Laura Chapman: When Bankers Lead Education “Reform” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Laura Chapman: When Bankers Lead Education “Reform” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Laura Chapman: When Bankers Lead Education “Reform”

Our brilliant reader Laura Chapman, retired educator, decided to dig deep into the politics of education reform in Minnesota in response to a post about a dubious constitutional amendment sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank.

Chapman, who lives in Ohio, writes:

I am not from Minnesota, but this post sent me deep into some policies there. The idea is to frame education as a fundamental right to “quality schools” as “measured against uniform achievement standards set forth by the state.”

No. This law is written as if the standard-setting process is a business-as usual-review of existing standards and benchmarks for learning, with periodic revisions. It is not.

Right now, there is a huge controversy over the social studies standards. The battle is about whose histories count and whether conservatives should settle for anything other than patriotism as the major purpose of teaching American history. https://patch.com/minnesota/across-mn/controversy-over-mn-s-social-studies-standards-explained

Students Learning English (ELLs), are unlikely to pass CONTINUE READING: Laura Chapman: When Bankers Lead Education “Reform” | Diane Ravitch's blog

Joe Biden's Golden Opportunity to Strengthen Public Education - LA Progressive

Joe Biden's Golden Opportunity to Strengthen Public Education - LA Progressive

Joe Biden’s Golden Opportunity to Strengthen Public Education

In picking Connecticut Commissioner of Education Miguel Cardona to be his nominee for U.S. secretary of education, President-elect Joe Biden appears to have made a Goldilocks choice that pleases just about everyone. People who rarely agree on education policy have praised the decision, including Jeanne Allen, CEO of the Center for Education Reform, a nonprofit group that advocates for charter schools and school choice, who called Cardona “good news,” and education historian Diane Ravitch, who also called the pick “good news” because he does not seem to be aligned with advocates for charter schools and vouchers. Sara Sneed, president and CEO of the NEA Foundation, a public charity founded by educators, called Cardona an “ideal candidate,” in an email, and hailed him for “his emphasis on the need to end structural racism in education and for his push for greater educational equity and opportunity through public schools.”

But as Biden and Cardona—should he be approved, as most expect—begin to address the array of critical issues that confront the nation’s schools, there’s bound to be more of a pushback. Or maybe not?

After years of federal policy malpractice, the nation is eager for a fresh agenda for public schools.

After decades of federal legislation that emphasized mandating standardized testing and tying school and teacher evaluations to the scores; imposing financial austerity on public institutions; incentivizing various forms of privatization; and undermining teachers’ professionalism and labor rights, there is a keen appetite for a new direction for school policy.

Due to the disruption forced by the pandemic, much is being written and said about the need to “restart and reinvent” education and a newfound appreciation for schools as essential infrastructure for families and children. With an incoming CONTINUE READING: Joe Biden's Golden Opportunity to Strengthen Public Education - LA Progressive

Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser, Black Educator Hall of Fame - Philly's 7th Ward

Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser, Black Educator Hall of Fame - Philly's 7th Ward

DR. INEZ BEVERLY PROSSER, BLACK EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME

E’ry day this month, the Center for Black Educator Development, in partnership with Phillys7thWard.org, will highlight a Black Educator Hall of Famer.

But, don’t forget, e’ry month is Black History Month…February is just the Blackest.

Today, our featured Black Educator is Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser.

Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser is a testimony of striving for excellence while dedicating one’s self to the education and empowerment of others.

Prosser was born in 1897 in Texas; one of eleven children. She graduated from the Yoakum Colored High School and the Prairie View Normal College; she was valedictorian at both schools. After graduation, Prosser began a teaching career, first in Yoakum’s segregated schools and then in Austin.

But, Prosser almost didn’t make it to college. Her parents thought they would only be able to afford to send one of their eleven children to college. They CONTINUE READING: 

ELIZABETH THORN SCOTT FLOOD, BLACK EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME

Today, our featured Black educator hall of famer is Elizabeth Thorn Scott Flood.

Elizabeth Thorn Scott Flood was an eduactivist who made her own way for her own children and the Black children of her community. Born in 1828 in New York, Flood was educated in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Flood and her first husband moved to California during the gold rush. The couple settled in Sacramento with their young son, before her husband died suddenly.

When Flood tried to enroll her son in the public schools, she was refused and met many other Black and Brown parents whose children had also been turned away from “public” schools. Therefore, Flood decided to open her own school for her son and the sizable Black population in the city. She opened the school in her home and eventually opened the school to Indigenous and Asian American students. Flood served as a teacher and principal of the school. Within three months, she needed to move to a larger space and found it in the basement of St. Andrew’s Church. Her students’ ages ranged from four year olds to twenty-nine year olds. As always, Black people recognized CONTINUE READING: ELIZABETH THORN SCOTT FLOOD, BLACK EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME

EdAction in Congress February 21, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress February 21, 2021 - Education Votes

EdAction in Congress February 21, 2021

House set to vote on COVID-19 package

The House Budget Committee has pulled together committee-approved components of President Biden’s COVID-19 package, creating a single bill that will come to the House floor this week; action could continue through the weekend. The Senate plans to take up the House-passed bill the week of March 1. Democrats are pushing to enact the legislation before March 14, when unemployment benefits for more than 11 million workers begin to expire.

The current House bill includes NEA’s top priorities: $170 billion in dedicated education funding to help advance the process of safely returning to in-person instruction at K-12 public school buildings, college campuses and universities; $350 billion in state and local aid to avoid further layoffs of educators and other essential public servants; and $7 billion to address an aspect of the digital divide known as the homework gap—the inability to do schoolwork at home due to lack of internet access—via the E-Rate program administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

NEA is also pushing to require all employers to provide paid sick leave for the duration of the pandemic. Sixty percent of U.S. workers do not have access to paid sick leave through their employers, including many education support professionals. TAKE ACTION 

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New immigration bill provides pathways to citizenship

President Biden’s promise “to restore humanity and American values to our immigration system” is the basis for the U.S. Citizenship Act introduced Feb. 18 in both the Senate and the House. The bill would provide legal status and pathways to citizenship for Dreamers—people brought to the United States as minors who know no other country as home—and others allowed to remain here for humanitarian reasons.

“The introduction of the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 is a necessary and good step towards transforming America’s inhumane immigration system into one that is more humane, functional, and centered in racial justice, and respects all people, regardless of race, religion, or birthplace,” said NEA President Becky Pringle. She noted that those who would benefit include “an estimated 15,000 educators who have continued to provide and sustain student learning during the pandemic.”

For participants in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Status Holders (TPS) since Jan. 1, 2017, the pathway to citizenship would be three years. For undocumented individuals in the United States since Jan. 1, 2021, the pathway to citizenship would be eight years—temporary status for five years, then Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) or green card status for three years. The bill would also eliminate restrictions on family-based immigration and expand visas for foreign workers. TAKE ACTION 

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House to vote on Equality Act this week

The House is scheduled to vote this week on the Equality Act (H.R. 5) to give LGBTQ Americans explicit protection from discrimination in key areas of life: employment, housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service. The bill would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, and other federal laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics.

The current patchwork of laws—most states lack non-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation and gender identity—leaves many students and educators vulnerable to discrimination and sends the message LGBTQ Americans are second-class citizens. The Equality Act would help cultivate nurturing and supportive school environments for LGBTQ students while safeguarding LGBTQ educators, often key sources of support and encouragement for LGBTQ students. TAKE ACTION

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Cheers and Jeers

Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the JOBS Act (S. 210) to help to ensure borrowers are not inhibited from working solely because they fell behind on their federal student loan payments.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) reintroduced the Keep Our PACT Act (S. 72), which would put Congress on a fiscally-responsible path to meet its obligation to fully fund Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) on a mandatory basis over the next 10 years.

Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), John Katko (R-NY), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), and Lucy McBath (D-GA) reintroduced the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 1065) to ensure workers are no longer forced to choose between their jobs and the health of their pregnancies.

EdAction in Congress February 21, 2021 - Education Votes

CURMUDGUCATION: Report: Global Ed Privatization Under Covid-19

CURMUDGUCATION: Report: Global Ed Privatization Under Covid-19

Report: Global Ed Privatization Under Covid-19

 Education International released a report last summer. Written by Ben Williamson (University of Edinburgh, U.K.) and Anna Hogan (University of Queensland, Australia), "Commercialisation and privatisation in/of education in the context of Covid-19" is sixty-some pages of thorough research and depressing news for fans of public education. The attempt to "map the powerful network of commercial edtech players and coalitions" who are trying to shape the world's edu-response to the pandemic via disaster capitalism (a term the report uses) is not uplifting reading.

I've read this, but I'm not going to attempt my usual speedy explainer because there are several large, critical points made in the report and I don't want them to get lost in the explaining and dot connecting. For those who spend a lot of time down the education rabbit hole, there are bits of this that reach out and knock you right between the eyes. I'll probably return to some of this at greater length in the future, but I want to lay out the highlights now.

Ed Tech Solutionism

"A 'global education industry' of private has played a significant role in education provision during the Covid-19 crisis, working at local, national and international scales to insert ed tech into educational systems and practices. It has often set the agenda, offered technical solutions for government departments of education to follow, and is actively pursuing long-term reforms whereby private technology companies would be embedded in public education systems during the CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: Report: Global Ed Privatization Under Covid-19

Full Interview Teacher Union Pres.: 'There's no perfect solution' to reopening schools - MEET THE PRESS

Full Interview Teacher Union Pres.: 'There's no perfect solution' to reopening schools

Full Interview Teacher Union Pres.: 'There's no perfect solution' to reopening schools

In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers, talks about polling that shows teachers want to return to classrooms, but are concerned about their safety.

Full Interview Teacher Union Pres.: 'There's no perfect solution' to reopening schools

Entire School Board Resigns After Trash-Talking Parents In Hot Mic Moment | HuffPost

Entire School Board Resigns After Trash-Talking Parents In Hot Mic Moment | HuffPost

Entire School Board Resigns After Trash-Talking Parents In Hot Mic Moment

The four members of the Oakley Union Elementary School District Board in California didn’t realize their meeting was being broadcast to the public.

OAKLEY, Calif. (AP) — All members of a San Francisco Bay Area school board resigned days after they were heard making disparaging comments about parents at a virtual board meeting they didn’t realize was being broadcast to the public.

The four members of Oakley Union Elementary School District Board had stepped down by Friday amid growing outrage that began with the board’s Wednesday meeting. Before the meeting officially began and unaware the public could see and hear them, they used profanity and made jokes about parents just wanting a babysitter or to smoke pot in their home.

The incident garnered national attention and widespread condemnation.

The district’s superintendent, Greg Hetrick, announced the resignation in a letter Friday and said that Contra Costa County education board members will replace them in an interim capacity, the Mercury News reported.

“We deeply regret the earlier comments that were made in the meeting of the Board of Education earlier this week,” a joint statement by now ex-board members Kim Beede, Erica Ippolito and Richie Masadas says. “As trustees, we realize it is our responsibility to model the conduct that we expect of our students and staff, and it is our obligation to build confidence in district leadership; our comments failed you in both regards, and for this we offer our sincerest apology.”

Beede, Ippolito and Masadas join board President Lisa Brizendine, who announced her resignation Thursday.

Trustees were awaiting the start of the meeting when they began discussing parents’ letters and social media posts about reopening schools.

Beede defended herself against a parent who chided her on social media for going to a party during the coronavirus pandemic after declaring it wasn’t safe to return to school.

“I wasn’t doing anything bad — I honestly don’t care about that part — but are we alone?” she asked the other trustees. “B—-, ..If you call me out, I’m going to f—you up.”

“Sorry, that’s just me,” Beede added.

After some laughter, Brizendine chimed in to commiserate with CONTINUE READING: Entire School Board Resigns After Trash-Talking Parents In Hot Mic Moment | HuffPost

More teachers are asked to double up, instructing kids at school and at home simultaneously - The Washington Post

More teachers are asked to double up, instructing kids at school and at home simultaneously - The Washington Post

More teachers are asked to double up, instructing kids at school and at home simultaneously

With third grade back in the building, Meghan Foster was teaching math one recent morning to two classes at once: 14 students who filled her classroom on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and another six children logging in from laptops at home.

To make it work, the veteran teacher from Caroline County used a desktop computer, a laptop and a document camera, adjusting for glitches as she went along. She strove to meld the in-person with the virtual, to strike a balance between children who are near and far.

During a pandemic school year when nothing in education has been perfect, the kind of double duty needed for simultaneous instruction is its own kind of lesson, Foster says.

“Sometimes, I want to teach them how to multiply, but I end up teaching them how to persevere when things get tough or how to problem solve,” said Foster, 41, who called it the greatest challenge she has faced in 20 years of teaching.

Parents and teachers: Tell The Post how you’re handling school during the pandemic

Simultaneous teaching — also called simulcast or concurrent — is what many districts across the country have settled on in an attempt to solve the logistical jigsaw puzzle involved in bringing back some students for in-person instruction while others continue learning from home.

And it’s about to get ramped up in dramatic fashion. Under pressure from President Biden and governors, and facing mounting evidence that schools can reopen if safety measures are followed, districts in the Washington region and nationwide are embarking on the difficult mission of returning hundreds of thousands of children to classrooms that have been shuttered for nearly a year. CONTINUE READING:  More teachers are asked to double up, instructing kids at school and at home simultaneously - The Washington Post

Exclusive: Patrik Williams Threatens Smyrna Teachers Union | Exceptional Delaware

Exclusive: Patrik Williams Threatens Smyrna Teachers Union | Exceptional Delaware

Exclusive: Patrik Williams Threatens Smyrna Teachers Union

Smyrna School District Superintendent Patrik Williams found himself in the hot seat yet again. This time it was with the Delaware Public Employment Relations Board.

In a case filed by the Smyrna Educators Association (SEA) against the Smyrna School District Board of Education concerning payment for part-time custodians during the Covid shutdown in Spring of 2020, the Relations Board ultimately ruled in the district’s favor but not without completely blasting Williams communications to the SEA. It appears Williams’ obnoxious and arrogant way of communicating in any situation knows no bounds. Not only does he lambasted the union over the situation but he doesn’t hide a direct threat to them either. As quoted from the final decision, rendered 2/15//2021:

The tenor of the Superintendent’s emails to the union representatives was unusually caustic.

In the last paragraph of the Superintendent’s last email he states he will not be bashful about sharing his opinion of SEA and CONTINUE READING: Exclusive: Patrik Williams Threatens Smyrna Teachers Union | Exceptional Delaware

A road map to safely reopen our schools | by Randi Weingarten | Feb, 2021 | AFT Voices

A road map to safely reopen our schools | by Randi Weingarten | Feb, 2021 | AFT Voices

A road map to safely reopen our schools

The grim toll of the coronavirus pandemic has many measures: Twenty-eight million infections and 500,000 lives lost. Eight million more people enduring poverty, many of them children. Family businesses shuttered, weddings without guests, and epidemics of depression and isolation. The shocking one-year decline in life expectancy in the first half of 2020 alone. It’s tempting to tick through “what-ifs.” What if the last administration’s response had been competent, not chaotic? What if officials had prioritized reopening schools over bars and gyms, and used the time schools were closed to prepare them to safely reopen? But we must shift from “what if?” to “what now?”

My union has been working to safely reopen schools for nearly a year, and we welcome the sea change the new Biden administration brings. Yet some critics, in a cynical attempt to exploit families’ legitimate frustrations, spread the myth that teachers and their unions don’t want to return to in-person teaching and learning. Educators know that in-person learning is essential for children to thrive; they are asking to be safe in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic. With commonsense safety protocols, COVID-19 testing and vaccines, our public schools can reopen for in-person learning and can do so with the overwhelming support of teachers and support personnel.

The AFT recently polled educators, who have been working harder than ever to help our kids in this pandemic. Eighty-five percent of AFT teachers and school staff support a return to in-person learning with the science and health and safety guardrails that the AFT laid out — safeguards like masks, physical distancing, sanitizing, ventilation upgrades, testing and contact tracing. Educators also strongly approve of the Biden administration’s plan to reopen schools.

This is not to suggest that educators are not afraid of this deadly virus that spreads asymptomatically and invisibly. Our poll found that 64 percent worry they might get infected with COVID-19 at work and 71 percent fear they could infect someone in their family. Yet the vast majority are willing to return to their schools with the necessary safeguards, including priority access to the vaccine, given the essential work they do.

AFT President Randi Weingarten outside Edward T. Steel School in Philadelphia on Feb. 8, calling for health and safety upgrades to make schools safe.

Educators’ overwhelming support for a safe return to in-school learning raises the question of whether, if the federal government early in the pandemic had provided a plan to reopen schools similar to the Biden administration’s, with the resources to fund it, millions more students would be learning in person now, instead of remotely. It’s time to work with teachers and their unions to reopen schools safely for in-person instruction, instead of blaming them for the continuation of a pandemic made incalculably worse by the last administration.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued new guidelines for reopening schools. The guidelines reinforce the need for mitigation strategies to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, testing to detect asymptomatic transmission, vaccine prioritization for teachers and school staff, and accommodations for educators with pre-existing conditions and those taking care of others at risk.

Teachers unions have negotiated such health guardrails in Boston, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere — playing a critical role in enabling in-person learning to resume that other school districts could emulate.

But countless places lack the resources to implement the necessary safety provisions, because the pandemic and resulting recession have drained state and local coffers. The Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan would fund vaccinations, direct relief to families bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis, and provide crucial local and state aid — including $170 billion to help schools, colleges and universities reopen and operate safely.

This funding is needed immediately to safely reopen schools for in-person teaching and learning for the remainder of this semester, and to allow schools to prepare for this summer, which can and should be a voluntary “second, second semester.” Wealthy parents have an array of summer programs for their children. All students, particularly from under-resourced communities, should have access to programs this summer for reconnection, recreation, enrichment, social and emotional support, and academic growth.

Even as we deal with the challenges at hand, we must reimagine learning beyond COVID-19 and create the conditions to help all children thrive. Rather than the traditional spring state testing, we should assess and respond to students’ wide-ranging needs; support our most vulnerable students; focus on educators’ professional learning and growth to meet these unprecedented challenges; and promote equity and excellence in all of our public schools.

As we approach one year since the first school closures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, students, families and educators are understandably frustrated. But we all want the same thing — to be together in school, with the conditions and support not only to recover from what has been lost but to thrive and grow. People are recognizing anew how important our public schools are. Let’s do what is needed to make them safe for students and staff to return.

A road map to safely reopen our schools | by Randi Weingarten | Feb, 2021 | AFT Voices

NYCDOE Sabbatical Applications Open – Take One if You Can | JD2718

NYCDOE Sabbatical Applications Open – Take One if You Can | JD2718

NYCDOE Sabbatical Applications Open – Take One if You Can

On a full year study sabbatical you get 70% of your pay while taking 16 credits. You come refreshed, rejuvenated, and, frankly, a better teacher.

Learning: it is very different being a student than being a teacher. The new perspective is valuable.

Content: you can learn more in your content area, or explore something related.

Money: July 2021 is at full pay. August is at 70% – until the next July 2022 which is still at 70%. Finally August 2022 would be 100% – so that’s 12 months at 70%, 2 months at 100%. Also, the tax taken go down considerably.

Rights: This is an amazing contractual right. People should use it.

Me: I took a sabbatical 2013-2014.

• I learned stuff that I applied to the classroom. I learned stuff that was fun. I was reminded what it was like to be a student. And I still correspond with two of my professors.
• I made my schedule Tuesday/Thursday – which left me with long weekends for short trips, and college breaks for long trips. I spent more time with friends, with family. I went to Pittsburgh, CONTINUE READING: 
NYCDOE Sabbatical Applications Open – Take One if You Can | JD2718

Education Matters: In DCPS scholar bowl out, sports still in.

Education Matters: In DCPS scholar bowl out, sports still in.

In DCPS scholar bowl out, sports still in

Do you ever get the feeling DPS is just making stuff up as they go along? That there is little rhyme or reason? Well, today's version features the cancelation of scholar bowl while sports chug along.

So our schools are too dangerous for scholar bowl but not for the classes the scholars are taking? Not for sports? Also if any activity screams can be done over teams, it is scholar bowl.

This doesn't make sense, nothing makes sense.

Education Matters: In DCPS scholar bowl out, sports still in.

Education Matters: DCPS's insidious effort to get more kids back in school - https://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2021/02/dcpss-insidious-effort-to-get-more-kids.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/iYxgC+(Education+Matters)

You’re Going to Miss Us When We’re Gone – What School May Look Like Once All the Teachers Quit | gadflyonthewallblog

You’re Going to Miss Us When We’re Gone – What School May Look Like Once All the Teachers Quit | gadflyonthewallblog

You’re Going to Miss Us When We’re Gone – What School May Look Like Once All the Teachers Quit

The alarm buzzed at 4:30 am. Time to get up.

DeShaun and his little brother Marco got out of bed and threw on their clothes.

Mom was in the other room hastily getting her work bag together.

“Are you two ready yet? We’ve got to go in 20 minutes.”

Marco just yawned, but Deshaun dared to complain about the hour.

“We didn’t used to have to get up so early,” he said.

“That was when you still had school. Now I’ve got to get you all to the daycare by 5 or they’ll be full up.”

DeShaun frowned but got ready anyway. He didn’t want to have to sit outside all day again. There were older kids in the park who got kids like him to run drugs during the day. He could make some money that way, but the only kids he knew who did CONTINUE READING: You’re Going to Miss Us When We’re Gone – What School May Look Like Once All the Teachers Quit | gadflyonthewallblog

Mayoral Candidates Need To Speak Out on New Round of Charter School Expansion – wearepcaps.org

Mayoral Candidates Need To Speak Out on New Round of Charter School Expansion – wearepcaps.org

Mayoral Candidates Need To Speak Out on New Round of Charter School Expansion

An Open Letter From PCAPS Leaders

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With charter school advocates pressing for a new round of expansion there is a need for those who would lead Philadelphia to address what this will mean for public education in our city.

We believe the following points need to be recognized:

1). Charter expansion comes at a cost. This year, charter schools will cost the district $750 million—one third of the district’s school budget. Charter schools represent huge stranded costs and make it nearly impossible for the school district to plan and assess the savings that an economy of scale brings. This is occurring at a time when the District is facing an ongoing deficit and school budgets are going without adequate staff, classroom supplies and academic offerings to give our children a high quality education. Fraud, lack of transparency and mismanagement are serious problems in the charter sector because of a lack of regulation. Thirty million dollars have been lost as a result and this is surely the tip of a large iceberg. No further expansion should be allowed until a serious regulatory regime is established.

2). There is no compelling evidence that the growth of charter school sector has produced a school system that has better outcomes for students. Given that traditional public schools have been starved of resources, it is not surprising that many parents have opted for charter schools. However, like regular public schools, charter performance varies considerably with poverty being the single greatest CONTINUE READING: Mayoral Candidates Need To Speak Out on New Round of Charter School Expansion – wearepcaps.org