Shanker Blog: The Great Divergence In State Education Spending | National Education Policy Center

Shanker Blog: The Great Divergence In State Education Spending | National Education Policy Center

Shanker Blog: The Great Divergence In State Education Spending

When we talk about K-12 education spending inequality, we're usually talking about differences in resources between high- and low-poverty districts within states. But spending levels also vary between states, and that too matters for overall spending inequality in the U.S. How has this changed over the past 25 years? In other words, does K-12 spending vary more between states than it did a quarter century ago?

Let’s take a look at one simple way to visualize this trend. In the graph below, each blue circle is a state, and there one set of 51 states (including D.C.) for each year between 1993 and 2018 (the horizontal axis). On the vertical axis is total current spending in each state, predicted for a district in each state with a 10 percent Census child poverty rate (the graph is very similar regardless of poverty level). These spending levels also control for regional wage variation, district size, and population density, all of which affect the “value of the education dollar.” This allows for a better comparison between states (e.g., it costs more, on average, to hire teachers in Connecticut than in Alabama). The red plus signs within each year represent the unweighted average spending level across all states. These data are from the School Finance Indicators Database.

Our focus here is on the “spread” of states (blue circles) within each column (i.e., within each year). A larger spread, of course, represents greater variation (and, roughly speaking, more interstate inequality). The trend over time is a bit striking.

Throughout most of the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s, all but a small handful of states were clustered within the $3,000 to $8,000 range, a spread of about $5,000 per-pupil. Now, to be clear, this is a big span (particularly in these earlier years, when spending was lower), and it represents substantial interstate variation in spending. Even controlling for factors that affect costs, such as poverty and regional wage variation, some states spend a lot more than others.

Starting in the mid-2000s, however, a group of about 5-10 states start to break away from the CONTINUE READING: Shanker Blog: The Great Divergence In State Education Spending | National Education Policy Center

A Warning on Privatization – Tennessee Education Report

A Warning on Privatization – Tennessee Education Report

A WARNING ON PRIVATIZATION

This article originally appeared in The Progressive.

In 2012, Tennessee’s began a scheme known as the Achievement School District, or ASD. The goal was simple and bold: Take a handful of schools in the bottom 5 percent of student achievement, according to state test scores, and move those schools into the top 25 percent in student achievement in just five years.

This miraculous shift, officials claimed, would be accomplished by placing schools under a new state agency, which would then determine an intervention strategy that might include turning a standard public school over to a charter operator. Any school anywhere in the state would be eligible, so long as it was on the “priority schools” list. As a whole, the schools would be governed by their own “district,” complete with a superintendent who reported directly to the commissioner of education.

Tennessee’s commissioner of education at the time, Kevin Huffman, hired charter operator Chris Barbic to run the new district. Barbic’s arrival coincided with the takeover of a first cohort of schools by the ASD, along with the unveiling of his plan to generate the expected turnaround.

So what was that plan, exactly? 

Well, of course, it was to turn all the priority schools over to charter operators. After all, Barbic reasoned, other charter school leaders would know just what to do with entire schools from urban districts with high levels of entrenched poverty.

But the charter school plan had another, more sinister impact. Tennessee’s charter CONTINUE READING: A Warning on Privatization – Tennessee Education Report

Randi Weingarten Out Foxes Fox - Turns Tables on Martha MacCallum, Presses Her About Election ‘Misinformation’ - DAILY BEAST,

Randi Weingarten Turns Tables on Martha MacCallum, Presses Her About Election ‘Misinformation

Fox Guest Turns Tables on Host, Presses Her About Election ‘Misinformation’

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten turned an already testy Fox News interview into an extremely heated affair on Monday when she pressed anchor Martha MacCallum about conservative “misinformation” on the last presidential election.

In recent months, there has been a sustained backlash among conservatives over the issue of racial equity in the classroom. GOP legislators across the country have proposed bills to ban the teaching of “critical race theory” in K-12 schools, all while demanding that students be taught that 1776 represents the true founding of America. (Much of this is in response to the New York Times’ 1619 Project, which has sparked criticism among some historians.)

With Fox lately being obsessed with the topic of critical race theory, MacCallum wanted to know whether Weingarten believes the 1619 Project is factual and whether she endorses it being part of American history lesson plans. After Weingarten said it’s a “point in history” that’s worth teaching because it represents the first slave ships arriving in America, MacCallum criticized her for having a “very simplistic take.”

Going back and forth over the merits of the project with Weingarten, MacCallum complained that it “is not factual” as it teaches students that the “country was founded on the basis of wanting to preserve slavery.” The union head, meanwhile, said she’s “not arrived at the same conclusion” about the project’s findings.

At that point, Weingarten decided to change the subject to something a bit more touchy for the Fox News anchor.

“I would hope that Fox would be just as focused on let’s get rid of the misinformation about what happened in this election. This election was free and fair,” Weingarten flatly stated, prompting an incensed MacCallum to interject.

“Oh, come on, Randi,” she exclaimed. “This is not the topic we’re here to talk about! I’m not going to talk about that. We’ve talked about that before… That’s a dodge, OK?!”

MacCallum then tried to swing the discussion back to critical race theory in the CONTINUE READING: Randi Weingarten Turns Tables on Martha MacCallum, Presses Her About Election ‘Misinformation

Teacher Tom: Where Community Begins

Teacher Tom: Where Community Begins

Where Community Begins

Several years ago, I was passing a table at which four boys were eating snack. They were discussing a classmate, a boy with sensory challenges that often manifested in ways that disturbed and even hurt his classmates. One of them said as I passed, "He's a bad guy." That stopped me in my tracks.

"Yeah," a friend replied, "He's a real bad guy."

And another, "He hurts me all the time."

The poor boy had one defender in the group who added, "He never hurts me," but his opinion was overwhelmed by the prevailing sentiment. As I stood there, they came to an agreement that they weren't going to play with him any longer.

As a teacher, it was upsetting to hear. Yes, he had hurt these boys and others. They had every right to be wary of him, even to shun him. That said, this was a preschooler with a diagnosed condition, one that caused him to behave impulsively. He wasn't a "bad guy," of course, but there was no doubt that he frequently did bad things: things that hurt and frightened other people.

I went home that day knowing that we adults needed to do something. There is always going to be a little hitting and CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: Where Community Begins

NEPC: Five Myths About Teaching | Diane Ravitch's blog

NEPC: Five Myths About Teaching | Diane Ravitch's blog

NEPC: Five Myths About Teaching

The National Education Policy Center is a think tank known for its incisive reviews, studies, and reports. In this post, it demolishes five myths about teaching.

Myth 1: Evaluating teachers based on student test results is fair, objective, and effective. Wrong.

Myth 2: We’d get better performance out of teachers CONTINUE READING: NEPC: Five Myths About Teaching | Diane Ravitch's blog

ANDRE PERRY: If you don’t want critical race theory to exist, stop being racist - The Hechinger Report

COLUMN: If you don’t want critical race theory to exist, stop being racist

COLUMN: If you don’t want critical race theory to exist, stop being racist

Conservatives campaigning against critical race theory are making it even more popular

Conservative legislators across the country are passing laws to ban books and courses that espouse critical race theory — scholarship born in the 1970s that examines the role that racism plays in our daily lives. For instance, the Idaho House of Representatives passed a higher ed bill based on some lawmakers’ beliefs that critical race theory and similar work “exacerbate and inflame divisions on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, or other criteria in ways contrary to the unity of the nation and the well-being of the state of Idaho and its citizens.”

You’d think that after the white supremacists defiled the halls of the Capitol on January 6, policymakers would be compelled to uproot clear and present sources of racial division. After four years of Trump falsely equating white supremacists with activists fighting for racial justice, you’d also think policymakers would see critical race theory as a way to make sense of systemic racism in the U.S. But, alas, racists find a way to use what should be teachable moments as a twisted opportunity to perpetuate their worldview.

A culture built upon a false racial hierarchy can only be maintained through lies, force and duplicity — all of which are on full display in the asinine attempts to ban critical race theory. Those who are threatened by any systemic analysis of racism and its underpinnings reveal exactly where they stand on white supremacy. 

The reasons this country is literally divided are clear to any reasonable person: slavery, Jim Crow segregation, housing and education discrimination, a biased criminal justice system and feckless conservative CONTINUE READING: COLUMN: If you don’t want critical race theory to exist, stop being racist

PROPOSED RULES OF ENGAGEMENT – Dad Gone Wild

PROPOSED RULES OF ENGAGEMENT – Dad Gone Wild

PROPOSED RULES OF ENGAGEMENT

“Though [Abraham Lincoln] never would travel to Europe, he went with Shakespeare’s kings to Merry England; he went with Lord Byron poetry to Spain and Portugal. Literature allowed him to transcend his surroundings.”
― Doris Kearns Goodwin

 

When I first started bartending, it was drilled into my head that discussions around politics or religion were not welcome at a bar. It was advice I promptly ignored.

My happy hours were filled with spirited conversation around every conceivable subject, the one rule being that all must remain respectful. If someone couldn’t honor that, it would be they, and not the conversation that would be expelled.

I remember once observing a gentleman quietly sitting in the middle of the bar while talk raged all around him. He had a look of concentration on his face, but he wasn’t engaging with those in his space. Concerned, I asked him, “Everything ok?”

He broke out with a big smile, “Oh yea. I just love coming here, and sitting, and listening, to all the CONTINUE READING: PROPOSED RULES OF ENGAGEMENT – Dad Gone Wild

CURMUDGUCATION: Do Americans Overwhelmingly Hate "Woke" Policies?

CURMUDGUCATION: Do Americans Overwhelmingly Hate "Woke" Policies?

Do Americans Overwhelmingly Hate "Woke" Policies?

You may recall that Parents Defending Education recently burst on the scene as the latest education astroturf, this time tilted hard right. Their battle against "indoctrination" in schools now includes a new weapon--a poll, which they're touting under the headline "Americans Overwhelmingly Reject 'Woke' Race and Gender Policies in K-12 Education." (Have we reached the point yet where "woke" is used like "politically correct"-- only by people trying to denigrate a straw version of the ideas that it supposedly represents?)

There is, of course, a fine art to writing polls, particularly if you're looking for a particular result (and it's fair to both sides that art). "Would you rather lick a toad or kiss an attractive model" becomes "Americans overwhelming dream of making out with famous models--is American marriage in trouble?" And that's pretty much what's happening here. We'll dig a bit deeper into the results in a bit, but lets look at the marquee results that are being blasted across the interwebz.

The top finding is also the most obviously skewed. 

25% said it was somewhat or very important for schools to “teach students that their race is the most important thing about them” compared to 70% who said this is not important or not at all important.

This is presented on a list of things "that administrators... in your area could do." The poll indicates CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: Do Americans Overwhelmingly Hate "Woke" Policies?

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY #BLM #BLACKLIVESMATTER

  NewBlackMan (in Exile)

NewBlackMan (in Exile) TODAY

Big Education Ape: THIS WEEK WITH NEWBLACKMAN (IN EXILE) -

http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2021/05/this-week-with-newblackman-in-exile-blm_8.html

The Quarantine Tapes 188: Tracy K Smith

by Mark Anthony Neal / 13h

“I am someone who has been eager to bring the vocabulary of justice and anti-racism into the different contexts that I inhabit, and one of them is the campus where I teach and where I feel fortunate to serve students who have a lot of wishes and needs. I think it’s been a year of working together with others to see how far we’re willing to go with this goal. But, as you may know, we’re not all on

A Constitutional Quirk Inspired Stacey Abrams' Thriller, 'While Justice Sleeps'

by Mark Anthony Neal / 14h

"Article III of the Constitution gives Supreme Court justices lifetime appointments — but doesn't cover what to do if they become incapacitated. For Stacey Abrams , that was the spark for an exciting story." -- Weekend Edition Sunday

Reimagining Blackness & Architecture: Ordinary Spaces can Facilitate Extraordinary Events | Emanuel Admassu

by Mark Anthony Neal / 17h

' How do we reclaim the story of a place and the people who made it? Architect Emanuel Admassu discusses his project “Immeasurability” and the story of Atlanta, Georgia as a place that has been shaped by the ordinary spaces of Black life.' -- The Museum of Modern Art

Invisible Blackness – Interview with Terrace Martin

by Mark Anthony Neal / 18h

'On this episode of Invisible Blackness , host Adrian Younge is joined by Terrace Martin : a multi instrumentalist, producer and composer. He’s an essential musical voice, with a captivating story. Martin sheds light on his South Central upbringing, during the crack epidemic, and how this environment shaped his perspectives on life and culture.'

'Chauvin Is Guilty and Our Work Is Still Cut Out for Us' by Ben Jealous

by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d

Chauvin Is Guilty and Our Work Is Still Cut Out for Us by Ben Jealous | @BenJealous | special to NewBlackMan (in Exile) Though time has passed since Derek Chauvin’s conviction in the murder of George Floyd. But the images from that moment are seared in our memories forever: the murderer, led away in handcuffs. The Floyd family, Philonise Floyd speaking through tears, at the microphones after the

Black Americans And The Racist Architecture Of Homeownership

by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d

'Owning a home is a part of the American dream. It's also the key to building intergenerational wealth. But Black Americans continue to face discrimination in housing, including through higher costs.'-- Code Switch

The Daughters of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X on Inheriting a Legacy

by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d

'Dr. Bernice King and Ilyasah Shabazz join Into America with Trymaine Lee to talk about carrying on their parents’ activism.'

Busting Myths And Building Resiliency: Esperanza Spalding Talks With Lara Downes

by Mark Anthony Neal / 1d

' Esperanza Spalding , the self-described "athletically creative" bassist, vocalist and composer searches for origins and originality while writing an opera with jazz giant Wayne Shorter .'-- Amplify With Lara Downes

  NewBlackMan (in Exile)