Ira Shor writes:
“Big winners are private charters b/c they are authorized to loot even more public school funds. Leaving annual testing in place makes Pearson second big winner b/c they can buy politicians and state/local DOE’s to keep testing in place. Third big winner is Hillary–this ridiculous renewed bill so muddies the waters that Hillary can slither past having to explain where she stands on the last 5yrs of destructive ed reform. Rest of us need to push opt-out relentlessly along with campaign against private looting of public funds. The private war on public education has accomplished massive disruption of education, so a fed attack led by Duncan no longer needed, went far to finance, legalize, and privilege the Eva school world, all that’s needed from Eva’s pt of v now is constant stream of tax revenues, constant financing of charter sites, and constant exemption from public oversight, all of which are in place. For us, time to plan next big moves to rescue and renovate public education.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I agree and appreciate Ira’s spot on perspective. Senators Alexander and Murray are in agreement to destroy public education. Frankly, I am sick of hearing about Arne Duncan. No one made him king. This is about Congress and We the People and both have had a hand in destroying public education over the past forty years. People did not vote for public education in the November 2014 election.
“Congressional Cowardice”
Arne never had the right
To do what he has done
And Congress had the legal might
But turned their tail to run
In further support of Ira’s comments, here is another article which I find to be the most well researched and comprehensive article I have read on poverty and how it affects our society. It was posted only an hour ago and is written by Professor Peter Dreier and I hope, though it is long and full of citations, that you all will read it and pass it along to all your lists.
—————————————————————————————–
From Peter Dreier…..
“Philanthropy’s Misguided Ideas for Fixing Ghetto Poverty: The Limits of Free Markets and Place-Based Initiatives,”
published in the current (Spring 2015) issue of Non-Profit Quarterly, summarizes my views about what we need to do to address the outrage of persistent poverty and widening inequality. It is also a critique of mainstream philanthropy’s narrow view of the problem and thus its limited approach to addressing it.
Focusing narrowly on revitalizing poverty-stricken neighborhoods, and relying on “market” forces to solve these problems, is shortsighted and misguided.
Social-justice philanthropy has a long and valuable tradition in the United States, but it is still a marginal part of the foundation world. If philanthropists want to help create a more humane, fair, and democratic society, they should support the many organizations and activists who are building a movement for shared prosperity.
Philanthropy’s Misguided Ideas for Fixing Ghetto Poverty: The Limits of Free Markets and Place-Based Initiatives
is the url…..
Ira Shor… words of wisdom! The big push must be CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM because without this no American without large purse strings has a voice! Before public education can “be rescued” … the democratic foundations of this nation need to be restored. While I am not always in agreement with Reich’s education views (as I think he just needs the ear from real public school teachers), he is an economist who seems to truly understand! His latest comment only bolsters the need to restore checks and balances through extricating the “big money” from politics.
http://robertreich.org/post/115695610915
There’s really two ways to go with that. Campaign finance reform may be impossible because everyone is profiting off the current system- except regular people of course.
The other option (which might be easier) is to write some new laws defining actionable corruption more broadly, so it includes pay to play.
Another option would be for small donors to boycott. Just as an example, US Senators get about 20% of their campaign funds from small donors. That’s a lot of money. Large donors would have more clout short term if small donors boycotted, but it’s not as if small donors have any clout anyway.
They could donate the money they used to send to political campaigns to their local public school 🙂
With our most activist SCOTUS in history, and with the advent of Citizen’s United, then reinforced by McCutcheon, it is unlikely that any new laws can ameliorate the current overreach of the uber wealthy to control elections and law making with their wealth. Lobbyists too often buy legislators votes, and elections from local Boards of Education to national Presidential, Senatorial, and Congressional are influenced by the 80% of major donations.
It is a delusion that this can be stopped by cancelling 20% of small donations.
Chiara… I hope all those in “We the People” can figure out a way to change campaign finance reform as it currently stands. I love your idea regarding actionable corruption laws but then we always run into the same old “catch 22” because who controls creating these “actionable” corruption laws but those who are currently in control who want to MAINTAIN CONTROL. Unfortunately it is not “We the People” but rather a very small number of uber wealthy individuals buying politicians in campaigns with complete legal approval they created – they are in control.. “Why give up a good thing” is their motto… and the addendum is “When you have a good thing going…get more”…
I think the BIG question is, “How do WE as in We the People put ordinary citizens in the “WE” position again. This is vital for our nation to have a democratic balance. How can we have the audacity to parade the world preaching the benefits of democracy if WE in the United States do not have a voice?
Other big winners include the arrogant “know it all” Governor Andrew Cuomo who will see nothing in the bill to curtail his and his charter allies goal of destroying his political enemies (teachers and their unions) at the expense of the public schools and the children of New York State.
Exactly!
Well stated!
Parents, hold your children close & Opt-Out!
Gather & Unite!
Interrupt the $M flowing to Pearson & Co.
Interrupt the $M flowing to Charters-Here-Today-Gone-Tomorrow!
Interrupt the $M flowing to Charters-in-a-Box!
Interrupt the $M flowing to the Famous4BeingFamous!
Interrupt the $M to Vulture Capitals!
Respect & Support Teachers!
From Peter Greene on the Charter Experiment:
Charter Laboratory Is Failing
President Obama has called charter schools “incubators of innovation” and “laboratories of innovation,” and he has done so for several years, despite the fact that, so far, the laboratories have yielded nothing.
One of the standard justifications for the modern charter movement is that these laboratories of innovation will develop new techniques and programs that will then be transported out to public schools. Each charter school will be Patient Zero in a spreading viral infection of educational excellence.
Yet, after years– no viral infection. No bouncing baby miracle cure from the incubator. The laboratory has shown us nothing.
Here’s my challenge for charter fans– name one educational technique, one pedagogical breakthrough, that started at a charter school and has since spread throughout the country to all sorts of public schools.
After all these years of getting everything they wanted, modern charter schools have nothing to teach the public schools of the US.
http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2015/04/charter-laboratory-is-failing.html
It’s a great piece. It’s also a really good question. There’s nothing at all “innovative” about charter schools in Ohio.
I actually think their “governance model” is horrible. It sticks out because it’s so bad. It’s the worst of the private sector and the worst of the public sector. You get all the corruption and capture of a government entity and none of the transparency or duty to the public. It’s literally the worst of both worlds.
The newest fad here is charter schools for gifted children. I have no idea why we needed a privately operated school that is exactly like a magnet school. Now we have two publicly-funded entities that select kids out of the public school system.
It’s as if they’re TRYING to destroy strong public schools.
They are trying to destroy ALL public schools…
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
A little optimism could help in these dire times! Don McLean finally revealed the meaning in his iconic song – American Pie. Wish the message could be hopeful though!
Here is a news excerpt:
Don McLean’s manuscript for “American Pie” went up for auction at Christie’s on Tuesday and sold for $1.2 million, and though he’s never really spoken publicly about the song’s cryptic meaning, he somewhat spilled the beans in the auction house’s catalog.
“Basically, in ‘American Pie’ things are heading in the wrong direction,” McLean said in the interview. “It is becoming less ideal, less idyllic. I don’t know whether you consider that wrong or right, but it is a morality song in a sense. I was around in 1970 and now I am around in 2015 … there is no poetry and very little romance in anything anymore, so it is really like the last phase of ‘American Pie.”
So the big question is…how to “re slice” the “apple pie” into equal pieces!
“American Pie” (take 2) — With some luck, maybe it will be worth 1.2 dollars some day. Then again, maybe I’ll be sued for copyright infringement (though parody is supposed to be protected)
A long long time ago
I can still remember how
That teaching used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those students dance
And maybe they’d be happy for a while
But standard testing made me shiver
With every lesson I’d deliver
Bad eggs in the home nest
I couldn’t give one more test
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about “reforming” tide
Something touched me deep inside
The day the teaching died
So
[Chorus]
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Gave my lesson on possession but the lesson was dry
And them good old boys were selling Common Core lie
Sayin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
….
[Stay tuned for more.]
Good one!!!
Keep it coming.
OK, here’s the whole thing:
“American Pie Reformed” (apologies to Don McLean)
A long long time ago
I can still remember how
That teaching used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those students dance
And maybe they’d be happy for a while
But standard testing made me shiver
With every lesson I’d deliver
Bad eggs in the home nest
I couldn’t give one more test
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about “reforming” tide
Something touched me deep inside
The day the teaching died
So
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Gave my lesson for the testin’ but the lesson was dry
And them good old boys were selling Common Core lie
Sayin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Did you read this close before
And do you have faith in Common Core
If the Coleman tells you so?
Or do you believe in art for all?
Can poems save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Well, I know that you just love to dance
‘Cause I saw you ‘fore you lost the chance
You just kicked off your shoes
Man, you dig those rhythm and blues
I was a veteran teacher — with a zest
With a love for Shakespeare, I must confess
But I knew I must give the test
The day the teaching died
I started singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Gave my lesson for the testin’ but the lesson was dry
And them good old boys were selling Common Core lie
Sayin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Now, for six years we’ve been on the mill
And Duncan’s pushing testing still
But, that’s not how it used to be
When the choir sang for the entire school
Before the testing came to rule
In a voice that came from you and me
Oh and when Vergara came to town
The Chetty wore his VAMmy crown
The courtroom was adjourned
The verdict was returned
And while Coleman read a book by Gates
The VAM scores sealed the teachers’ fates
And we sang dirges in The States
The day the teaching died
We were singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Gave my lesson for the testin’ but the lesson was dry
And them good old boys were selling Common Core lie
Sayin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The Feds flew off with a teacher pelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The teachers tried for a forward pass
With the Chetty, on the sidelines, picking fast
Now the half-time air was rank perfume
While Arne played his marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
As the teachers tried to take the field
The Duncan band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the teaching died?
We started singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Gave my lesson for the testin’ but the lesson was dry
And them good old boys were selling Common Core lie
Sayin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
Oh, and there we were all in one Race
A teacher nation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on Bill be nimble, Bill be quick
Bill Gates sat on a candlestick
‘Cause fire is the devil’s only friend
Oh and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan’s spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the teaching died
He was singin’
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Gave my lesson for the testin’ but the lesson was dry
And them good old boys were selling Common Core lie
Sayin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
I met a teacher who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the schoolhouse door
Where I’d started teaching years before
But the teachers there said testing ruled the day
And in the streets the children screamed
The parents cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The public schools were broken
And the teachers I admire most
The ones who taught me ne’r to boast
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the teaching died
And they were singing
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Gave my lesson for the testin’ but the lesson was dry
And them good old boys were selling Common Core lie
Sayin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die
They were singing
Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Gave my lesson for the testin’ but the lesson was dry
And them good old boys were selling Common Core lie
Sayin’ this’ll be the day that I die
You tube? Anybody got a voice and a guitar?
That was bloody brilliant!
Can I share your remake of the words to Miss American Pie. I think you did a wonderful job!!
Be my guest and share it.
It’s Don McLean’s song anyway, but the interesting thing is that (as pointed out by artseagal above) based on recent revelations by McLean himself, the original meaning would actually encompass my “reformed’ version.
American Pie has always amazed me, but I had never realized how “deep” — and prescient — it is.
Don is a true poet.
I agree that Clinton is a big winner. Now she won’t have to address specifics at all.
Other than agreeing not to punish public schools at the federal level, can someone point me to any actual benefits to public schools in this bill? It’s nice the Senators have agreed to stop punishing public schools, but somehow that doesn’t translate to “benefit” to me. I didn’t think they should punish public schools in the first place. Are we supposed to be endlessly grateful that they promise to stop doing what they shouldn’t have been doing? Maybe we have very low expectations for lawmakers? 🙂
“constant exemption from public oversight”
Giving large handouts to charter schools is a recipe for fraud.
One word, ACORN.
It’s hard for me to believe the federal government will be able to regulate the charter school building project.
They did absolutely nothing while tens of thousands of people were brutally ripped off and defrauded by for-profit colleges. They actually BAILED OUT a for-profit college.
They can’t even regulate the schools they’re supposed to regulate now, let alone adding a whole new K 12 category, where they’re building 500 charter schools a year to replace our public schools.
Does anyone have a source for this quote? I’d love to read the whole comment.
TIA
Ira Shor is RIGHT.
Again what is missing is the reality that the problem is systemic and simply changing the name on the school while doing the same ole, won’t accomplish anything.
And here is one of my fav online colleagues view…I support his views…so I urge you to let your constituency know that they must contact our senators and voice the right opinions to “stop looting public school funds” and to urge opt out of this debilitating testing. Common Core is a failure. Use Ira’s language…..ellen
Ira…here is an article today from the LA Progressive that asks what is the most operant question re Hillary.
Why Hillary?
Tom Degan: To go straight from the first black dude to the first gal is indeed tempting – no argument there – but Hillary is not the one for me. In fact, she’s not even a close second.
READ MORE
The Progressive article asking Why Hillary?
(even though this rant is kind of silly, and he is too young to understand the appeal of the handsome Tyrone Power, this is a question so many of us ask every day….ellen)
Title….
For the history books:
41. Bush
42. Clinton
43. Bush
44. Obama
It’s nearly certain that number 45 will read either Clinton or Bush. Do you have any idea how idiotic we’re gonna look to future generations? I have a really good idea.
The Democrats would be wise to exhibit a bit more caution in what they publicly wish for. A little food for thought.
Many years ago there lived an actor named Tyrone Power who was active in Hollywood for roughly twenty years. He was just a bit before my time. When I was a day shy of three months old, he collapsed and died of a massive heart attack on location in Madrid, Spain while filming a sword fight scene with George Sanders. He was only forty-four years old.
Orson Welles once said of James Cagney, “Every moment of Cagney is truth.” By comparison, every moment of Power was contrived. In fact, I’ve never been able to understand how he was able to survive in Hollywood for as long as he did. To his many fans and his heirs: I’m sorry but the guy couldn’t act his way out a decomposing burlap sack. We’re talking mucho lousy! There’s a dandy reason why his name is not remembered today as reverently as Gable’s, Bogie’s or Tracy’s. In every performance by Tyrone Power I’ve ever witnessed, he has all the conviction of the most popular sophomore in the lead of a high school play.
It’s a little unsettling how I get the same feeling from Tyrone Power’s acting that I do whenever I watch Hillary Clinton on the stump.
If you want a perfect illustration for why I left the Democrats almost two decades ago, you’d be hard-pressed to come up with a better example than the entire “Hillary phenomena”. As of this date she is virtually unopposed as she prepares for what is obviously a long-planned run for the Big House on Pennsylvania Avenue. The question that is screaming to be posed is this one: Is this the best that the “party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt” can come up with? True, she’s light years better than anything the Republicans will be able to puke up in the substance department, by why settle on her? Are the Clintons so all-powerful that there is no one out there in the Democratic landscape who is able to muster up the courage to challenge them?
To go straight from the first black dude to the first gal is indeed tempting – no argument there – but Hillary is not the one for me. In fact, she’s not even a close second.
I understand that there are a lot of people (myself included) who would like to see a second, culture-shattering precedent established next year by electing the first woman as president of the United States. To go straight from the first black dude to the first gal is indeed tempting – no argument there – but Hillary is not the one for me. In fact, she’s not even a close second.
One has to wonder about the Dems these days. The situation is bleak everywhere you look – at least as far as the progressive cause is concerned. When I learned that Chuck Schumer (the gentleman from Wall Street) was in serious consideration for the role of Senate leader, replacing the retiring mannequin, Harry Reid, it seemed to me to be a classic case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. With Democrats like these guys, who the heck needs Republicans? Why is it that the party that was redefined generations ago as being for party of “Progress” has forgotten their roots? Is it any wonder that so many of us are becoming more apathetic with each passing year?
If the Republicans end up nominating someone with an IQ above room temperature – in other words the type of candidate that doesn’t appeal to the typical primary voter in the South and Midwest – you can bet everything you own on the fact that the Tea Party knuckleheads will bolt the GOP and start a third part uprising. That would be a wonderful thing. The same should happen to the Democrats.
“People have hearts, they have kids, they get jobs, they get sick, they cry, they dance, they live, they love, and they die. And that matters. That matters because we don’t run this country for corporations. We run it for people.”
I would love to see Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts toss her hat into the ring but apparently that’s not going to happen. She has said – over and over again – that she has no intention of running and I have no reason to doubt her sincerity. One thing you can’t accuse Liz Warren of is being insincere. Too bad. She is one of the few people out there with the heart and soul of a true progressive. I hope she changes hew mind.
There are those who would make the argument that electing a relatively unknown woman from New England would be an uphill climb. True, but those were the same arguments that were made eight years ago when an obscure, African American politician from Chicago (NOT KENYA) named Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the White House. Everything is possible in this age. The first time I ever heard Elizabeth Warren speak I fell in love with her. I like to think of her as Spencer Tracy to Hillary’s Tyrone Power; a meadow at sunrise to Hillary’s astro-turf.
Maybe Ms. Clinton will turn out to be a pleasant surprise. Maybe she won’t. We can pray for a miracle here, but the nasty reality calls for us not to be naive. She is the best the Democrats can come up with. Let’s deal with it as best we can. Remember, the alternative to Hillary is Jeb Bush. We don’t want to go down that road again – trust me on this one, kids.
Yeah, barring a miracle, the former First Lady, senator and Madame Secretary will more than likely be the Democratic nominee in 2016 – which means it’s all but certain that she will become the next president of the United States. The only good news upon the horizon is that the GOP has gone so far off the deep end in recent years that they’ve become unelectable on a national scale.
Tom-Degan-14Otherwise I’m not-at-all happy about this scenario. Hillary is about as much of a progressive as “liberal” Republican Nelson Rockefeller was – in other words: not very progressive at all. I’ve voted in every presidential contest since 1980 and I’m probably not going to miss this one, much as I’m tempted to. But you can bet that I’ll be holding my nose when I cast my ballot on Election Day next year.
Tom Degan
The Rant
Posted on April 6, 2015
Voting Hillary is legitimizing Glass-Stegall. At this point, I’d sooner vote Nancy Reagan than vote for a Clinton.
Ira…you opened up so much important info…as usual…thanks. Here is another article today by our colleague Ken Derstine. Another MUST read…and the links to the Broad Academy continue our education as to the massive greed of the billionaires which is shrouded in mendacity and misdirection.
Ken Derstine posted this message today at Schools Matter.
Is Corporate Education Reform trying to Coopt the Opt Out movement? CorpEd Assails Opt Out In Desperate Attempt to Protect House of Cards.
There’s another recent post on Schools Matter about some bombshells found in the bill. It seems they are allowing states to decide on VAM, and there are many opportunities for charters to get their hands on public money. http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2015/04/nclb-states-rights-version.html