The Rochester Teachers Association is suing the state for its flawed evaluation system, which unfairly judges teachers.
Erica Bryant explains why in this article.
“Years ago, I visited the Kennedy Space Center and bought a coffee mug from the gift shop. It is decorated with some NASA equations, including one used to calculate the speed an object needs to escape Earth’s gravity. This formula fits on one line.
“By contrast, the document that describes how to measure student growth for the purpose of evaluating New York’s teachers and principals is 112 pages.”
Even in 112 pages, the teacher evaluation system is unfair and senseless and penalizes teachers who work with the poorest students.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Rahm Emanuel doesn’t want to answer a question on the difference between Rahm Emanuel and Republicans on public schools, because there IS no difference between Democrats and Republicans on public schools.
Which Chuck Todd has apparently figured out 🙂
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rahm-emanuel-chuck-todd-charter-schools-thin-air
YEP, you are right…there is not much differences between the DEMs and the REPs. Both are corrupt to the core and have not a clue. Their education mantra is the same, and it is not good theoretically nor practically.
It’s going to be tough for Democrats to draw a distinction between incumbent Democrats and those seeking election or re-election as Republicans this year, on education.
What do they say?
“We’re the Party that is ambivalent on vouchers, while Republicans support vouchers”?
“We have a ten year plan to privatize your local public school, while Republicans will go much faster than that”?
“We know you don’t like the standardized test fetish, so we have a much better test!”
Kasich in Ohio can point to Duncan every time Kasich’s Democratic challenger even raises public schools. He’ll be telling the truth, too. There’s no difference.
You raise a very important point, Chiara: the Democrats have been snookered and out-maneuvered by the Republicans and Overclass funders yet again.
By becoming appendages of the so-called reform agenda – deregulation, deunionization, privatization – the Democrats become indistinguishable from their opponents and diminish their ability to separate themselves from them on anything but social issues.
There was once a clear difference between the two parties on economics and labor, which now shrinks by the day, and allows the super-rich to butter both sides of their bread.
The dangers of this were made apparent in the recent by-election in Florida, won by a Republican who was able to truthfully, if hypocritically, point to President Obama’s efforts to cut Social Security benefits and use that against the Democratic candidate.
That’s what happens when you elect neoliberal chameleons who happen to have a “(D)” after their names.
In Illinois, the upcoming gubernatorial election is going to be a problem for the Democrats: they can’t easily attack Bruce Rauner, the school privatizer from Hedgistan, while Paul Vallas is on the ballot for Lieutenant Governor.
Who do you vote for in that situation, the candidate who openly says they want you eating cat food in a ditch, or the one who enables the same thing, but won’t admit it?
This is what happens when Labor is neutralized/ destroyed: the Democrats have nowhere to go but where the Big Money is, which makes them captive to the agendas of their Overclass funders.
“You raise a very important point, Chiara: the Democrats have been snookered and out-maneuvered by the Republicans and Overclass funders yet again.”
I can’t imagine where they thought this was going to end up. There isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between Jeb Bush, John Kasich and Arne Duncan on public education and the ENTIRE agenda is that of Jeb Bush and John Kasich.
Since it’s hard to imagine that they actually got played this badly, I have to conclude they sincerely believe that Milton Friedman is the best way to go on public schools, and they were just hoping we wouldn’t notice.
It’s interesting how defensive Emanuel is, though. I think that might have to do with the fact that there’s no discernable difference between Rauner and Quinn. Honestly, what does it matter who wins? In some ways, Rauner would be preferable. At least you know what you’re getting.
“This is what happens when Labor is neutralized/ destroyed: the Democrats have nowhere to go but where the Big Money is, which makes them captive to the agendas of their Overclass funders.”
The labor/public school thing is the most interesting story in the country, as far as I’m concerned.
We had a proposed vocational charter school in Ohio that was going to be funded and run by a shady non-profit that EXISTS to bust up labor unions in the building trades. The plan was to open this charter and train high school students for non-union jobs in skilled building trades. Like a feeder system for a low wage workforce to drive down wages in skilled trades, on the public dime.
It only fell apart when it was revealed that an actual anti-labor lobbyist was on the board. For all I know they’ll re-introduce it when they play some musical chairs on the board.
Democrats are supporting all this, I guess.
Well, we can only blame ourselves as teachers, here in IL…how many of us really went out and voted for Dillard? I know I did but so many teachers here had the lamest excuses to not vote aat all. I have to work out, my kids need picking up, I mean really what does it take to vote? Two minutes, especially at an election like this one. I was very disappointed in my coworkers. You’re correct we have no realy choice here in IL, we only have the choice between ‘the oligarchy’ and one who has been bought by ‘the oligarchy’.
Agreed, there are still many school teachers, with outreach to other state workers, they could be the largest voting bloc…
VOTE 3rd Party.