If Democrats Think Mike Pence Is An Extremist, Will They Stop Supporting His Education Policies?

7/21/2016 – If Democrats Think Mike Pence Is An Extremist, Will They Stop Supporting His Education Policies?:

If Democrats Think Mike Pence Is An Extremist, Will They Stop Supporting His Education Policies?

THIS WEEK: The Trump Effect … Racial Bias In Schools … How Charters Hurt Public Schools … Why Segregation Persists … Who’s Re-Segregating Little Rock?

TOP STORY

If Democrats Think Mike Pence Is An Extremist, Will They Stop Supporting His Education Policies?

By Jeff Bryant

“For the past eight years, the Democratic Party’s education agenda has chiefly been based on an idea conceived in right wing policy shops then pushed into the party’s most powerful circles by a very small but wealthy group of individuals … Based on this understanding, it’s not a surprise that extremists such as Mike Pence have been eager to adopt much of this agenda. But in calling out Pence as an extremist, is Hillary Clinton signaling there may be shifts in her party’s education agenda?”
Read more …

NEWS AND VIEWS

Why Are Third-Graders Afraid Of Donald Trump?

The Atlantic

“There are reports across the country of what’s been called ‘the Trump Effect’ … Those working in schools with large immigrant populations say kids are actively afraid about what might happen to themselves and their families if Trump were elected. And explaining the American political system’s checks and balances isn’t much help.”
Read more …

How Racial Bias Affects The Quality Of Black Students’ Education

Think Progress

“Decades of racial bias against black Americans and the legacy of slavery are evident in our classrooms … Schools in the U.S. remain very economically and racially segregated … Students’ quality of education suffers in this segregated school environment … Racially biased school discipline contributes to what’s known as the ‘school-to-prison pipeline’ … Black students begin receiving far more suspensions than white children beginning as early as preschool … Black students are also expected to stay engaged and interested in courses that don’t recognize the reality of their lives – and don’t cover the contributions of black political leaders and artists as often as those of white historical figures.”
Read more …

How Charter Schools In Michigan Have Hurt Traditional Public Schools, New Research Finds

The Washington Post

“How do some charter schools affect the traditional school districts in which they are located? Disastrously… ‘Overwhelmingly, the biggest financial impact on school districts was the result of declining enrollment and revenue loss, especially where school choice and charters are most prevalent … The higher the charter penetration, the higher the adverse impact on district finances … As the share of students in the district that are going charters increases, there is a causal relationship of a larger share of the students who are left behind in the district who receive special education services.'”
Read more …

One Reason School Segregation Persists

Slate

“Researchers tested a broad range of factors that could explain why parents choose a school … Only three of these factors significantly drove parental choice … high test scores, schools closer to home, and schools where their own child would be alongside more peers of his or her same race and class … White and higher-income applicants had the strongest preferences for their children to remain in-group, while black elementary school parents were essentially ‘indifferent’ to a school’s racial makeup, the researchers found. The findings for Hispanic elementary and middle school parents were not statistically significant … Research – and history – show that left to their own devices, parents won’t desegregate schools.”
Read more …

Charter Schools And The Waltons Take Little Rock Back To Its Segregated Past

Altenet

Jeff Bryant writes, “Progress on racial integration in schools achieved during the Civil Rights period has gradually eroded, and in many cities, schools are now nearly as racially divided as they were 40 years ago … But lengthy presentations of statistical data and litanies of high court decisions tend to overlook places where the fight to uphold the vision of a pluralistic school system is still very much alive –places like Little Rock [Arkansas] … But now, the actors have changed. This time, those being accused of segregating students aren’t local bigots. Instead, Little Rock citizens see segregation as being imposed upon them by outsiders, operating under the guise of a reform agenda.
Read more …

 7/21/2016 – If Democrats Think Mike Pence Is An Extremist, Will They Stop Supporting His Education Policies?:

Yo Campbell Brown Cat got your tongue? I Guess There is NO Talking Turkey w/ YOU!

