Enrique Baloyra: Thoughts and prayers for Fla public schools - YouTube

Thoughts and prayers for Fla public schools - YouTube

Thoughts and prayers for Fla public schools

 enrique baloyra @nenebalo YouTube

Once more for anyone who still hasn’t gotten the memo: Evolution and climate change are settled science.
I know, evolution is called a “theory.” But it’s not. No matter what the wingnuts on talk radio say. Evolution is a fact.
And climate change is caused by humans.
But now a Florida politician who says schools are indoctrinating children with science has filed a bill requiring schools to teach alternatives to evolution and climate change.
Like creationism. That’s pseudoscience that teaches kids dinosaurs walked the Earth alongside humans until a great flood washed them all away.
Or that global warming is a hoax, because only God can control the weather.
Ocala Sen. Dennis Baxley defends his bill by claiming that science is unreliable because, “for a long time the official worldview was that the world was flat.” https://www.tampabay.com/florida-poli...
Yeah. Back when the Church was in charge of the official worldview, half a millennium ago. There’ve been a few advancements in how we collect data since then.
The bill’s text was written by the rightwing group Florida Citizens Alliance, who complain that current textbooks are teaching children socialism. These are the same folks behind the push for unlimited school vouchers.
“The group last made news after then-Governor-Elect Ron DeSantis tapped two of its members to serve on his education advisory team. As New Times has previously reported, the Alliance is virulently Islamophobic, has said LGBTQ people are guilty of ‘deviant behavior,’ and claims schools must teach Judeo-Christian values.” https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/fl...
Sen. Baxley, a neo-Confederate revisionist and proud cosponsor the now world famous Stand Your Ground law, has joined forces with former Christian exorcist and self-proclaimed “Demonbuster” Kim Daniels — thank you, Jacksonville — on a bill forcing schools to teach Bible study. This is the same Rep. Daniels authored the law that now requires all public schools to display “In God We Trust.”
Not to be outdone, Miami Senator Manny Diaz, Jr, has proposed to cut school board taxes for seniors, whose education was already paid for by the public.
This is what passes for education policy.
While Florida remains 48th nationally in per-pupil spending and teachers are quitting by the thousands, the governor decides that shuffling the state standards around again will somehow magically fix what’s wrong with our schools.
ICYMI Florida still hasn’t given teachers a raise 10 years after the Great Recession ended.

Thoughts and prayers for Fla public schools - YouTube

enrique baloyra - YouTube - 

Sentencing guideline offered for teacher misconduct :: K-12 Daily

Sentencing guideline offered for teacher misconduct :: K-12 Daily :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Sentencing guideline offered for teacher misconduct

(Calif.) New penalty instructions for educator misconduct will be considered this week by the state’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

The guidelines are intended to help standardize outcomes in malpractice cases generated by complaints that teachers or other certified personnel have violated conduct norms spelled out in the state education code.

The list of recommendations come at the request of the Attorney General’s office, which represents the commission on offenses that routinely include refusals to obey laws regulating certificated duties, lack of performance as required by employment contract, or addiction to alcohol or drugs.

“The guidelines contain a range of adverse actions that may be imposed for specific types of conduct in violation of agency disciplinary laws, factors in aggravation and mitigation, and suggested language for standard and optional terms and conditions of probation,” CTC staff said in a memo to the board. “Guidelines are not binding. The facts of each case are unique and mitigating or aggravating circumstances in a particular case may necessitate deviation from the guidelines. Minimum and maximum adverse actions are meant to provide assistance in determining the appropriate outcome.”

The CTC has two major responsibilities: To ensure public school educators are properly trained and credentialed; and to investigate misconduct and impose discipline when wrongdoing is identified.

Last year, the CTC’s Division of Professional Practices opened close to 5,900 new cases—more than half of which related to alcohol infractions. Charges of serious crimes and felonies accounted for 942 open cases in 2017-18, while there were 441 allegations sexual crimes against both children and adults.

CTC staff initially investigates complaints and, if charges are sustained, the case is brought to the commission’s Committee of Credentials. The committee is a seven-member panel charged with ruling on the complaints. All disciplinary actions taken by the committee are subject to appeal and final action by the commission itself.

Appeals are heard by an administrative judge.

Considering the many players in the misconduct process, standardizing potential sanctions for specific violations is clearly important. The new disciplinary guide is directed at educators and their counsels, as well as CTC staff, commission and committee members and, indeed, administrative judges as well.

Dealing with misconduct has at times pressed the CTC. The agency drew fire after auditors found CONTINUE READING: Sentencing guideline offered for teacher misconduct :: K-12 Daily :: The Essential Resource for Superintendents and the Cabinet

Black Lives Matter At School week of action begins today. Here’s what you need to know to be ready. – Black Lives Matter At School #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #BlackHistoryMonth

Black Lives Matter At School week of action begins today. Here’s what you need to know to be ready. – Black Lives Matter At School

Black Lives Matter At School week of action begins today. Here’s what you need to know to be ready.

oday, Monday, February 4th officially marks the launch of the second annual national Black Lives Matter At School week of action. Supporters will be posting their photos, lesson plans, and stories of the day on social media with the hashtag, #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool. The four demands of the movement are: 1) End “zero tolerance” discipline, and implement restorative justice; 2) Hire more black teachers; 3) Mandate black history and ethnic studies in K-12 curriculum; 4) Fund counselors not cops.

Watch the video BLM@School video to help you understand why tens of thousands of students in cities around the country will engage in lesson plans about institutional racism, Black history, intersectional Black identity, and the thirteen guiding principlesof the Black Lives Matter Global Network. The principles have been broken down into teaching themes for each day of the week as follows:

Monday: Restorative Justice, Empathy and Loving Engagement

Tuesday: Diversity and Globalism

Wednesday: Trans-Affirming, Queer Affirming and Collective Value

Thursday: Intergenerational, Black Families and Black Villages

Friday: Black Women and Unapologetically Black

The Black Lives Matter At School national committee has complied many lesson plansthat match the themes for the week and has come out with new 2019 Curriculum Resource Gide. You can watch and share the new BLM@School video, “I know my people are strong” to get hyped for the week.

In addition, there is a Black Lives Matter At School starter kit to help educators be ready for the week.

There are many different ways to participate in Black Lives Matter at School week.  Some educators teach BLM lessons every day of the week, wear their Black Lives Matter At School t-shirt, organize after school rallies, facilitate their students entering the creative challenge, develop curriculum, post on social media, and rally at the school board meeting.  Other educators new the to movement sometimes begin by taking on one or two of these actions.  One easy way for everyone to participate is to sign the petition endorsing the week of action. 

The important thing is that you act in some way to join this movement to bring down the structures of anti-Blackness in education and affirm the lives of Black students in your classroom.

Black Lives Matter At School week of action begins today. Here’s what you need to know to be ready. – Black Lives Matter At School

Democrats for Education Reform was behind text campaign seeking to prevent teacher strike

Democrats for Education Reform was behind text campaign seeking to prevent teacher strike

Democrats for Education Reform was behind text campaign seeking to prevent teacher strike

Democrats for Education Reform was behind a text message campaign urging Denver residents to write Gov. Jared Polis and Denver school board members in support of a key aspect of the district’s pay proposal and in opposition to a teachers strike, the group’s Colorado state director confirmed.

The messages purported to be from a group called “Support Students, Support Teachers,” but public records searches do not turn up any organization with that name.

An email obtained by Chalkbeat that was sent last Monday by Will Andras of DFER Colorado notes the texts sent through Phone 2 Action — an Arlington, Virginia-based company that offers “advocacy software,” including mass texting services — were meant to “engage community members around protecting the equity incentives,” a reference to bonuses for teachers at high-poverty schools, a policy on which the district has held firm.

Jennifer Walmer, head of the Colorado chapter of Democrats for Education Reform, confirmed that DFER was responsible for the messages.

“I want to make it really clear we are not taking sides,” Walmer said Sunday. “We fundamentally believe teachers should be paid more and that those serving in our highest poverty schools deserve extra incentives. Our efforts were focused on pushing both sides back to the table to avoid a strike and school closures (caused by a strike) that will negatively impact Denver kids.”

Walmer acknowledged that Support Students, Support Teachers is not an official organization. Asked why DFER was not transparent about its role and why the other name was used in the texts, Walmer said that disclosure is not required, and emphasized that others in the community share the same concerns about teacher pay and a strike’s implications.

She said DFER had the ability to pull the campaign together, and chose to send the CONTINUE READING: Democrats for Education Reform was behind text campaign seeking to prevent teacher strike

Teachers For Social Justice: Black Lives Matter at Schools National week of Action: Feb 4 - Feb 8 #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #BlackHistoryMonth

Teachers For Social Justice: Black Lives Matter at Schools National week of Action: Feb 4 - Feb 8

Black Lives Matter at Schools National week of Action: Feb 4 - Feb 8

Join the National Week of Actions for Black Lives Matter at Schools. Starting Monday, February 4^theducators in cities across the country will draw closer attention to four national demands

An end of zero tolerance policies

Black students in CPS are overwhelmingly under punitive school conditions that include metal detectors, armed police officers, and booking facilities on school sites.  However, there are alternatives.  Last Year, CPS and CTU partnered to create 20 Sustainable Community Schools (SCS).  One of the pillars of the SCS model is restorative justice, an alternative to zero tolerance policies and practices in schools.  Transformharm.org is a new resource hub about ending violence.  Visit their site for more information, including curriculum, on restorative justice.  

More Black teachers

Nationally, 16 percent of k-12 students are Black, yet Black teachers only make up 6 percent of the almost all-white teaching force.  We know that school privatization and closures negatively impact Black teachers.  Check out 9^th grade teacher, David Jackson’s, article on the importance of Black teachers.  Support more Black teachers in schools. 

Black history and ethnic studies in every school

CPS requires ethnic studies in all schools but this is a policy yet to be enforced.  Ethnic Studies provides all students, regardless of background, a context to explore the lives of people of color.  Students of color rarely see themselves reflected in school curricula, Ethnic Studies counters this white-centered mainstream narrative. 

Counselors not Cops

Over 4.6 million students in U.S. schools attend schools where there are no counselors, but there are police.  In Chicago, 2/3 of students attend schools with no librarian.  In Chicago, 4.1 million dollars a day is spent funding the police and the city has plans to build a 95 million-dollar police training facility.  That money could go towards the hiring of more counselors and counseling services for students under these traumatic conditions.  No Cop Academy in Chicago has resources for educators. 

Learn more about how to participate here.  


Teachers For Social Justice: Black Lives Matter at Schools National week of Action: Feb 4 - Feb 8

Badass Teachers Association: BAT member highlight: Increase the number of school counselors in our schools! #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #BlackHistoryMonth

Badass Teachers Association: BAT member highlight: Increase the number of school counselors in our schools!

Badass Teachers Association: BAT member highlight: Increase the number of school counselors in our schools!

Heather Marcus has been a member of Badass Teachers Association for four years. As a member that joins in on our conversations often, she began to have that moment of realization that it was time for more than just talk, it was time to act.

Heather is a school counselor in the Philadelphia School District. Having gone through the Philly school system herself and with both parents being educators, it was a natural pathway for her to follow in their footsteps. After teaching for seven years, Heather went back and got her Master’s in Elementary and Secondary School Counseling. Teaching was a great foundation for her current position. Heather is now employed as one of three school counselors at an academic magnet school. While this school is one of the top schools in the state with a 100% graduation rate and all students moving on to four year colleges, all students need support from school counselors so the job can be   very overwhelming.  

Being one of three school counselors at a school with 1200 students means that Heather carries a caseload of around 400 students; students that span grades 5 to 12. Currently only two of these counselors are actually funded by the overall district budget. The current principal of the school recognizes the importance of students having access to counselors and funds one of the positions out of the building’s discretionary funds. But that still is not enough. Working with middle and high school students simultaneously comes with many challenges. For example, approximately 60% of the seniors seek early admission into colleges. Early Decision/Early Action college applications are due on November 1 each year. All eighth graders must apply to high school, and this year the District moved the deadline to November 2. So, counselors are working with seniors and eighth graders on applications while also helping students in all grades with mental health issues and other difficulties.

Other responsibilities are carried by these counselors, as are found in any school. Helping students make post-secondary plans, supporting academic and social-emotional needs, meeting with students, families, and teachers when grades are dipping to make support plans CONTINUE READING: Badass Teachers Association: BAT member highlight: Increase the number of school counselors in our schools!

Week of Action: Black Lives Matter at School - Lily's Blackboard #BlackLivesMatterAtSchool #BlackHistoryMonth

Week of Action: Black Lives Matter at School - Lily's Blackboard

Week of Action: Black Lives Matter at School

This is Black Lives Matter at School Week, and the NEA is proud to support a movement that is all about sparking conversations that will protect our students and ensure that no matter their racial or ethnic background, they have the support and tools they need in schools.

What this week—and the entire movement—emphasize is that those of us who are educators have a responsibility to look closely at what black students face in far too many schools across our nation.

We know, for instance, that zero-tolerance policies lead to higher rates of suspension and other disciplinary measures that are pushing students out of the classroom and into the criminal justice system. These policies disproportionately affect black students, who are often disciplined more severely than other students for minor infractions.

But let’s be honest: Looking closely at these policies and what’s happening in schools means examining ourselves as educators. That can be difficult for even the toughest among us—especially if you consider yourself to be someone who loves each student, every child, as if he or she were your very own.

Our dedication to students, however, doesn’t mean that we don’t come into schools with prejudices and predispositions. These may have been cultivated in us while we were growing up, or they could have been part of life in our communities. We are not always aware of them, and even worse, we have no idea the impact they have on the decisions we make as educators.

The need for us to reflect on our thoughts and behaviors was underscored last week after Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam apologized for a racist photograph that appeared to feature him. The photo was in his 1984 medical school class yearbook. Although the governor said a day later that he was not in the photo, he did admit to using shoe polish to darken his skin around the same time while doing an impersonation of Michael Jackson.

I don’t know what’s in Governor Northam’s heart, and I certainly don’t know what he did or did not do. (Considering his two-day apology, it sounds like he doesn’t, either.) But I do know this: If we adults are not accountable for our behavior, we cannot teach accountability to our children. Furthermore, we have to have confidence in our elected officials and faith that they respect and will represent all of us.

All the mea culpas in the world won’t fix things unless we examine ourselves, reflect on our own thoughts and behaviors and take action to create racial justice everywhere, particularly in schools and on campuses, where our future leaders are. The good news is that change and growth are possible for anyone.

Start your journey this week. Look at the many Black Lives Matter at School resources that NEA’s Center for Social Justice has assembled with our coalition partners during this Week of Action.

The Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action includes a demand to end zero-tolerance policies; mandate that black history and ethnic history be taught in schools; hire more black teachers; and fund more counselors in our schools. The last one is particularly timely: The week of February 4-8 also happens to be National School Counseling Week. And one thing we know for sure is that no matter what communities our schools are in, most of them have far too few counselors.

There are several things you can do this week to show your support for this growing movement, and you’ll find suggestions here. You can read about how the movement began here.

Also, consider joining the movement. BLM epitomizes what organizing is all about: Anyone who supports its mission and goals can join in on monthly conference calls and be part of the movement. Find out more here at blacklivesmatteratschool.com.

Take the pledge to grow the movement for racial justice in education, and be part of history.

Week of Action: Black Lives Matter at School - Lily's Blackboard

Mississippi lawmakers propose ‘license to harass’ for transphobic teachers – ThinkProgress

Mississippi lawmakers propose ‘license to harass’ for transphobic teachers – ThinkProgress

Mississippi lawmakers propose ‘license to harass’ for transphobic teachers
It's the first bill of its kind in the country.

Mississippi lawmakers have proposed new legislation that would ensure teachers cannot be disciplined if they refuse to respect a transgender student’s gender identity. This “license to harass” is the first bill of its kind in the country.

HB 1176 would update state law determining how school employees may be disciplined, adding specific language prohibiting their dismissal or suspension “for referring to any individual student’s immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics at time of birth.”

School employees would be barred from being disciplined “despite the student’s preference to identify as the opposite gender after undergoing stages of transition as a pansexual, transsexual or transgender, whether through sex reassignment, gender identity transitioning, hormonal therapy treatment or other philosophical processes.”

The proposed measure also clarifies that schools cannot force an employee to comply with a directive to respect a student’s identity if it violates that employee’s “sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction.”

The bill reiterates the full text of Mississippi’s unique “license to discriminate” law passed in 2016. That measure created broad protections for people who refuse to provide service because they oppose same-sex marriage or oppose sex outside of man-woman marriage, or because they reject the legitimacy of transgender identities. The law was challenged in court, but upheld on a technicality.

The proposed bill is likely a response to multiple high-profile incidents around the country in which teachers and school officials have been disciplined for disrespecting trans students.

An Indiana orchestra teacher resigned, for example, rather than follow his school’s policy requiring that he respect trans students’ identities; a Virginia French teacher was fired for repeatedly misgendering one of his students; and a West Virginia assistant principal was suspended for policing a student’s bathroom use. Additionally, a professor CONTINUE READING: Mississippi lawmakers propose ‘license to harass’ for transphobic teachers – ThinkProgress

How Los Angeles Teachers Organized and What They Won - Progressive.org

How Los Angeles Teachers Organized and What They Won - Progressive.org

How Los Angeles Teachers Organized and What They Won
“It’s really hard to overstate the incredible feeling of empowerment, solidarity, and joy that you saw in school site picket lines and at the massive rallies that we held every single day.”

Los Angeles, the nation’s second largest school district, was rocked by a six-day strike of over 34,000 educators who galvanized popular support and won major victories for public education. Jesse Hagopian interviewed Gillian Russom, a history teacher at Roosevelt High School and member of the United Teachers of Los Angeles Board of Directors, about how the strike was organized, the significant gains it made for students, and implications for the ongoing uprising of teachers around the country.

Jesse Hagopian: I want to begin by asking you about the groundwork that made the strike possible. You have been working for years to strengthen the union. Talk about the Union Power caucus you are a part of, and the vision you all had that culminated in this six-day victorious strike.

Gillian Russom: There’s been a long history around the country of progressive caucuses fighting for unions to be more active, and to have a broader vision and a broader set of alliances in our struggles. The Chicago 2012 strike and the work of CORE—Caucus of Rank and File Educators—leading up to that strike really helped to educate so many of us around the country and clarified our direction. I’ve been a teacher and union activist in Los Angeles for eighteen years and I studied what worked in Chicago and joined together with others to help bring those lessons here to LA.

In 2013, we pushed for a referendum within our union calling for a campaign for the “Schools LA Students Deserve.” This was modeled off of the Chicago teachers who based their strike around their own “schools our students deserve,” aiming to draw in parents, students, and the community.

Our agenda for union transformation basically came down to transforming the union from a top-down service model to an organizing model. We were crafting our agenda of union demands in conversation with community allies so that it would be an agenda that would draw the active participation of people beyond our own union membership. Up until 2014, we still had a model of one union rep for every school, including massive high schools of like 100 teachers.

Q: Only one per school?

Russom: Yes, but then we took the model of Chicago’s contract action teams, where you have leadership that can actually have one-on-one conversations CONTINUE READING: How Los Angeles Teachers Organized and What They Won - Progressive.org

Marie Corfield: Super "Bowling For Dollars" — How Politicians & The @NFL Screw Taxpayers #SuperBowlLlll #ImWithKap -

Marie Corfield: Super "Bowling For Dollars" — How Politicians & The @NFL Screw Taxpayers

Super "Bowling For Dollars" — How Politicians & The @NFL Screw Taxpayers
Happy Super Bowl LIII! Today is Georgia taxpayers' day to get screwed! 

During the NFC & AFC playoffs, I wrote about the financial train wreck that was Super Bowl XLVIII, played in New Jersey in 2014, and how the NFL and its teams reap all the profits while host cities—and taxpayers—get screwed. Today the train wreck comes to Atlanta.

The city just opened the shiny, new $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium, paid for by taxpayers, the majority of whom cannot afford a Mercedes Benz; all of whom had no say in how their tax dollars were going to be spent.

Michael Farren and Anne Philpot, researchers with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, reported on just how much the state will lose not only during the Super Bowl, but for many years to come. This isn't an anomaly. This is what happens when taxpayers subsidize professional sports. This is why 70% of Americans are against this practice.

