5-3-14 Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Schooling in the Ownership Society All Week

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog:
Schooling in the Ownership Society

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk 

Schooling in the Ownership Society

'Tech vultures' LEAP towards profitability in Chicago

Millions of dollars intended to support innovations in resourced-starved public schools has long been funneled to privately-run charter schools. One of the chief funnelers in Chicago is non-educator Phyllis Lockett, a former leader of the Civic Consulting Alliance and New Schools for Chicago, a venture philanthropy organization that invests in the growth of privately-operated charter schools. She

by Mike Klonsky / 2h 

APR 27

Gordon Lafer On EPI Milwaukee Private Charter Schools Report

Don't miss this excellent Wisconsin Public TV interview with EPI economist and ed researcher Gordon Lafer criticizing "blended learning" at Rocketship charters.Backers of these reforms are particularly enamored of a new type of charter school represented by the Rocketship chain of schools—a low-budget operation that relies on young and inexperienced teachers rather than more veteran and

by Mike Klonsky / 6d hide  //  save

APR 26

Wal Mart special on charter schools

New York Times education writer, Mokoto Rich reveals the extent to which the billionaire Walton Family underwrites the entire national charter school enterprise. For example, in Washington D.C....In effect, Walton has subsidized an entire charter school system in the nation’s capital, helping to fuel enrollment growth so that close to half of all public school students in the city now attend chart

1 by Mike Klonsky / 6d 

APR 25

Philly fires thousands of teachers, then hires a new 'director of recruitment'

Here's how things work in the Ownership Society.There's a revolving door between the private sector and what's left of the public. Take for example this week's hiring by the nearly-collapsed Philadelphia Public Schools, of TFA alum Kendra-Lee Rosati as director of recruitment -- whatever that it. Rosati will pull down $90K to start in this newly-created slot in the bureaucracy.Rosati's last job wa

by Mike Klonsky / 7d 

Gated communities for children of privilege

Ald. Pat DowellDowell is not about to use such divisive language. She just wants results. -- Sun-Times reporter Fran SpielmanJulie Woestehoff, executive director of PURE, is a straight shooter. She's quoted in PE&O, letting us know that since CPS leaders vacated the Consent Decree, the city's selective enrollment schools have been turned into “gated communities for children of privilege,” with

1 by Mike Klonsky / 17h 

Biggest laugh of the day -- Vallas fundraising letter

Biggest laugh yesterday came from opening the mail and finding a campaign fundraising letter from Paul Vallas. He wants me to send a check to his campaign for IL lieutenant governor (he must not read my blog). V says he wants the money to head off Republican billionaire Bruce Rauner's run for governor.As someone who has spent his life working to improve education, I am deeply concerned by what Bru

13 by Mike Klonsky / 1d 

MAY 01

May Day Warning: 'We're rapidly returning to the conditions of Ludlow days.'

Ludlow: The striking miners and their families, 1914BILL MOYERS' blog has an excellent piece on the 100th anniversary of the Ludlow strike and massacre, by Erik Loomis, "US Workers Were Once Massacred Fighting for the Protections Being Rolled Back Today." The headline says it all.A century later, the bloody incident might seem a relic of the distant past, but the Ludlow Massacre retains

6 by Mike Klonsky / 1d 

APR 30

Let's not lose sight of most dangerous racism

EYES ON THE PRIZE... A great point was made by Rev. Jesse Jackson re. Sterling/Bundy racism. Let's not lose sight of where the real problem lies. The Supreme Court and Congress are making changes in the law that will deprive millions of opportunity and equal justice. We should keep our eyes on the prize, and hold on.The gang of five conservative justices on the Supreme Court has disemboweled the V

7 by Mike Klonsky / 2d 

APR 29

20,000 homeless CPS students. Not an 'excuse' but a reality.

Homeless Jesus statue unveiled in Chicago. But 20,000 homeless students remain invisible. I and many others have been trying to make the case for years, that children's lived experiences outside of school have as great, or even greater impact on measurable learning outcomes than anything that goes on in the classroom. Conditions of poverty, homelessness, poor medical care, pandemic violence, poor

3 by Mike Klonsky / 3d 

YESTERDAY'S CLASS -- Malcolm London, Schuette, Rocketship...

