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Saturday, August 11, 2018

2nd BANANA: Top Posts This Week 8/11/18

Top Posts This Week



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TODAY

American Public Education Will Face Extinction Unless We Stop It | The Global Dispatch | The Global Dispatch
by mike simpson / 41min
American Public Education Will Face Extinction Unless We Stop It | The Global Dispatch | The Global Dispatch American Public Education Will Face Extinction Unless We Stop It For generations, Americans have grown up in a society that has striven to provide a level playing field for all. It is all in service to the idea that anyone, regardless of their background, ancestry, race, or place of origin
Oakland's BayTech Charter School Violated Multiple State Laws | East Bay Express
by mike simpson / 1h
Oakland's BayTech Charter School Violated Multiple State Laws | East Bay Express Oakland's BayTech Charter School Violated Multiple State Laws School administrators forced students to buy uniforms, graduation caps and gowns, and made parents buy tickets to attend ceremonies. BayTech's board also repeatedly violated the Brown Act. The Bay Area Technology School violated state education laws when i
'Disaster Capitalism Strikes Again!': Puerto Rico's High Court Gives Green Light to Charter Schools, Vouchers
by mike simpson / 1h
'Disaster Capitalism Strikes Again!': Puerto Rico's High Court Gives Green Light to Charter Schools, Vouchers 'Disaster Capitalism Strikes Again!': Puerto Rico's High Court Gives Green Light to Charter Schools, Vouchers New ruling overturns finding by lower court that charters and vouchers—part of the island's education overhaul post-hurricane—were unconstitutional Puerto Rico's controversial pla

YESTERDAY

All the ways Brett Kavanaugh is going to help Betsy DeVos – ThinkProgress
by mike simpson / 1d
All the ways Brett Kavanaugh is going to help Betsy DeVos – ThinkProgress All the ways Brett Kavanaugh is going to help Betsy DeVos Kavanaugh's confirmation could do irreparable damage to public education and students. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has faced opposition from advocates of abortion rights , workers’ rights , and voter rights , all of whom have pointed out the disastrous effe
Ref Is Gone: Ripples of Hope from a Resignation - LA Progressive
by mike simpson / 1d
Ref Is Gone: Ripples of Hope from a Resignation - LA Progressive Ref Is Gone: Ripples of Hope from a Resignation I n resigning from the L.A. school board last month, Ref Rodriguez pled guilty to felony conspiracy, admitted to money laundering, and agreed to pay a $100,000 fine to the ethics commission. Downfall of the longtime charter-school treasurer opens a seat on the board of the school distr
Black To School With The New Book, “Teaching for Black Lives”: “Every school in the country needs this.” – I AM AN EDUCATOR
by mike simpson / 1d
Black To School With The New Book, “Teaching for Black Lives”: “Every school in the country needs this.” – I AM AN EDUCATOR Black To School With The New Book, “Teaching for Black Lives”: “Every school in the country needs this.” It has been exhilarating to read the reviews that are steaming in about Teaching for Black Lives , the new book I co-edited with Dr. Dyan Watson and Dr. Wayne Au. Recent

AUG 09

The Secret Network of Black Teachers Behind the Fight for Desegregation - The Atlantic #educolor
by mike simpson / 2d
'The Lost Education of Horace Tate' and Desegregation - The Atlantic The Secret Network of Black Teachers Behind the Fight for Desegregation In her new book, Vanessa Siddle Walker reveals how African American educators became the ‘hidden provocateurs’ who spearheaded the push for racial justice in education. For 25 years, the Emory University professor Vanessa Siddle Walker has studied and writte

AUG 08

GULEN FRAUD IN OAKLAND: BayTech Charter School Under Investigation | East Bay Express
by mike simpson / 2d
BayTech Charter School Under Investigation | East Bay Express BayTech Charter School Under Investigation The principal suddenly resigned after the school's board accused him of fraud, but the controversy raises questions about the school's links to the Gülen movement. Just before the end of the last school year, the principal of Oakland's Bay Area Technology School, Hayri Hatipoglu, suddenly resi
Teachers are getting targeted anti-union emails from conservative groups | PBS NewsHour
by mike simpson / 3d
Teachers are getting targeted anti-union emails from conservative groups | PBS NewsHour Teachers are getting targeted anti-union emails from conservative groups Conservative, free-market groups across the country have launched campaigns aimed at persuading teachers to drop out of their unions, in the aftermath of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that will put a dent in unions’ finances and membership

