Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 7/14/15

SPECIAL NITE CAP 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

It’s a VAM Shame… | VAMboozled!

It’s a VAM Shame… | VAMboozled!: It’s a VAM Shame…It’s a VAM shame to see how VAMs have been used, erroneously yet as assuredly perfect-to-near-perfect indicators of educational quality, to influence educational policy. A friend and colleague of mine just sent me a PowerPoint that William L. Sanders – the developer of the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) now more popularly known as

by mike simpson / 7min 

Senate votes down federal protections for K-12 LGBT students - The Washington Post

Senate votes down federal protections for K-12 LGBT students - The Washington Post: Senate votes down federal protections for K-12 LGBT studentsIn its first vote affecting gay people since the U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, the Senate Tuesday rejected a federal prohibition against discrimination and bullying in K-12 public schools based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

by mike simpson / 12min 

Former K.J. special assistant reveals email and elections wrongdoing inside mayor's office - Sacramento News & Review

Former K.J. special assistant reveals email and elections wrongdoing inside mayor's office - Page Burner - July 14, 2015 - Blogs - Sacramento News & Review: Former K.J. special assistant reveals email and elections wrongdoing inside mayor's officeR.E. Graswich is more than just Hawaiian-print shirts and local sports takes. For instance, after the former Sacramento Bee columnist left the hive,

by mike simpson / 4h 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Dear Mayor Murray, No and Hell No

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Dear Mayor Murray, No and Hell No: Dear Mayor Murray, No and Hell NoToo impolite? But it is my real and true reaction to my preliminary reading of the Seattle Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) committee report that was issued yesterday.I want to note that this was called to my attention by "does this guy ever sleep" Rep. Gerry Pollet.Ther

by mike simpson / 4h 

Marie Corfield: One Parent Investigates #OneNewark

Marie Corfield: One Parent Investigates #OneNewark: Marie Corfield: One Parent Investigates #OneNewarkThis is what parents in the state controlled Newark Public School District must resort to now that their children's democratic right to a "thorough and efficient education" has been denied. Since its inception, embattled former Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson's ill-conceived One Newa

by mike simpson / 4h 

Education’s Opportunity Dashboard. We need it now! - Lily's Blackboard

Education’s Opportunity Dashboard. We need it now! - Lily's Blackboard: Education’s Opportunity Dashboard. We need it now!March 18, 2015 by LilyCategories: Education, General, No Child Left BehindTags: equal opportunity, equity, school segregationIn the summer of 1857, 43 educators gathered in Philadelphia, answering a national call to unite as one voice in the cause of public education. At the ti

by mike simpson / 5h 

Oklahoma PTA Votes to Boycott State Tests | John Thompson

Oklahoma PTA Votes to Boycott State Tests | John Thompson: Oklahoma PTA Votes to Boycott State TestsNate Robson reports in Oklahoma Watch that the Oklahoma Parent Teachers Association (PTA) has voted to boycott all non-federally mandated tests "in an attempt to pressure lawmakers to cut back the number of high-stakes tests students take." The PTA also asked that the state Department of E

by mike simpson / 5h 

A Challenge for Campbell Brown’s 74: Investigate This Fresh, NOLA Charter School Fraud | deutsch29

A Challenge for Campbell Brown’s 74: Investigate This Fresh, NOLA Charter School Fraud | deutsch29: A Challenge for Campbell Brown’s 74: Investigate This Fresh, NOLA Charter School FraudPrivileged Louisiana native and notably-telegenic former CNN anchor Campbell Brown has started a new venture, which she calls The Seventy Four (for the 74 million children in the US under 18 years old). She has dec

by mike simpson / 7h 

AFT Hillary Clinton endorsement: Not everyone's pleased with the early pick.

AFT Hillary Clinton endorsement: Not everyone's pleased with the early pick.: The American Federation of Teachers Endorsed Hillary Clinton—and Not Everyone’s Happy About ItHillary Clinton is nervous—and the second-largest teachers’ union in the country wants to help. On Saturday, two days before Clinton’s big economic policy speech, the 1.6 million-member American Federation of Teachers announced

by mike simpson / 8h 

AFT, NEA and the Corporate Education Reform oriented DGA - Wait What?

AFT, NEA and the Corporate Education Reform oriented DGA - Wait What?: AFT, NEA and the Corporate Education Reform oriented DGA Perhaps we should simply call it a symptom of the corporatization of the modern American labor movement.Or perhaps we call it a product of the centrifuge that is sucking mainstream American politics into the control of the corporate elite.But whatever we call it, the prem

by mike simpson / 8h 

One-Party Government Undermines Education and the Common Good in Ohio and Wisconsin | janresseger

One-Party Government Undermines Education and the Common Good in Ohio and Wisconsin | janresseger: One-Party Government Undermines Education and the Common Good in Ohio and WisconsinFirst it happened in Ohio.  Earlier this month, Ohio’s governor John Kasich used the power he is given in Ohio law to veto line items in the state budget—which an all-Republican House and Senate had approved.  Kasich’s

by mike simpson / 8h 

Recruiting And Retaining Educators Of Color | Shanker Institute

Recruiting And Retaining Educators Of Color | Shanker Institute: Recruiting And Retaining Educators Of ColorOur guest authors today are Audra Watson, Travis Bristol, Terrenda White and Jose Vilson. Watson is Program Officer and Director of Mentoring and Induction Strategy at the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Bristol is a Research and Policy Fellow at Stanford Center for Opportunit

by mike simpson / 8h 

With apologies to Bob Dylan, a song: ‘How many tests must a child withstand/Before we can kill this scam?’ - The Washington Post

With apologies to Bob Dylan, a song: ‘How many tests must a child withstand/Before we can kill this scam?’ - The Washington Post: With apologies to Bob Dylan, a song: ‘How many tests must a child withstand/Before we can kill this scam?’With apologies to Bob Dylan, here are some new lyrics to his famous and brilliant song “Blowin’ in the Wind.” These were written by a reader of Diane Ravitch’s blog

by mike simpson / 8h 

Results of President Obama's Race to the Top: Win or lose, states enacted education reforms : Education Next

Results of President Obama's Race to the Top: Win or lose, states enacted education reforms : Education Next: Results of President Obama's Race to the Top: Win or lose, states enacted education reformsCaught between extraordinary public expectations and relatively modest constitutional authority, U.S. presidents historically have fashioned all sorts of mechanisms—executive orders, proclamations, m

by mike simpson / 9h 

8 GOP presidential candidates and their views on education | Deseret News National

8 GOP presidential candidates and their views on education | Deseret News National: 8 GOP presidential candidates and their views on educationSome of the Republican Party’s most promising presidential candidates in 2016 are governors or former governors running on their executive experience. Unlike senators, whose experience typically consists of votes and position statements, governors have to go

by mike simpson / 9h 

Teachers union irks rank and file with Clinton endorsement - Watchdog.org

Teachers union irks rank and file with Clinton endorsement - Watchdog.org: Teachers union irks rank and file with Clinton endorsementHillary Clinton won the endorsement of one of the largest teachers unions in the country, and many of its members want to know how in the world that happened.AP file photoBAD TEACHER: Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, was blasted thi

by mike simpson / 9h 

Minnesota charter schools will be pushed to develop integration plans - StarTribune.com

Minnesota charter schools will be pushed to diversify - StarTribune.com: Minnesota charter schools will be pushed to diversifyRule changes will require charters to develop integration plans. Minnesota state education officials are considering significant changes to a program intended to end racial segregation in schools and for the first time insisting that charter schools do more to diversify the

by mike simpson / 9h 

A parent's view of homework: I waver between tolerance and outright hatred | Teacher Network | The Guardian

A parent's view of homework: I waver between tolerance and outright hatred | Teacher Network | The Guardian: A parent's view of homework: I waver between tolerance and outright hatredFrom new mathematical methods to the appropriate level of help, mother-of-three Toni Hargis shares her pet peeves about homeworkLike many parents, I have a complicated relationship with homework. One day I’m reminding

by mike simpson / 9h 

More charter schools will open, while some are closing

More charter schools will open, while some are closing: More charter schools will open, while some are closingDetroit — Michigan's proliferation of charter schools is easing for the first time in years.Only seven new charter schools will be opening in the state in the fall — the fewest since the Legislature lifted the cap on university-authorized charters in 2011, the Michigan Association of Publi

by mike simpson / 9h 

Students in charter schools lose nearly 45 days of math and 14 days of reading opposed to students in traditional public schools

Washington considers charter school reforms | www.journal-news.com: Washington considers charter school reformsBoth chambers of Congress are addressing education issues that face Ohio and the country, including education standards and holding taxpayer-funded charter schools more accountable.A Senate amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act, which reforms part of the No Child Left Behind law, is d

by mike simpson / 10h 

Education: the Next Corporate Frontier

Education: the Next Corporate Frontier: Education: the Next Corporate FrontierI’m no education expert. Having worked in the environmental and new economy fields for the last two decades, my main concern when it comes to schooling has been what children learn. Along with most activists I know, I’d like to see kids get outdoors more, learn about the intricacies of ecosystems, understand the urgency

by mike simpson / 10h 

YESTERDAY

A Senate ESEA Update on July 09 and 13, 2015 | deutsch29

A Senate ESEA Update on July 09 and 13, 2015 | deutsch29: A Senate ESEA Update on July 09 and 13, 2015A brief update on the Senate ESEA hearings for July 09 and 13, 2015:On Monday, July 13, 2015, Senator Lamar Alexander stated that he wanted to finish work on the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA) this week. Today’s hearing was brought to a close too soon for Senate Minority Leader, Harry Reid’s liki

by mike simpson / 23h hide  //  save

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 7/13/15

SPECIAL NITE CAP CORPORATE ED REFORMTwo Sides of Hillary Clinton: The American Federation of Teachers’ Big BlunderTwo Sides of Hillary Clinton: The American Federation of Teachers’ Big Blunder: Two Sides of Hillary Clinton: The American Federation of Teachers’ Big BlunderWhere was the debate? Did we miss it? Why was the AFT rapid endorsement of Hillary Clinton such a rash mistake?Hillary Clinton h

by mike simpson / 1d 

It’s a VAM Shame… | VAMboozled!

It’s a VAM Shame… | VAMboozled!:

It’s a VAM Shame…

It’s a VAM shame to see how VAMs have been used, erroneously yet as assuredly perfect-to-near-perfect indicators of educational quality, to influence educational policy. A friend and colleague of mine just sent me a PowerPoint that William L. Sanders – the developer of the Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System (TVAAS) now more popularly known as the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS®) and “arguably the most ardent supporter and marketer of [for-profit] value-added” (Harris, 2011; see also prior links about Sanders and his T/EVAAS model here, here, here, andhere) – presented to the Tennessee Board of Education back in 2013.

The simple and straightforward (and hence policymaker-friendly) PowerPoint titled “Teacher Characteristics and Effectiveness” consists of seven total slides with figures illustrating three key points: teacher value-added as calculated using the TVAAS model does not differ by (1) years of teaching experience, (2) teachers’ education level, and (3) teacher salary. In other words, and as translated into simpler terms but also terms that have greatly influenced (and continue to influence) educational policy: (1) years of teacher experience do not matter, (2) advanced degrees do not matter, and (3) teacher salaries do not matter.

While it’s difficult to determine how this particular presentation influenced educational policy in Tennessee (see, for example, here), at a larger scale these are the three key policy trends that have since directed (and continue to direct) particularly state policy initiatives. What is trending in educational policy is to evaluate teachers only by their teacher-level value-added. At the same time, this “research” supports simultaneous calls to destruct teachers’ traditional salary schedules that reward teachers for their years of experience (which matters, as per other research) and advanced degrees (on which other research is mixed).

This “research” evidence is certainly convenient when calls for budget cuts are politically It’s a VAM Shame… | VAMboozled!:

Senate votes down federal protections for K-12 LGBT students - The Washington Post

Senate votes down federal protections for K-12 LGBT students - The Washington Post:

Senate votes down federal protections for K-12 LGBT students

In its first vote affecting gay people since the U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, the Senate Tuesday rejected a federal prohibition against discrimination and bullying in K-12 public schools based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Fifty-two Senators voted for such a provision, while 45 opposed it. But Senate rules required 60 votes, and the measure fell short.

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), the sponsor of the amendment, had made an impassioned argument that gay and transgendered students needed the same federal protections as other historically persecuted groups.

“If a black child was referred to by a racial slur at school, would we say kids will be kids?” Franken said on the Senate floor as debate began Monday. “If a Jewish student got beat up because he wore a yarmulke to school, would we wave it off and say boys will be boys? If a shop teacher told a female student she didn’t belong in his class, would we be fine if the school just looked the other way? No, we would not. In fact, there are federal civil rights laws that are specifically designed to stop this kind of conduct.”

Franken displayed photos of three youngsters who committed suicide at ages 11, 13 and 15 after being relentlessly bullied and ridiculed by classmates.

One of them, Seth Walsh, a 15-year-old from Tehachapi, Calif., endured years of anti-gay harassment at school, Franken said.

“By seventh grade, taunts and verbal abuse were a constant part of Seth’s day,” he said. “Students called him faggot and queer. He was afraid to use the restroom or to be in the boys’ locker room before gym class.” His grades dropped and he grew depressed and withdrawn. His mother asked school officials to intervene “but her pleas were brushed aside,” Franken said.

“And in September of 2010, Seth hanged himself from a tree in his family’s backyard,” Franken said. “He was 13. Seth left a note expressing his love for Senate votes down federal protections for K-12 LGBT students - The Washington Post:

Former K.J. special assistant reveals email and elections wrongdoing inside mayor's office - Sacramento News & Review

Former K.J. special assistant reveals email and elections wrongdoing inside mayor's office - Page Burner - July 14, 2015 - Blogs - Sacramento News & Review:

Former K.J. special assistant reveals email and elections wrongdoing inside mayor's office

R.E. Graswich is more than just Hawaiian-print shirts and local sports takes. For instance, after the former Sacramento Bee columnist left the hive, he did a stint under Mayor Kevin Johnson at City Hall.

From 2009 through 2012, Graswich was part of K.J.'s inner circle, a senior adviser. He also briefly worked at Johnson’s nonprofit, Think Big, in 2013, where he focused on Kings arena matters.

Perhaps as much as anyone inside the mayor’s world, Graswich understands its ebb-and-flow. He reached out to SN&R last week to discuss K.J.'s email problem—the mayor’s blurring of private and public business (and even elections work) inside his office.

Graswich says that, just days after he joined the mayor as “special assistant,” former Chief of Staff Kunal Merchant (who now is a vice president with the Sacramento Kings) set him up with a private Gmail account.

Graswich says Gmail was his “main form of communiation” with fellow K.J. staff.

The mayor’s spokespeople have repeatedly stated that Johnson and staff use CityOfSacramento.org emails for public business, and then Gmail accounts (with the OMKJ label for Office of Mayor Kevin Johnson) for private work. They insist that there is a separation, that the lines don’t get blurred, and they they follow all state, city and Fair Political Practices Commission rules.

Graswich, however, painted a dissenting portrait of operations inside K.J.'s City Hall.

He told SN&R, for instance, that the mayor and staff used Gmail for everything. He says he did “more than 80 percent” of his communications via Gmail.

“Gmail was our bullet-proof method of communication beyond the reach of the city and the public,” Graswich told SN&R via phone.

Why Gmail? He says that the mayor and senior staff had “a real paranoia”about keeping their conversations away from others at City Hall, especially fellow council members. “We really wanted to separate ourselves from the bureaucracy, from the apparatus. Nobody trusted the CityofSacramento.org.”

The mayor did not have a city-provided computer in his office, nor did he carry a city cell phone (he had two of his own personal phones), according to Graswich. “He would not use any city equipment whatsoever.”

The former adviser says they never discussed using Gmail to avoid public-records inquiries. “It was an underlying motive, but it was never explicitly stated.”

He claims that mayoral adviser, attorney Jeffrey Dorso, advised that Team K.J. should “be careful” using Gmail, and that they shouldn’t assume their messages would remain private for ever. “’Don’t do stupid things,'” Graswich says Dorso advised.

Indeed, California law rests in a gray area when it comes to public officials Former K.J. special assistant reveals email and elections wrongdoing inside mayor's office - Page Burner - July 14, 2015 - Blogs - Sacramento News & Review:

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Dear Mayor Murray, No and Hell No

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Dear Mayor Murray, No and Hell No:

Dear Mayor Murray, No and Hell No

Too impolite? But it is my real and true reaction to my preliminary reading of the Seattle Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) committee report that was issued yesterday.

I want to note that this was called to my attention by "does this guy ever sleep" Rep. Gerry Pollet.

There are 20 times that the word "school" is mentioned in the report.  Here's the first one on page 20 which starts with a sentence about the City working with state/regional entities including Seattle School District.  But two paragraphs later, it says:

When land is not suitable for housing development, the unrestricted proceeds from sale should be dedicated to affordable housing development. The City should also create a mandate for the co- development of affordable housing in conjunction with new public buildings and investments such as community centers, libraries, charter schools, etc

Who decided that phrase had to be "charter schools" and not "public schools?"  

Who decided the "mandate" for "new public investments" should be charter schools? 

I don't know but it's a slap in the face to SPS.  That phrase "charter schools" needs to go.

And, coming on the heels of Mayor Murray's statement about the district"playing ball" with the City over preschools, it very much sounds like SPS is not a partner but a mere chess piece to be moved around on the board.
What is strange -either as if no one on the Committee knows or cares - is that Seattle Schools Community Forum: Dear Mayor Murray, No and Hell No:

Marie Corfield: One Parent Investigates #OneNewark

Marie Corfield: One Parent Investigates #OneNewark:

Marie Corfield: One Parent Investigates #OneNewark

This is what parents in the state controlled Newark Public School District must resort to now that their children's democratic right to a "thorough and efficient education" has been denied. 

Since its inception, embattled former Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson's ill-conceived One Newark plan that was supposed to provide more school choice and 'fix' 'failing schools', has been an unmitigated disaster. 

From increased segregation, to siblings being bussed to different schools all over the city, to punishing schools that serve a higher population of special needs students, to actually denying parents the right to send their children to the school of their choice, this bureaucratic nightmare has been roundly rejected by parents and students. And despite an Empirical Critique of One Newark by Rutgers University's Dr. Bruce Baker and doctoral candidate Mark Weber (aka. Jersey Jazzman) highlighting the deep flaws and inequities of the program, it has been 'damn the torpedos and full speed ahead' at 2 Cedar Street.  

But Newark's families never let up. Their vociferous protests were the driving force behind Anderson's departure. And with her, they assumed would go One Newark. But such is not the case. As a new school year looms and a new superintendent (former NJ Education Commissioner Chris Cerf) takes the helm, school registrations began yesterday. 

The process is anything but easy, and accurate information is hard to come by. So, Frankie Adao of the Newark Parent Power Movement (formerly the Newark Parents Union) went under cover this week to infiltrate the pre-school registration process to deliver that info to parents who don't have time to spend hours waiting in lines only to be spoken to by robotic NPS employees with fake smiles and rehearsed responses. You can read his full report on his blog here. Following are the highlights. All emphasis mine:

As I approached the entrance to the courtyard, a security guard greeted me pleasantly. Mind you, in the past I would get thrown out or not even let in. Luckily a little weight gain, a beard and hat did Marie Corfield: One Parent Investigates #OneNewark:

Education’s Opportunity Dashboard. We need it now! - Lily's Blackboard

Education’s Opportunity Dashboard. We need it now! - Lily's Blackboard:

Education’s Opportunity Dashboard. We need it now!

March 18, 2015 by Lily

Categories: Education, General, No Child Left Behind

Tags: equal opportunity, equity, school segregation

In the summer of 1857, 43 educators gathered in Philadelphia, answering a national call to unite as one voice in the cause of public education. At the time, learning to read and write was a privilege reserved for the fortunate few. But almost 160 years later, the voice of the once fledgling Association has risen to represent more than three million educators, and a free and public education has become a rite of passage for every American child.

Over the last 15 decades, the National Education Association (NEA) has led the country in advocating for children and the educators who teach and nurture them. Through the power of the collective, the union gave voice to some of the defining issues of our times: establishing the civil rights of Black children and educators, granting women the right to vote and leading the charge against child labor.

Ours is a history of people who inspired change. Today’s challenges require the same kind of leadership and moral courage demonstrated by the women and men who built our union.

I was born one year after the Supreme Court of the United States issued its landmark Brown v. Board of Educationopinion 60 years ago. By the time I began my career as an educator, I hoped that we would soon realize the promise of equal opportunity in education for every student.

Unfortunately, although the Court outlawed segregation, it is still a reality today – and Brown wasn’t simply about segregation. The Court wrote:

In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity … is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms …

The Justices were unanimous and they were unequivocal: equal opportunity in education is a constitutional right of all students. Yet that right to equal opportunity is still being denied to millions of students.

Most Hispanic and Black students are in classrooms in which at least two-thirds of their peers are also minorities, and virtually half are poor.

These schools often have inexperienced teachers, inadequate resources and dilapidated facilities. Plagued by segregated learning environments, minority children have remained disproportionately vulnerable to the legacy of racial bias and poverty.

This disparity in opportunity is illegal, immoral and costly for our nation. These opportunity gaps become even more urgent as the face of American public education is changing. Today, ethnic minority students comprise nearly 40 Education’s Opportunity Dashboard. We need it now! - Lily's Blackboard:

Oklahoma PTA Votes to Boycott State Tests | John Thompson

Oklahoma PTA Votes to Boycott State Tests | John Thompson:

Oklahoma PTA Votes to Boycott State Tests

Nate Robson reports in Oklahoma Watch that the Oklahoma Parent Teachers Association (PTA) has voted to boycott all non-federally mandated tests "in an attempt to pressure lawmakers to cut back the number of high-stakes tests students take." The PTA also asked that the state Department of Education not use the test scores to calculate school A-F grades, and called for the exemption of all schools from A-F grading if less than 95 percent of their students are tested.

As the Tulsa World's Andrea Eger reports, the Oklahoma PTA acted in "direct response" to its members' concerns about the Legislature's failure to reduce standardized testing. PTA President Jeff Corbett said, "Parents have had enough. Parents want more for their children than for them to be great test takers. The fact of the matter is this: Our children deserve better."

Corbett further explained, "In Oklahoma, we know what it is to respond to disaster -- and it is time that we responded to the disaster that high-stakes tests have made of our public education system."

A grassroots Opt Out movement and a bipartisan resistance to bubble-in accountability have demanded a state government response to the testing mania. Parents, students, and teachers rallied at the state Capitol but the legislature did not listen. So, Corbett promised, "Together, we will take our classrooms out of the wallets of the testing companies and turn them back over to our teachers."

Tracye Love, president of the Tulsa Council of PTAs, added, "We see the stress this causes students and parents and teachers -- all students are learning is how to pass the test." Moreover, Etta Taylor, who was voted president-elect of the statewide PTA organization at Friday's convention, said that the testing boycott was prompted by the narrowing of instruction students receive and "the host of unintended consequences."

Taylor cited the way tests are used as an unfair evaluation tool for teachers, and how the damage from inappropriate accountability metrics rolls down on children. The testing not only affects instruction in a negative manner, but also things like discipline. She said, "They are more likely to send a kid out if they are having issues because they've got to get as many kids to pass that test as possible."

I would add that the Oklahoma PTA hit a nice balance. It did not undermine the efforts of State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister to work with the rest of state government and the USDOE in crafting alternatives to test, sort, reward, and punish. The PTA did not ask students to boycott the End of Instruction (EOI) tests they need Oklahoma PTA Votes to Boycott State Tests | John Thompson:

A Challenge for Campbell Brown’s 74: Investigate This Fresh, NOLA Charter School Fraud | deutsch29

A Challenge for Campbell Brown’s 74: Investigate This Fresh, NOLA Charter School Fraud | deutsch29:

A Challenge for Campbell Brown’s 74: Investigate This Fresh, NOLA Charter School Fraud

Privileged Louisiana native and notably-telegenic former CNN anchor Campbell Brown has started a new venture, which she calls The Seventy Four (for the 74 million children in the US under 18 years old). She has decided that she will produce news stories in order to advocate for these 74 million children.

Campbell Brown

Before Brown started this 74 venture, she was already “advocating,” but she already had some obvious holes in her indignation: She ignores scandals staring her in the face and which involve her politically-connected compadres. For example, Brown is a close associate of Michelle Rhee, who has yet to be fully investigated for the DC cheating scandal that occurred on her watch as DC chancellor, and Rhee’s husband, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, has sexual and financial scandals of his own associated with his own charter school.

I wrote about Brown’s selective indignation in this January 2015 blog post and also in another January 2015 post.

So, it seems that Brown needs to shave thousands of kids off of that 74 number before her so-called advocacy project is out of the gate. Brown will not be advocating for children affected by the shady dealings of her amply-moneyed-and-politically-connected pals.

Still, there is hope for Brown. After all, following numerous exchanges with education blogger Jennifer Berkshire on the issue of Brown’s not reporting on charter school scandals, Brown’s 74 PR firm rep, Stefan Friedman of Mercury. (the extra period is intentional)  insisted that 74 will Follow All Leads:

As is crystal clear from the varied content that went live today, the reporters and editors at The Seventy Four will follow every story wherever it takes them – whether that be as part of a breaking news story or a long-form investigative piece. Any suggestion to the contrary is patently incorrect. Luckily for readers, now that we’re live, anybody interested in education no longer has to depend on unnamed sources to tell them what our site is and isn’t – they can come and see for themselves.

That sounds great, but it did take Berkshire, who was operating on a tip by an anonymous source who stated that the 74 did not plan to report in detail on charter school scandals, “three weeks, 15 emails and one off-the-record conversation” to get that dribble of indignant info out of Friedman. Plus, as noted in my own posts linked above, there is Brown’s glaring history of hypocritically speaking against shady dealings in education even as she publicly (and fiscally) associates with those who engage in shady dealings, including charter school scandals.

So, given such assurance from Mercury. (poisonous to breathe in, mind you) rep A Challenge for Campbell Brown’s 74: Investigate This Fresh, NOLA Charter School Fraud | deutsch29:

AFT Hillary Clinton endorsement: Not everyone's pleased with the early pick.

AFT Hillary Clinton endorsement: Not everyone's pleased with the early pick.:

The American Federation of Teachers Endorsed Hillary Clinton—and Not Everyone’s Happy About It

Hillary Clinton is nervous—and the second-largest teachers’ union in the country wants to help. On Saturday, two days before Clinton’s big economic policy speech, the 1.6 million-member American Federation of Teachers announced the first big union endorsement in the 2016 cycle when it came out for the Democratic front-runner. From AFT President Randi Weingarten’s plug:

Hillary Clinton, a product of public schools herself, believes in the promise of public education. From early childhood learning through higher education, she sees how that promise can create real opportunity for kids, building a much-needed bridge to the middle class. Hillary understands that to reclaim the promise of public education, policymakers need to work with educators and their unions.

The choice of Clinton is not exactly a shocker: She and Weingarten have been tight since Clinton was a New York senator and Weingarten the head of New York’s United Federation of Teachers, and Weingarten sits on the board of the pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA Action. The AFT supported Clinton during her bruising primary against Obama in 2008. In subsequent years, it’s unlikely that the big teachers unions have found cause to regret that choice, as they have often disagreed with accountability-focused, charter-friendly Obama.

And Clinton seems to be the defender of traditional public schools that the unions have been longing to install in the White House: She was pushing for universal pre-K long before it was part of the national political conversation. Then again, she’s also spoken favorably of charters and has never exactly come out swinging against tying test scores to teacher performance. (In the 2008 election, as this New York Timesstory pointed out, it wasn’t necessary to take a position on these now incredibly contentious issues.)

Still, if it was all but inevitable that the teachers unions would endorse Clinton, why’d the AFT pull the trigger so early? The timing of the endorsement has attracted as much attention as its content. Last time, the AFT didn’t endorse Clinton until October 2007, and in recent months Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, has been urging unions not to endorse candidates until they know more about their economic positions. The obvious answer is that the Clinton camp choreographed the AFT endorsement as a safeguard against the unexpected threat posed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders—a candidate, incidentally, that unions seem to like so much thatAFT Hillary Clinton endorsement: Not everyone's pleased with the early pick.:

The AFT’s Endorsement of Hillary Clinton Is an Insult to Union Democracy

On Saturday, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced that its executive council “overwhelmingly” endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president. It did so, the official announcement says, on the basis of interviews (not released to members) and the results of a poll.

The decision couldn’t be more wrongheaded, and it’s one that members should demand the union executive council rescind. We should propose instead a decision reached by a very different process: a referendum of members that follows and is informed by debate in union outlets.

Every local should be charged by the executive council with providing space and place for members to air their opinions. The national union should encourage use of its magazine and website for this debate. In this discussion the leadership will have the opportunity to persuade members that endorsing Clinton is the wisest choice, but it will be obligated to carry out the will of the membership as expressed in the referendum.

What is most destructive in the AFT’s endorsement of Clinton is that it has disempowered members at precisely the moment when we most need revitalized teachers unions to save a system of education that is being destroyed as a public good by powerful elites and the politicians they control.

Instead, a rushed decision was made without any semblance of legitimacy. The questions and answers about the process offer few specifics except that the national union conducted polls of members and interviews with (some) candidates. According to the union, the endorsement was made based on this information, though people who know Washington politics have been aware for many years of the public love fest between AFT President Randi Weingarten and Clinton. The process of seeking member opinion was an embarrassingly transparent cover for Weingarten’s longstanding desire that Clinton be the AFT’s candidate.

Not all executive council members approved of this endorsement, though how individuals voted has not been revealed to members. We have a right to know how leaders voted and should demand this information.

While Weingarten holds much responsibility for handling this endorsement, as if it were hers to make, the executive council members are equally responsible. Those who supported the endorsement supported it on behalf of members without having The AFT’s Endorsement of Hillary Clinton Is an Insult to Union Democracy

AFT, NEA and the Corporate Education Reform oriented DGA - Wait What?

AFT, NEA and the Corporate Education Reform oriented DGA - Wait What?:

AFT, NEA and the Corporate Education Reform oriented DGA 

Perhaps we should simply call it a symptom of the corporatization of the modern American labor movement.

Or perhaps we call it a product of the centrifuge that is sucking mainstream American politics into the control of the corporate elite.

But whatever we call it, the premature decision by the American Federation of Teachers to endorse Hillary Clinton for President is yet another example of how the unions representing teachers have been gravitating toward backing those who are perceived to be more acceptable to corporate interests, display a track record of supporting policies that are less than supportive of teachers and the nation’s public schools and/or are defined as the “only” choice because the Republican alternative would be “even worse.”

Truth be told, the issue isn’t even really about Hillary Clinton.  As the presidential nominating process moves forward Hillary Clinton may very well be the “best” choice for the Democrats and the electorate, but the AFT leadership’s decision to endorse her now is an stark indicator of just how far the teacher unions have gone to become part of the get-a-long, go-along status quo.

Rather than requiring that any candidate seeking political support from teachers have a solid progressive record on public education and articulate clear-cut policies and positions that are diametrically opposed to the corporate education reform industry, there is a growing acceptance of candidates who have thrown their support behind the charter school industry and the broader education reform agenda.

Above all else, one thing is certain and that is that the American Federation of Teachers, and for that matter, the National Education Association, has consistently backed Democratic candidates whose records and positions are closely aligned with the so-called “education reformers.”

No where is that clearer than with the massive financial support that the AFT and NEA have given to the Democratic Governors Association, despite the DGA’s outspoken and on-going support for President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s education reform agenda, the Common Core, the associated Common Core testing scheme and the inappropriate requirement that standardized test scores be used as part of the teacher evaluation process.

Over the past five election cycles, the American Federation of Teachers has handed the AFT, NEA and the Corporate Education Reform oriented DGA - Wait What?:

One-Party Government Undermines Education and the Common Good in Ohio and Wisconsin | janresseger

One-Party Government Undermines Education and the Common Good in Ohio and Wisconsin | janresseger:

One-Party Government Undermines Education and the Common Good in Ohio and Wisconsin

First it happened in Ohio.  Earlier this month, Ohio’s governor John Kasich used the power he is given in Ohio law to veto line items in the state budget—which an all-Republican House and Senate had approved.  Kasich’s purpose?  To cut taxes.

In policies that affect public education, Governor Kasich used his line-item veto to cut back the hold-harmless school funding guarantee that has ensured that school districts don’t experience a drop in state funding below what they received last year.  Guarantees are needed when a school funding formula doesn’t work very well.  While many districts protected by the guarantee in Ohio are wealthy suburbs that can replace the lost state funds if the guarantee is cut, others are districts like Cleveland and Warrensville Heights, which have been losing students as the population has been reduced by the foreclosure crisis.  Through the line item veto in the the budget, Kasich also eliminated a state reimbursement Ohio provided for years to school districts to replace a local business tax that the state had eliminated.

Stephen Dyer of Innovation Ohio describes the $90.2 million drop in funding for public schools that Governor Kasich accomplished in one night as he vetoed parts of the state budget: “Cleveland is cut the most at more than $13 million.  There are now 114 out of 612 districts that will receive less money in the 2016-2017 school year than the state sent them last school year… Warrensville Heights—one of the state’s poorest districts—will see a more than $1 million cut.  And it’s worse if you look at how schools have fared since the 2010-2011 budget… If you adjust for inflation, there is now $187 million less money for schools than there was in the 2010-2011 budget and 334 districts receive less.”

As if the Ohio legislature itself hadn’t done enough damage during in its spring 2015 session, when it allowed urgently needed regulations for the charter school industry to go unaddressed, despite that passage of very modest oversight looked promising in early June. The Youngstown Vindicator editorialized: “After all, the charter school industry in Ohio is big business… Yes, there was legislation designed to block poorly performing charters from switching sponsors and poorly performing sponsors from sponsoring other charter locations.  But with the investment of millions of dollars in Ohio’s political process by charter operators and others, only the most naive would believe that any legislation aimed at policing the system would be adopted without a fight.”

And then, just at the end of the Ohio legislative session the lawmakers sneaked in a 66 page amendment to a very positive bill to expand full-service, wraparound community schools.  The bill passed without further debate through the Senate and House, and it was signed by the governor in a matter of hours.  The secret amendment that had been folded into this lawestablished a state appointed emergency manager for the Youngstown Schools and any other district rated “F” for three years.  Ohio’s state appointed emergency managers, like those in One-Party Government Undermines Education and the Common Good in Ohio and Wisconsin | janresseger: