LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-4-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Remembering Martin Niemoller

Keith Gamache, an art teacher at South Side High School in Rockville Center, Long Island, New York, ran for school board and lost. He plans to run again. He wrote the following, drawing on the inspiration of anti-Nazi theologian Martin Niemöller: First they came for the large, inner city public schools, and I did not speak out Because I did not live in the city Then they came for the poor and rura

by dianerav / 4min

A Fight to Save the Public Sector

In city after city, state after state, the privatization movement is seeking to take control of public sector institutions and to turn a profit. They begin by attacking the public sector as costly, wasteful, and inefficient. This is the classic use of FUD (look up the term in wikipedia, it has a long history in public relations as a way to destroy your competition): Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt. In th

by dianerav / 52min 

Ohio: Privatization Is a Challenge to Our Democracy

Bill Phillis of the Ohio Coalition for Education and Adequacy writes the following description of the assault on public education in that state:   FY2014-FY2015 State Budget Proposal:  Assault on school districts and boards of education July 1, 2013 The state is responsible for a thorough and efficient system of public common schools.  School district boards of education are responsible for delive

by dianerav / 13min

More on the Purpose of Education in a Democracy

More from a reader who calls himself “Democracy”: As I continue to point out, the U.S. already IS internationally competitive. The World Economic Forum ranks nations each year on competitiveness. It uses “a highly comprehensive index” of the “many factors” that enable “national economies to achieve sustained economic growth and long-term prosperity.” The U.S. is usually in the top five (if not 1

by dianerav / 1min 

Reflections on the Purpose of Education and the Manufactured Crisis

A reader who signs in as “democracy” posted this comment: Education in a democratic republic has a special place and purpose. At least it’s supposed to, and public education’s purpose is most certainly NOT to make a society “more competitive.” Aristotle argued for a system of public education in ancient Athens, noting that “each government has a peculiar character…the character of democracy create

by dianerav / 13min 

July 4 and Edward Snowden

July 4 is a day when we celebrate our independence, our freedom, and our liberties, guaranteed by our great Constitution and Bill of Rights. It is also a good day to ponder the continuing growth of the national security state. This state demands the power to watch our every move. It says that it keeps us safe by having the ability to read our emails and monitor our phone calls. It sets up hidden c

by dianerav / 2min 

Dreier and Flacks on Progressive Patriotism

Peter Dreier and Dick Flacks review the iconic songs and speeches of U.S. history and remind us that those whose words we recall today spoke of justice, liberty, equality, and freedom for all. We do not celebrate the 1%. We do not celebrate the income inequality that mars our land. We sing of brotherhood and sisterhood, from sea to shining sea.

by dianerav / 1h 

America, the Beautiful

Katherine Lee Bates taught English literature at my alma mater, Wellesley College. She wrote the words to this song in 1893, when she was teaching for that summer at Colorado College in ColoradoSprings. Over the years, some have suggested this songt should replace “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem, because it is easier to sing, and the lyrics are more beautiful. But the idea never

by dianerav / 1h 

David Saville Muzzey’s Advice for Us Today

David Saville Muzzey was widely recognized for most of the twentieth century as the greatest writer of U.S. history textbooks in the nation. He was a historian at Barnard College, Columbia University, and he was a gifted storyteller. His books read as the work of a single writer, vigorous, thoughtful, and opinionated, but not in a partisan sense. He knew history and he knew how to write the great

by dianerav / 3h mark as read  //  save

Alabama Sets Un-American Goals for Students

I am posting this on the 4th of July because it is about one of the most offensive state policies I have seen in many years. According to the Tuscaloosa News, Alabama has created “Plan 2020,” which sets different goals and academic accountability standards based on race, disability, and economic status. This is in contrast to the unrealistic goals of No Child Left Behind, which demanded that all c

by dianerav / 5h

Diane in the Evenig 7-3-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: Arne Duncan’s Speech to the National Charter School ConferenceValerie Strauss posted Secretary Duncan’s speech to the charter schools conference, without comment. This is the same conference where the foul-mouthed, misogynistic rapper Pitbull was also a keynote speaker. I am tempted to raise many questions–about the predatory pract

by mike simpson / 3h 

Just Say No to Teach for America | toteachornototeach

Just Say No to Teach for America | toteachornototeach:

Just Say No to Teach for America

Posted on July 3, 2013

Just Say No to Teach for America

by Erik Loomis

Teach for America is being played out as this great progressive movement. “You, young bright-eyed college graduate, can go out and change the world through willpower and optimism.” TFA taps into deeply seated notions which reside in 21st century young people about the ability of the empowered individualism to create positive change in society. But the reality of Teach for America is far more sinister. In effect, the agency serves as the shock troops for busting teacher unions and sends inner-city kids the message that they don’t deserve qualified and experienced teachers.  Chicago Public Schools  teacher Katie Osgood has a long open letter urging TFA recruits to turn it down. In part:

Teach for America likely enticed you into the program with the call for ending education inequality. That is a beautiful and noble mission. I applaud you on being moved by the chance to help children, of being a part of creating equality in our schools, of ending intelligent, to have the skills necessary to help our neediest children. This fall, on that first day of school, you will be alone with kids who need so much more. You will represent one more inequality in our education system denying kids from low-income backgrounds 

solidaridad: SKrashen: Van Roekel asks "What do you want instead (of the common core)?" My response.

solidaridad: SKrashen: Van Roekel asks "What do you want instead (of the common core)?" My response.:

SKrashen: Van Roekel asks "What do you want instead (of the common core)?" My response.

I usually just provide a link through to Professor Stephen Krashen's posts, but this one merits full reproduction here.

---

Van Roekel asks "What do you want instead (of the common core)?" My response.

NEA president Dennis Van Roekel has asked: "If you don’t want it (common core), what do you want instead?"
The question assumes that something is seriously wrong with American schools and that schools need to be fixed. We are always working to improve teaching, but there is no crisis in teaching. The real crisis is poverty.
What I want instead is:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: No food at the buffet table

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: No food at the buffet table:

No food at the buffet table

I like Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey's  response to Rahm's version of the longer school day. 

"The schools are getting shortchanged.  Having a full day of school while cutting back core classes is like inviting somebody over for a buffet and there's no food on the table." -- DNAinfo

Fritchey

Fritchey emphasized that it's not the North Side fighting to take funding from the South Side or West Side, but that everyone has to work toward solutions for all.

Nice words.

I hope the northsiders mean it because you know that Rahm will find a way to play the neighborhoods off against one another, restoring cuts for some and not for others. That's just what he's doing now, closing dozens of schools on the south and west sides, blaming his budget shortfall on greedy pensioners and claiming that cuts can't be restored until pension "reform" is successful.

Instead, Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th), who hangs out on the periphery of the council'sProgressive Caucus, is calling on the city to draw on surplus TIF funds set aside for economic development as a "one-time fix."  That makes much more sense so long as the 

Ed Notes Online Killing Union Dues: Now, Michigan

Ed Notes Online:

Killing Union Dues: Now, Michigan

Following up on California, another find from Jeff Kaufman on Michigan. But if you missed it read our earlier post: Coming Soon to a State Near You: Another Attack on Unions with Right to Work SuitsSo let me get this straight. The Michigan Republicans who believe in choice, local control, blah, blah, blah, won't even let school districts that WANT TO collect union dues do so?Federal appeals court

by ed notes online / 8h 

Revolt Brewing in NEA As Van Roekel Does a Randi, EIA on NEA Convention

The info coming from the NEA RA is nuts! They want teachers to pay 3 bucks to support the common core (!!??) and check out what D. Van R [NEA Pres] said about "Quality" vs collective bargaining here.  --- MORE member in an email"There is growing internal discord over the direction of the union – or at least the perceived direction of the union – by those who oppose Common Core, Race to the Top, an

by ed notes online / 8h 

Exploring Implications of Washington DC Union Election

 “It was a referendum on many fronts,” said Saunders, who received 380 votes to Davis’s 459. “They want more aggressive change than what I was dishing out.” ...Nathan Saunders, defeated Presidential candidate. We commented on the election the other day (Candi is Dandy as Her Slate Wins Washington DC Union Election Runoff With Saunders).Interesting how Saunders characterizes "change." Change from R

by ed notes online / 8h 

Coming Soon to a State Near You: Another Attack on Unions with Right to Work Suits

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld mandatory union fees in the past, but supporters of the new lawsuit point to language in last year's Knox v. SEIU calling fees "a form of compelled speech... that imposes a significant infringement on First Amendment rights." ... From article below on threat to California teacher unionsThe declining participation [in elections] is both a product and a symptom of o

by ed notes online / 8h 

7-4-13 @ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER:

How AFT and NEA Became Partners of CorpEd

Coming to understand that NEA and AFT have been hijacked by corporate money and the insider machinations of corporate stooges is the first step in reclaiming teacher unions at the national level.  As Susan Ohanian notes in comments at the end of the original piece from Schools Matters that is re-posted below, I hold union […]

by Jim Horn / 26min

Eradicating Not Expanding Bad Ed. Policy

” For those who support high-stakes testing and the Common Core, how about we mandate that ALL schools, public, private, or charter use these policies?” (Chris Cerrone)  First, why would we want to mandate such garbage for all schools?  We must preserve those places which are not a part of the corporatization of schools.  Public […]

by Kuhio Kane / 1h 

@unitedoptout Declares Our Independence from Corporate #edreform

United Opt Out National releases its full Declaration of Independence. Here’s what you need to share with everyone: The entire post and introduction to the Declaration; The full-text of UOO’s Declaration in PDF; State by State opt-out or test refusal guides; The Official Get Tough Guide for Education Activism; A short teaser trailer for the Declaration; […]

by Chalk Face, PhD / 20min 

Full-Page Ad for VAM-Based Teacher Evaluation and Common Core, Paid for by Gates and AFT

BY VICKI PHILLIPS AND RANDI WEINGARTEN [from March 25, 2013 The New Republic] Sponsored content by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and American Federation of Teachers. Some see us as education’s odd couple—one, the president of a democratic teachers’ union; the other, a director at the world’s largest philanthropy. While we don’t agree on everything, we firmly […]

by Jim Horn / 48min 

NYSED Commish Declares Independence from his own policies.

Normally I would subscribe to the idea that the children of public figures , such as politicians, bureaucrats, and celebrities, should be off limits for discussion.  I make a strong exception for those in power who advocate policy for “other people’s children” that do not apply to their own.  President Obama, Bill Gates, and New […]

by Chris Cerrone / 58min 

Explicating the Broad Prize Trophy

For second year running, KIPP, Inc. has has been snubbed in their lathered quest for the Broad (rhymes with Toad) Charter Reform School Prize.   Last year KIPP clone, Yes Prep, won; this year it was KIPP knock-off, Uncommon Schools, that carried away the trophy and the cash.  But, then, as Feinberg mused, it’s a […]

by Jim Horn / 2h 

PROPOSAL: The Arne Duncan Reader

Typically, a collection titled a “reader” is a compilation of works by a notable writer or thinker, but this proposal is more like a virtual book shelf created for Secretary of Education (and lifelong political appointee who has never taught) Arne Duncan. I think this should be a community project, so I’ll just get us […]

by plthomasedd / 2h mark as read  //  save

YESTERDAY

SKrashen: Van Roekel asks “What do you want instead (of the common core)?” My response.

I usually just provide a link through to Professor Stephen Krashen’s posts, but this one merits full reproduction here. Van Roekel asks “What do you want instead (of the common core)?” My response. NEA president Dennis Van Roekel has asked: “If you don’t want it (common core), what do you want instead?” The question assumes […]

by rdsathene * Rober... / 9h 

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER

@ THE CHALK FACE knows SCHOOLS MATTER: NEA’s Van Roekel Uses Duncan Lies to Pimp for Common Core: Calls Critics “Confused”From AJC: The opposition to Common Core:  “If you don’t want it, what do you want instead? And what is in the standards that you don’t want a child to know? One of the things that makes those standards so amazing is that 45 states agreed on the same thing. Democratic and Republ

by mike simpson / 9h 

Federal judge will hear case against Sacramento school closures - Education - The Sacramento Bee

Federal judge will hear case against Sacramento school closures - Education - The Sacramento Bee:

Federal judge will hear case against Sacramento school closures

By Loretta Kalb
lkalb@sacbee.com

Published: Thursday, Jul. 4, 2013 - 12:00 am | Page 1B

A federal judge in Sacramento has granted a July 11 hearing on a lawsuit seeking to block closure of seven elementary schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller, in issuing the order on Wednesday, said she will allow limited testimony from a plaintiffs' expert witness, Jesus Hernandez.

Mark Merin, attorney for the plaintiffs, said the judge's order means that Hernandez, who has a doctorate in sociology from the University of California, Davis, will be allowed to "augment and explain the basis for his opinion and conclusions that this is a case of intentional discrimination against poor and minority communities in favor of white communities."

Families whose schools are slated for closure filed the suit in June, alleging that the district chose campuses in low-income neighborhoods where residents have little political influence.

Defendants include the district, Superintendent Jonathan Raymond and the four trustees who supported the closure plan – President Jeff Cuneo, Vice President Patrick Kennedy and members Darrel Woo and Jay Hansen.

District officials have said they identified campuses for closure based on how little each elementary

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/04/5544212/federal-judge-will-hear-case-against.html#mi_rss=Education#storylink=cpy

Five things everybody should know about July 4th:

Five things everybody should know about July 4th

By Valerie Strauss, Published: July 4, 2013 at 1:45 amE-mail the writer

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Declaration of Independence            (U.S. Archives)

These are five things you and everybody else should know about July 4th.

I posted these a few years ago, but I like them so much I’m doing it again. Here they are, adapted from George Mason University’sHistory News Network:

1. Independence was not actually declared on the Fourth of July.

America’s independence from Great Britain was actually declared by the Continental Congress onJuly 2, 1776. That’s why John Adams thought July 2 was going to be the day future Americans celebrated.

On the night of July 2nd, the Pennsylvania Evening Post published the statement: “This day the Continental Congress declared the United Colonies Free and Independent States.”

So what happened on the Glorious Fourth?

The document justifying the act of Congress — you know it as Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence — was adopted on the Fourth, as is indicated on the document itself, which is, one supposes, the cause for all the confusion. As one scholar has observed, what has happened is that the document announcing the event has

July 4th — by the numbers

Year after year our friendly U.S. Census Bureau issues facts and figures about various holidays during the year. Here’s the July 4th, 2013, edition: The Fourth of July 2013 On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved … Continue reading →    

by Valerie Strauss / 3h