AUG 07

Despite LeBron’s admirable efforts, most black millionaires can’t save public education
by mike simpson / 3d
Despite LeBron’s admirable efforts, most black millionaires can’t save public education Despite LeBron’s admirable efforts, most black millionaires can’t save public education To improve America’s public schools, we need community-based decision-making, redistributed wealth and better leadership LeBron James speaks at the opening ceremony for the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, on July 30. The I
LeBron bankrolls I Promise School in Ohio
by mike simpson / 4d
LeBron bankrolls I Promise School in Ohio LeBron is dishing out assists to a local school district in Ohio The basketball player opens his I Promise school to widespread applause Last week President Trump scoffed – albeit indirectly – at basketball icon LeBron James’ intelligence in a tweet, stating, “Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon,” Mr. Trump wrote.
Senate Democrats Want Answers From Jeff Sessions Over Repealed Memos On Racial Diversity In Schools
by mike simpson / 4d
Senate Democrats Want Answers From Jeff Sessions Over Repealed Memos On Racial Diversity In Schools Senate Democrats Want Answers From Jeff Sessions Over Repealed Memos On Racial Diversity In Schools The lawmakers asked Attorney General Sessions and the Education Department to hand over records. Twenty-one Senate Democrats criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday for his decision to r

AUG 06

LeBron James Akron school: Why it matters that I Promise is public.
by mike simpson / 4d
LeBron James Akron school: Why it matters that I Promise is public. It’s a Big Deal That LeBron James Decided to Fund a Public School The only upside to Donald Trump’s petulant Friday night Twitter swipe at LeBron James was that it gave an extra publicity bump to the basketball star’s big new philanthropic project. Last week, James opened a new elementary school for at-risk students in his native
OMG: Arizona school districts and charters that pay teachers the most, least
by mike simpson / 5d
Arizona school districts and charters that pay teachers the most, least Arizona school districts and charters that pay teachers the most, least The highest-paying Arizona school district will be paying its teachers an average of nearly $71,000 in the 2018-19 school year, while teachers in some schools will be making just over an average of $30,000. That wide range of average teacher salaries is r

AUG 05

Wendy Lecker: As public education stumbles, democracy falls - StamfordAdvocate
by mike simpson / 6d
Wendy Lecker: As public education stumbles, democracy falls - StamfordAdvocate Wendy Lecker: As public education stumbles, democracy falls There is a disturbing trend in American policy where a powerful few use government to benefit themselves at the expense of the many. The most recent example is Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s proposal to implement a $100 billion tax cut that would primaril
ESJ Capital Partners, LLC, bought four charter school campuses in Arizona, Ohio and Washington, D.C., for $45M | Charter Schools
by mike simpson / 6d
ESJ Capital Partners | Charter Schools Aventura firm makes $45M addition to its portfolio of school properties ESJ Capital Partners, LLC, bought four charter school campuses in Arizona, Ohio and Washington, D.C., with a total of 176,000 square feet and 3,000 students Aventura-based ESJ Capital Partners, LLC, acquired four charter school properties for $45 million. ESJ bought the four school prope

AUG 04

Top Posts This Week 8/4/18
by mike simpson / 7d
Top Posts This Week An Explanation to My Readers | Diane Ravitch's blog DeVos Family Money Is All Over The News Right Now | 89.3 KPCC New report uncovers systemic failure by California charter schools to meet basic obligations of transparency and accountability - Public Advocates The DeVos Democrats and Betsy DeVos’ Message to Students: You Have the Right to Be Ripped Off Edged out of the middle

AUG 03

How Billionaires Hack Their Taxes With a Philanthropic Loophole - The New York Times
by mike simpson / 7d
How Tech Billionaires Hack Their Taxes With a Philanthropic Loophole - The New York Times How Tech Billionaires Hack Their Taxes With a Philanthropic Loophole Late in 2014, Nicholas Woodman, the founder and chief executive of GoPro, announced what appeared to be an extraordinary act of generosity. Mr. Woodman, then 39, had just taken his camera company public, and was suddenly worth about $3 bill

AUG 02

School Choice is a Bamboozle a Hornswoggle a Flimflam | tultican
by mike simpson / 8d
School Choice is a Bamboozle a Hornswoggle a Flimflam | tultican School Choice is a Bamboozle a Hornswoggle a Flimflam ACSA endorsed a candidate for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction who actively works to privatize public schools. As a participant in the Destroy Public Education (DPE) movement, he supports initiatives undermining the teaching profession and good pedagogy. Esta
LeBron’s Education Promise Needs to Become This Country’s Promise | The Nation
by mike simpson / 8d
LeBron’s Education Promise Needs to Become This Country’s Promise | The Nation LeBron’s Education Promise Needs to Become This Country’s Promise A school funded by LeBron James in Akron, Ohio, is a beautiful example of what all our public education should look like. “ W e don’t deserve LeBron James.” This has been the drumbeat, steadily repeated on social media, ever since the greatest basketball
Destroying Public Education With Vouchers and Charters in Wisconsin + The Privatization of Puerto Rico’s Public Schools Has Begun – Betsy DeVos Is On the Job | Video Worth Watching
by mike simpson / 9d
Destroying Public Education With Vouchers and Charters in Wisconsin Destroying Public Education With Vouchers and Charters in Wisconsin This past school year, Wisconsin taxpayers sent $250,000,000 to religious schools. Catholics received the largest slice, but Protestants, evangelicals, and Jews got their cuts. Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI) reveals that private Islamic school
DeVos Family Money Is All Over The News Right Now | 89.3 KPCC
by mike simpson / 9d
DeVos Family Money Is All Over The News Right Now | 89.3 KPCC DeVos Family Money Is All Over The News Right Now From the policy of separating immigrant families, to limiting the power of labor unions, to naming the next justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, this summer the DeVos family name has been all over the news. Over the years, the parents, in-laws and husband of U.S. Education Secretary Betsy

AUG 01

New report uncovers systemic failure by California charter schools to meet basic obligations of transparency and accountability - Public Advocates
by mike simpson / 9d
New report uncovers systemic failure by California charter schools to meet basic obligations of transparency and accountability - Public Advocates New Report Uncovers Systemic Failure by California Charter Schools to Meet Local Control Obligations A new report by Public Advocates Inc. uncovers a massive failure on the part of California charter schools to be transparent about how they spend milli
Privatization and Segregation of U.S. Public Education Endangers Democracy - BTL
by mike simpson / 10d
Privatization and Segregation of U.S. Public Education Endangers Democracy - BTL Privatization and Segregation of U.S. Public Education Endangers Democracy Interview with Noliwe Rooks, author and director of American 

Our Public Schools, Our Democracy: Our Fight for the Future - https://events.bizzabo.com/NPE18INDY on @Bizzabo



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American Public Education Will Face Extinction Unless We Stop It | The Global Dispatch | The Global Dispatch

American Public Education Will Face Extinction Unless We Stop It | The Global Dispatch | The Global Dispatch

American Public Education Will Face Extinction Unless We Stop It


For generations, Americans have grown up in a society that has striven to provide a level playing field for all. It is all in service to the idea that anyone, regardless of their background, ancestry, race, or place of origin could live the American dream. Part of the way our government has supported that idea has been through public education.

As far back as the 1640s, tax dollars in the settlements that would become the United States have paid for public schooling for citizens of all stripes. In fact, from a global perspective, public education is an uncontroversial concept. The United Nations features universal primary education as a key goal of its UNICEF initiatives, reflecting the near complete recognition of the import of education around the world. Most industrialized nations even offer government funded courses in varied vocations as a part of comprehensive public education. Why then, is the United States Department of Education (DOE) doing everything in its power to devalue and destroy public education?

Deconstructing American Public Education


The American public education system is complex, with tax dollars from the local, state, and federal levels combining into a vast network of government-run primary, secondary, and university school systems from coast to coast. According to DOE estimates, the primary and secondary public school systems alone cost $634 billion to operate in the fiscal year 2013-14, the latest range for which data is available. That’s quite a lot of money and quite a big target for private interests looking for a slice of the education funding pie.
By 2010, the cause of privatization had attracted enough funding and attention from the wealthy and business interests to create what appeared to be, from the outside, a grassroots reform movement. Central to that movement was a member of a wealthy Michigan family, who had advocated for privatizing public education in her home state for years – with disastrous results. Her name is Betsy DeVos, and she’s now running the DOE in the Trump administration.

A Robbery in Progress


One of the central pillars of the so-called reform of public education that DeVos has sought for so long is the drive to create and expand school voucher programs. The idea seems appealing if you don’t look too closely at the details. The general idea is to provide funding for education directly to parents in the form of a voucher that they could spend at any school, public or private, that they choose for their child. In that way, the theory goes, students trapped in underperforming public schools could escape to find a better educational outcome. The problem – it’s already been tried throughout the nation of Chile, and it does nothing to improve education for students.
What it does accomplish, unfortunately, is the utter destruction of existing public school systems, while facilitating the transfer of billions of dollars of education funding into the coffers of private institutions. The only mitigating factor would be scrupulous regulation of the private and charter schools that end up with the lion’s share of the public education dollars. That, however, would disrupt the fleecing of education tax dollars by imposing real penalties for underperforming private and charter schools. Revealingly, that’s why another pillar of so-called education reform is a near-complete lack of oversightof the companies swallowing up public education funds.