What Do the Corporate Reformers and Campbell Brown Have to Say about The Gulen Charter School Scandal

Nothing from the 74 Million Dollar Mouth (Campbell Brown) But finally the Right Wingers are Chiming in (4:04 PM West Coast: 

Turkish Crackdown Puts Spotlight on Education Sector - WSJ - http://www.wsj.com/articles/turkish-crackdown-puts-spotlight-on-education-sector-1469129606 

WH warns Erdogan: Democracy is essential | Washington Examiner - http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wh-warns-erdogan-democracy-is-essential/article/2597268 

What Everyone Else is Saying 

Big Education Ape: Video shows Gülen urging followers to secretly infiltrate Turkish state institutions - Daily Sabah - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/video-shows-gulen-urging-followers-to.html

Big Education Ape: Turkey seeks probes of American charter schools it says are linked to Fethullah Gulen - The Washington Post - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/turkey-seeks-probes-of-american-charter.html


Big Education Ape: The Republic of Turkey Wants the State of Texas to Investigate Gulen Charter Schools. | deutsch29 - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-republic-of-turkey-wants-state-of.html


Big Education Ape: Gulen versus Erdogan battle spills over into Germany | DWCOM -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/gulen-versus-erdogan-battle-spills-over.html

Big Education Ape: What Do the Corporate Reformers and Campbell Brown Have to Say about The Gulen Charter School Scandal - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/what-do-corporate-reformers-and.html

Big Education Ape: Turkish exile sparks questions about Congress travel, charter schools -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/turkish-exile-sparks-questions-about.html

Big Education Ape: Turkey widens post-coup purge, demands Washington hand over cleric | Reuters -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/turkey-widens-post-coup-purge-demands.html

Big Education Ape: Fethullah Gulen Should Not Be Operating American Charter Schools. | deutsch29 -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/fethullah-gulen-should-not-be-operating.html

Big Education Ape: Reclusive Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania, blamed for failed coup in Turkey - LA Times -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/reclusive-muslim-cleric-fethullah-gulen.html

Big Education Ape: US would consider extradition request for exiled cleric -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/us-would-consider-extradition-request.html

 Big Education Ape: Fethullah Gulen: The Islamic scholar Turkey blames for the failed coup - The Washington Post - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/fethullah-gulen-islamic-scholar-turkey.html

Big Education Ape: Jersey Jazzman: What We Don't Know About Gulen-Linked Charter Schools, And Why That's a Problem - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/jersey-jazzman-what-we-dont-know-about.html

Big Education Ape: Coup in Turkey: Is Fetullah Gulen Behind It? | Diane Ravitch's blog - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/coup-in-turkey-is-fetullah-gulen-behind.html

Big Education Ape: KILLING ED: 120 American Charter Schools and One Secretive Turkish Cleric -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/01/killing-ed-120-american-charter-schools.html

 Big Education Ape: Update: Gulen Harmony charter school network accused of bias and self-dealing Dallas Morning News - http://go.shr.lc/1qV85Hm

Big Education Ape: Turkey Links Texas Charter Schools to Dissident - WSJ - http://go.shr.lc/1OW1ZfV

Big Education Ape: Magnolia Science Academy - A Gulen Charter School: Gulen Magnolia Science Academy links discussed at LAUSD board meeting -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/06/magnolia-science-academy-gulen-charter.html

Clinton Hands Trump an Opening: Pence’s Record on Education - WSJ

Clinton Hands Trump an Opening: Pence’s Record on Education - WSJ:

Clinton Hands Trump an Opening: Pence’s Record on Education

Hillary Clinton used a rally of the American Federation of Teachers in Minneapolis on Monday night as another occasion to blast Mike Pence, but the slap came off as a backhanded compliment. The Indiana governor, she said, is “one of the most hostile politicians in America when it comes to public education.”

Donald Trump has been vague on education, and his running mate’s efforts to expand school choice in Indiana have been largely overshadowed by the state’s culture wars. So it is nice to see Mrs. Clinton calling attention to Mr. Pence’s strong record of school reform. The Trump campaign ought to be doing the same.

In 2011, Mitch Daniels established private-school vouchers for low- and middle-income students in public schools, a program that Mr. Pence has steadily expanded by extending eligibility to siblings of voucher recipients, children living in failing public-school districts and those with special needs.

During the past few years, Indiana has also lifted the $4,800 cap on voucher awards, and the state has allowed students to continue receiving vouchers if their parents’ incomes exceed the threshold (150% of the poverty line). This year, Indiana extended the application window so that children contending with bad public schools can transfer at midyear to private schools.