THANKS MALCOLM...Thanks to brilliant, young Chicago poet/activist/educator Malcolm X London from Young Chicago Authors for his guest lecture in my class yesterday. My students, all aspiring teachers, were bowled over as Malcolm recounted his experiences as a Chicago high school student and then read two of his latest epic poems. If you're not familiar with his work, High School Training Ground, pe

9 by Mike Klonsky / 4d 

APR 28

Life In The 'Post-Racial' Era

A SMALLTALK SALUTE goes out to NBA Players Assoc. Pres. Chris Paul and the rest of the L.A. Clippers players who hung together in protest against the racism spewed by club owner Donald Sterling. Even though they were beaten by Golden State last night, they acted with dignity and grace. Though their protest was silent, nobody could mistake the clarity and forcefulness of their message.STERLING -- &

6 by Mike Klonsky / 4d 

Weekend Quotables

Justice Sonia Sotomayor's brilliant dissent   “In my colleagues’ view, examining the racial impact of legislation only perpetuates racial discrimination. This refusal to accept the stark reality that race matters is regrettable...The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to speak openly and candidly on the subject of race, and to apply the Constitution with eyes open to the unfortunat

by Mike Klonsky / 5d 

APR 25

More two-tier schooling in Rahm's Chicago

A couple of items before I shut down SmallTalk for the weekend and get busy on Bridging Differences with Deb Meier.First is Rahm's decision to use $60 million from his TIF slush fund towards another selective-enrollment high school, this one named Obama College Prep, in the upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood. On the bad side, the planned school is too big. It's too selective and it's in the wrong l

6 by Mike Klonsky / 7d 

Bundy's Racist Moocher Army Headed for Motown?

Cliven Bundy's moocher Army.BREAKING... Justice Scalia announces he is deputizing Cliven Bundy and his Nevada moocher army to ride herd on Schuette decision. Moochers were last seen headed for Michigan to put down any  protests and to graze their cattle for free on the overgrown fields in Detroit. Their banner reads, "Slavery Worked Better. Let's Do it Again."ScaliaQUOTABLE SCALIA “As Ju

8 by Mike Klonsky / 7d 

Who Do We Ally With?

Meier: Of late, teaching is not a field I'm comfortable seeing my grandchildren or their friends entering.

3 by Deborah Meier / 2d 

APR 29

An Assault on Public Schools

Klonsky: What we are facing at this moment though, is not so much the problem of choice schools vs. neighborhood schools, or progressive schools vs. traditional schools. Rather, it's an assault on public schools and public space in general.

32 by Guest Blogger / 4d hide  //  save

APR 24

Choice, Small Schools, and Trade-Offs

Meier: I also recognized that the new "reformers" used this to argue that their approach could be implemented, top-down, which would make it easier to replicate.

6 by Deborah Meier / 8d 

APR 22

Is the Small Schools Movement Really Dead?

Klonsky: How did we let this dynamic movement of educators and community activists morph into a top-down, corporate-style web of privately operated charter schools?

22 by Guest Blogger / 11d 

APR 10

Welcoming Mike Klonsky to Bridging Differences

Meier: The standards are a curriculum and imply a pedagogy, too.

26 by Deborah Meier / 23d 

5-3-14 Wait What? All Week

Wait What?:

  Wait What? All Week

Malloy dishes retired teachers – again!

As predicted, Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy has reneged on his promised tax break to Connecticut’s retired teachers. As the CT Mirror explains, The new $19 billion state budget the House of Representatives is expected to adopt late Saturday relies on nearly $200 million in fund sweeps, risky savings assumptions and other gimmicks to stay in […] The post Malloy dishes retired teachers – again! appea

1 by jonpelto / 12min 

Malloy’s Teacher evaluation system is fundamentally and fatally flawed

In her latest MUST READ commentary piece, fellow public education advocate, Wendy Lecker, lays out the facts about Governor Malloy’s unfair, inappropriate and fatally flawed teacher evaluation system.  Like the junk bonds that helped take down Wall Street, Connecticut’s teacher evaluation system is based on junk science and false assumptions. The question is not whether […] The post Malloy’s Teach

26 by jonpelto / 2h 

YESTERDAY

Malloy to retired teachers – No really I do respect you, just not that much….

Three months ago, in a move to try and “win over” the support of retired teachers, Governor Dannel “Dan” Malloy proposed a targeted tax break designed to benefit those who spent their careers teaching in Connecticut’s public schools. In February, the vote seeking governor explained his support for the partial tax break on teacher pensions […] The post Malloy to retired teachers – No really I do re

29 by jonpelto / 22h 

MAY 01

Malloy is a fraud on campaign finance reform issues

NEWS ALERT:  Buried under the news about the massive problems facing Connecticut’s State budget and other developments and issues that have surfaced over the past couple of weeks is one of the most significant news stories of Governor Malloy’s term. The truth is that after having run as a “pro-campaign finance reform” candidate, Dannel “Dan” […] The post Malloy is a fraud on campaign finance refor

30 by jonpelto / 2d 

Group of New York Teachers refuse to give unfair standardized tests

At great risk to their careers, 26 Teachers and Staff of International High School at Prospect Heights in New York City are refusing to give the NYC ELA Performance Assessment Test.  The comes after 3 teachers from the Earth School on the lower east side in Manhattan sent a letter of conscience to the NYC […] The post Group of New York Teachers refuse to give unfair standardized tests appeared fir

38 by jonpelto / 2d 

APR 30

Corporate Education Reform Industry remains in “attack mode“

Or alternative headline:  File in “reasons to run” folder The latest headline from the education reform blog “Education Bridgeport” reads, “Pelto Using Governor’s Race to Make Money.” The blogger explains, So Jon Pelto is talking about a run for governor. The reason why is pretty clear: Money. Unless his ego is larger than any continental […] The post Corporate Education Reform Industry remains in

10 by jonpelto / 2d 

Post-election state budget deficit projected to be an incredible $1.4 billion

As Wait, What? readers have been reading for months, the Malloy administration has been painting a rosy picture of Connecticut’s state budget situation thanks to the unparalleled use of budget gimmicks and inflated revenue estimates. Readers have been repeatedly informed that Malloy’s irresponsible approach to budgeting would leave Connecticut with a $1 billion state budget […] The post Post-elect

4 by jonpelto / 2d 

Let Teachers Teach

Teresa M. Pelham is the co-blogger for the Hartford Courant’s Mommy Minute blog and a well-known children’s book writer. In recent Courant column entitled, Let’s Ditch Those Tests And Let Teachers Teach, Pelham eloquently put into words what many of us are thinking. More Testing, Less Learning is not what prepares our children for the […] The post Let Teachers Teach appeared first on Wait What?.

27 by jonpelto / 3d 

APR 29

Malloy administration considered “restraining order” to stop FOI requests?

In what may be the single most bizarre development yet in the Malloy administration’s war on teachers and public education and their ongoing commitment to secrecy, a recent Freedom of Information request has produced an email between Governor Malloy’s Director of Communications and a senior official from ConnCAN, the charter school advocacy group, in which […] The post Malloy administration consid

100+ by jonpelto / 4d 

APR 28

Malloy lies to parents about their right to opt their children out of the Common Core Tests

This morning, on WNPR’s Where We Live radio program, Governor Malloy was asked about whether parents had a right to opt their children out of the inappropriate, absurd and unfair Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Test of a Test. Governor Malloy’s responded with one his most misleading statements to date. As reported in the CT […] The post Malloy lies to parents about their right to opt their

100+ by jonpelto / 4d 

Budget Gimmicks and Declining Revenue catch up to Malloy

As the CT Mirror is reporting, Governor Malloy’s extraordinary budget gimmicks and Connecticut’s lagging economy has caught up with the politician’s wild re-election promises. The CT Mirror’s Keith Phaneuf reports, “Citing declining state revenue projections, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy gave up Monday on two of his biggest re-election year budget initiatives: a $55-per-person rebate and […] The post Bud

10 by jonpelto / 4d 

Facing the State – A possible run for governor

On WFSB’s Sunday television show, Face the State, Dennis House provided me an opportunity to lay out the issues as I consider whether to run for governor. You can see the segment here:  Jonathan Pelto on Face the State: CT Newsjunkie covered the story here: Pelto on Malloy: ‘I Don’t Think He Can Win’. Your […] The post Facing the State – A possible run for governor appeared first on Wait What?.

24 by jonpelto / 5d 

APR 27

Today it is Face the State and Fox61 Capital Report

Two of Connecticut’s leading Sunday news shows will include segments on the 2014 race for governor in Connecticut. Fox61 Capital Report TV at 10:30am WFSB 3 Face the State at 11:00am From WFSB Dennis House’ Bloghttp://dennishouse.tv/: Democrat may challenge Malloy, saying he can’t win re-election It’s no secret Governor Malloy faces a tough re-election battle. […] The post Today it is Face the Sta

18 by jonpelto / 6d hide  //  save

APR 26

Pelto 2014? Pundits weigh impact

The race for governor is about electing someone who will support Connecticut’s students, parents, teachers, school administrators and public schools.  To have a governor who will reverse the historic cuts to our public colleges and universities that are burdening Connecticut students and families with unacceptable student loan debt, to develop a tax system that doesn’t […] The post Pelto 2014? Pun

21 by jonpelto / 7d