Readers of this blog are familiar with the many organizations that have been created to attack public schools and teachers’ rights, including groups like Democrats for Education Reform (hedge fund managers); Stand for Children (pro-charter); StudentsFirst (pro-charter, pro-voucher, anti-union, anti-teacher); Teach for America; ConnCAN and 50StateCAN (pro-charter); Students for Education Reform; TeachPlus; National Council on Teacher Quality (favors rating teachers by test scores); Education Reform Now; and a bunch of other groups with si,liar names, overlapping boards, and similar funding (Gates, Broad, Walton, Dell, Arnold, Dell, etc.).
On our side, we have the Network for Public Education and dozens of grassroots organizations, some of which are statewide or community-based. None of us has much funding. Now there is a new national organization supporting public schools. This is good news to see elected officials and public citizens standing up for the principle of free public education.
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, August 19th, 2014
Contact: Joshua Henne, 732-407-5938
DEMOCRATS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES
Democrats Remain United Around Core Set of Principles To Ensure Public Education Thrives For Generations To Come
(WASHINGTON, D.C.)– Today, national Democratic Party leaders announced the official launch of Democrats For Public Education (DPE) – a new 527 organization rooted in the belief that each and every child deserves access to strong, safe neighborhood schools with well-prepared and supported teachers. DPE represents a diverse coalition of Democrats from throughout the country who support public education. You can learn more at the new website: http://www.DemocratsForPublicEducation.com.
Democrats for Public Education will lift up public education in America. For far too long, a coordinated effort has been successful in framing a radical, false narrative that the Democratic Party is evenly spilt among those who stand strongly for public schools and those who believe public schools are detrimental to student success. This is simply untrue. With a few extremist, well-funded, vocal exceptions, Democrats remain united around a basic set of beliefs when it comes to educating our children.
“A high-quality public education is an economic necessity, an anchor of democracy and a moral imperative, “ said former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. “Democrats For Public Education is a diverse coalition of Democrats from all across America. We’ve already received strong early backing from hundreds of leaders and activists at all levels of government, from communities coast-to-coast and states in between. That’s because we share the belief that every child deserves engaging curriculum, as well as social services to meet their mental, social and physical needs.”
“Democrats For Public Education is committed to bringing people together to ensure our public school system endures – and thrives – for generations to come,” said former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. “This is about standing up for our principles, standing up for teachers, standing up for kids and standing up for public education.”
The goal of Democrats For Public Education is to show broad-based support around a core set of principles, which includes:
Fulfilling our collective obligation to help all children succeed;
Fighting for neighborhood public schools that are safe, welcoming places for teaching and learning;
Ensuring that teachers and school staff are well-prepared, are supported, have small class sizes, and have time to collaborate to meet the individual needs of every child;
Guaranteeing that all children have an engaging curriculum that includes art, music and physical education;
Providing children access to wrap-around services to meet their emotional, social and health needs;
Working to provide school districts – particularly those serving the highest concentration of students in need of extra services and support – with the resources required to provide all students with a world-class education; and
Making it clear that public education – for all children – is both an economic necessity and a fundamental civil right.
“As a proud graduate of Louisiana’s public schools, I know the importance of a good public education,” said Donna Brazile, Democratic Strategist and DNC Vice-Chair. “Frankly, it’s the only way we can strengthen, revitalize and grow our middle-class. And it’s the best way we can provide a springboard for the working poor and preserve our American values.”
“As Democrats for Public Education, we’re focused on just that – supporting public education,” said Rep. Mark Pocan, representing Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District. “We support superior standards and finding ways to make classrooms challenging and rewarding for both teachers and students. We believe in instilling critical thinking skills needed for 21st century jobs and the new economy. And we’re committed to a level playing field for all, with well-resourced schools responsive to the needs of the community.”
The list of Democrats For Public Education co-chairs includes the following – with more chairs to be announced in the coming weeks:
Governor Jennifer Granholm (MI)
Governor Ted Strickland (OH)
Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)
Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA)
State Superintendent Denise Juneau (MT)
Donna Brazile – Democratic Strategist & DNC Vice-Chair
At DemocratsForPublicEducation.com, visitors can continue adding their name to those all across America who have already signed up to show their solidarity. The DPE website will be a resource and information hub for supporters, activists and the press to keep up-to-date with the latest news on Democrats For Public Education, as well as education issues of interest in general.
You can also follow Democrats for Public Education on Twitter (@Dems4PublicEd) and on Facebook (Facebook.com/DemsforPublicEd).
I get appeals for money from the Democratic Party on a daily basis. I always say “Not until I hear some support for our public schools and its teachers.” Well, now I guess it’s time for a donation. Thanks, Diane. This is really good news and the smart politicians will take notice.
Brava!
This group says it is, among other things, fighting for neighborhood schools. It does not say that it is fighting for schools that bring together youngsters from various neighborhoods or backgrounds. It does not say that it is advocating for choices among public schools.
Many urban and suburban neighborhoods have primarily students of one race and often, not much socio-economic diversity. Not all neighborhoods, but many.
TE is pointing out that fighting for neighborhood schools (and not supporting other approaches that would bring youngsters of different areas together) is to promote something many people who post here say they oppose.
It’s not clear how many people who post here actually send/sent their youngsters to schools serving racially and socio-economically diverse communities. Of family values this so we did.
Who gets to decide what constitutes a neighborhood? In my district school catchment lines are somewhat influenced by physical proximity, somewhat by balancing the SES status of students. Students living at my address are assigned to a junior high school that is 2 miles from my address , a 45 minute walk primarily along a four lane road lined with strip malls and the associated off street parking. Students on the next block are assigned to a school that is 1.5 miles from my street address, a 29 minute walk through the downtown area of my town that has no off street parking. Which school is my neighborhood school?
Students living at my street address are assigned to the high school that is 3.8 miles away, not the high school that is 2.1 miles away. Are students living at my street address assigned to the neighborhood high school?
All distances are google maps reported walking distances to those schools.
I hope its not a trick. I will gladly donate.
Donna, The post you replied to is definitely a trick. That is a local matter that this guy has repeatedly tried to make into a national issue here, instead of addressing it with his local school board, so that he can promote the privatization of public education across our nation. Don’t fall for anything from TE. It’s ALWAYS a setup.
Elder Wise,
On a night when the national guard is patrolling Ferguson Missouri, I am surprised that you find racial and SES integration a “local issue”. Do you not understand that neighborhood schools in the United States means racially and economically segregated schools?
Elderwise, yes – I replied in the wrong place. I know from experience that t.e. likes to incite arguments (no offense t.e.). I bit once, maybe twice, but I’m a quick learner 😉
You know very well that magnet schools are for the purpose of integration and yet you repeatedly hail charter schools, which promote segregation.
Elder Wise,
My comment has nothing too with magnet schools, but is about the promotion of neighborhood schools in the original post. Given the racial and SES segregation of housing in the United States, a defense of neighborhood schools is a defense of segregated schools. My local district recognizes that encouraging racial and SES integration requires that catchment lines cut across neighborhoods. Does you district try and reinforce racial and SES segregation when it draws the catchment lines?
If you want choices beyond your neighborhood schools, talk to your local school board about magnets and stop cluttering up this board with your ongoing poor me pity pot promotions of privatization.
Really, Elder. Way too much p coming from TE. (Alot of other waste, too.)
One would think that a college professor would have the sense to organize with other parents who are going through the same thing and take the concerns jointly to the school board. It’s much easier to just complain about it for a couple YEARS on this blog and try to make it sound like it’s a national issue when it IS a local matter, because this economist really likes privatization. Well, don’t take away my neighborhood schools just because you are incapable of dealing with your own local issues!
Yes, it was another set-up and a complete waste of time and energy.
Citizen and Elder,
Do you really think that I should start a campaign to increase the racial and SES segregation of my local school system? No doubt Dr. Ravitch would condemn any efforts to increase the segregation in the schools.
It’s blatantly obvious that these posters were talking about going to the local school board to advocate for magnet schools, which were established for the very purpose of integration. TE knows this very well, since I’ve seen this discussion with him here many times before. Don’t fall for any of his red herrings, folks. For someone who loves to argue, TE sure does a terrible job of it.
Victorino,
It may be that these posters were advocating for magnet schools, but the Democrats for Public Education clearly are not. They are “Fighting for neighborhood schools…”.
Did I miss the groups discussion of magnet schools in the post?
My point, of course, is that neighborhood schools reinforce the racial and SES segregation present in housing. If you want to reduce racial and SES segregation in the schools, you have to make them non-neighborhood schools. This is not a local issue at all, but a national one. Here is an article about the controversy in rezoning PS 321 in Brooklyn, NY. That is the public school that Dr. Ravtich’s grandchildren attend. Here is the core of the controversy:
“Winning a spot in coveted P.S. 321 and P.S. 107 is often a driving force behind real estate purchases, and some parents said being removed from those schools’ zones would take a significant bite out of their property values.
Parents also charged that the rezoning would reduce diversity at P.S. 321 and P.S. 107, because the blocks that will be removed from those schools’ zones are in the less affluent western end of the neighborhood.”
PS 321 is over 72% white, less than 10% of students are eligible for free and reduced price lunch, and less than 2% are ELL. I am sure those figures reflect the neighborhood in NYC that the school is located in, but how would you rank it on integration?
The link to the story on rezoning: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20121129/park-slope/controversial-rezoning-for-park-slopes-ps-321-approved
Many people here have already noted that the politicians on this list are noted for supporting charter schools (which they call “public” schools), not neighborhood schools.
In your own rush to rally around charters, what you repeatedly fail to acknowledge is that across the country, many neighborhood schools are being shut down so that SEGREGATED charters can replace them. If you have a problem with your neighborhood schools, take it to your local school board or run for a seat on your school board and urge the expansion of magnets. Don’t support policies that promote segregation and which will take away MY neighborhood schools –which ARE integrated!
You are like grafitti on the walls of a school. That is desecration of a revered space, a place for taking care to nurture and grow what is sacred, our children. You wouldn’t appreciate that because you enjoy gloating in your venomous spray paint attacks. There is no art or science in your tags. You are purely about destruction, vandal.
Cosmic,
I should revise my post a little. Kindergarten is certainly not compulsory in many states ( see http://nces.ed.gov/programs/statereform/tab5_3.asp ). So perhaps it is best to talk about ages where education is compulsory.
“Teaching Economist” is a troll. He’s a shill for Privatizers. He is doing this, most likely, because they are paying him “good coin” to write this mendacious and malicious drivel.
Now, I could be wrong. TE could be doing this strictly for ideological reasons. There are types like him and we’ve all met them; I have an uncle who shares the retrograde, obtuse opinions of “Teaching Economist”; the guy watches Fox “News” religiously, only taking a break to listen to Rush Limbaugh.
The only difference between them, I’ll concede is that the grammar and sentence structure of TE’s postings is a bit better than that of my uncle.
“Teaching Economist” is on Diane’s blog constantly. He doesn’t appear to have much of a life outside of this site. Don’t take much of what he says very seriously. It doesn’t merit it and if you’ve read one of his insipid, snarky, juvenile postings, you’ve read them all.
Puget,
The only income I have comes from the good people of my state who pay me to teach economics to my students.
I only appear to you as an I dialog because the purity police have managed to harass the impure off the site. I think it is important for education that a diversity of voices be heard here. From posts on here I gather that other groups, like the BATS, have lost
Puget Sound Parent wrote very insightfully,
““Teaching Economist” is on Diane’s blog constantly. He doesn’t appear to have much of a life outside of this site.”
Really. It really looks like this IS his life –and not a very productive one at that.
“Don’t take much of what he says very seriously. It doesn’t merit it and if you’ve read one of his insipid, snarky, juvenile postings, you’ve read them all.”
Amen! All great points, Puget Sound Parent! Thank you for your input!
Damn iPad and big fingers
…have lost that.
I don’t seem to be the same as your uncle. I watch little live television (I am enjoying Lillehammer though). I read the NYT, the Economist, and my local paper, I listen to the WSJ Radio podcast walking to campus and the NPR Shuffle or Planet Money podcasts walking home. The car radio is usually set to NPR.
I do try to take each argument given here seriously and answer respectfully, never speculating about the motives or intelligence of the poster.
Ultimately I think the word “some” needs to be used much more by posters here and the words “all” and “none” much less. It is the thought that all charter schools are run in the best interest of the managers that causes the reasonable middle ground that there needs to be better regulation of charters to have been driven off the site.
Puget Sound Parent,
Add delusions of grandeur to that. Anytime someone so self-righteous thinks he is the sole voice of reason, usually it’s the opposite –and this is a prime example. In England, they call such people “nutters.”
Not the sole voice, but a voice. I, for example, do not think that policies of the last 15 years are the product of a UN conspiracy designed to destroy the United States. Some who post here do seem to think that is the case. Being a voice of reason is a rather low bar on the internet.
I used to feel sorry for you, but since it’s so evident that your combative behaviors and illogical arguments are calculated, you are not worthy of my sympathies, nor of any more of my precious time. (Yes, reason is a very low bar and you have consistently failed to meet it.) Sayonara, nutter.
Veteran,
I would find it very very helpful if you would point out where my arguments fail to be logical. I try to do this for posters here and would appreciate others do the same for my posts.
Look up. Look down. Your illogical statements abound. Look in the mirror, where no doubt you see someone who is proud of desecrating this blog. I see a bitter person who does not deserve the title of “teacher” –just a sicko time and space hog.
Not a,
At first I thought you choice f the word “desecrating” odd, but after thinking about it for a bit I can see that some who post here might take the collection of orthodox opinions presented here as a matter of faith. Faith, however, is a poor guide to public policy.
TE, You are like grafitti on the walls of a school. That is desecration of a revered space, a place for taking care to nurture and grow what is sacred, our children. You wouldn’t appreciate that because you enjoy gloating in your venomous spray paint attacks. There is no art or science in your tags. You are purely about destruction, vandal.
Not a,
Perhaps you could point to an example of gloating in my posts, or one where i attribute any malice to any poster or insult one. I am interested in the arguments presented here and the policy recommendations that arise from those arguments.
What a joke! K12 teachers have not had a voice in education in decades. This “Democrats for Public Education” group is a sham stand-in for –and established by– the mainstream Democratic National Committee.
Teachers have not had even one politician in this country standing up for them and supporting public education, nor one major media outlet committed to regularly reporting all aspects of education issues, and even their unions side with corporate “reformers” since being bought by Bill Gates. But this TE thinks he has to be here to counteract what they say with his own version of “truth.”
Well get in line, TE! You are one amongst many who are peddling bubkis to the public and trashing public education. You are nothing special. Get over yourself.
Over and out of another fruitless discussion with the clueless TE.
Elder,
I am curios about what exactly you think I am “peddling”. I take some positions on education policy and try to give arguments supporting those positions. Isn’t that what a discussion is all about?
“Bupkis” = zilch. “Over and out” = Say goodnight, Gracie. “The clueless TE” = the ever mounting evidence at hand.
Enough with your constant questions to people who have indicated they are done with you. Learn pragmatics.
Victorino,
I don’t post expecting a reply. For every person who posts here, there are many more that simply read. If my arguments go unchallenged, all the better.
This is where TE’s lack of formal training in education and zero expertise in teaching are most readily apparent. It’s the Joseph Goebbels approach to indoctrination. (And questioning is not teaching.)
Keep ignoring him, everyone. He does a great job of making himself look like a fool!
Teacher Ed,
Posing questions is a rather traditional way of teaching. It helps to scaffold student discovery.
Go back to school, TE. Your questions are very low level, which is testing not teaching. They are also incredibly mundane and boring. If you think they lead to people discovering the propaganda you are trying to sell, you’re mistaken because they often have the opposite effect. A lot of us have learned to skip over your posts and don’t read you anymore. You are a far cry from Socrates and Vygotsky.
Anonymous,
Apparently you disagree with Teaching Ed’s statement that questioning is not teaching. We agree there.
I think we also are in agreement that Socrates sets a high bar that very few can reach. I am much more families with philosophy than psychology, so I will have to trust you that Vygotsky sets a similarly high standard.
This statement and the others that I made were in complete agreement with Teacher Ed, “Your questions are very low level, which is testing not teaching.”
Better study close reading, too.
Some people just don’t get how low level questioning is testing and not teaching. Here’s an example that I’ve seen in PreK:
Teacher holds up a color chart, points to one color and asks, “What color is this?” or asks, “Can you point to the color yellow?”
So I ask the teacher, “When did you teach colors to the children and how did you teach them?” Teacher responds, “I’m teaching them now and I’ve been doing this activity all year.” “No you are testing the children, not teaching them, and that’s probably why you have felt compelled to do this same activity all year long,” I reply.
There are numerous meaningful and instructive ways for children to learn colors. Just testing kids on colors, i.e., asking low level identification questions, is probably the least effective method, precisely because it is not teaching, meaningful or engaging to children.
ECE Professional,
I do think the discussion here is at a bit higher level, though sometimes the oysters here do fail to make the distinctions they think important. The most common is the bumper sticker about public funds going to private educational organizations. It is difficult to hold this position and be in favor of the existing Head Start program or federal aid to students in higher education. In fact it is difficult to claim that private education is do hare flying possible when there is a long history of private education. Our host, for example, has only ever taught at elite private schools.
You have to love autocorrect. I hope that the posters here do not think I actually called them a shellfish.
Most posters here are at a high level and you are kidding yourself if you think that you or your questions come across as being at their level.
ECE in private facilities is a no brainer because compulsory education is K12. That does not include PreK, so school districts don’t typically have schools for those ages and K12 facilities are not geared towards meeting the very different needs of younger children. The majority of PreK students are thus served in private child care centers which, unlike charters, are highly regulated by states and cities. Higher ed is also not compulsory and involves adults, so more apples and oranges comparisons from you.
This is a redundancy of previous discussions on this topic from which you learned absolutely nothing, so I’m all done addressing your crapola.
ECE,
In my local district and several of my neighboring states, all day kindergarten is not available through the public schools, so private is the only option as well.
In my state education is not compulsory after age 16 (this seems to be a fairly common requirement), so if you really thin that having it be compulsory requires that schools personnel be government employees the argument stops being applicable to students about half way through high school.
Given that posters like Krazy TA only ever cite private schools as examples of high quality schools, I find it hard to understand why posters like Krazy TA can argue that privately managed schools are inferior to publicly managed schools.
Another TE set-up that went nowhere. It’s typical for him to fight to have the last word, as if that means he won an argument. All it really means is that he is highly argumentative and he has an insatiable need for attention.
This is what he sounds like and his affect on others, which he totally ignores even though it’s been pointed out before:
Cosmic,
I do tend to take reasons seriously, so when a poster makes an argument based on the compulsory aspect of education, I think it does not apply to education that is not compulsory. No doubt others are less concerned with the merits of an argument than that it reaches a conclusion that they wish to be true.
You are really big into tooting your own horn. Circumlocution does not a serious argument make. K12 is mandated for minors and 16 year olds are still minors, even though they have been given the choice of staying in or leaving high school. In several states, including mine, that was raised to 17 to lower drop out rates. You have a very short memory because I know that we already had this conversation before, so you are just a lot of WHA WHA WHA WHA WHA to me. Good riddance, selective listener.
Cosmic,
If you look at the link posted earlier you will see that kindergarten is not required in most states and that many states still only require students to be in school through age 16.
The reason this is important is that posters here argue that public funds should only go to pay private organizations for non-compulsory education. I don’t think that argument makes a lot of sense, but even those that hold that point of view must agree that it can actually only apply to students who are compelled by the state to be in school, typically children between the ages of 6 or 7 (in some states it is as young as 5, others do not require attendance until 8) and 16.
Ugh. The BS never stops from TE. who has had no formal training as an educator but passes himself off as a teacher because he plays sage on the stage in college lecture halls to hundreds of students at a time. I would be MUCH more inclined to listen to genuine, formally trained, experienced P-12 teachers here than this quack who likes to pretend that he knows more than they do. Wah Wah Wah. It’s my honor to shine the mirror on him this time:
Another mirror takes a shine to your vandalism of this blog, TE:
Thank you, Diane for making this site known. I, too, have rejected all requests for donations to the Democratic Party, regardless of who is making the request. Well, I guess that I have a group to which I can send a donation and feel that I did the right thing.
It is abundantly clear that the resistance to the ‘deformers’ is expanding every day. We are on the march.
Forwarded this to an art teacher who is runnig for a seat on the Ohio Board of Education.
Strickland is a decent person and actually supports schools and the middle class. Kasich is still pushing supply side, voodoo economics while Ohio waits for the trickles to come on down. Conservatives hate Strickland because he actually created half the new jobs for the “Ohio Miracle”.
I also hope this is not a trick to fund raise from teachers for a Democratic Party which has shown itself repeatedly in the past few years to be no friend of teachers or public education. I too am inundated with appeals for donations from the DNC, Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, et al, and even though I have turned off the spigot they don’t seem to understand that their anti-union, pro-charter schools policies just won’t get it done.
I don’t see anything in the DPE statement of principles in favor of collective bargaining, tenure, repeal of NCLB and RTTT, or an end to over testing and VAM; and most of their principles are sufficiently vague that a teacher hater like George Miller could sign off on them with a pure heart.
I am suspicious and will wait and see. My dollars will be spent strategically, for example in support of Tom Wolf for governor in Pennsylvania. ABC means Anybody but Corbett.
EXCELLENT INSIGHT, GST!!!!!!
Is GST short for “God! SO TRUE!!!!” ?
http://blackagendareport.com/content/democrats-public-education-just-toothless-cynical-sound-byte
Black Agenda Report is skeptical of this new group of insiders. They’ve been silent on the systemic damage done to public schools and have failed to name the primary culprits: Obama & Duncan. He suggests this is away for the Dems to reassure their footsoldiers that Hillary will be a supporter of public education. From the article:
“Apart from possible interference in next year’s Chicago mayoral contest, its only conceivable purpose is an utterly cynical one. DFPE will house surrogates for Hillary Clinton’s 2018 campaign who will give the credulous faithful an excuse to believe that Hillary, unlike Barack, is not on the side of the privatizers and charter school sugar daddies, the same way Obama had unofficial spokespeople everywhere assuring us that he was pro net neutrality, against the Patriot Act, the Iraq war, torture, wanted to renegotiate NAFTA, and whatever else some of us wanted to hear. Democrats For Public Education is just that, the cynical sound byte that some self-deceiving Democrats need to hear.”
GST,
I am getting one sometimes two appeals from the Democrats per day. I filled out one of those forms about why I am not contributing and received no response. I feel more confident about contributing to the food bank. At least someone may get something to eat.
MathVale: Thank you for the info. RE: Strickland. How about Fudge? Could those readers from state legislators named above comment on those legislators to assure their veracity & dedication to preserving REAL public schools, elimination of ridiculous hoops (RT3, Pear$on testing & teaching for MORE testing, & CRAPP)? Call me a cynic, or say I “doth protest too much”–that’s about right. I’m in the “if your mother says she loves you, check it out” mode. Like Donna & GST above, I hope this isn’t a trick, & I will wait to find out more. All of us readers must act as the “Snopes” of education news. Thank you in advance WI, MI, CA & MT readers for any comments in response to this post/our question(s).
Do not know on the others. Ted Strickland is the real deal. He was the governor of Ohio and lost to Kasich by only 2% in an election turnout dominated by tea party and GOP angry at the economy and Ohio plummeting from the recession. No question, Strickland kept us from falling off the cliff entirely and actually started Ohio back on the road to recovery. Strickland is rational and can compromise, building consensus. Kasich ran a deceptive, nasty, angry campaign were he threatened to “break the backs” of teachers. It has been downhill both economically and socially ever since. Ohio is in terrible shape behind the slick campaign ads. So if the organization is legit, then probably also real and a supporter of education.
Sorry, I don’t mean to carmudgeon my way out of this, but I am not seeing anything in the mission statement of DPE that explicitly states that public education is not to be monetized, privatized, infused with charter schools or vouchers, and there is no mention about empowering teachers with strong unions that will have a voice to protect children and formulate real, productive educational policies, side by side with parents.
Also, there is no mention of funding schools more with federal taxes, no mention of restructuring the tax codes so that the wealthty pay their fair share, and no mention of reducing military spending and forieign fiscal aid to other countries.
DPE wants excellence in education for all children. But there is a system in which that happens, and I see no robust evidence that DPE is looking at that system and seeks to change its DNA and culture.
Sorry, but no donation from me until I see people like Warren, Sanders, and maybe Kucinich join DPE. Otherwise, it’s just another front for neo-liberals.
Certainly there’s no surprise that this group does not support teachers right to organize (or our right to be told the reason we are being let go). Democrat Party Leaders have been running away from unions since Reagan. We can only depend on ourselves and our fellow teachers.
Cornbear,
Bears don’t eat corn. They eat fish and honey.
Anyway, you are right to an extent.
We can also depend on ourselves in the collective whole to reinvent our unions, as did MORE of the UFT in NY city, and we can depend on supporting people like Zephyr Teachout for governor of NY state.
There is always hope if we form and support people and organizations that are like minded, and they do exist.
Just ask Karen Lewis . . . . .
Robert Rendo,
I like your platform. Are you running for office?
NJ Teacher,
GST has a similar platform (read above) and went into a bit more depth than I did.
Yes, I would love to run for something other than my life.
I’m afraid I’m back in school for a second masters degree, two more certifications, and I teach full time, will be conducting up to 9 parent engagement workshops this year, will be writing curriculum, and was assigned to represent a grade as a result of my school expanding to offer full day pre-k.
And one must not neglect one’s spouse at home. . . .
Time has become more precious tham money (but not health).
One day, I’d like to run for some kind of office. I’ve often conjured up the imagery that whether I’d be able to really change anything or not (and that has layers of complexity in today’s world of politics), I would remain the staunch rhetorician and my positions would never change. I’d use press conferences at the drop of a hat, and at the very least, I’d inform and educate the public every molecular step of the way, including providing lists of how other elected representatives voted or withheld their votes.
This is what Obama could have done. He could have been a real progressive and regardless of whether he would change anything, he would have been able to put forth the right ideas, rhetoric, and morality, even if in a constant 8 year barrage of speeches.
Instead, look who he turned out to be . . . . . .
Dennis Kucinich was pure, and it cost him his career, but look at the impact he made on millions of people’s thinking. Now THAT’s a mover and a shaker, I think . . . .
I shall contact you, NJ Teacher, if you wish to be my campaign manager . . . .
🙂
Thanks Robert! I am busy working myself out of my own job!
Robert, the final shape this group takes, once it gets off the ground, and into the air, is yet to be determined. Your concern is very legitimate, but it’s too soon to conclude that this group is not sincere or not to be trusted.
We can help PUSH this group to where we want it to be. I intend to be one of the people doing that. Even if your worst fears are true, we must be making progress—people like you and me—that “they” would even feel the need to “cook up” something like this.
Question: While I greatly respect and admire and support the three individuals you cited, is there any clear evidence that Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Dennis Kucinich actually “get it” when it comes to public education?
Is there any proof that they share Diane’s beliefs and perspectives or are we just hoping and projecting that they may or do?
I think we need to verify each of the members and their voting records first, definitely before sending in donations.
Mark Pocan was the first politician to call out ALEC for their agenda to privatize public education. HOWEVER, I recently read that Pocan voted this spring in support of expanding federal funding for charter schools:
http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-liberal/2014/05/democratic-rep-mark-pocan-votes-to-expand-charter-schools-nationwide-2482324.html
If that’s the case, I don’t trust Pocan anymore. Can people verify others on that list and provide evidence here?
Love your blog but sometimes I think you are missing something. People are starting to realize this republican/democrat conservative/liberal dichotomy is at the practical level a fraud. Without the marriage of these two so called camps we would not have public education under attack as it is. This fight over education could reverse some awful trends in government by people uniting over an essential common interest. It is the two parties marching us lockstep over the precipice that has us where we are today. Bureaucrats iove the top down control current education reform gives them. Vulture capitalists such as Bill Gates loves the passive market he is capturing with the techno data gathering prisons he would make of schools. You don’t have to be a liberal to hate this. As a teacher fighting this in the trenches I am thankful for the awakening I am seeing in people of all political stripes. It gives me hope.
Brian, I see what you see. And I see that we as a country can’t afford to lose public education. Nor should we imitate Shanghai. We have to protect our children and our educators from the clutches of crony capitalists and vulture capitalists. We have to take back control of the people, by the people, for the people. One school board seat at a time. One legislative race at a time. One state at a time. And we will.
Jonathan Alter continues to insist that no one is making money off charter schools, although this ignores the blatant and obvious reality for tens of millions of people who live in the following states:
FL, OH, MI and PA.
How can they get away with this? It’s obviously untrue. Everyone who lives in one of these states knows it’s untrue. Yet they continue to insist it is a “conspiracy theory” that this is a for-profit sector.
Is this an inability to understand or grasp that there are places other than NJ, NY and MA?
What’s the problem here? Geography? How can they NOT NOTICE all these for profit K-12 states? Why not just be straight with people? “A lot of people are making money off this but it’s worthwhile anyway” OR, “we actually support people making money off K-12 schools, because we’re free marketeers”
Just DENYING it’s happening is delusional.
http://njmonthly.com/articles/towns_and_schools/jonathan-alter-school-reform-magic-classroom.html
Of course they make money. Many of them take the money and run without delivering the goods, only to show up elsewhere, rinse and repeat. Facts are facts. Statistics can be fudged, but facts are facts.
Well, Donna, millions of people in OH, MI, FL and PA are just mistaken.
What they are watching happening in their states is NOT actually happening.
How do I know? Jonathan Alter said so:
“All the talk of “corporatizing” schools is baloney. The benefactors are simply after better student and teacher performance—and they’re getting it.”
It’s amazing. There’s not even a nod to reality here.
Just ignore the giant charter management companies that operate in all these states where we live. They DO NOT EXIST – Mosaica, Edison, White Hat, Charter Schools USA, ECOT, K-12- those are all imaginary.
He must know this isn’t true. Why does he say it?
Evidently, J Alter hasn’t read Jersey Jazzman or School Finance 101 to learn that NJ charter schools’ performance isn’t to be taken at face value
We’re naysayers, not team players. The true believers want to hears happy talk, affirmation not information. It’s corporate-speak.
Wall Street profiteers off charters through a Clinton-era federal tax credit for financing the building charters in “empowerment zones”. The tax credit is as high as 39% which means the charters are an astonishingly generous write off. But then the accounting creativity comes in, with flipping, unsustainable balloon payments and all the same types of legalized fraud you see in other “public” authorities where banks hose municipalities for stadiums, sewers, convention centers, etc.
The bottom line is, as usual, we need money out of politics first so we can THEN talk about cleaning up the corruption.
New disinformation from the Wall Street journal…
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I’m sorry but I’m not persuaded.
I think they set it up because they know there’s widespread anger and discontent with the public education privatization policies and they want to bring Democrats out for the midterms because they are going to get shellacked, again.
I’ll believe Democrats are pro-public schools when they start supporting public schools.
Philadelphia public schools could sure use powerful and well-connected advocates. Why don’t they take the money they’re raising for this group and aid some actual existing public schools?
You know, the public schools Democrats abandoned when they fell out of fashion. Those schools. The schools that have taken hit after hit for the last decade.
Maybe they could list what Democrats have done for public schools over the last decade.
Alphabetical. State by state. Will there be anything to list other than teacher measurement schemes, student measurement schemes and school measurement schemes? I haven’t been impressed with those over the last decade, so they can skip that part.
Will there be anything left to list? Merit pay, maybe. They put in merit pay for teachers.
They know this list will be identical to any list Republicans could draw up, right?
A Democrat is a Republican and a Republican is a Democrat. They are both politicians in the end and nothing short of organized racketeering scum bags. Don’t let their subtle divisive tactics such as gay marriage and religion fool you. The will both rob you blind. Just look at who donates heavily to these so called political parties it’s the same damn people funding both sides. The R’s and the D’s are both on the same team trying to accomplish the same objectives; they simply try to distinguish themselves from one another by projecting different appearances but in the end a turd is a turd.
They* Damn these smartphone keys
Hmmm, will they cite that Cory Booker got his campaign advisor Cami Anderson named the state-appointed Superintendent of Newark Public Schools?
Sorry to say that I know former MI Governor Jennifer Granholm and she is no true supporter of public education. I am a lifelong Democrat, although devastated by this Party’s intoxification with the toxic philanthropy of Bill Gates, Eli Broad….and the privatization of what we used to be able to call “publlic schools” and testification of our children. That being said, the first time I met Jennifer Granholm at a fundraiser, I walked away from our meeting thinking that she had three constiitutents, “me, myself and I.” Unfortunately, I was not proven wrong. Jennifer Granholm bullied our State Board of Ed into pushing out then State Superintendent Tom Watkins and bringing in Mke Flanagan, a guy with no administrator cert and a disdain for children with disabilities. Moving on, in 2007 I drove a bill through our MI House of Representatives, HB 5323 that would have restored our State Board’s elected authority over special education laws, rules and policies. Former Governor John Engler stripped the Board’s authority over all of public education through executive orders in 1996. MI children, parents and teachers have not been served through these executive orders that gave our State Superintendent dictatorial authority. Moving on, my bill (HB 5323) had 59 bipartisan cosponsors and passed our House 88-20. The bill would have passed the MI Senate had it not been for Senator Wayne Kuipers, the Chair of the Senate Ed Committee. He was cut out of Engler’s cloth and shelved my bill. I met with Jennifer Granholm and asked her to sign an executive order restoring the State Board’s authority over special education (knowing that restoring the State Board’s authority over all of public ed was a longshot). Jennifer Granholm refused and did not support my effort because she liked the backdoor control of public education and special education through her puppet-State Superintendent Mike Flanagan. MI’s special education rules and policies did nothing but erode under Jennifer Granholm’s 8 years as Governor. Special Education has crashed and burned under Mike Flanagan’s reign of educatinal terror that will end in June 2015, as his contract has finally not been extended. Jennifer Granholm was disappointing beyond measure. MI desperately needed an education governor following John Engler and she was not interested. The Michigan Merit Curriculum that Jennifer Granholm signed into law was poorly crafted and no money was appropriated to improve teacher preparation.
I could go on and on, but I will stop here and say with sadness and anger that anything Jennifer Granholm is a part of has nothing to do with children or public education and everything to do with her personal gain.
I believe Ms. Granholm is a major supporter and fundraiser for Hilary Clinton. Scary if her public education record is indicative of what Hilary would do as President.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Can you verify that? It would support what I fear about Hillary. Every reason to think she’s a neolib.
http://www.freep.com/article/20140126/COL24/301260061/Carol-Cain-Jennifer-Granholm-Hillary-Clinton
Here’s what I found. Hilary likely has Jennifer on her short list for Education Secretary or Supreme Court.
Thank you for your detailed response. Yes I also do not trust Jennifer Granholm. She brought the “democrat” Robert Bobb in to dismantle Detroit public schools, and also brought in Teach for America. She visited a DPS high school only to observe the TFA there, though students had eagerly anticipated her visit and were left hanging.
Let’s not forget Obama’s transition team bait and switch with Darling-Hammond & Duncan. Steven Brill reveled his deceitful strategy in his book ‘Class Warfare’.
http://www.epi.org/publication/grading_the_education_reformers/
“The reformers’ arrogance is best on display when Brill gloats about the charade of appointing anti-reformer Linda Darling-Hammond to lead Obama’s official post-election education planning, while DFER, with funds from Eli Broad, wrote a secret memo for the “informal yet real education transition team.” Jon Schnur organized the effort and strove to calm his nervous fellow-reformers, assuring them that the Darling-Hammond appointment was only a sop to a faction that would have no real influence, while DFER’s secret memo set forth the Administration’s actual policy – including the naming of key Gates Foundation and Teach for America operatives for crucial administration policy posts, and calling for use of student test scores to evaluate teachers. It is disclosures like this that make Brill’s book something less than the unambiguous morality tale he aimed to present. Had the reformers been a little less sure of themselves, they might have less to answer for when their program, as it certainly must, eventually implodes.”
Someone more knowledgeable than me has suggested that this group is actually a PAC to support Hillary Clinton. And we all know that from Marc Tucker’s letter to her decades ago, she is. On fan of public schools. Where is the evidence that folks like Grabholm and even Braille support public schools, teachers, and students. start with the evidence that supports their claim.
No fan of public schools.
This group does not impress me either. Donna Brazile is a longtime neoliberal. I am guessing wolf in sheep’s clothing here too. The Democratic Party has to do a heckuva lot of kissing up to get me to believe they are not corporate sell-outs and this is not a front group to get money and votes from teachers and concerned parents while delivering nothing but more neoliberal evil.
Based on very limited Wikipedia research, co-chair Denise Juneau of Montana appears to be a strong opponent of charter schools in her state. Good for her. And she is an educator.
BEWARE of this group! They appear to be wolves in sheep’s clothing. They are probably trying to get the progressive and liberal vote on their side because they know by now that genuine Democrats are on to the antics of neoliberal “New Democrats,” who are virtually no different from Republicans.
I don’t see even ONE person on that list who I feel that I could trust to support public education! Remember, politicians gave the misnomer of “public” to charter schools, as well as granting charters the right to function as PINOs –public in name only– so many of them are actually talking about charters when they say “public” education, not neighborhood schools.
“Superior standards” and “making classrooms challenging” suggests they buy the narrative that it’s those damn teachers with their reprehensibly low expectations.
Do any of these pols really “get” education better than Obama and Duncan? Do you think any of them has read a Diane Ravitch book from cover to cover?
I know one Dem who definitely has: Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan here in CA. She gets it better than most teachers I know. Brilliant woman who gives the lie to the claim that all politicians are hacks. Sadly she’s being termed out.
Thanks to all of you who answered my 7:42 PM question. (And, no doubt, Mercedes is doing her own due diligence & will give us a detailed report on each legislator!) From what was discussed here, however (&, Diane, this is the very thing that makes your blog so invaluable in our taking back by the people {& stopping the BUY the people!}), I will not support this group &, definitely, will NOT donate. If Al Grayson (D, FL) were a part of this (but–w/what was said–he wouldn’t be), I would see some legitimacy (HE’s the Real Deal). & I sense truth in Nimbus’ Hillary comments. Again, I would urge you to read Carl Bernstein’s “A Woman in Charge,” a very good book about Hillary Clinton–especially the part where “there has to be a villain”–& she pounces on the Arkansas Teachers. Very telling.
There is absolutely NO doubt in my mind that we MUST get away from career politicians, for they are what they are–all about “the career,” and NOT about serving their constituents. Whatever happened to the definition of a legislator as being “a public servant?” For anyone who’s watched “Veep” ( a great show), you must know that it’s not far from the truth–cordons of limousines & first class or private jets carrying our “royals” (legislators) all over the place–costing us mucho taxpayer $$$$.
Ridiculous ego tantrums (we saw it in chambers in Springfield, ILL-Annoy!), lying to constituents’ faces (“No, I’m not going to vote for ANY pension-cutting bill!” & then voting “Aye” on one the very next day!), making up convoluted budget theories, etc., ad nauseum. Everyone, everywhere–as Diane said–town by town, state by state–make it happen. NY–work for Teachout; Connecticut–get Pelto in; Chicago–run, Karen, run! And–in every state or town (& in 2016) where there is no one running hard for the 99%, for the education and survival of our children, for an end to the shameful poverty in the richest country in the world–if you are squeaky clean, get yourselves out there & run!!! Good people CAN win over $$$$–it happened in Newark, it happened in Indiana (Ritz), it happened in LA (LAUSD School Board).
Yes, WE can…yes we DID…yes we WILL!
Are they anti-common core? In my book you cannot be pro-public Ed and pro-Common Core, but many are still stuck in the rhetoric of broken schools and higher standards. They need to know it is all the same package.
The economic imperative for education is the same old bi-partisan nonsense and a distraction from the issues of income inequality, redlining of real estate, racial profiling, rampant corruption and the rest. Not one fresh idea.
On April 25, 2014, the Center for Public Integrity, published an article, “Koch Bros., Major Corporations Sponsor Pension Reform Seminar for Judges. It was hosted by George Mason university. In a comment that followed the article, Chris Tobe, author of Kentucky Fried Pensions, wrote, “Arnold and his Wall St. buddies come up with reforms that attempt to claw back earned pension benefits.” A few weeks ago, on Aug. 6, The Center for Public Integrity reported that they received their largest single grant, from the Arnold Foundation.
The forces against pensions are formidable.
‘ “As Democrats for Public Education, we’re focused on just that – supporting public education,” said Rep. Mark Pocan, representing Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District. “We support superior standards and finding ways to make classrooms challenging and rewarding for both teachers and students. We believe in instilling critical thinking skills needed for 21st century jobs and the new economy. And we’re committed to a level playing field for all, with well-resourced schools responsive to the needs of the community.” ‘
I don’t see anything in this statement that an avowed deformer couldn’t agree with. After all, charter schools are public schools. (Tongue planted firmly in cheek.) while my belief in the tooth fairy leads me to embrace this new group, they need to do more than spout tired, campaign slogans.
Mark Pocan is a HUGE disappointment. He outted ALEC’s agenda to privatize public education a couple years ago. Then this year, he voted to increase funding for charter school expansion.
http://beforeitsnews.com/opinion-liberal/2014/05/democratic-rep-mark-pocan-votes-to-expand-charter-schools-nationwide-2482324.html
Just look at the titles, guys. When someone is described as a “Democratic strategist” and “Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee” and that is the person who is identified as having formed the organization. it’s a VERY good bet that this is just a lot of bogus political hoopla. The Democrats know they have alienated their base and have to win back votes from many marginalized progressives and liberals.
If you want to see how YOUR Congressional Representatives voted this past May on “H.R. 10: Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act.” look here: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/113-2014/h217
There are provisions for charter school expansion and increased funding, and most Democrats voted FOR the bill, so do not for one minute think the party is suddenly reversing course.
I see a lot of healthy skepticism here. I also suspect this is an attempt to bring disillusioned Democrats back in after seeing the last year of parent/teacher rage.
This 527 seems to be singling out these education ills without recognizing the root cause is money-as-speech. Teachout-Wu are saying these same things in conjunction with getting money out of politics. Teachout also is clear that any evaluation processes must involve all stakeholders.
Without attaching this to an Elizabeth Warren style message of “the game is rigged” it sounds like they are looking to attract big money donations to counter the problems that were caused by big money donations.