In his views on education, Rispone follows the lead of DeVos.
In this June 2016 video, LFC chair Rispone is pitching for Louisiana school vouchers.
I have transcribed the 2 1/2-minute video in full, below:
I would ask that this (fully funding Louisiana school vouchers) is not a Democrat, this is not a Republican, this is not affluent, this is not a low- or middle-income issue. This is for our children.
It’s the only way we’re going to improve our society.
We have a system that has really deteriorated over the last forty to fifty years. Mediocricy (sp.) is now considered excellent.
The only way we’re going to improve that is through, through choice, and giving them choice. That does two things: One, it gives the parent that is not happy with the school that they’re in an opportunity to go find a school that would make them happy. The thing that tha does, it creates, even in the traditional public schools, it creates influence for those who truly care about the kids in the traditional public school system, and truly want to improve that system, it given them the influence to make the change because if they don’t, they’re going to go out of business. So, it’s the same thing that happened to Chrysler, the same thing that happened CONTINUE READING: DeVos Pal, Eddie Rispone: School Vouchers Give Public Schools “Influence” to Not “Go Out of Business.” | deutsch29
It looks like the #TeacherRebellion isn’t over yet. #RedForEd returned to the nation’s third largest school district on Thursday, when over thirty thousand Chicago public school teachers and staff walked out after ten months of negotiations broke down. Chicago Teacher’s Union is demanding smaller class sizes and wraparound services for the the district’s most underserved students.
In Chicago, the mayor controls the school district, and recently-elected Mayor Lori Lightfoot ran on smaller class sizes and addressing the city’s glaring inequities, practically lifting her campaign talking points directly from CTU’s long-standing demands. So, you’d think she’d be on the side of the teachers. That was her mandate. But it turns out it’s easier to make promises than to keep them.
The Chicago Tribune is reporting teachers, “want nurses, social workers and librarians in every school, and more special education classroom assistants and case managers — and they want all those items in their contract.” #PutInItWriting
CTU Executive Vice President Stacy Davis Gates told Democracy Now!, “This is about breaking down systems of #WhiteSupremacy that ask for flexibility and demand that Black children [on the south side of] this city adjust, … [while the mayor] gives wealthy developers billions of dollars on the north side…”
The mayor and CPS CEO Janice Jackson claim these demands don’t belong in a union contract.
“Look, we are dealing with the impact of terrible social policy in this city, and it is unbelievable to me that people think we shouldn’t have a voice on that.” https://www.motherjones.com/politics/...
Nothing captures the spirit of the #CTUStrike — and Teacher Rebellion in general — better than that picture of CPS teacher and CTU member Halle Quezada carrying another woman’s child during a rally on Friday when the parent was too tired to continue.
It’s a metaphor for how every day in Chicago and cities and towns all across America, teachers not only educate, but comfort, encourage, and, yes, carry 50 million other people’s children into the future.
We reach into our own pockets when politicians fail to deliver on their campaign promises.
We bear witness to what happens when a system fails its most vulnerable members, and we refuse to take the blame any longer.
So, no, we’re not going quietly back into our classrooms. This ain’t over yet.
I have an easier time understanding why some people write than I do understanding why so many people don't. Doesn't everybody need to? But then-- there are many things I don't fully understand, like why some people hate candy corn. While I'm pondering, here are some pieces of writing from the week for you to read and share. Murdoch-Funded Anti-Gerrymandering Group Raises Questions
Not about education, but this Intercept piece is another fine example of how the rich play the astro-turf game to push their policies to protect their interests.
Apparently, at some colleges, Big Brother is looking at your admissions file. Is cyberstalking social media now part of the college application process. Washington Post.
They set up a charter school business chain, and then they decided to move on to other things. What happens to charters when the visionary leaders vote with their feet?
Andrea Gabor has the must-read of the week over at Harpers, writing about how modern fauxlanthropists have commandeered public education with New Orleans as Exhibit A.
I have an easier time understanding why some people write than I do understanding why so many people don't. Doesn't everybody need to? But then-- there are many things I don't fully understand, like why some people hate candy corn. While I'm pondering, here are some pieces of writing from the week for you to read and share. Murdoch-Funded Anti-Gerrymandering Group Raises Questions Not about educat
The most shocking and disturbing thing that I saw on line this week had nothing to do with politics. It was a post by a teacher explaining her school's disciplinary system. As with many systems, students have a color-coded behavior level monitored and adjusted throughout the day. Unlike any school I'd ever heard of before, students at this school receive a colored card for their behavior level tha
You remember Rebecca Friedrichs. She was the face of the union-busting lawsuit of 2014 . Supreme Court Justice Alito signaled that he was ready and willing to hear a case that would revisit the issue of union free-riders, and the Center for Individual Rights (an activist-by-way-of-lawsuits group funded by, among others, various Koch groups and the DeVos family ) delivered with Friedrichs plus nine
This is you should ignore the old admonition to not read the comments. I converse with plenty of folks that I disagree with, both in the ed policy world and outside of it, and those conversations are largely civil, which sometimes distracts me from the fact that there are people out there who hate, hate, hate public education ("government schools") and the teachers who work there ("union thugs").
Earlier this month, the 74 published an unusual article from Ashley Jochim and Paul Hill, both of the Center on Reinventing Public Education. Their argument is that state takeovers of school districts "remain a powerful tool." What's exceptional about the piece is that it is loaded with evidence to the contrary. I mean, ordinarily I would have had to go hunt this stuff down myself, but it's right
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos kicked off her back to school tour at the Saint Marcus Lutheran School in Milwaukee a few weeks ago. This piece ran back then at Forbes, and I don't repost everything from there, but we've developed such goldfish memories under this administration, I'm going to trot this one out again here. Because we need to remember what the threat to public education is. The
The interwebs are abuzz with a video shown in some side room by some assortment of Trumpists at the American Priority gathering held at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort. There are questions about who brought it, who showed it, and how it had already been kicking around the internet, but there's no question that the whole thing is pretty brutal. In the clip, a bunch of faces and logos have been cyber-past
It's a quiet day in these parts, but there is still some reading to do from the previous week. Here are some pieces you might want to catch up on. Don't forget to share-- The Walton Takeover of Public Education Continues The Arkansas blog looks at what our favorite retail oligarchs are up to in their home state. Five Signs Your Reform Has Become Another Education Fad Rick Hess at EdWeek makes a us
Kentucky has spent a bunch of time in charter limbo --there is a charter law on the books, but the legislature wouldn't fund it and l ocal districts are (shocker) unwilling to share their aready-meager funding. So Kentucky remains a fresh