The Fox in the Henhouse


Betsy DeVos, of course, has already been installed as the head of the DOE. It’s easy to argue that the damage that she’s poised to do to American public education is now unavoidable. As the recent teacher strikes in five states proved, though, change is still possible if enough people demand it. Defenders of America’s tradition of equal opportunity and universal basic education can’t wait another moment to make their voices heard. As we speak, the number of professional staff at the DOE is shrinking, and the Republican-led House of Representatives is advancing a bill that will funnel more funds into a DOE with questionable priorities.
Until the midterm elections give progressives the chance to wrest control of some of the levers of power, it’s incumbent upon all of us to make our voices heard to make sure that American public education remains the primary guarantor of the American dream. If we don’t, it may be another casualty of a system that’s tilting dangerously in favor of the wealthy and powerful, and our children will pay the price for our collective silence and inaction.
Author: Andrej Kovacevic
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About Us | The Global Dispatch | The Global Dispatch - http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/?p=171
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Oakland's BayTech Charter School Violated Multiple State Laws | East Bay Express

Oakland's BayTech Charter School Violated Multiple State Laws | East Bay Express

Oakland's BayTech Charter School Violated Multiple State Laws
School administrators forced students to buy uniforms, graduation caps and gowns, and made parents buy tickets to attend ceremonies. BayTech's board also repeatedly violated the Brown Act.

BAY AREA TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL

 The Bay Area Technology School violated state education laws when it required students and their families to purchase uniforms, graduation tickets, and caps and gowns, according to the Oakland Unified School District. All students were made to purchase uniforms from the Oakland charter school only, a violation of the education code. 

Graduating 8th and 12th graders were made to purchase caps and gowns from the school, and their family members were required to buy $10 tickets to attend the ceremony. 

These practices went on for several years, according to school staff who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation. BayTech even warned parents on its website that students would only be allowed to wear BayTech branded jackets, sweaters, and shirts, and that students could face discipline if they didn't don the clothing.

The proceeds BayTech collected from these illegal activities amounted to thousands of dollars, said several sources. It's unclear what the school's administration did with the money.



OUSD authorities ordered BayTech to put a stop to these practices on June 8, according to a notice of concern sent to the charter school's board and interim co-principals by Leslie Jimenez, OUSD's charter school coordinator.

In a separate notice of concern sent a week earlier, OUSD officials warned BayTech leaders that they repeatedly violated California's Brown Act, which requires that charter schools provide public access to meetings because they receive public funding.

According to OUSD, BayTech's board convened meetings in February  Continue Reading: Oakland's BayTech Charter School Violated Multiple State Laws | East Bay Express



Big Education Ape: GULEN FRAUD IN OAKLAND: BayTech Charter School Under Investigation | East Bay Express - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/08/gulen-fraud-in-oakland-baytech-charter.html

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'Disaster Capitalism Strikes Again!': Puerto Rico's High Court Gives Green Light to Charter Schools, Vouchers

'Disaster Capitalism Strikes Again!': Puerto Rico's High Court Gives Green Light to Charter Schools, Vouchers

'Disaster Capitalism Strikes Again!': Puerto Rico's High Court Gives Green Light to Charter Schools, Vouchers
New ruling overturns finding by lower court that charters and vouchers—part of the island's education overhaul post-hurricane—were unconstitutional


Puerto Rico's controversial plan to overhaul the island's education system moved forward after its high court issued a ruling this week overturning a lower court's finding that charter schools and vouchers were unconstitutional.
"Disaster capitalism strikes again!" commented education historian Diane Ravitch, who also called it a "victory for rapacious billionaires, [Education Secretary and charter school proponent] Betsy DeVos, and DFER [Democrats for Education Reform]."
"Instead of putting the PR economy on a path to recovery," Ravitch added, "the disaster capitalists will give them charters and vouchers."
The legal challenge was brought forth by teachers' union La Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico (AMPR),  soon after the Gov. Ricardo Rosselló signed into law "education reform" legislation creating a charter schools pilot program in 10 percent of public schools and offering private school vouchers to 3 percent of students. The plan has been promoted heavily by Julia Keleher, Puerto Rico's non-Puerto Rican Education Secretary.
"To say charters are public schools when they are going to be administered, directed, and controlled by private hands is clearly an illegal and unconstitutional contradiction," AMPR president Aida Diaz said at the time.
In response to the new ruling, Providence Journal education reporter Linda Borg posed a question on social media:

Also referring to post-Katrina New Orleans, Jeremy Aponte, a member of the Boston Teachers Union's Puerto Rican educators group and Jessica Tang, president of the Continue reading: 'Disaster Capitalism Strikes Again!': Puerto Rico's High Court Gives Green Light to Charter Schools, Vouchers






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