Politico reports that President Obama will sign the Every Student Succeeds Act today, right now, this morning, wasting no time. ESSA is an unusual example of both national teachers’ unions working closely with the GOP majority in Congress. The unions are enthusiastic about the bill and lobbied Congress heavily to remove AYP and other obnoxious features of NLB and Race to the Top.
Here is Hillary’s take:
– Democratic 2016 frontrunner Hillary Clinton praised the bill, saying it wasn’t perfect, but it “retains a commitment to high academic standards, enables communities to strike a better balance on testing, requires districts and states to take action to turn around struggling schools, and allows states to take a holistic approach when measuring school success.” One of her Democratic opponents, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, sat out the Senate’s vote today. So did two Republican candidates, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, although the latter put out a statement denouncing the bill. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, another 2016 contender, was one of 12 senators who voted no. Kimberly Hefling with more: http://politico.pro/1RFsP08.
– Some sharp eyes noticed that Clinton praised the bill for making resources available to “expand high-quality public charter schools.” Was this a deliberate attempt to tone down her rhetoric? Clinton has been a long time charter supporter, but issued a pretty strident rebuke to the sector last month [http://politi.co/1HsRpP4].
– As Obama signs the bill , the White House is releasing a report of progress made in K-12 education since he took office and how ESSA will cement that progress. The report: http://bit.ly/1lwetDg.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Clinton has been a long time charter supporter, but issued a pretty strident rebuke to the sector last month.”
Oy vey. That was strident? We’re doomed.
Perhaps “strident” for a politician but not strident for you and me, eh!?!
Dienne, Hillary spoke 30 words about how “some” charters didn’t take all kids. Not strident at all.
Why don’t we just close all public schools? Let the Waltons, Kochs, and Gates pay for the schools for the privileged and we can revert back to the dark ages. We are already headed down that road, why not accelerated the process.
As of the PEW report today, for the first time the Middle Class is less than half of America’s population. This is a disaster for democracy.
The top .01% owns 90% of the wealth of the country, and of the greater world…and now over 50% of US residents are the working poor. Take over of all public agencies, including public schools, is almost completely ‘a fait accompli’…but we the public have our priorities skewed by planted news to divert our attention to less consequential issues.
drext…if every school in the Nation becomes a charter, the oligarchs will not pay for it. We, the workers who pay our taxes, will still pay all the bills. That is how oligarchy works,and how these greed monster billionaires have planned it, and worked their plan.
Read Naomi Prin’s new book, All the Presidents Bankers, for the history of all of this.
Ellen I wasn’t serious. I was making fun of the feds for passing more crappy laws
Got it…keep on making fun of them…
“One of her Democratic opponents, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, sat out the Senate’s vote today.”
Have to say, that is disappointing.
Is he stridently sitting on the fence?
I think he is reluctant to take a stand in order to minimize the amount of voter alienation. I am sorry to say, but this is political “waffling.”
Though sanders hasn’t addressed k12 head on, every single aspect of his platform speaks (in the right way) to the heart of the issue of anti- privatization, anti-billionaire class control. Sometimes avoidance is a prudent move?
Put yourself in Sanders’s position. You are running a campaign for president, and have two weeks to thoroughly read and understand a 1,000+ page bill (among others) that will structure K-12 education for years to come.
Don’t be surprised if he had good reason to abstain. I hope you all don’t spread negative speculation.
If he had good reason to abstain, he had good reason to vote against it.
EdDetective,
It is his job to read the entire bill, plain and simple. And if not given enough time then he should be working on delaying the vote so that all can read it. I would vote for Sanders were he to win the party’s nomination but he still should be doing the job, being a senator, that he is paid for-no excuse for him not to do so.
First of all, no senator hits every vote, and Sanders is doing his job — much better than other senators, especially those who run for president: http://www.factcheck.org/2015/11/senators-missing-votes/ (“And Sen. Bernie Sanders, at 3.4 percent, has missed the fewest”)
Difference sources have different percentages, due to different methodologies and being written at different times, but Sanders is faring quite well overall:
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/11/03/bernie-sanders-missed-votes-running-president-paid.html
Second, I doubt many (if any) other senators fully read and understood this bill. It was rushed for a reason. I suppose I do wish Sanders was even more superhuman than he is, but I won’t pass judgment until I have more information, and I will keep in mind his presidential campaign. It’s not as simple as doing your job or not.
I’m not defending Sanders unconditionally. I’m saying be careful about the conclusions you draw from this action.
Public Education died today and everyone involved and in support of this bill is WRONG!
Unfortunately, I think you are correct.
Hard to keep up the good fight with that perspective! Let’s rephrase: No Child Left (a) Behind (cause they’re going to test it off them) died today.
Tomorrow we take on ESSA.
The collaboration of the AFT and NEA with the neoliberal agenda of the Broad Foundation is now out in the open. This ESSA law will be Hillary Clinton’s blueprint for expanding charters and advancing the privatization of public education.
See “Elit Broad and the Clintons” @ Defend Public Education!
http://goo.gl/Cr2GAj
Marcie, I agree. And am so sad that what feels like wishy washiness. . there is NOTHING from this bill that is good for any of us. States have no control. . they have to make sure that what they do is approved by the feds. . . if they try to do what’s right, the feds will cut their money off.
This, I think, is a good blog to help us through this. http://emilytalmage.com/2015/12/09/on-essa-and-party-crashing/
My heart is aching as I think of our children. . . Our government is broken. And while I was NEVER going to vote for Hillary this makes me even more angry.
And the unions. . . how can they support the destruction of our public schools.
So we have to continue to create a people’s movement. One that says no more. Can’t wait to go to Philly at the end of Feb. to listen to the likes of Chris Hedges around how to grow the people’s movement!
The union leadership is in bed with the politicians on the left and they want to maintain their power. They wont bite the hand that feeds them.
They grease each other’s palms. The Unions give them support during the election cycle and the politicians protect union power.
Neither cares about actual teachers.
When will everyone wake up to that reality?
ABOLISH the U.S. Dept. of Ed and be done with this nonsense.
You better start voting for the ones willing to kill off the monster that seeks to destroy you.
“Not perfect”–the go-to not-quite- endorsement of politicians everywhere.
One word: DISGUSTING! We have a Congress, which does not support public education. How horrid is that? Answer: MOST HORRID, indeed! It’s about $$$$$ and power, simply put. No Hillary 4 me.
Any law, which comes from public school DEFORMERS cannot be trusted. Take the title of the law and turn it around 180 degress, and therein lies the truth.
Well it’s finalized for me, I’m VOTING FOR RAND PAUL in the primary for sure.
“One of her Democratic opponents, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, sat out the Senate’s vote today.”……ie…he has NO leadership qualities if he doesn’t have the spine to vote NO on this Bill.
Hillary and Jeb Bush in bed together. What more needs to be said?
“Hillary and Jeb Bush in bed together. What more needs to be said?”
How about this: I don’t know who you insulted more–him or her!?!
Anyone else get Randi’s email? I’ll just post the first few paragraphs:
“Dienne,
I just left the White House, where the president signed the Every Student Succeeds Act into law. This law will usher in the most sweeping, positive changes to public education policy in nearly two decades, from pre-K through college.
“Today marks the beginning of a joint responsibility for public education, as opposed to the top-down accountability we’ve experienced since the passage of No Child Left Behind.
“Congress maintained the best of the original intent of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act—targeting funding to support the disadvantaged schools and children who need it most—and slammed the door on federally prescribed high-stakes testing.”
Ugh. And I was just about to have lunch.
It really starts to sound like someone in a bad relationship- “they promised to stop and this time they mean it!”
Didn’t get that one. Must have ticked her off with how I responded to her email yesterday:
“No, Lily, “we” didn’t do it. This boondoggle of legislation will prove to be worse than NCLB as now we have to play whack a mole against ALEC and all the edudeformer privatizers at the state level. But then again that may be better to not have the national “leadership” of the various teachers organizations involved since you all have already sold your souls to the privateers by committing your organizations to Clinton so early in the process and to this abomination of public education law.
“We” didn’t do a thing, you, the national “leadership” Clinton sycophants have hosed your constituents once again.
Come on down to the NPE conference this year and stand up for your anti-public education positions if you dare, which I doubt
Oops, I confused Randi with Lilly. I wonder how that could have happened.
When do we give up on DC and public schools? These people have absolutely no interest in the unfashionable “public school sector” unless they’re collecting data or selling ed tech product. This whole discussion is crazy. We’re all rushing to thank them because they have decided to STOP punishing public schools. I mean, I guess “neglect and abandonment” from public employees is better than public employees actually working AGAINST public schools, but only in bizarro ed-reform-world is that an occasion for such fawning expressions of gratitude.
The typical person in our country supports public education. The problem is that all the manipulations occur behind the scenes. If you are not directly involved in education, you have little access to information unless you follow online blogs. The oligarchs behind this want the public in the dark, unless they are getting publicity for their “charity.” Then, the big donation is being made to “public education.” The average person may have heard about the Common Core, but they have no idea of the bigger plot at play.
Exactly retired teacher…most people do not have any concept of what Common Core is about, and most think that charter schools are actually public schools since that is how they advertise themselves.
Boy, I guess Clinton learned her lesson. There will be no criticism of charter schools permitted in Our Nation’s Capitol.
What a lively and rigorous debate they’re having! All opinions are represented, ranging from “charter schools are great!” to “charter schools are the greatest!”.
So glad there’s an elite consensus on privatizing public schools. When do you think politicians plan on letting the public in on this?
When Randi writes, “We won!”, is she referring to teachers?
Why is it she only has something to say after the fact????
Duncan and his “team” are all claiming this law “cements” their market-based vision for US education.
Looks like voters got flim-flammed again. Bush/Obama status quo remains firmly in place.
sign at my grandson’s public school: “transitional kindergarten will prepare children for the rigor of kindergarten.” Seriously, this nightmare has filtered all the way down–
The mere phrase “the rigor of kindergarten” should make any decent person throw up.
laurencoodley:
Just when I thought I had read/heard the worst effects of rheephorm “thinking” on public schools—
[start]
“transitional kindergarten will prepare children for the rigor of kindergarten.”
[end]
😱
Can it get any more insane and inane than this? Hint: rheephorm always seems to find a new low.
Dienne—do you have a spare vomit bag?
😳
Its better he signs BTW coz we have kids to help
I’d love to know how many members of Congress have their children or grandchildren in a public school. My guess is “maybe 20%”, but it would be fun to find out.
Same stuff, different day. Only now we get to deal separately with 50+ State bureaucracies instead of one federal bureaucracy… Remember your brothers and sisters across State lines…
Hillary shillary – ivory tower by running with power. She and Bill are on board.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDtCb45Lqt0
Clearly, Hillary is unvotable for. Bernie likes automatic weapons, and this guy is way off the sanity charts https://www.instagram.com/p/-wWVZemhfC/. If we stay away from the booths in large enough numbers, we may ignite the democratic change that’s truly needed.
Bernie’s gun stance is balanced and sensible. Feelthebern.org for more information, or look up his recent speeches on gun control (youtube)
Even if you still believe his gun stance is not good, deciding who to vote for based on that one issue is not a good idea…
OK, I bite: how is Bernie good for education? Isn’t he for this “accountability” nonsense? Where is his sense of history?
https://www.laprogressive.com/bernie-sanders-education-policy/
This presidential position makes me feel uneasy:
A president with strong principles will be quickly isolated in Washington. A negotiator (as a politician should be) will end up like Obama, accomplishing little.
But the worst is: we are electing a way too powerful guy whose screwups will affect the whole world.
“OK, I bite: how is Bernie good for education?”
1. He is against privatization of public rights and services.
2. He speaks out strongly in support of (and has consistently acted in support of) collective bargaining.
3. He is intelligent enough to surround himself with intelligent and non-corrupt people (think secretary of education).
4. His higher education plan makes a joke out of hillary’s (or anyone else’s)
5. Economic, racial, and social justice — which bernie is stronger on than the other candidates — all affect education quality and opportunities.
6. In terms of K-12 policy, he was one of the few who voted against NCLB. I personally believe it is best to wait for specifics on K-12 policy, rather than assume he will do any certain thing, especially based on a few outlier votes. This is a man who changes with the times, and with new knowledge.
“A president with strong principles will be quickly isolated in Washington.”
That’s why you need a candidate who speaks truth to power, works to get big money out of politics, and inspires a generation to get involved in the political process. Only one presidential candidate will do that, and his name is……