vile, Anti-Semitic Poster of School Board Member Scott Schmerelson A front group for the California Charter Schools lobby, which calls itself “Families and Teachers United,” released a flyer that attacked school board member Scott Schmerelson, a pro-public school member of the LAUSD school board and well-qualified educator. Schmerelson has been en
New Hampshire Seeks to Pilot Online Pre-Schooling and Tries Again for Charters | Diane Ravitch's blog

New Hampshire Seeks to Pilot Online Pre-Schooling and Tries Again for Charters New Hampshire’s Governor is a Trump-style extremist, Chris Sununu, whose father John advised the first President Bush. Sununu appointed Frank Edelblut as state commissioner of education. The state commissioner home-schooled his children and follows the ideology of Betsy DeVos. He thinks government money should go wher
Do You Know About Mike Bloomberg’s Record on Public Education? | janresseger

Do You Know About Mike Bloomberg’s Record on Public Education? Much of what follows is from a November post on this blog about the education policies of New York City’s former three-term mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who was granted the right, by the state legislature, to run New York City’s public schools. In November when this was originally posted, Bloomberg was exploring whether to join other De
With A Brooklyn Accent: Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection

Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection Why Donald Trump Hates Our Educational System and Demonizes Teachers- A Personal Reflection As someone who is exactly the same age as DJT and went to school during the same years, I look at his rise to the top of our society with astonishment. As a young person from a family of modest means, going to publ
UFT won’t endorse Bloomberg – that’s not good enough | JD2718

UFT won’t endorse Bloomberg – that’s not good enough The United Federation of Teachers has created a convoluted rationale for not making an endorsement at this time in the presidential race. Given their history of endorsements, I am surprised anyone is upset. In short, the national federation, the American Federation of Teachers, has given the green light to locals to make an endorsement. But th

FEB 16

Educational Redlining - Student Borrower Protection Center

Educational Redlining Report The SBPC’s analysis of fintech and banking products uncovered cases where a prospective borrower may be hit with thousands of dollars in additional credit costs if he or she attended a community college, an Historically Black College or University (HBCU), or an Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). ( Download report here ) Page 3 / 30 Zoom 100% Educational Redlining -
The Black Teachers in Our City Dropped From 40% to 24%. We Can Change That, If We Want To - Philly's 7th Ward

THE BLACK TEACHERS IN OUR CITY DROPPED FROM 40% TO 24%. WE CAN CHANGE THAT, IF WE WANT TO I will never forget the time I attended a teaching job expo in Valley Forge, PA. Districts from around the state had laid out the welcome mat, eager to attract the newest and brightest teachers into their ranks. I stood among the crowds, these hundreds of people ready to join this most important and dearest
I Love Teaching, Even When It Doesn't Love Me Back | The Jose Vilson

I Love Teaching, Even When It Doesn't Love Me Back At 2:45 pm, the students have already left the classroom. The door is slightly ajar, just open enough to let the teenage energy dissipate from this great green room. A whiteboard displays equations, diagrams, and words in different color markers. Desks once rigidly paired are slightly misaligned with untucked chairs and random doodles on them. T
Why School Counselors Are More Essential Than Ever - Teacher Habits

Why School Counselors Are More Essential Than Ever By Frankie Wallace When you think about some of the most influential people in the lives of children, there are a few that probably immediately come to mind. Parents, of course. Maybe grandparents or other involved members of the family. Perhaps a close family friend or godparent. Definitely school teachers. But what about school counselors? Man
Mitchell Robinson: A Betsy DeVos-approved accreditation group authorized a "visa mill" college with no students or faculty | Eclectablog

A Betsy DeVos-approved accreditation group authorized a "visa mill" college with no students or faculty | Eclectablog A Betsy DeVos-approved accreditation group authorized a “visa mill” college with no students or faculty According to a breaking story in USA Today , a Betsy DeVos-sanctioned accreditation agency gave approval to operate for Reagan National University in South Dakota, a “university
School Reforms That Are Persistent And Admired But Marginal (Part 3) | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

School Reforms That Are Persistent And Admired But Marginal (Part 3) Who am I quoting here? Hint: Quotes come from person born in the 19th century. If education is always to be conceived along the same antiquated lines of a mere transmission of knowledge, there is little to be hoped from it in the bettering of man’s future. For what is the use of transmitting knowledge if the individual’s total
CATCH UP WITH CURMUDGUCATION + ICYMI: Discount Chocolate Edition (2/16)

CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Discount Chocolate Edition (2/16) Discount Chocolate Edition (2/16) Well, sure-- what else does one do after Valentines Day except shop for deep discounts on chocolate! While you're eating irresponsibly, here's some reading from the week. Remember to share. School choice detrimental to public schools A guest op-ed from a state senator in the Sun Prairie Star suggesting that
Laura Chapman: Aaron Churchill, Minister of Misinformation for Privatization in Ohio | Diane Ravitch's blog

Laura Chapman: Aaron Churchill, Minister of Misinformation for Privatization in Ohio The munificently-funded Thomas B. Fordham Institute, based in D.C., controls Educatuon Policy, graduation requirements, curriculum, and testing in Ohio. Mr. Fordham, for whom the institute is named, had no known interest in education, but his namesake is part of the rightwing ALEC nexus, where contempt for publi
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 Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL by Larry Ferlazzo / 11h BiljaST / Pixabay Five years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to E
Oklahoma: EPIC Virtual Charter School Penalized $530,000 for Excessive Administrative Costs | Diane Ravitch's blog

Oklahoma: EPIC Virtual Charter School Penalized $530,000 for Excessive Administrative Costs There is not much to admire in Oklahoma’s penurious funding of its public schools. But there is one admirable law on the books. Schools are not permitted to spend excessive amounts on administrative overhead. And when they do, they are penalized. Epic One on One virtual charter school has been penalized m
EdAction in Congress February 16, 2020 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress February 16, 2020 Trump/DeVos budget slashes education funding The Trump/DeVos budget proposal for fiscal year 2021, released Feb. 10, would slash education funding by $6.1 billion—8.4 percent—compared to the amount Congress provided this year. Other budget lowlights include cutting and replacing key education programs with a block grant, robbing public schools of resources

FEB 15



TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 2/15/20 #REDFORED #tbats

Big Education Ape TOP POSTS THIS WEEK 2/15/20 ‘Slaying Goliath’: Diane Ravitch argues in new book that public education advocates have beat back efforts to privatize schools - The Washington Post The real story of New 


Big Education Ape