Archives for the month of: March, 2016
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Sign Up Now for the Network for Public Education Annual Conference in Raleigh!

By dianeravitch
March 15, 2016 //
3

Please join me and many of your favorite education bloggers and activists in Raleigh, North Carolina, from April 15 to April 17.

 

Our keynote speakers include the illustrious Rev. William Barber, whom many people consider the new Martin Luther King, Jr.; Bob Herbert, eminent journalist and former columnist for The New York Times; and Phil Lanoue, national superintendent of the year.

 

Top reasons you should attend:

 

  1. I want to meet you and personally thank you for joining our fight to strengthen public education.
  2. You will meet activists from all over the country who share your concerns and values.
  3. You will have a great time and make new friends.
  4. You will learn about what is happening all over the country.
  5. You will discover successful lessons from other activists about repelling corporate reform.
  6. You will leave feeling exhilarated.

 

There are still a limited number of scholarships available.

Categories Education Reform

Mercedes Schneider: Save Detroit’s Children from Predatory Reformers

By dianeravitch
March 15, 2016 //
8

Mercedes Schneider, relentless investigator, here analyzes a proposal to turn Detroit public schools into an all-charter district.

 

Detroit is drowning in debt, most of it incurred since the state took control of the district. In particular, state-appointed superintendent Robert Bobb added $300 million in debt during his brief tenure.

 

The district’s schools are in terrible physical condition, unfit in many cases for children or adults.

 

The reformer proposal: fix everything by turning every school into a charter. Open and close charters at will.

 

Only a corporate reformer could come up with a plan that completely ignores the needs of students and teachers. Students need stability and security, not churn. Teachers need an environment conducive to teaching and learning, one where they get to know their students and can plan ahead and work together as a team.

 

Mercedes checks out the fellow who made this dumb proposal. It turns out he is affiliated with the Mackinac Center, Governor Rick Snyder’s favorite policy tank, which enjoys funding by the Koch brothers.

 

He is also associated with groups sponsoring charters in Ohio. Mercedes documents the multiple embarrassments of the scandal-ridden charter sector in Ohio.

 

Why would anyone want to inflict disruption on the children of Detroit? It is not for their benefit. Who does benefit?

 

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reform, Detroit, Education Reform, Ohio

John Thompson: Why No-Excuses Can Never “Scale Up”

By dianeravitch
March 15, 2016 //
6

 

John Thompson, historian and teacher, disagrees with Elizabeth Green about the future of  “no excuses” charter schools. In the previous post, I referred to Green’s account of the arguments for and against such charters.

 

Thompson writes that Green balances the pros and cons, and then “concludes that no-excuses schools “are capable of changing, and that they can do this, to borrow their own language, ‘at scale.'”

 

Thompson wonders what persuaded her “that no-excuses proponents can scale up their current model, much less a more sensitive version of it. After all, I wonder if she’s seen a KIPP that serves the same high-challenge students that we do in high-poverty traditional public schools.

 

“Even the best of “high-performing, high-poverty” charters only retain as many suffering kids as they can handle. We in neighborhood schools serve everyone who walks in the door. The gap between those two realities is huge. And, the result of those two very different approaches is that the highest-poverty schools face even greater concentrations of kids from generational poverty who have endured extreme trauma, and bring their pain with them to school….

 

“All of Green’s observations are valid in terms of the questions she asks. But, how many educators demand that society “abandon” no-excuses schools? In my childhood, I would have despised such schools, and I wouldn’t send my own child to one. Its hard to imagine many parents choosing no-excuses instruction if they had any alternative. Unlike many reformers, however, my colleagues and I haven’t anointed ourselves as masters of the education universe. It’s not up to us to micromanage parents’ decisions.

 

“What we should abandon, however, is the willingness to ignore the elephant in the room. Can’t we acknowledge that it is a terrible tragedy that conditions exist where some educators and patrons embrace no-excuses behaviorism as the lesser of evils?

 

 

“What we should abandon is the idea that poor children of color should settle for a second class education because society won’t attempt to provide a humane, holistic, and high-quality education for all. We must abandon the idea that all poor children of color learn the same. We must abandon the corollary idea that all kids are supposed to conform to the ethos of test, sort, reward, and punish in order to be prepared for the global marketplace. We must also abandon the idea that corporate reformers are entitled to determine what rights of students and teachers must be abandoned in order to reinvent (or blow up) school systems.

 

 

“While I would never tell parents that their ability to choose no-excuses schools must be abandoned, I contend we must abandon the edu-politics of destruction. We must abandon the idea that no-excuses schools must be scaled up in order to replace neighborhood schools that are closed due to the mass charterization of school systems that corporate reformers see as targets to be destroyed by “disruptive innovation.” We must abandon the idea that children can be treated as lab rats as no-excuses charters are given even more time to heal themselves and, supposedly, figure out a way to successfully scale themselves up.”

 

Categories Charter Schools, Discipline and Suspensions, Education Industry

Elizabeth Green Debates “No Excuses” Charter Schools

By dianeravitch
March 15, 2016 //
46

Elizabeth Green of Chalkbeat discusses the arguments for and against “no excuses” charter schools like Success Academy, KIPP, and Achievement First.

 

She begins with the example of the video in which a first grade teacher at a Success Academy charter chastises a child, sends her to the “calm down”corner, and rips her paper in half.

 

Green acknowledges that there are charters where harsh discipline is common practice.

 

She reviews the critics’  view that such punitive discipline is unnecessarily humiliating and that it is fundamentally racist. The children are likely to explode or have psychological melt downs in response to strict control.

 

Those who defend “no excuses” discipline say that it teaches children appropriate behavior and self-control. Far from being racist, they believe they are rescuing poor children from a life of poverty, gangs, and drugs.

 

Is the “no excuses” regime an exercise in colonialism or is it the path to liberation? Can the demand for strict conformity produce people who are capable of initiative and self-reliance?

 

What do you think?

 

PS: Schools Matter dismissed Green as a shill for the corporate reform movement. I didn’t see this critique until after I posted.

Categories Charter Schools, Discipline, Education Reform

Why I Will Not Endorse a Candidate in the Primaries

By dianeravitch
March 15, 2016 //
87

Many readers have asked me why I have not endorsed anyone in the primaries.

 

I will not vote for anyone running on the Republican ticket because they are all committed to privatization and destruction of our public schools. That is a line I will not cross. They berate public schools and teachers, and they demean one of our society’s most important democratic institutions. All of them seem to think that government is a burden and a problem, rather than the political institution by which our society solves problems and manages services that none of us by ourselves could solve or manage. The Republicans want to get rid of social programs and invest in the military. I have family members who will vote Republican, and the very same family members rely on social security, Obamacare, veterans’ benefits, and other government programs. Take some or all of them away and many Americans will be plunged into deep poverty. Why do they vote against their self-interest? I don’t know and I don’t understand.

 

I am not supporting a candidate in the Democratic primaries. I have not posted anything that attacks either candidate, even when the “attack” is true. It is easy enough to find fault with Bernie (he’s a socialist and many Americans don’t know the difference between a socialist and a Communist) and with Hillary (the emails, the coziness with Obama’s education groupies and Wall Street). But I am not going to use the blog as a forum to undermine either of the Democratic candidates. There are plenty of other blogs and the mainstream media where you can read blistering attacks on both of them.

 

I am aware that most of the readers of this blog support Bernie Sanders. I agree with his analysis about the overwhelming influence of corporate interests and the corrupting effects of campaign contributions on government decision-making. We see the corrupting influence of money and greed on education policy on a daily basis. We see a corrupt charter industry bankrolled by hedge fund managers and entrepreneurs. I admire Bernie Sanders and will support him if he is the party’s nominee. Bernie doesn’t seem to understand the extent of charter school fraud and corruption, but I think he can quickly learn and understand the threat to our democracy posed by the charter industry.

 

Hillary Clinton is a highly qualified candidate. She has broad experience; she knows domestic policy and foreign policy. I am uneasy about all the Obama-Duncan insiders who are clustering around her campaign; the corporate reformers from groups such as DFER make me uneasy. But I admire Hillary’s guts in standing up to the barrage of scathing criticism that is directed at her every day, as well as standing up to the rampant sexism that is used against her. If she is the party’s nominee, I will support her.

 

These are two good people. Either is far preferable to any of the Republican candidates. When the primaries are over, and each party has chosen its candidate, it will be time for the respective parties either to coalesce and unite or to fragment. The one that unites will win. The one that fragments, loses.

 

I think it is crucial for those who share liberal, progressive values to unite behind the Democratic candidate in November. He or she may not be your first choice, but consider the alternative. I will not sit home. I will not vote for a third party candidate. I will vote for the nominee of the Democratic party. No matter how disappointed I have been in Obama’s education policy, there is more at stake: the Supreme Court; the economy; foreign policy, and other issues. We can’t allow an extremist or a demagogue to win the presidency.

 

I will not do anything to increase the divisions in the Democratic party or to contribute to the animosity between different wings of the party. I want the spirit of comity and civility to emerge after the primaries. We will not have the perfect candidate, but the Democratic candidate will get my vote.

 

This is a personal statement. It was not reviewed or approved by the Network for Public Education (which is nonpolitical and not allowed to endorse candidates) nor by the NPE Action Fund (our political arm, which does make endorsements).

 

Categories Politics

Oklahoma: Voucher Bill Dies  

By dianeravitch
March 14, 2016 //
11

Big news from Oklahoma: the effort to enact vouchers failed in both houses of the legislature. 
Much credit goes to PTAs, who were all over this attempt to spend public money on religious schools.
Even better, Republican parents sent multiple tweets to the governor saying, “I am a Republican and I oppose vouchers.”

Categories Education Reform, Oklahoma, Parents, Vouchers

Senate Approves John King, 49-40

By dianeravitch
March 14, 2016 //
64

Today, the US Senate voted to confirm John King as Secretary of Education by a vote of 49-40.

 

The only Democrat to vote no was New York Senator Gillibrand.

 

King was opposed by many New York parent groups because of his unwillingness to listen, his unyielding devotion to the Common Core, test-based teacher evaluation, high stakes testing for children, and the corporate reform agenda.

Categories Common Core, Corporate Reform, Education Reform, Standardized Testing, Teacher Evaluations, U.S. Department of Education, VAM (value-added modeling)

Florida: Corporate Education Reform Trial Started Today!

By dianeravitch
March 14, 2016 //
4

Supporters of public education in Florida began a challenge of the state’s punitive accountability system in 2009. The trial started today.

 

The parent-led group, Fund Florida Now, is one of the plaintiffs. It sent out this important information today:

 

 

“Florida’s A-F Public School Accountability Trial starts today!

 

 

“Florida’s marquee public education trial, ‘Citizens for Strong Schools,’ filed in 2009, begins today. Thanks to the herculean pro bono efforts of the Southern Legal Counsel, this is truly a citizen-driven lawsuit. Just about every “education reform” policy legislators have imposed on our children and teachers through Florida’s A-F Accountability scheme is on the table.

 

“As a public education advocate, your voice helped to move this lawsuit forward.

 

“Fund Education Now is a plaintiff in the case along with Citizens for Strong Schools and several individuals. The journey to this day has been long. Fund Education Now came to be in 2009 in response to what former Orange County School Superintendent Ron Blocker called “criminal and catastrophic” cuts to public education. What drove us was the absolute lack of answers from the state legislature as to why they were deliberately de-funding public education while spending billions to grow a high stakes testing juggernaut and diverting money to separate, unequal and often privately held “choice options.”

 

“All of this was happening despite the fact that the Florida Constitution was amended in 1998 with the approval of over 70% of the voters, giving the Florida Legislature specific instructions regarding public education funding:

 

“Article IX, section 1 of the Florida Constitution states

 

“(a) The education of children is a fundamental value of the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders. Adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools…

 

“It’s been clear for a long time that nothing short of legal action was needed to make a difference. A powerful combination of state legislators, PACs, business chambers, former politicians, industry and foundation lobbyists joined together to pass one “bold reform” after another, session after session with the net effect of deeply wounding teachers, students and public schools. Parents responded by calling, writing and speaking to legislators. Those early and sustained actions turned the conversation from “education reform” as a fait accompli to a strong push-back over validity, intent and the profit motive behind so many of these laws.

 

“The State of Florida fought hard to keep this trial from ever taking place. It represents a significant struggle to finally have an unvarnished discussion to determine whether the state of Florida is fulfilling its constitutional duty to the 2.8 million children enrolled in public schools.

 

“Make sure to watch this important case live-streaming daily on the Florida Channel for the next five weeks. The state Supreme Court ruled that the Citizens for Strong Schools case is a “matter of extreme public importance” that should be heard in court. We couldn’t agree more.

 

“If you like what we do, please help us continue to fund this work.”

unsubscribe

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Closing schools, Corporate Reform, Florida

Texas: How Far Out Can a Candidate for State School Board Be?

By dianeravitch
March 14, 2016 //
25

The New York Times introduces the public to Mary Lou Bruner, 68, a former kindergarten teacher who is running for the state school board.

 

I don’t like to insult individuals on this blog, but the views of Ms. Bruner make me embarrassed to be a native Texan.

 

She believes:

 

that President Obama had worked as a gay prostitute in his youth, that the United States should ban Islam, that the Democratic Party had John F. Kennedy killed and that the United Nations had hatched a plot to depopulate the world….

 

Ms. Bruner’s anti-Obama, anti-Islam, anti-evolution and anti-gay Facebook posts have generated national headlines and turned an obscure school board election into a glimpse of the outer limits of Texas politics. In a part of the state dominated by conservative Christians and Tea Party activists, Ms. Bruner’s candidacy has posed a question no one can answer with any certainty — how far to the fringe is too far for Texas Republicans?

 

Ms. Bruner was a relative political newcomer when she started her campaign to represent a 31-county section of northern East Texas on the 15-member board that sets curriculum standards, reviews and adopts textbooks, and establishes graduation requirements in Texas public schools. Because of the board’s clout in selecting textbooks for all of the state’s schools, it can influence the content of textbooks produced nationwide.

 

Here in Ms. Bruner’s hometown, Mineola, and elsewhere in intensely conservative East Texas, her views fit a widely accepted anti-Obama and conspiracy friendly antigovernment mind-set. Inside Kitchens Hardware and Deli, the combination hardware store and diner where Mr. Clark was eating, a sign on a shelf read, “Hillary for Prison 2016.” A woman in a nearby store who declined to give her name said she would not hold Ms. Bruner’s Facebook posts against her, and spoke at length about her belief that the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012 was a government-staged hoax.

 

Tammy Blair, the chairwoman of the Republican Party in nearby Cherokee County, said there were differing definitions of extreme, adding that she was sympathetic to the movement to have Texas secede from the United States.

 

If Ms. Bruner wins election to the state board, then perhaps Texas should give serious thought to seceding from the U.S. It will get to be an independent nation again. Bring back the great days of the Republic of Texas (1836-1845), when Texas had its own flag and all the trappings of independence. Lord knows it won’t unite with Mexico.

 

 

 

 

Categories Texas

Washington State: The Democrats Who Betrayed the Public Schools

By dianeravitch
March 14, 2016 //
18

Parents and educators in Washington State have fought a long battle to keep charter schools out of their state. There have been four referenda; the first three rejected charters. In 2012, however, Bill Gates and a few of his other billionaire friends put together a fund of $15 million, give or take a few million, to promote a new charter vote. In the other side were school boards, PTAs, teachers, the NAACP, and other civic groups defending public education, whose resources are minuscule compared to Gates & friends. The referendum passed, by less than 1%.

 

Its te opponents sued to block the law, saying that charter schools are not public schools. The Washington state Supreme Court agreed with them.

 

Undaunted, the monied interests have continued their pressure to get public funding. Leave aside the fact that Gates could support charter schools with his spare change.

 

Now on the legislature is ready to satisfy Gates and the other entrepreneurs. Most disturbing is to see that Democrats are enabling the diversion of public money from public schools to privately managed charters. Hopefully, the group’s that led the successful lawsuit will go back to court and challenge this trick again.

 

A reader in Washington state sent this news, with a list of the Democrats who double crossed parents and children to satisfy Bill Gates and friends:

 

 

“It is just terrible to see what is happening in Washington state. For starters, the Supreme Court declared I 1240 unconstitutional on September 4. Charter schools had plenty of time to transition students into public schools, but they refused to close their doors.

 

 

With the support of the Washington Charter Association and a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for $2.1M- charter schools remained opened- and they did so by having the state’s superintendent of public instruction corrupt Alternative Learning Rules.

In January, Steve and Connie Ballmer contributed $250K to a charter PAC. These dollars are being used to fund TV ads, polls, robo calls etc.

 

 

http://www.pdc.wa.gov/MvcQuerySystem/CommitteeData/contributions?param=V0FTSEMgIDExMQ====&year=2016&type=continuing

 

 

Students were constantly getting bussed to the state’s capital and charter supporters literally camped within the state’s capital. We’ve been told 22 lobbyists filled the halls of the state building.

 

 

SB 6194 got passed out of the R. controlled senate. The House had compelling testimony and would not allow the bill out of committee.

 

 

Title-only bills got passed out of committee. These bills have NO text and are intended to support charter schools and do an end-run around the state’s constitution.

 

 

Larry Springer drafted different legislation, and , less than 24 hours later the bill was on the House floor for a vote. The House holds a slim majority and, with the support of 9 Democrats, SB 6194 got passed out of committee. Here are the turn-coat Dems:

 

1. Judy Clibborn: http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/legislators/judy-clibborn/

 

 

2. Christopher Hurst: http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/legislators/christopher-hurst/

 

 

3. Ruth Kagi: http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/legislators/ruth-kagi/

 

 

4. Kristine Lytton: http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/legislators/kristine-lytton/

 

 

5. Jeff Morris: http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/legislators/jeff-morris/

 

 

6. Eric Pettigrew: http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/legislators/eric-pettigrew

7. David Sawyer: http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/legislators/david-sawyer/

 

 

8. Tana Senn: http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/legislators/tana-senn/

 

 

9. Larry Springer: http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/legislators/larry-springer/

 

 

10. Pat Sullivan: http://housedemocrats.wa.gov/legislators/pat-sullivan

 

 

The bill will not satisfy the Supreme Court. Legislators know this and don’t care. Chad Magendanz made a speech and called for 2000 charter school students to protest next year.

 

 

I’m confident the charter “fix” will not pass constitutional muster. Here is what Paul Laurence (attorney that argued and won I 1240):

 

 

“But attorney Paul Lawrence, who represented those who filed the lawsuit challenging charters, said switching to lottery funds is just an accounting trick.

 

 

“That doesn’t strike me as any different from paying it out of the general fund,” Lawrence said. “I don’t really see that that accomplishes a fix.”

 

 

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/education/house-approves-bill-to-keep-charter-schools-open-clearing-way-for-passage/

 

 

 

Categories Charter Schools, Education Reform, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Parents, Supporting public schools, Teachers, Washington State
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »