Prominent DeVos critics urge protesters: Don’t block her way into public schools. She needs to see them. - The Washington Post

Prominent DeVos critics urge protesters: Don’t block her way into public schools. She needs to see them. - The Washington Post:

Prominent DeVos critics urge protesters: Don’t block her way into public schools. She needs to see them

With dozens of protesters standing at the front of Jefferson Academy in Washington, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos tried to enter a side door of the school but was blocked Friday by a few people who held signs and shouted, “Shame, shame.”

[Protesters briefly block Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’s visit to a D.C. school]

Along with the protesters outside, some staff members at Jefferson were none too happy about the DeVos visit, wearing black in protest and saying they didn’t want their students used as a photo opportunity for the controversial secretary.

DeVos was confirmed Tuesday in the Senate after Mike Pence became the first vice president ever to break a tie for a Cabinet nominee. She is the most polarizing education secretary in history because of the deep divide in philosophy about public education between her supporters and her critics. Her backers see her as a champion of school choice and alternatives to traditional public schools, while opponents say her decades of advocacy work show that she wants to privatize the public education system.

After her entrance to Jefferson was blocked — she did eventually make it in another way — some public figures who have been among her biggest critics urged that she be let into public schools. Why? Because they say DeVos needs to see how they work.

Former education secretary Arne Duncan, who tweeted thanks to two Republican senators who split with their party to vote against DeVos’s confirmation, tweeted this Friday:

 Follow

Arne Duncan 

✔@arneduncan

Agree or disagree w @BetsyDeVos on any issue, but let's all agree she really needs to be in public schools. Please let her in.

9:30 AM - 10 Feb 2017

 
•  1,6001,600 Retweets
 
•  3,2793,279 likes

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, who has called DeVos “the most ideological, anti-public education nominee” ever, praised the protesters but also tweeted:

 Follow

Randi Weingarten 

✔@rweingarten

Just heard a protester blocked & almost knocked Secy @BetsyDeVos down at Jefferson.We don't condone such acts.We want her to go to pub schls

8:02 AM - 10 Feb 2017

 
•  451451 Retweets
 
•  862862 likes

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And Diane Ravitch, the education historian and public schools advocate who years ago became the titular leader of the anti-corporate school reform movement, and who recently wrote that DeVos is an education “extremist” who is “hostile” to public schools, wrote this on her blog:

[Diane Ravitch to Sen. Alexander: Yes, Betsy DeVos is an education extremist. Don’t confirm her as education secretary.]

Protestors blocked Betsy DeVos from entering a public middle school in DC.

I have mixed feelings about this.

On one hand, I was thinking of planning a “Betsy, bar the door” campaign, 

Prominent DeVos critics urge protesters: Don’t block her way into public schools. She needs to see them. - The Washington Post:

Reader Comments: 

Elizabeth Davis

30 minutes ago  -  Shared publicly

 

Although the Washington Teachers’ Union was opposed to Secretary DeVos’s nomination, we will not be there to protest her visit to Jefferson Academy. The intent of today’s vigil is to make it clear to Secretary DeVos that we support strong, walkable, public community schools of right in every zip code of our city.
We support public schools because most of the alternatives lead to separate and unequal educational opportunities for our children, or they privatize school operations and undermine local control and accountability for all of our publicly funded schools.

We support free public schools because they are open and available to every child regardless of income, ability, need, English language proficiency, or racial and ethnic identity.The WTU and parents believe that public education is the cornerstone of our American democracy. Public schools prepare the nation’s young people—rich, poor, native- and foreign-born, and of all abilities—to contribute to our nation’s society, economy and civic life.

We support public schools because they are the anchors of our neighborhoods and are accountable to local officials we elect right here in the District of Columbia. Hopefully, Secretary DeVos’s visit to Jefferson Academy will help her to understand the need for us to support and fund our public schools. Once she spends some time with our children and their teachers, she might understand why we support our public schools.

Based on comments Secretary DeVos made during her nomination hearing, her lack of knowledge about the IDEA Federal law, we understand the concerns that teachers, parents and students are feeling about her visit and appointed position as Education Secretary. Like other parents, students and teachers across the District, we love our public schools and will fight to support and save them, as the quality schools we want them to be.

U.S.Education: Up To Us | Real Learning CT

U.S.Education: Up To Us | Real Learning CT:

U.S.Education: Up To Us

 Betsy DeVos was blocked by protestors from entering a DC public school. That action could be a symbol of saying NO to a Secretary of Education entering a public school for the first time in her life.  That action could be a symbol of saying NO to a Secretary of Education who does not understand what it means to learn and what it means to teach. That action could be a symbol of saying NO to a Secretary of Education who does not know how to maximize learning and support good teaching.

But physical blocking is not the answer. It doesn’t take us far enough.

We need actions that say NO to whatever Betsy DeVos tells us to do that undermines what we know is in the best interests of students.  We can start right now by:

•  As parents, teachers, and school administrators, show up at local school board meetings and legislative hearings on local and state budgets and say NO to public tax money being given to privately managed charter schools which have no accountability to the public about how they spend the taxpayer money taken away from 85% of the nation’s children who are in traditional public schools.

•  As parents, opt your children out of standardized tests because they do not assess learning and take valuable learning time away from students as they prepare for those tests, which are roads to nowhere. 

•  As school administrators, conduct professional development for teachers about what it means to teach and what it means to learn. Familiarize teachers with the skills that students need to develop as learners and thinkers in order to succeed in the world of work and live productive and fulfilling lives.  

•  As school administrators, tell teachers about the research which proves, without a doubt, that standardized tests are unreliable and invalid measures of student learning. 

•  As school administrators, tell teachers to ignore the demands of the standardized tests and commission them to work together to create meaningful curriculum, firmly grounded in an understanding of how children and U.S.Education: Up To Us | Real Learning CT:

Hitting Left. The Klonsky brothers radio. Episode #2. | Fred Klonsky

Hitting Left. The Klonsky brothers radio. Episode #2. | Fred Klonsky:

Hitting Left. The Klonsky brothers radio. Episode #2

I think we are starting to get the hang of this radio thing.

But, please continue the feedback on making it better.

Episode #2 featured a conversation with the dean of the Hispanic and Progressive Caucuses of the Chicago City Council, Ricardo Muñoz.

Our talk with Alderman Muñoz focused on the impact of Trump’s immigration policies on what Ric calls the Mexican Capital of the Midwest.

We also talked with the Alderman about Rahm’s infrastructure initiatives and who they serve.

And we touched on the fight for the progressive future of the Democratic Party.

My brother and I recalled the fight over the DeVos confirmation and what it portends for the future of the Department of Education and the future of public education in America.

Plus some sports talk, Illinois politics and some music.

Hitting Left. The Klonsky brothers radio. Episode #2. | Fred Klonsky:

First SNL did it. Now Jimmy Fallon pokes fun at Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. - The Washington Post

First SNL did it. Now Jimmy Fallon pokes fun at Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. - The Washington Post:

First SNL did it. Now Jimmy Fallon pokes fun at Education Secretary Betsy DeVos

First “Saturday Night Live” did it, and now Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” did the very same thing — poke fun at new Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

The Senate confirmed DeVos on  Feb. 7 after Mike Pence became the first vice president in history to break a tie for a Cabinet nominee, a 50-50 vote among senators, reflecting how polarizing she has become. While her supporters see her as a champion of school choice, her critics believe she is not qualified for her job and wants to privatize the public education system.

[DeVos confirmation as education secretary is a big victory for … Jeb!]

On the show’s Thursday episode, Fallon “interviewed” the secretary, played by comedian Jo Firestone, for a skit that attempted to show DeVos as clueless about nearly everything, including how to stand in front of a camera. By midday Friday, more than 12 million people had viewed the bit on YouTube.

Firestone as DeVos says: “I’m very exited to be your new secretary of edu-cakeboss.”

[SNL takes a jab at Betsy DeVos during a mock Sean Spicer news conference]

“Saturday Night Live’s” jab at DeVos came on last week’s program, during a mock news conference by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, played by Melissa McCarthy. Kate McKinnon, who has played Hillary Clinton and Kellyanne Conway, portrayed DeVos as being totally ill-informed after she was asked a question about measuring student achievement:

Well yes, I don’t know anything about school, but I do think there should be a school, probably Jesus school, and I do think it should have walls and roof and guns for potential grizzlies.

This portrayal of DeVos stems from her inability to speak knowledgeably about important First SNL did it. Now Jimmy Fallon pokes fun at Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. - The Washington Post:

DeVos confirmation triggered outpouring of support for public education system | EdSource

DeVos confirmation triggered outpouring of support for public education system | EdSource:

DeVos confirmation triggered outpouring of support for public education system

 In this unusual political season, marked by one unexpected turn after another, the emergence of Betsy DeVos, confirmed this week as President Trump’s secretary of education, as the main target of opposition by Senate Democrats was one of the most surprising, especially because she has far more limited powers than many other cabinet secretaries.

With virtually no power to stop DeVos’ nomination, Democrats nonetheless mounted a nearly 24-hour long talkathon in which Senators derisively declared her totally unfit to be secretary of education. No other Trump nominee got a similar round-the-clock treatment.

Equally surprising – and encouraging to public school advocates – was the stirring defense of public schools, coming after years of sustained criticism from numerous quarters, both Democrat and Republican. That was capped by Trump campaign rhetoric routinely attacking “failing schools,” a theme that extended right into his inaugural address when he said students were being “deprived of all knowledge.”

There were some obvious reasons DeVos attracted the ire of Democrats.

“She emerged as a poster child for concerns about the Trump administration because of her persona and her poor performance at her confirmation hearing,” said Andy Rotherham, co-founder of Bellwether Education Partners, and a former education policy adviser to President Bill Clinton.

Also, Rotherham noted, a vast number of education advocacy groups at local, state and national levels are in general much better organized than interest groups in policy areas such as housing or energy groups. That helps explain why two other controversial Trump nominees, Ben Carson for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and Rick Perry for the Department of Energy, both of whom were widely criticized for lacking the knowledge or competence to run their departments, were both easily confirmed.

Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, said the strength of teachers unions was key to elevating DeVos as a primary target of Democratic ire.

“That explains the sheer volume of calls and emails coming to Capitol Hill offices,” he said. “No other interest group on the left has anywhere near the numbers that the teachers unions do. And they know how to get their members fired up.”

“There just isn’t anything similar in the housing world, or the health world or the DeVos confirmation triggered outpouring of support for public education system | EdSource:

Diane Ravitch: Texas Senate Bill Means Less Money for Public Schools | 88.9 KETR

Diane Ravitch: Texas Senate Bill Means Less Money for Public Schools | 88.9 KETR:

Diane Ravitch: Texas Senate Bill Means Less Money for Public Schools

Education historian and former assistant US education secretary Diane Ravitch on Tuesday criticized a State Senate bill filed last week to create Educational Savings Accounts.

Listen

Listening...

3:37

Education historian Diane Ravitch speaks to KETR about the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as the next U.S. secretary of education and a school voucher bill in Texas. (George Hale/KETR)

Filed last Monday, Senate Bill 3 would subsidize private education by allowing parents to use Education Savings Accounts. They could spend the money on private school tuition. 

Ravitch said that if the bill backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick passed into law, it would harm public schools for the benefit of students from wealthier families who can afford private tuition. 

"The deal with education funding is that it's not growing," Ravitch said. "Patrick's not saying, 'We need more money for education. And let's have Education Savings Accounts.' It's the same pot of money. Only there will be less money for public schools. And that's what this is all about."

Ravitch also said that the bill's language was deceptive because it does not clearly state that the funds will go to alternatives to public education. 

"It's one of the curiosities of the voucher proponents -- that they dare not speak their name. So, they don't ever say, 'This is a voucher bill.' ... Because every time vouchers have been put to a public vote, they have lost. So, I think that Lt. Gov. Patrick should just come out and say, 'Do you want vouchers?'"

She also criticized the state's plan to rank every school in Texas on an A-F scale. She said the system was designed to delegitimize public schools. 

"The schools in poor neighborhoods always end up in the F column. And the schools Diane Ravitch: Texas Senate Bill Means Less Money for Public Schools | 88.9 KETR:

CURMUDGUCATION: The Wealth Gap: Worse Than You Think

CURMUDGUCATION: The Wealth Gap: Worse Than You Think:

The Wealth Gap: Worse Than You Think

How much is whiteness worth? The answer turns out to be "a whole heck of a lot."

A new report with the unsexy title "Asset Value of Whiteness" has been released jointly by Demos and the Institute for Assets and Social Policy (Brandeis University), two left-tilted thinky tanks. The researchers used the Survey of Consumer Finances, a tri-annual data crunch sponsored by the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury Department-- so not a bunch of amateur data creators. The report is brief and in plain English and I recommend you read it, but let me hit the highlights here.

The basic message is right there in the table of contents:

Attending college does not close the racial wealth gap.

Raising children in a two-parent family does not close the racial wealth gap

Working full time does not close the racial wealth gap

Spending less does not close the racial wealth gap


What's striking-- even shocking-- about the report is not just that these things don't help, but how huge the gap remains in the face of these. 

Look at this graph:

The part that leaps out is how much greater the wealth is for college-educated white households-- the median white college-educated adult household wealth is over seven times greater than the median black college-educated wealth. But the shocking finding here is that the median wealth for white high school drop outs is still higher than the median wealth for blacks who have attended college, and barely a hair less than wealth of college-educated Latinos.

This is the pattern that continues through the report. The median single-parent white family has more than twice as much wealth as the median two-parent black household. The median white CURMUDGUCATION: The Wealth Gap: Worse Than You Think:

The race for the Democratic National Committee Chairperson | 34justice

Ellison for DNC Chair: It Matters | 34justice:

The race for the Democratic National Committee Chairperson is very important.