Since 2012, the number of recipients has increased 10-fold to 33,000 students, while state funding has swelled to $132 million from $15 million. Nearly 60% of students in the state now qualify for vouchers. Indiana’s voucher program is the fastest-growing and largest in the country.

Mr. Pence has also knocked heads with the state’s liberal Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz, who has persistently tried to sabotage charters and vouchers. Last year the Education Department complained that she had incorrectly applied federal law regulating Title I funds for low-income students when she cut funding for charters. After a series of court battles, Mr. Pence pressed the legislature to limit her control over vouchers and charter schools.

These school-reform brawls are a good illustration of Mr. Pence’s record as a fighter. They also show conservative policies can help low- and middle-income families. This is a fight Mr. Trump ought to be picking with Mrs. Clinton.Clinton Hands Trump an Opening: Pence’s Record on Education - WSJ:

Big Education Ape: What Did GOP Vice Presidential Nominee Mike Pence Do For Indiana Schools As Governor? Here's A Look : NPR Ed : NPR - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/what-did-gop-vice-presidential-nominee.html

Big Education Ape: “THE PRODUCERS” – Donald Trump and Mike Pence | Reclaim Reform - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-producers-donald-trump-and-mike.html

Big Education Ape: A Running Mate to Run From - Lily's Blackboard - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-running-mate-to-run-from-lilys.html

Big Education Ape: Republicans and education — where they’ve been and where they’re going - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/republicans-and-education-where-theyve.html

Big Education Ape: Koch Brothers’ Friends Funding Mike Pence | Hoosier School Heist Blog -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2015/07/koch-brothers-friends-funding-mike.html

Big Education Ape: Schools Matter: The Real Story Behind Mike Pence’s Charter School Speech -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2015/07/schools-matter-real-story-behind-mike.html

Big Education Ape: The bigot Mike Pence and his neighbor Bruce Rauner. | Fred Klonsky -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-bigot-mike-pence-and-his-neighbor.html

Big Education Ape: BREAKING NEWS - Trump goes with anti-public education running mate - Wait What? -http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/breaking-news-trump-goes-with-anti.html

Big Education Ape: The big trouble in Indiana public schools, as explained by a troubled educator - The Washington Post - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-big-trouble-in-indiana-public.html

Hoosier School Heist TV is Doug Martin's channel featuring videos of his book tour across Indiana speaking on the corporate takeover of public education. Order Hoosier School Heist at http://hoosierschoolheist.com/.

Follow Hoosier School Heist on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoosierSchoolHeist

Tweet with Doug Martin at: https://twitter.com/DougMartinED

Important Research for our Schools – Study Unlocks Why Decrepit Schools Mean Poor Test Scores | Poetic Justice

Important Research for our Schools – Study Unlocks Why Decrepit Schools Mean Poor Test Scores | Poetic Justice:

Important Research for our Schools – Study Unlocks Why Decrepit Schools Mean Poor Test Scores

Poetic Justice is reblogging a very important article written by Cornell Chronicle writer Susan Kelly about the research findings of Dr. Lorraine Maxwell. Please read and share with other concerned educators, parents, grand parents, and community members.

If we would put financial resources into our classrooms instead of into faulty tests, oppressive teacher evaluation systems, data collection systems, computer learning schemes,  and the privatization of our schools, we would finally see the results we have been searching for the last two decades. We would see happy, joyful children exploring new learning everyday.

Here is the article:

Social scientists have known for several years that kids enrolled in run-down schools miss more classes and have lower test scores than students at well-maintained schools. But they haven’t been able to pin down why.

A Cornell environmental psychologist has an answer.

Lorraine Maxwell’s study of more than 230 New York City public middle schools found that a school’s social climate – from its academic expectations to the level of communication, respect and engagement among its students, teachers and parents – is a major missing link.

Maxwell, an associate professor of design and environmental analysis in the College of Human Ecology, found a chain reaction at work, stemming from poor building conditions. Leaking toilets, smelly cafeterias, broken furniture, classrooms that were too hot or too cold, moldy walls and plaster falling off ceilings made students feel negatively about the school’s norms and expectations. That negative perception of the school’s social climate contributed to high absenteeism. In turn, that contributed to low test scores and poor academic achievement.

“School buildings that are in good condition and attractive may signal to students that someone cares and there’s a positive social climate, which in turn may encourage better attendance,” Maxwell said. “Students cannot learn if they do not come to school.”

Her study, “School Building Condition, Social Climate, Student Attendance and Academic Achievement: A Mediation Model,” appears in the Journal of Environmental Psychology’s June issue.

In an earlier, related study, Maxwell asked a handful of middle-school students Important Research for our Schools – Study Unlocks Why Decrepit Schools Mean Poor Test Scores | Poetic Justice:

Letter details opposition to federal proposal defining student success on tests | EdSource

Letter details opposition to federal proposal defining student success on tests | EdSource:

Letter details opposition to federal proposal defining student success on tests

CREDIT: USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

Morgan Polikoff

A University of Southern California professor has collected dozens of academics’ signatures on a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education John King criticizing how the federal government proposes to measure student scores on standardized tests. California’s top state education officials agree with him and may express the same point of view in a letter they’re drafting.

Morgan Polikoff says that that the proposed regulations would continue the same flawed methodology used under the federal No Child Left Behind law. An associate professor at USC’s Rossier School of Education, he suggests an alternative approach consistent with the direction the California State Board of Education is taking.

At issue is how to measure achievement in standardized tests in math and English language arts under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, the successor law to NCLB that Congress passed in December.

The proposed standard would be the number of students who score proficient in math and English language arts. Under NCLB, schools were required to gradually approach the target of 100 percent proficiency, which nearly all school schools failed to achieve, leading former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to grant most states waivers from the law’s penalties.

ESSA would not impose a hard-and-fast improvement target; states would be required to intervene in the 5 percent of the lowest-performing schools. But Polikoff and the others who signed the letter argue using the percentage of students who score proficient each year remains problematic. They say it creates incentives for schools to focus primarily on students who near proficiency rather than all students in a school and to devote less attention and resources to students who are way below proficient or who could advance to well above that level. The proficiency target also penalizes schools serving large numbers of low-performing students, since they’re not given credit for significant improvements even if they fall short of proficiency, Polikoff argues.Letter details opposition to federal proposal defining student success on tests | EdSource:

TBFURMAN: Who's Running These Schools?

TBFURMAN: Who's Running These Schools?:

Who's Running These Schools?

And here's Part Two of my blockbuster new series: Who Ya Gonna Call?

Yesterday I talked about how the charter school law sets up a situation in Illinois where it is virtually unknowable who is in charge of a charter school, and what set of people the Open Meetings laws and FOIA applies to. And then I pointed out that the Gulenists have a long history of fake boards and shell organizations, and that the result is a perfect fit between public law and an experienced political/religious syndicate.

So, let's start with Chicago Math and Science Academy. And by the way---- let me reiterate: these schools exist in the US primarily as a revenue stream for the Movement; they're not involved in a dark, mysterious proselytizing of Chicago's youth. The American teachers in these schools are completely uninvolved and presumably unaware of or incurious about any of these relationships.

If you were just a random citizen and wanted to attend the meeting of the board of directors of CMSA--- the meeting subject to the Open Meetings laws and FOIA, who would be at that meeting, and where and when would the meeting be?  Here's the website; take a look. Let me know if you find anything.

[Listen, word to the wise here. If you dig around enough, you learn about a lot of really creepy spyware behavior back in the old country, and a little bit of the same here in the States. When I do research on the Gulen universe, I frequently clear my website data. Here are 8 coookies installed just in the last five minutes.]

[Yes, I understand what cookies are, but honestly I don't want these guys tracking me any more than possible. They took down the Turkish military with less technology than browser cookies. If you clicked on the CMSA link above, you've got their cookies. Clear 'em when you're done!]

So, having scanned that website a number of times, I see no schedule of public board meetings, which makes CMSA a little bit different from some of the other schools connected to our friends from the Turkish sect. Screenshot everything because it changes.

CMSA is a bit different from the other linked schools because it's its own nonprofit: it's a freestanding Illinois corporation, and it files its own IRS 990's. As a legal entity, it was created in 2003, and the last publicly available 990 shows revenue of over $7m. [If it weren't exempt from the law, you could trace virtually every payment, like you can will all the public school districts in Illinois, but not the charters.] 

note the misspelling; it's deliberate

Remember, the Movement is all one big thing with lots of little shells, so even though this one charter school is a legal entity, it's better to think about it as being one part of the larger entity. Locally speaking, the Movement can be viewed through the 990's of these organizations: CMSA, Concept Schools, Inc; New Plan Learning, Niagara Foundation, and Turkish American Society, and others; but in the back of your mind remember that it's all one organization. The structure is always in flux; they re-arrange the various sub-shells all the time. For example, look at the corporate history of the thing incorporated as Turkish American Society.

It's called strategic ambiguity. 

Back to CMSA. If you go back through time, you'd find these sets of people listed (below) on the IRS 990's as comprising the "board of directors" of CMSA. You could spend time figuring TBFURMAN: Who's Running These Schools?:

Twitter Math Camp and the Convergence of The Work | The Jose Vilson

Twitter Math Camp and the Convergence of The Work | The Jose Vilson:

Twitter Math Camp and the Convergence of The Work

This weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Twitter Math Camp 2016, a conference organized by the collective known as MTBoS. As the name suggests, this set of social-media-connected math teachers created a conference where they could network, have deep conversations, and share ideas about pedagogy, curriculum, and content. Even though I’m technically part of this collective as a veteran math teacher who’s been on Twitter since June 2008, I’ve felt disconnected from this community for some time. I set aside my protractors and pocket protectors for raised fists and black wristbands.

Yet, the entire time, I thought if I held my breath long enough, the folks in that community would inch themselves over to my arena, even if just to take a peak.

The culmination of said efforts happened when they invited me to come speak. I take all speaking engagements seriously, but this one felt meaningful for two reasons:

• Minneapolis was already a site of civil unrest after the murder of Philando Castile.
• With 200 attendees, I was reminded on several occasions how excited people were to hear me speak.

I almost wanted to respond, “You know this is a package deal, right?” I’m going to speak on Black lives mattering. I’m going to speak on under-served to Native American / First Nations children across the state of Minnesota. I’m going to tell math people to do more than talk about math. I won’t Twitter Math Camp and the Convergence of The Work | The Jose Vilson:

Is DFER Fading or Poised for an Ongoing Political Role? | janresseger

Is DFER Fading or Poised for an Ongoing Political Role? | janresseger:

Is DFER Fading or Poised for an Ongoing Political Role?

Shavar Jeffries, President of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), certainly made a strong attempt a couple of weeks ago to present DFER as a powerful and relevant advocacy organization when he commented on changes to the Democratic Platform that were less favorable to charter schools: “What happened in Orlando is little more than a bait and switch, one we are eager to fix, and which we hope is unreflective of Hillary Clinton’s priorities, as she has repeatedly supported standards and accountability and high-performing charter schools.  President Obama has made clear that the best way to strengthen our system is not just with more resources, but reforms that ensure our children are progressing.” “This unfortunate departure from President Obama’s historic education legacy threatens to roll back progress we’ve made in advancing better outcomes for all kids, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.”  DFER has been one of the strongest and most consistent proponents of the education policies of President Barack Obama and his first Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.

In a new, short history and profile of Democrats for Education Reform, Alexander Russo evaluates DFER’s role in the education politics of recent years and wonders about its future as the next President perhaps moves away from the policies of the Obama administration.  Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst shut down earlier this spring and merged its existing work into 50CAN, another school “reform” advocacy organization.  What will be the fate of DFER?

On its website, DFER defines itself as opposed to traditional public schooling where, “(M)illions of American children today – particularly low-income and children of color – are trapped in persistently failing schools that are part of deeply dysfunctional school systems. These systems, once viewed romantically as avenues of opportunity for all, have become captive to powerful, entrenched interests that too often put the demands of adults before the educational needs of children.” As a PAC, DFER has sought to reposition the Democratic Party’s education policies to support test-and-punish accountability, more charters, and the connection of teacher evaluations to students’ test scores.

What exactly is DFER?  Russo explains: “First conceived around 2005, DFER didn’t really launch until June 2007, when it held a public event and established an online presence. While Is DFER Fading or Poised for an Ongoing Political Role? | janresseger:

 

Big Education Ape: The Empire Strikes Back: The Sudden Rise and Ongoing Challenges of Democrats for Education Reform - AEI - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/the-empire-strikes-back-sudden-rise-and.html

Big Education Ape: School is out, but the fight to preserve public education continues - NPE Action - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/07/school-is-out-but-fight-to-preserve.html

Big Education Ape: With money from Walmart’s Walton Foundation - They call themselves Democrats for Education Reform - Wait What? - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/05/with-money-from-walmarts-walton.html

Big Education Ape: How a Democratic PAC Is Channeling Out-Of-State Dark Money to Enshrine Corporate Education Reform | Alternet - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-democratic-pac-is-channeling-out-of.html

The Republican Platform on Education: ABPS (Anything But Public Schools) | Diane Ravitch's blog

The Republican Platform on Education: ABPS (Anything But Public Schools) | Diane Ravitch's blog:

The Republican Platform on Education: ABPS (Anything But Public Schools)

Gene V. Glass here reproduces the Republican platform on education. The Republican platform supports school choice, the public display of the Ten Commandments, merit pay, two-parent families, and a Constitutional amendment to keep government from interfering with parental rights over children. (I am reminded of the day in 2012 when Mitt Romney went into an all-black school in Philadelphia and spoke out about the virtues of two-parent families; the principal told him that few of the children had two parents, which left open the question of what educators are supposed to do in the face of reality.)

The Republican platform supports home-schooling, career and technical education, private or parochial schools, magnet schools, charter schools, online learning, early-college high schools, and vouchers. It does not mention support for public schools, except as a place where students should be permitted to pray. The platform also believes that military service is a better credential for teaching than any study or practice in a professional education program.

The platform does not acknowledge the growing body of evidence that vouchers and charters do not provide superior educations to poor children.

We support the public display of the Ten Commandments as a reflection of our history and our country’s Judeo-Christian heritage and further affirm the rights of religious students to engage in voluntary prayer at public school events and to have equal access to school facilities. We assert the First Amendment right of freedom of association for religious, private, service, and youth organizations to set their own membership standards.

Children raised in a two-parent household tend to be physically and emotionally healthier, more likely to do well in school, less likely to use drugs and alcohol, engage in crime or become pregnant outside of marriage. We oppose policies and laws that create a financial incentive for or encourage cohabitation.

We call for removal of structural impediments which progressives throw in the path of poor people: Over-regulation of start-up enterprises, excessive licensing requirements, needless restrictions on formation of schools and day-care centers serving neighborhood families, and restrictions on providing public services in fields like transport and sanitation that close the opportunity door to all but a favored few. We will continue our fight for school choice until all parents can find good, safe schools for their children.

Education: A Chance for Every Child

Education is much more than schooling. It is the whole range of activities by which families and communities transmit to a younger generation, not just knowledge and skills, but ethical and behavioral norms and traditions. It is the handing over of a cultural identity. That is why American education has, for the last several decades, been the focus of constant controversy, as centralizing forces from outside the family and community have sought to remake education in order to remake America. They have done immense damage. The federal government should not be a partner in that effort, as the Constitution gives it no role in education. At the heart of the American Experiment lies the greatest political expression of human dignity: The self- evident truth that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Parents are a child’s first and foremost educators, and have primary The Republican Platform on Education: ABPS (Anything But Public Schools) | Diane Ravitch's blog:

California Board of Education Votes on New Framework for Textbooks, Opposing Sides Claim Victory | Global Indian | indiawest.com

California Board of Education Votes on New Framework for Textbooks, Opposing Sides Claim Victory | Global Indian | indiawest.com:

California Board of Education Votes on New Framework for Textbooks, Opposing Sides Claim Victory

 Indian American organizations representing traditional Hindu values, and a coalition of 24 organizations representing several South Asian cultures each claimed victory July 14 as the California state Board of Education determined how India and various aspects of its culture should be portrayed in California textbooks.

Following a five-hour hearing, the CBE adopted the new History-Social Science Framework. The framework itself is not a textbook, but offers guidelines for publishers of the state’s elementary school textbooks, which are scheduled to be revised next year.

The proposed framework – which took two years to create – sparked a vigorous debate between several South Asian organizations, including the Hindu American Foundation, the Hindu Education Foundation and the Uberoi Foundation, which complained that Hinduism and its cultural practices were not accurately being portrayed in the new guidelines.

Conversely, the coalition South Asian Histories For All – which represents 24 organizations – along with the South Asian Faculty Group, argued that the new framework, first proposed by HAF, erased the history of caste-based oppression, especially towards Dalits – also known as untouchables. Muslim and Sikh organizations joined the SAHFA coalition to ensure that their histories were also accurately represented in the new framework.

The South Asian Faculty Group aimed to refer to the Indian subcontinent as “South Asia” so that young California students would understand that the region also encompasses the countries of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

After the CBE approved the new framework, State Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Adams, who oversaw the process of approving the guidelines, said: “We are not the arbiter of historical debate. We will turn it over to students to make their own judgment.”

"This is a big win for our students," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson after the vote. "This document will improve the teaching and learning of history and social science. It will give our students access to the latest historical research and help them learn about the diversity of our state and the contributions of people and groups who may not have received the appropriate recognition in the past."

Groups on both sides of the debate claimed a victory after the vote. HAF hailed the Board’s decision to use the term “ancient India” instead of South Asia, in references to the Indian subcontinent.

“To change India to South Asia is historically inaccurate and diminishes the many contributions that Indian civilization has made to history and contemporary culture in literature, science, medicine and math,” Samir Kalra, senior director and senior Human Rights Fellow at the Hindu American Foundation, told India-West in an interview in May, after the California state Instructional Quality Commission reviewed the proposed guidelines. Kalra noted that the term South Asia was largely used only in the geopolitical context.

HAF contradicted testimony presented by SAHFA saying it has always acknowledged the existence of caste and caste-based discrimination. “Our edits only sought context, separating the social evil from the eternal teachings of ancient and contemporary Hindu spiritual leaders,” said Kalra in a press release, adding that he was satisfied that several statements in the framework, which compared caste to slavery, were discarded in the final edits.

“We made great progress,” said Barbara McGraw, convener of the Social Sciences and Religion Faculty Group. “We have a long way to go. But we are on our way to a bright future for a more equitable representation of Hinduism in California textbooks,” said McGraw in a press statement released by HAF.

HAF leaders said that the foundation will now shift focus towards the textbook adoption process to ensure that the progress that was made in the frameworks is upheld in the textbooks.

SAHFA also hailed the Board’s vote, noting that several of the edits it had asked for were approved in the final document. Significantly, the framework uses the term Dalits to refer to people formerly considered “untouchables.” It also depicts caste as both a religious and social/cultural practice, and notes that caste status is based on birth, rather than profession.

SAHFA had opposed renaming of the Indus Valley civilization as “Saraswati,” and the Board agreed on the organization’s recommendations. The coalition also hailed the framework’s depiction of Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian American member of Congress, as a Sikh.

The Sikh Coalition also applauded the new framework, noting: “California's curriculum framework will maintain that Sikhism is an independent religion based on the belief in one God and the equality of all human beings.”

“Importantly, the framework will also continue to highlight Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s belief in universal equality and the rejection of the caste system as a core tenet of Sikhism,” said the organization in a press statement.

“This is not just an enormous victory in California, but also for the entire nation,” said Harjit Kaur, the Sikh Coalition’s California community development manager. “California, given its influence on the national educational system, will continue to set the precedent for this process in other states.”

The Indian American Muslim Council also declared a victory, stating that HAF and similar groups had attempted to inject “Islamophobia” into California textbooks, which was rejected by the Board. The organization noted that earlier versions of the framework depicted Islam as a “war-mongering religion,” which forced people to convert to its faith.

“It is ironic that while publicly claiming to seek a fair portrayal of Hinduism, Hindu nationalist organizations expended considerable resources in order to inject Islamophobia into the California curriculum," said Umar Malick, president of IAMC, praising the Board’s “courageous stance.”

All groups said they would now monitor the textbook publishing process to ensure the guidelines are followed.California Board of Education Votes on New Framework for Textbooks, Opposing Sides Claim Victory | Global Indian | indiawest.com: