Will the Children of Buena Vista Go Without an Education?
The public schools of Buena Vista are closed. The teachers offered to work for free, but they were rebuffed. Some have filed for unemployment. The children are out of school, and no one knows when school will open again. Or if it will.
Joy Resnovits is following this story on Huffington Post.
Buena Vista is a town that got left behind when the American auto industry collapsed.
Joy Resnovits is following this story on Huffington Post.
Buena Vista is a town that got left behind when the American auto industry collapsed.
Michigan in a Nutshell
A comment on the blog about the state of public education in Michigan:
I am a retired high school English teacher in Michigan. After I retired I served 8 years on our board of education. I retired in 2000 and have a son, daughter and daughter-in-law in the teaching profession.
What has happened in Michigan since I retired is appalling. Our teachers are being demoralized, our school aid fund has been raided to give tax breaks to big business, tenure is gone, and evaluations are being based on test scores. Benefits have been reduced for teachers and right to work is in play.
Our legislators believe the EAA which has taken over some schools in Detroit should be expanded when it hasn’t
I am a retired high school English teacher in Michigan. After I retired I served 8 years on our board of education. I retired in 2000 and have a son, daughter and daughter-in-law in the teaching profession.
What has happened in Michigan since I retired is appalling. Our teachers are being demoralized, our school aid fund has been raided to give tax breaks to big business, tenure is gone, and evaluations are being based on test scores. Benefits have been reduced for teachers and right to work is in play.
Our legislators believe the EAA which has taken over some schools in Detroit should be expanded when it hasn’t
Selling Out Black Children in Michigan
In the previous post, I noted that the emergency manager in Detroit was instructed to “blow up” the district.
In the other districts controlled by emergency managers–Muskegon Heights and Highland Park–the emergency managers closed down public education and handed the buildings and students over to for-profit operators.
This article in Education Week brings out important facts.
1. “African-Americans make up 88 percent of the students in the Muskegon Heights system, and 98 percent of
In the other districts controlled by emergency managers–Muskegon Heights and Highland Park–the emergency managers closed down public education and handed the buildings and students over to for-profit operators.
This article in Education Week brings out important facts.
1. “African-Americans make up 88 percent of the students in the Muskegon Heights system, and 98 percent of
Detroit: The Most Sickening Story of the Day
Detroit’s Emergency Manager Roy Roberts announced he was stepping down. But then he said something utterly astonishing. He said that when he took the job, his instructions were to “blow up” the district.
He didn’t say who told him to destroy the district.
Interesting that all of the districts in Michigan that have emergency managers are predominantly African
He didn’t say who told him to destroy the district.
Interesting that all of the districts in Michigan that have emergency managers are predominantly African
8th Grade Student: Why So Much Advertising on Pearson Tests?
A student in a gifted program wrote this piercing analysis of the state tests he and his classmates just endured.
The tests he took had many brand names and registered trademarks. He realized this is product placement.
He wrote:
“Non-fictional passages in the test I took included an article about robots, where the brands IBM™, Lego®, FIFA® and Mindstorms™ popped up, each explained with a footnote. I cannot speak for all test takers, but I
The tests he took had many brand names and registered trademarks. He realized this is product placement.
He wrote:
“Non-fictional passages in the test I took included an article about robots, where the brands IBM™, Lego®, FIFA® and Mindstorms™ popped up, each explained with a footnote. I cannot speak for all test takers, but I
A Teacher Responds to Obama Proclamation On National Charter School Week
Earlier I posted President Obama’s proclamation on National Charter School Week, which happens to coincide with Teacher Appreciation Week.
A charter school teacher responded with this comment:
“I’ve been an educator in Columbus, Ohio since university. In my 8th year, I currently earn 34,000 before taxes at a 9-12 charter school. I can be fired at any time. I have no tenure, no union, and scarce resources to teach. I
A charter school teacher responded with this comment:
“I’ve been an educator in Columbus, Ohio since university. In my 8th year, I currently earn 34,000 before taxes at a 9-12 charter school. I can be fired at any time. I have no tenure, no union, and scarce resources to teach. I
MI District Broke, Teachers Offer to Work for Free, But Then…
In little Buena Vista, Michigan, the schools have been decimated by budget cuts and declining enrollments. Faced with the threat of bankruptcy, the teachers offered to work for free. The district laid them all off and is closing the schools.
Who says that Americans don’t care about education? Maybe Governor Snyder will send in an emergency manager to give the children to a for-profit charter chain that will rehire the teachers and cut their pay and benefits.
The schools close officially on Tuesday, which is Teacher Appreciation Day.
Who says that Americans don’t care about education? Maybe Governor Snyder will send in an emergency manager to give the children to a for-profit charter chain that will rehire the teachers and cut their pay and benefits.
The schools close officially on Tuesday, which is Teacher Appreciation Day.
MI District Broke, Teachers Offer to Work for Free, But Then…
In little Buena Vista, Michigan, the schools have been decimated by budget cuts and declining enrollments. Faced with the threat of bankruptcy, the teachers offered to work for free. The district laid them all off and is closing the schools.
Who says that Americans don’t care about education? Maybe Governor Snyder will send in an emergency manager to give the children to a for-profit charter chain that will rehire the teachers and cut their pay and
Who says that Americans don’t care about education? Maybe Governor Snyder will send in an emergency manager to give the children to a for-profit charter chain that will rehire the teachers and cut their pay and
Brian Ford: Why Pressure and Greed Are Not Good
Brian Ford, teacher and author, writes in a comment, responding to John Merrow’s investigative reporting:
It was John Merrow’s interview with Michelle Rhee, when she was still in charge of DCPS, that first raised my hackles. She said, “Pressure is good.” It was a bit like two decades ago, when Gordon Gekko declared, ‘Greed is good.’ In both cases the statement is presented as the hard, unvarnished truth that people are unwilling to accept because they are too politely unrealistic. That the declaration of the goodness of pressure and greed also serves the interest of the speaker is left unsaid.
That was the goal of Michelle Rhee and the others:
Creating A System Of Pressure –
–a system of pressure that would have people teaching children doubt themselves and blame themselves for
It was John Merrow’s interview with Michelle Rhee, when she was still in charge of DCPS, that first raised my hackles. She said, “Pressure is good.” It was a bit like two decades ago, when Gordon Gekko declared, ‘Greed is good.’ In both cases the statement is presented as the hard, unvarnished truth that people are unwilling to accept because they are too politely unrealistic. That the declaration of the goodness of pressure and greed also serves the interest of the speaker is left unsaid.
That was the goal of Michelle Rhee and the others:
Creating A System Of Pressure –
–a system of pressure that would have people teaching children doubt themselves and blame themselves for
LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 5-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Texas: The Surefire Plan to Destroy Public Education by dianerav You think it can’t happen here? You think your state is immune? Read about the war on public education in Texas and think again. Some part of this radical agenda is being promoted in almost every state. Yours too. This comment was written by Bonnie Lesley of “Texas Kids Can’t Wait”: “I worry a lot whether public schools will continue to exist in some states. Our organization, Texas Kids Cant John ... more »
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By Robert Reich