So sit back with your guacamolé and wings and read their words. All emphasis mine:

Sunday’s Super Bowl, a rematch 17 years in the making, harkens back to a thrilling 2002 title game between Tom Brady’s underdog New England Patriots and the high-flying St. Louis (now-Los Angeles) Rams. 

But the host of this year’s game, Atlanta’s sparkling new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, reminds us of something less thrilling: the $1 billion or so that politicians give away in unnecessary public handouts to professional sports every year. 

The $1.6 billion stadium was underwritten by $248 million in local bonds. Once taxpayers pay those off, they’ll then write the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons an annual check for stadium operations and upkeep. 

Our calculations suggest taxpayers will pay around $1.02 billion over the course of the deal. Combined with $77 million in sales tax rebates, infrastructure investments, and city-provided land, locals could be on the hook for over five times the initial $200 million estimate. 

The story is the same in most other sports cities. And like other sports teams, the Falcons rake in buckets of money: corporate sponsorships ($900 million) and personal seat licenses ($267 million) could have paid for 75 percent of the stadium cost alone, not  CONTINUE READING: Marie Corfield: Super "Bowling For Dollars" — How Politicians & The @NFL Screw Taxpayers

Why the federal government should stop spending billions on private sports stadiums - http://brook.gs/2bzLhpc on @BrookingsInst

HAVE YOU BEEN BLOCKED FROM COMMENTING ON YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT'S SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT

HAVE YOU BEEN BLOCKED FROM COMMENTING ON YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT'S SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT

Threat of SCTA first amendment lawsuit forces Superintendent Aguilar to unblock posters to Sac City social media accounts.

Facing a threat of a first amendment lawsuit from SCTA, Superintendent Jorge Aguilar unblocked posters to the District’s social media accounts. In a Friday evening letter to SCTA, Mr. Aguilar wrote the he “is unaware on any individuals who are blocked.” Mr. Aguilar did not mention that the district appears to have unblocked those who were previously blocked just before he sent his letter.

We are aware of at least one teacher who remained block and notified Mr. Aguilar so that he could correct it. If you are aware of anyone who remains blocked please let us know.

Sacramento City Teachers Association - Home -

Victory For The First Amendment: Court Rules That Government Officials Who Tweet to the Public Can't Block Users Who They Disagree With | Electronic Frontier Foundation - https://www.eff.org/node/98836 on @eff

School Reform for Social Justice?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

School Reform for Social Justice?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

School Reform for Social Justice?*

Should public schools in a democracy prepare students for what is or what should be?

This question about the fundamental role of public schools in a democracy has been asked repeatedly by reformers since John Dewey’s “Pedagogic Creed” appeared in 1897. The question continues in reformers’ quest for Kipp-like schooling for poor children of color and charter schools with the phrase “social Justice” in their title or those reformers who swear by common core standards making U.S. schools competitive with Shanghai and Singapore, and, of course, advocates for transforming schools into high-tech havens. Tracking the use of the phrase “social justice” in English language publications since the early 1900s, according to Google’s Ngram viewer, the graph line indicating increased use of phrase climbs steeply since the early 1990s.

Finally, add those champions of “critical pedagogy” to that list of what public schools in a democracy should be doing. Beyond preparing students with the language, social, and academic skills for a highly competitive labor market (e.g., “Everyone Goes To College,” Common Core Standards), “critical pedagogy” and its various incarnations seek to equip low-income minority students with the language skills and academic content to analyze the culture and structures of power  in the U.S. and use both to gain access to equal opportunities and alter the trajectories of their lives with confidence rather than embarrassment (see Ball and Alim pdf Preparation, Pedagogy, Power, and Policy). Proponents of Black English, for example,  (see PDF Critical_language_awareness )  state that “[o]ur pedagogies should not pretend that racism does not exist in the form of linguistic discrimination. Nor should they pretend that linguistic profiling does not directly affect the personal and family lives of our students who speak marginalized languages.” An arsenal of sociolinguistic approaches exists to answer the question: “How might the vernacular of African American children be taken into account in efforts to help them do better in schools?” Scholar John Rickford at Stanford University has spelled out different strategies and their classroom applications. All of these efforts seek to disprove that low-income minority African American, Hawaiian, Mexican American language practices brought into classrooms are deficits; they can be, in the hands of knowledgeable and skilled teachers–strengths.

That mission requires schools to attack political, social, and economic inequalities.  For that to occur, a critical mass of teachers holding these beliefs CONTINUE READING: School Reform for Social Justice?* | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

Deborah Gist Used to Fight Teachers Unions. Now She’s Marching With Them. - POLITICO Magazine

Deborah Gist Used to Fight Teachers Unions. Now She’s Marching With Them. - POLITICO Magazine

Deborah Gist Used to Fight Teachers Unions. Now She’s Marching With Them.
How a hardcore education reformer switched sides in the teacher wars.

TULSA, Oklahoma — On a fall morning in 2018, veteran technology teacher Abraham Kamara was working with his robotics team at Memorial Junior High School when Tulsa school superintendent Deborah Gist entered the classroom with a TV news crew. Gist was there to surprise Kamara with the school year’s first Golden Apple Award, recognizing him as one of Tulsa’s “outstanding teachers.”


“We have heard so much about everything you do … making sure your kids have all the tools they need to be successful,” Gist said, her exuberance matched by the candy-apple red blazer she wore for the occasion. Handing him the palm-sized trophy, she continued, “We also recognize that you go above and beyond in this room, often at your own expense,” adding that the award comes with a $500 classroom grant.

Gist launched Tulsa’s Golden Apple Awards when she took the helm of the district three years ago, partnering with the local Fox News affiliate, where the awards are a regular morning show feature, and cable operator Cox Communications, which funds the grant.


Kamara, a native of Sierra Leone who fled the country’s civil war, was nearly moved to tears by the award. It’s a gesture of appreciation that goes a long way in a school district beset by steep budget cuts and a long-standing teacher shortage. According to the most recent available Department of Education figures, Oklahoma spends less money per pupil than all but three states. First-year teachers in the state earn less than $38,000 a year, making them some of the nation’s worst paid, and 40 percent of Tulsa’s teachers have less than five years of experience, district officials say.


After years of budget cuts and low teacher pay, Oklahoma has become the latest flashpoint in a roiling national debate over education spending. Last spring, teachers in the state staged a walkout, marching 110 miles from Tulsa to the state capitol in Oklahoma City to demand higher salaries. Last week, a Republican state representative introduced a bill that would not CONTINUE READING: Deborah Gist Used to Fight Teachers Unions. Now She’s Marching With Them. - POLITICO Magazine

How Teachers in Baton Rouge Beat ExxonMobil | Diane Ravitch's blog

How Teachers in Baton Rouge Beat ExxonMobil | Diane Ravitch's blog

How Teachers in Baton Rouge Beat ExxonMobil

In the Public Interest, a nonpartisan organization that fights privatization of public assets, reports good news from Louisiana:

ExxonMobil is the world’s largest publicly traded oil and gas corporation, often cutting deals with authoritarian leaders in countries like Angola and Equatorial Guinea. Its fourth-quarter profit last year nearly quintupled to $8.38 billion after President Trump’s tax cuts.

Louisiana’s East Baton Rouge Parish School Board has a $30 million budget deficit and teacher shortage. Its school buildings and buses are crumbling. Ninety-seven percent of its students, the majority of which are black or brown, qualify for free or reduced lunch. Teachers and school employees haven’t had an across-the-board pay raise since 2008.

Yet, ExxonMobil has received $700 million in local property tax exemptions from the parish over the last 20 years.

Not anymore.

Earlier this month, the school board narrowly voted against giving ExxonMobil two property tax breaks totaling about $2.9 million over a decade, one for a refinery and one for a chemical plant. Both facilities have already been built, which left some school board members scratching their heads.

“I would be a lot more receptive for a new project, something that’s going to bring in new business, new jobs,” one board member said.

But this isn’t just a story of elected officials making a rational decision based on the facts. It’s also one about democracy— and one that rings out even louder after striking teachers in Los Angeles, California, just won more resources and support for their students.

A teacher walkout threat set the stage in Baton Rouge. Last October, teachers and school support staff voted overwhelmingly to hold a one-day school shutdown to demand that the school board reject ExxonMobil’s request. Within hours, the requests were taken off the agenda for a CONTINUE READING: How Teachers in Baton Rouge Beat ExxonMobil | Diane Ravitch's blog