In case you haven’t been following it, there are many candidates running, but only two major contenders: Keith Ellison, Democratic Congressman from Minnesota’s 5thcongressional district for 10 years straight, and Tom Perez, the Secretary of Labor from the Obama Administration.  The winner of the race, who will be chosen during the weekend of February 24 by 447 party insiders, will run fundraising, outreach, and primary processes for the Democratic Party over the next several years.

Overall, Ellison has stronger social justice credentials than Perez – he’s been an active Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and has put forward some of the most progressive economic justice legislation in Congress during his time there.  He’s been a staunch advocate for unions, was an early supporter of a $15 minimum wage, and was an early opponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and other trade deals that are more about enriching multinational corporations than promoting the free exchange of goods and services.  His voting record on women’s rights, LGBT rights, anti-racist policy – you name it – is excellent.  And before coming to Congress, Ellison worked in civil rights and employment law.

But Perez deserves a fair bit of credit for his record, too.  As the Labor Secretary, Perez went after companies that stole from their workers, embraced policies that would raise the pay of and increase opportunities for members of underserved groups to become federal employees and contractors, and pushed forward a rule that would reestablish the right to overtime pay for millions of workers.  His active support for the TPP is a non-trivial stain on his résumé, but those who believe in social justice should generally like the policies he’s pursued, as others have also noted.

Yet if that’s the case, why is it so important that Ellison wins?

The answer to that question lies in the answer to another: why is Perez even running?

Ellison jumped into the DNC Chair race right after the election (on Monday, November 14).  His candidacy made a ton of sense for the party for three main reasons:

– Ellison was one of the few Democrats calling for the party and media to take Donald Trump seriously from the beginning. The clip below, from a panel Ellison did back in July of 2015, is the most striking illustration of the contrast between Ellison’s prescience and the irresponsibility of the vast majority of Establishment media figures and politicians during the course of the 2016 election.

– Ellison was the second congressperson to endorse Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary, and one of only a small handful to have done so at all.  Many other federal policymakers also had backgrounds more aligned with Sanders than with Hillary Clinton but backed Clinton anyway, possibly because of some combination of a misguided sense of political pragmatism and a legitimate fear of retribution.

Given that Sanders was much more popular than Clinton among Independents and the most popular primary candidate ever among young people, whose energy and enthusiasm Democrats desperately need in the future, it makes strategic Ellison for DNC Chair: It Matters | 34justice:

Here’s How Much Teachers Make in Every State | GOBankingRates

Here’s How Much Teachers Make in Every State | GOBankingRates:

Here’s How Much Teachers Make in Every State

The average teacher's salary on a national level isn't impressive, but some states offer well-paying opportunities.

It might seem like a no-brainer that most don't choose to teach solely for the money. After all, education degree holders are among the lowest paid, earning $45,000 annually on average, according to a 2015 study conducted by Georgetown's Center of Education.

But don't be discouraged. If you're passionate about pursuing a career in teaching and education, you should know some states offer better salaries than others.

Using the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, GOBankingRates compiled average teacher salaries by state (not including Washington, D.C.). If you want to be a teacher — or if you're a teacher looking to make a move — click through to see where you can earn a higher salary.

View All Here’s How Much Teachers Make in Every State | GOBankingRates:

WATCH: Betsy DeVos quickly gives up and leaves DC school after a couple of protesters block her path

WATCH: Betsy DeVos quickly gives up and leaves DC school after a couple of protesters block her path:
WATCH: Betsy DeVos quickly gives up and leaves DC school after a couple of protesters block her path

Betsy DeVos quickly gave up and left after she was met by a few protesters outside a Washington, D.C., school.

The newly confirmed education secretary, who prompted a wave of phone calls opposing her nomination, was attempting to visit Jefferson Academy on Friday morning, reported WJLA-TV.

About a dozen protesters greeted her at a side entrance to the school, carrying signs and saying, “You do not represent anything that they stand for.”

Two men stood alongside a stairway and created a barrier with their arms by gripping the opposite railing, and DeVos and a man accompanying her briefly tried to pass but then turned around and left.

“Giving money to senators and buying your way into the position, you should be so proud of yourself,” one of the men says, as he leaves the stairway and jogs past DeVos and her companion.

“Jimmy, let’s put her in the car,” the secretary’s companion says, and DeVos is escorted into a waiting town car.

The man who blocked her path and then jeered DeVos bellows “shame, shame” as the pair get into the vehicle, and he then briefly blocks the SUV’s path as they leave school grounds.

The visit was organized by the local teachers union, which did not support DeVos but hoped to build a relationship with the top public education official.

WATCH: Sec. Betsy DeVos physically blocked by protesters from entering DC school--turned away and left.
Video: @SweeneyABC pic.twitter.com/RAycuKEVgm

— ABC 7 News - WJLA (@ABC7News) February 10, 2017

 WATCH: Betsy DeVos quickly gives up and leaves DC school after a couple of protesters block her path: