On the right, candidate for Chicago Mayor, Miguel del Valle at the Logan Square Farmers Market today.
Charter schools haven’t lived up to their promise says Marion Brady.
Back over Labor Day weekend I argued that the Republicans had peaked and that if the Democrats
Chicago.
Friday 01 October 2010
by: Maya Schenwar, Executive Director, t r u t h o u t | Interview
Bill Ayers. (Photo: lloyd89)
As the 2010-2011 school year grumbled to a start - and millions of public school students settled into overcrowded, underfunded, under-resourced classrooms - I sat down in Chicago with education theorist and activist Bill Ayers to discuss true democracy, false reform and his latest book (co-authored with cartoonist Ryan Alexander-Tanner), "To Teach: The Journey in Comics." In an educational culture increasingly permeated by top-down marketplace values, Ayers, who taught primary school for years, still believes in the possibility of a schooliverse where every teacher is respected and every student is valued as a full human being, where collaborative learning and growth trump
Wednesday 22 September 2010
by: Marion Brady | The Washington Post | Op-Ed
Peter Ruddy Wallace was the speaker of Florida’s House of Representatives years ago when charter-school legislation was adopted. He saw charters as incubators of innovation and experimentation.
So did I. Indeed, not long thereafter, I accepted an invitation to serve on the board of governors of a new charter school serving a built-from-scratch new town in a neighboring county. And, partly to enhance my board member-related knowledge and skills, and partly to gather material for Knight-Ridder/Tribune columns on the subject of charters, I visited those within reasonable driving distance.
I believe America’s broad-based system of public schools is a bedrock of the Republic, and that the country has gotten a better return on its investment than it deserves. But I also believe that major changes are long overdue, that fresh thinking is essential, and that serious problems
Are we raising a generation of nincompoops? asks Beth Harpaz of the Boston Globe.
Susan Maushart, a mother of three, says her teenage daughter “literally does not know how to use a can opener. Most cans come with pull-tops these days. I see her reaching for a can that requires a can opener, and her shoulders slump and she goes for something else.”
Teenagers are so accustomed to either throwing their clothes on the floor or hanging them on hooks that Maushart says her “kids actually struggle with the mechanics of a clothes hanger.”
. . . “It’s so all laid out for them,” said Maushart, author of the forthcoming book “The Winter of Ou
I have no idea why a bunch of ed reformers are so gloomy. Matt [Ladner] has already observed how Rick Hess and Mike Petrilli can’t seem to enjoy the moment when ed reform ideas go
“I am proud to announce my candidacy for the Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education. I am a parent. I am a dedicated public servant and child advocate. You can trust that I will make the right decisions for our children. I look forward to meeting you and asking for your vote in the coming months.”
2) The book, "Measuring Up - What Educational Testing Really Tells Us" by Daniel Koretz, Professor of Education at Harvard University. Written for a layperson to understand, every parent and educator should read this book, winner of the outstanding book award, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. An excerpt:"Achievement testing is a very complex enterprise, and as a result, test scores are widely misunderstood and misused. AndSaying No to Standardized Testing for College?
Colleges & Universities Jump On Board the "Test Optional" Movement: No SAT or ACT
VIDEO: One Student's Journey + Lawrence University Shares Views
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GIRARD - The North Mac school board and the union representing North Mac teachers and support staff have information about contract talks on their respective web sites: www.northmachools.org andwww.thenmea.org.
Federal-mediated contract talks between the union and school board are scheduled to resume at 1 p.m. Sunday, with health insurance said to be the main sticking point.
The local membership will meet following the contract talks to decide what it wants to do next, according to Jerry Harrison, field representative for the Illinois Education Association.
The union filed an intent-to-strike notice last month.
On its web site, the North Mac Education Association says teachers and support staff were informed by e-mail Friday that they were to turn in their keys that day.
Because of the possibility of a strike starting Monday, the district lawyer advised that keys be turned in Friday,
(10/2) — 20:18 PDT — FRESNO — Sparks flew as Democrat Jerry Brown and Republican Meg Whitman clashed on immigration and education in California’s first ever Spanish-language gubernatorial debate Saturday.
Whitman, embroiled in a controversy over Nicandra Diaz Santillan, an illegal immigrant she employed as a housekeeper from 2000 to 2009, turned away from the audience of more than 500 at California State University Fresno and faced Brown as she told him he should be “ashamed” of putting Diaz at risk of deportation for his own political gain.
But Brown, who denies being involved in the release of the allegations, accused
SALT LAKE CITY — The State Board of Education is considering different methods to better "equalize" education funding across Utah, including a statewide property tax to fund charter schools.
Board member David Thomas, who supports the levy, said charter schools are public schools and shouldn't be treated differently.
"They should have the same kind of funding source," he said. "It should work the exact same way, which means a small levy, statewide, to support charter schools."
Currently, charter schools can't impose taxes. Local school
