Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s assault on public education could be coming back to bite him - The Washington Post

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s assault on public education could be coming back to bite him - The Washington Post

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s assault on public education could be coming back to bite him

This was the beginning of a July news story in the Capital Times in Madison, Wis., about Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign for a third term as a Republican governor:

When Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker started branding himself "the pro-education governor," one of his Democratic opponents said he "thought it was a joke from The Onion."

“I personally think that he lost more than his hair when he hit his head if he thinks he’s the education governor,” said Milwaukee attorney Matt Flynn during an interview last month, referencing a story Walker has told about the origins of his bald spot. “It takes guts to say something like that.”

The reference is to Walker’s reputation as being hostile to traditional public schools — and that’s not great news for the governor in an election in which education is a top issue, according to polls. What’s more, Walker is running against Tony Evers, the Democratic state superintendent of education, who has been battling the governor’s education priorities for the last eight years. And the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that education is the “one issue” that both Walker and Evers are “hitting hard in their campaign ads.”

Though the election is still a few weeks away, and anything can happen, Evers has been leading in recent polls, and Walker’s efforts to recast himself as the “education governor” don’t appear to have convinced his critics. His education “reform” agenda could be coming back to bite him at a time when interest in supporting public education in Wisconsin seems to be growing among many residents at the local level. What’s more, Evers, for his part, has been a teacher, principal and superintendent, and is now in his third term as Wisconsin’s superintendent of public instruction. He has called for much more funding for public schools and has been critical of the state’s voucher programs, which use public money for private and religious school funding. He is Continue reading: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s assault on public education could be coming back to bite him - The Washington Post

“Personalized” Learning: Driven By Data, Surveilled By Algorithms – Wrench in the Gears

“Personalized” Learning: Driven By Data, Surveilled By Algorithms – Wrench in the Gears

“Personalized” Learning: Driven By Data, Surveilled By Algorithms

This is the third of ten questions presented as a Trans-Atlantic dialogue between myself and UK blogger Privatising Schools. A condensed version pulling together content of several responses for UK audiences can be read on the Local Schools Network website. Read the introduction and question one, Talking Across the Pond, here and question two about virtual reality field trips here.

Privatizing Schools: Question 3 on Blended Learning

An English school chain set up by a group of hedge fund managers, Ark Schools, is planning a ‘blended learning academy’, on the model of the California-based Rocketship charter schools (see here). Other academy chains are experimenting with computer-based instruction and ‘one-to-one device programmes’. Could you say something about blended learning – or ‘personalised learning’, as it is becoming known?

My Response

During the 2013-14 school year over 1.7 million students in the state of Pennsylvania attended one of 16 online virtual schools, a number of which are steeped in corruption. Often parents felt compelled to remove students from bricks and mortar schools that were not meeting their children’s needs due to intentional underfunding, chronic mismanagement, refusal to meet terms of individual education plans, and health or safety concerns. The shift of public funds into virtual charters has been financially destabilizing to school districts across our state, and studies continue to Continue reading: “Personalized” Learning: Driven By Data, Surveilled By Algorithms – Wrench in the Gears

ECOT Scandal Simmers Along as Ohio Election Issue this November | janresseger

ECOT Scandal Simmers Along as Ohio Election Issue this November | janresseger

ECOT Scandal Simmers Along as Ohio Election Issue this November

The surprise really ought to be that the 17-year, billion dollar ripoff of tax dollars by the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) has remained among high profile election issues in this 2018 election season.  After all, when USA Today profiled 28 American cities which have not yet recovered from the 2008 Recession, 9 of them were in Ohio: Warren, Youngstown, Mansfield, Marion, Lorain, Middletown, Sandusky, Akron and Dayton. Besides the economy, the opioid crisis is devastating parts of the state and healthcare more generally is an issue.

But the ECOT scandal hasn’t died as an issue on voters’ minds. Partly this is due to clever work by public education advocates and Democrats. When ECOT’s property was auctioned off, an anonymous purchaser paid $152 in taxes and fees to buy the costume of ECOT’s mascot, Eddy the Eagle. You can watch Eddy on twitter, @EddyEagleECOT, traveling to political events across the state carrying his “Ask Me About Mike DeWine” sign.  DeWine, running as Ohio’s Republican candidate for governor, has been Ohio’s attorney general since 2010 but only filed a lawsuit to recover tax dollars lost to ECOT last winter as the school was being shut down.

Because of the way Ohio distributes state aid and the way its charter school law works, over its 17-year life, ECOT ate up local school operating levy dollars in addition to state aid. A tech-savvy opponent of Ohio’s entrenched Republican majority has now set up https://www.kidsnotcorruption.com/ , an interactive website which describes ECOT: “ECOT THE SCANDAL: Wondering just how bad is the ECOT scandal? Well, you should be angry because ECOT is the biggest taxpayer ripoff in Ohio history and Republicans are responsible. Sadly, it’s our kids who were hurt.” At this website it is possible to track how much each Ohio school district has lost to ECOT over the years: for example, from Cleveland’s schools, $ 39,405,981; from Columbus’ schools, $591,000,000; from Cincinnati’s schools, $ 14,648,988.

Several local school districts have now initiated legal action on their own against ECOT to Continue reading: ECOT Scandal Simmers Along as Ohio Election Issue this November | janresseger

Please forward to CA voters ASAP! | Cloaking Inequity

Please forward to CA voters ASAP! | Cloaking Inequity

PLEASE FORWARD TO CA VOTERS ASAP!

I’m posting this for the Tony Thurmond campaign. Please forward to all California voters.

The November 6th election is just five weeks away, mail in ballots are coming soon or may have already arrived, and I am asking you to vote for Tony Thurmond for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

This race is important. With all the news coverage of the federal midterm elections, no one seems to be talking about California’s children. Under California’s Constitution the Superintendent directs all functions of the Department of Education, executes policies set by the California State Board of Education, and also heads and chairs that board. With these powers and mandated focus on California’s school children, the Superintendent is their most important advocate. Thurmond’s opponent is being mightily supported by charter school forces and corporate PACs, once again fueling the polarization that keeps people arguing about everything except how our kids—ALL of them, not just some of them—can be assured of the education they deserve.

I’m supporting Assembly member Thurmond because he’s the right candidate for this job.

Raised by relatives after losing his parents at a young age, public schools gave Tony a future out of poverty. He has spent his professional life uplifting California’s most vulnerable children as a social worker and advocate for at risk children, and has used his electoral platform to shift billions of dollars into education programs.

His statewide and local endorsements include:

· California Democratic Party

· The California Teachers Association

· The California Federation of Teachers

· California Labor Federation

· California Nurses Association

· Service Employees International Union

· Current State Superintendent Tom Torlakson

· Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California

· Equality California

· Sierra Club

· California League of Conservation Voters

· Sen. Kamala Harris

· House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

· Congresswoman Barbara Lee

· Congresswoman Maxine Waters

· Former State Superintendents Delaine Eastin and

Jack O’Connell

· Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon

· Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins

· San Francisco Mayor London Breed

· Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf

· Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl

· Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson

· San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Malia Cohen

Tony Thurmond has the strongest record supporting all children in California, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the State Assembly, he co-authored the bill “Healthcare for All Kids” that ensured healthcare for undocumented children. He also co-authored Assembly Bill 2514 which provides funding for preschool, transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and K-12 schools to expand bilingual language emersion programs. Current California State Superintendent Tom Torlakson penned this Sac Bee op-ed which mention’s the Member’s advocacy for bilingual ed. The Member also recently penned an Op-Ed in Latino Edge Magazine talking about the importance of having Latino leadership in California’s schools.

Assembly member Thurmond led the effort to expand California’s free lunch program to 400,000 students with assembly bill 1502. Foster children now have more funding to attend college with the Chafee grant because of Assembly Bill 3089 which Tony authored. MediCal and early childhood education funding each increased by $1 billion with an additional $300 million to serve people with developmental disabilities.

Tony does not just believe in moving money out of our prison system and into schools, he has done it. In authoring assembly bill 1014, the Member moved $35 million dollars from jails and into schools, specifically $1.5 million to Los Angeles Unified School District.

Tony also partnered with Equality California to carry Assembly Bill 2153 which directs resources to provide our state’s teachers and school staff with the tools and training they need to support their LGBTQ students. Additionally, they, along with other legislators, fought back against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s refusal to investigate at least five civil rights complaints filed by transgender students.

If you’d like to learn more about Tony, the race, or donate to help Tony in the last push before the election, go to www.tonythurmond.com 

But most importantly, vote for (and tell your friends and family to vote for) 

Tony Thurmond for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. This race will have a direct impact on our children’s education. It’s crucial we make the right choice.

Please forward to CA voters ASAP! | Cloaking Inequity

A Plan to Improve California's Public Schools

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Tony Thurmond for State Superintendent of Public Instruction -https://www.tonythurmond.com/

Big Education Ape: Why Electing Tony Thurmond as Superintendent of Public Instruction Is the Most Important Race in California - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/10/why-electing-tony-thurmond-as.html

Big Education Ape: The truth about money in public education politics - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-truth-about-money-in-public.html

Big Education Ape: Tony Thurmond for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction - NPE Action - https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2018/10/tony-thurmond-for-california-state.html

Want to Make a Difference? Canvass for Local Candidates You Believe In | gadflyonthewallblog

Want to Make a Difference? Canvass for Local Candidates You Believe In | gadflyonthewallblog

Want to Make a Difference? Canvass for Local Candidates You Believe In

Knock! Knock! Knock!

I stood there on the porch staring at my own knuckles in disbelief.

My 9-year-old daughter was looking up at me with a look like “What did you just do?”

But there was no time to say anything.

The door was opening.

An older gentleman stood in the entryway looking like he had just been stirred from sleep.

“Hello! Is this…” I began and Pam, who was standing next to me filled in the name.

“Yes,” he grumbled.

I introduced the three of us and told the man that we were canvassing his neighborhood for two local candidates running for state legislature.

And then I stopped because I wasn’t sure what to say next.

Luckily Pam jumped in and told him what our candidates stood for – education, healthcare and working families.

“Are these Democrats?” he groused. “I’m done with them. After what they did to that  Continue reading: Want to Make a Difference? Canvass for Local Candidates You Believe In | gadflyonthewallblog

How are America’s public schools really doing? - The Washington Post

How are America’s public schools really doing? - The Washington Post

How are America’s public schools really doing?

It’s hard to find a public official today who, when talking about public schools, doesn’t talk about what a mess they are. Failing.

Some of them are, in fact, failing kids, but are they all?

This piece takes a look at the broad question of how public schools are doing, written by Jack Schneider, an assistant professor of education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the author of “Beyond Test Scores: A Better Way to Measure School Quality.” He co-hosts the education policy podcast “Have You Heard” and is at work on a book about Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the broader push to dismantle public education. Follow him on Twitter @Edu_Historian

[‘A Nation at Risk’ demanded education reform 35 years ago. Here’s how it’s been bungled ever since.]

By Jack Schneider

How are America’s public schools doing? The question is a fundamental component of any contemporary education policy discussion. Yet it is also notoriously difficult to answer. With nearly 100,000 schools spread across roughly 13,000 districts, the scale of the enterprise is beyond what any set of individuals can see and experience. Continue reading: How are America’s public schools really doing? - The Washington Post

How are charter schools influencing LAUSD labor negotiations? – Daily News

How are charter schools influencing LAUSD labor negotiations? – Daily News

How are charter schools influencing LAUSD labor negotiations?

If teachers go on strike this school year, it would be the first amid a backdrop of a growing charter school movement that has not only drawn students from the Los Angeles Unified School District, but has also taken teachers with them.

The last time Los Angeles teachers went on strike was in 1989. The California Charter School Act was signed into law in 1992 and charter school growth in Los Angeles particularly exploded within the last two decades.

Los Angeles is now home to the largest number of charter schools in the nation. Charter schools are typically non-union.

“Our members see very clearly the privatization agenda of those who are leading and funding the charter school movement in California,” union president Alex Caputo-Pearl said in an interview.

Contract negotiations between United Teachers Los Angeles, the union that represents teachers, nurses, librarians and counselors, and the district reached a stalemate this summer. And the two sides did not reach an agreement through mediation, district officials said Friday.

“By UTLA’s own admission, the only reason UTLA participated in Mediation was to ensure that it could move quickly to a strike,” district General Counsel David Holmquist said in a statement.

RELATED STORY: LA parents demand ‘equitable education’ as prospect of first LAUSD teachers strike in decades looms

The next step is fact-finding before a strike can legally be called. Caputo-Pearl estimated a fact-finding report wouldn’t produced until late November or early December. This summer, teachers overwhelmingly authorized its union leadership to call for a strike. If there is a strike, it likely won’t be for several weeks.

At the bargaining table, there are a number of proposals regarding charter schools that the union has put forth.

“The district has not been willing to come back with a counter proposals on them, which is part of the reason we’re in mediation,” Caputo-Pearl said Thursday.

Teacher union membership has declined over the past decade. In 2008, the number of teachers, nurses, librarians and counselors in L.A. Unified totaled 43,000. That figure has fallen to 33,000 today. This is partly due to layoffs that occured after the 2008 recession. Also, a number of teachers left the district for charter schools.

UTLA does represent about 1,000 charter school teachers. Teachers at district schools that have converted into charter schools, known as affiliated charters, are part of UTLA as are some independent charter schools. Caputo-Pearl makes a distinction between these schools when he Continue reading; How are charter schools influencing LAUSD labor negotiations? – Daily News

Los Angeles teachers are a step closer to a potential strike after mediation with district ends - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles teachers are a step closer to a potential strike after mediation with district ends - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles teachers are a step closer to a potential strike after mediation with district ends

The union representing Los Angeles teachers moved one step closer to a possible strike Friday after ending mediation sessions with the L.A. Unified School District.

Union officials accused the district of “failing to offer any substantial proposals to reinvest in our schools.”

For its part, district leaders announced that they had filed a complaint with a state oversight board. They allege that the union has failed to negotiate in good faith and that any strike would therefore be illegal.

The union “has trounced through the impasse procedure in bad faith, in order to have cover to initiate a strike,” trying to “shortcut the process and achieve its bad faith objectives,” according to the district filing with the Public Employment Relations Board.

The filing also accused the union of making “histrionical demands that the mediation process wrap up quickly.”

The two sides had three sessions with a professional mediator, starting Sept. 27 and ending Friday.

The district is offering teachers a 3% raise retroactive to July 1, 2017, plus an additional 3% retroactive to this past July. The second half would not be permanent unless the county certified the district as financially healthy for the length of the agreement. The district has settled with most other employee unions on terms similar to these.

The teachers have asked for a 6.5% raise that goes back an additional year, to July 1, 2016.

The dispute goes beyond wages.

“The district thinks they can buy us off with a modest pay raise, but our fight has never been just about salary,” UTLA President Alex Caputo-Pearl said in a statement. “What’s driving educators is the absolute need to fix what we see every day: too many overcrowded classrooms where kids have to share desks, schools with a nurse only one day a week, and overloaded psychologists and counselors doing their best to triage the socio-emotional needs of our students.”

L.A. schools Supt. Austin Beutner said he also would like to increase staffing and offer larger pay raises but that the district can’t afford it. Meeting the demands of what the union calls its Continue reading: Los Angeles teachers are a step closer to a potential strike after mediation with district ends - Los Angeles Times