Thursday, May 13, 2021

Shawgi Tell: Segregated Unaccountable Charter Schools | Dissident Voice

Segregated Unaccountable Charter Schools | Dissident Voice
Segregated Unaccountable Charter Schools




Anyone who has carefully followed charter school news and analysis in recent years knows that privately-operated charter schools are not only segregated but actually increase segregation in the sphere of education. It has become common knowledge that charter schools are notorious for consistently under-enrolling English Language Learners, students with disabilities, homeless students, and other groups of students. Even though they are ostensibly public and “open to all,” most charter schools do not serve all students, let alone equally. Privatized education has never paved the way for all students to have an education.

But even when non-profit and for-profit charter schools are publicly exposed, cited, and rebuked for discriminatory enrollment practices, they are usually allowed to operate with impunity and to continue to siphon enormous sums of money from public schools that accept all students at all times. Many are frustrated by this persistent lack of accountability by schools that constantly claim to not only be accountable but to be more accountable than the public schools they continually drain large sums of money from. The public does not want to fund schools that frequently cherry pick students. Publicness is about inclusivity, not exclusivity. Public means for the common good, for everyone. To claim that you are a public entity while acting like a private entity is CONTINUE READING: Segregated Unaccountable Charter Schools | Dissident Voice

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Council PTSA Meeting with Dr. Jones

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Council PTSA Meeting with Dr. Jones
Seattle Council PTSA Meeting with Dr. Jones


There were about 75 participants at the Seattle Council PTSA’s meeting last week with new superintendent, Dr. Brent Jones. Included in that count were Board members Lisa Rivera-Smith, Liza Rankin and Chandra Hampson.

In his introductory remarks, Jones said that he was a current SPS parents with a Cleveland High grad. 

Jones went on to say he had five goals.

1. He said that he was committed to having “the right people in place” to work on racial equity issues and being responsible to parents. Director Hampson chimed in and said they were there to provide “oversight and accountability.” 

1. He wants to “create conditions for students to thrive” and provide for their “well-being,” both mentally and physically. 

2. He wants the whole system thriving, not just barely functioning. (Not clear if he meant that the current system is barely functioning.) He wants students “Seattle-ready” and “competitive in their chosen field” as well as “being good citizens.”

3. He said it was important to have interesting and culturally responsive CONTINUE READING: Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Council PTSA Meeting with Dr. Jones

"Have To" History: A Wall Of Education | Blue Cereal Education

"Have To" History: A Wall Of Education | Blue Cereal Education
"Have To" History: A Wall Of Education



It's dangerous to start pushing a book when I haven't seen the physical final product yet. I learned last time that no matter how many weird formatting issues, overlooked typos, and random nude shots you're POSITIVE you've resolved, there are always a few more waiting to be discovered once you've started promoting the thing and your entire sense of self-worth is on the line. 

And yet, I'm pretty happy this one is finally "live," no matter what minor edits may be necessary down the road. I'm sharing the Author's Intro with you here by way of a teaser, but if you're reading this specific introduction (which will be edited out once it no longer applies) it means I still have review copies I'd love to send out to anyone willing to (1) read the book (or enough of it to justify a review) and (2) post a review on Amazon.com and maybe Goodreads (if you're into that sort of thing). I'm not allowed to bribe you beyond a free copy or to cajole you into making the reviews positive, but your amazing Amazon reviews of the first book were very much appreciated and have continuted to make a huge difference in how it's doing. Thank you for that. 

So, if you'd like a complimentary review copy, email me at BCE@BlueCerealEducation.com with your name and shipping info and I'll get one on the way as soon as possible. Otherwise, you can find the Paperback Version or Kindle e-Book Version on Amazon.com or whatever version of Amazon you access in your part of the universe.

In the meantime, here's that intro you won't be able to resist.

“Have To” History: A Wall Of Education - What the Supreme Court Really Says (and What It Really Doesn’t) About the Separation of Church and State in Education

When I published “Have To” History: Landmark Supreme Court Cases a few years ago, I added a brief “Afterword” explaining how I came to find myself so fascinated with the decisions of the nation’s highest court over the years and what I hoped to CONTINUE READING: "Have To" History: A Wall Of Education | Blue Cereal Education

North Carolina: Voucher Zealots Want to Destroy Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

North Carolina: Voucher Zealots Want to Destroy Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog
North Carolina: Voucher Zealots Want to Destroy Public Schools



The editorial board of the News & Observer, the state’s largest newspaper sharply criticized the Republicans in the General Assembly for rushing to expand the state’s voucher program. They plan to raise the income requirement so that many more families are eligible, and they expect to increase the size of the voucher.

Senate leader Phil Berger peddles the same lie that Betsy DeVos so often spewed: that the voucher program would give poor families the same educational opportunities as affluent families.

The current size of the voucher is $4,200. Even if that is increased by $1,650, as proposed, it will still be far less than the tuition at a first-rate private school.

The editorial board writes:

Senate leader Phil Berger has long described the school voucher program he pushed through in 2013 as a way to enable poor families to afford private school tuition. Now that claim is being dropped in favor of offering vouchers to families earning well over the state’s median income.

At a 2019 news conference, Berger, an Eden Republican, CONTINUE READING: North Carolina: Voucher Zealots Want to Destroy Public Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog

Educators call on Congress to ensure healthy school meals for all students - Education Votes

Educators call on Congress to ensure healthy school meals for all students - Education Votes
Educators call on Congress to ensure healthy school meals for all students




By Cindy Long

Susan Jones, a nutrition services professional in Colonial School District, New Castle, Delaware, has seen far too many students skip lunch because they were afraid they couldn’t afford it or were embarrassed to hand the cashier the card announcing that they qualified for free meals.

“The best possible use of my tax dollar would be to feed a kid,” Jones says, who dreads seeing hungry kids avoid the line and the stigma of the “free lunch” label.  “Universal school meals would make a huge difference at the  register. Everyone’s going to get lunch, no questions asked. I hope it’s forever.”

If lawmakers are successful, it will be.

Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Gwen Moore of Wisconsin introduced the Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021, which would permanently provide free breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack to all school children regardless of income while eliminating school meal debt.

Susan Jones

“In the richest country in the world, it is an outrage that millions of children struggle with hunger every day,” Sanders said in a statement. “Every child deserves a quality education free of hunger. What we’ve seen during this pandemic is that a universal approach to school meals works. We cannot go backwards.”

An emergency nutrition waiver program was implemented in spring of 2020 as COVID-19 closed schools and businesses, triggering an economic crisis and widespread food insecurity. The waivers made it much easier to feed all students, but if universal school meals don’t continue, educators say, many students will fall back into hunger.

There is a large refugee and immigrant population in the Phoenix Union High School District, where Vanessa Jimenez CONTINUE READING: Educators call on Congress to ensure healthy school meals for all students - Education Votes

Billions are at stake. Community voice is critical. | Schott Foundation for Public Education

Billions are at stake. Community voice is critical. | Schott Foundation for Public Education
Billions are at stake. Community voice is critical


The next few months are pivotal in determining whether the billions of dollars in the federal recovery funds move us toward education justice, or increase race, gender, and class inequities.

The future of millions of children is at stake. If parents, students, and educators don’t organize to determine where these billions go, someone else will. It’s up to communities to raise their voices; it’s up to philanthropy to speak out, to use their influence as well as their grant dollars—their cash and connections—to support grassroots organizing in this historic moment.

States must submit plans by June 7th to the federal government on how they’ll spend the $123 billion earmarked for education in American Rescue Plan (ARP), and each school district must submit their own plans to their state. States and districts are required to show robust stakeholder engagement from students, educators and community groups in those plans.

Boston model: ensure meaningful community voice at the table

Boston Public Schools announced a new commission to determine how to invest the nearly $400 million the district is expected to receive over the next three years. The commission features stakeholders from every sector of the city. Schott President Dr. John H. Jackson, who is a commission member, said, “We applaud the superintendent for creating a commission made up of diverse partners from the community including Boston Student Advisory Committee, Boston Education Justice Alliance and the Lawyers Committee — as well as educators, school leaders and philanthropic partners. We strongly encourage other cities to do the same and urge our philanthropic partners to engage in the process.”

Not all districts are yet taking Boston’s approach. As any observer of education policy will tell you, it’s one thing for a law to mandate community input, and it’s another thing for that input to be meaningful, substantive, and powerful enough to make a serious impact. Given the Rescue Plan’s short timeline, it will be tempting for some policymakers to ignore voices for equity and justice. With the transformative potential of these funds on the line, that’s something we must not allow.

Support organizers in elevating input for allocation decisions

Last week Schott convened our Opportunity to Learn Network, including policy experts and veteran education justice CONTINUE READING: Billions are at stake. Community voice is critical. | Schott Foundation for Public Education

NEWS FROM DR. MIGUEL CARDONA AND THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Home | U.S. Department of Education

NEWS FROM DR. MIGUEL CARDONA  AND THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION






U.S. Department of Education Makes Available $36 Billion in American Rescue Plan Funds to Support Students and Institutions
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced more than $36 billion in emergency grants today provided under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act for postsecondary education. These grants will help over 5,000 institutions of higher education (institutions), including HBCUs, TCCUs, and HSIs, provide emergency financial aid to millions of students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 na
U.S. Department of Education Makes Available $36 Billion in American Rescue Plan Funds to Support Students and Institutions
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced more than $36 billion in emergency grants today provided under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act for postsecondary education. These grants will help over 5,000 institutions of higher education (institutions), including HBCUs, TCCUs, and HSIs, provide emergency financial aid to millions of students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 na