Archives for the month of: July, 2018
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Mercedes Schneider: Charter School Growth Is Declining

By dianeravitch
July 20, 2018 //
4

Well, here is some good news.

Mercedes Schneider reports that the net rate of charter school growth is declining. The number of charter school closings is rising, and the number of new schools is slowing.

“Market-driven ed reform is a story of races to close gaps. However, there is one ed-reform gap that appears to be closing, with the gap closure no doubt undesired:

“The national rate of charter school closures is notably gaining on the rate of charter school openings.

“In spring 2018, the ed-reform publication, Education Next, published an article about the decline in charter school annual net growth (number of new charter schools minus number of charter school closures per year) since the 2013-14 school year. The graph below ends with the 2016-17 school year. Note that EdNext reports that the data from this graph comes from another ed reform org, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS).

“As of this writing, NAPCS has two reports available focused on charter school enrollment, one from 2016-17 and one, from 2017-18. In 2016-17, NAPCS reported that across the nation, 329 new charter schools opened in fall 2016 as 211 had closed by spring 2016, for a net gain of 118 additional charter schools in 2016-17. The total number of charter schools open nationally in 2016-17 was 6,939, which yielded a gain of 1.7 percent (118 / 6,939), somewhat shy of the 2.3 percent EdNext listed in its spring 2018 graph, and on the lean end of the rounded “2 percent” presented in NAPCS’s 2016-17 report.

“But let us give the benefit of the still-embarrassing doubt to EdNext, who may have received more precise data from NAPCS, with both pro-charter orgs understandably motivated to present this loss in the best possible light. A dim light at a best of 2.3 percent, but worth a couple more lumens than the 1.7 percent based on the data in NAPCS’s 2016-17 report.

“Going beyond the data in the EdNext report: In 2017-18, NAPCS loses more lumens: 309 new charters opened across the nation in fall 2017 even as 238 had closed by spring of 2017, yielding a net gain nationally of 71 additional charter schools in 2017-18. Given that NAPCS reported 7,038 charter schools in operation in 2017-18, the net gain was 1 percent (71 / 7,038), which NAPCS reported spot-on as 1 percent.”

Mercedes observes that the tortoise seems to be gaining on the hare.

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Education Reform, Privatization

Mike Petrilli: In the Face of So Many Setbacks, Where Does Reform Go From Here?

By dianeravitch
July 20, 2018 //
28

Mike Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, one of the leading advocacy groups in the Corporate Reform Movement, offers advice and consolation to fellow Reformers.

“After two decades of mostly-forward movement and many big wins, the last few years have been a tough patch for education reform. The populist right has attacked standards, testing, and accountability, with particular emphasis on the Common Core, as well as testing itself. The election of Donald Trump and appointment of Betsy DeVos, meanwhile, have made school choice and charter schools toxic on much of the progressive left. And the 2017 results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate a “lost decade” of academic achievement. All of these trends have left policymakers and philanthropists feeling glum about reform, given the growing narrative that, like so many efforts before it, the modern wave hasn’t worked or delivered the goods, yet has produced much friction, fractiousness, and furor.”

Take heart, he says. The children of America need us to privatize their schools, bust teachers’ unions, and Judge their teachers by student test scores. Remember when they all laughed at NCLB, but now “we” know that it was a great success?

It’s true that NAEP scores have been flat for a decade. It’s true that charters close almost as often as they open. It’s true that the charter industry is riddled with fraud, waste, and abuse.

But stick with proven leaders like the hedge fund managers, Bill Gates, and DeVos.

Sorry to be snarky, Mike, but I couldn’t resist.

Categories Accountability, Betsy DeVos, Broad Foundation, Charter Schools, Common Core, Corporate Reformers, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Industry, Failure, Privatization, Testing, Trump, VAM, Vouchers

“Busted Pencils” Interviews the Great Carol Burris About Privatization

By dianeravitch
July 20, 2018 //
5

Tim Slekar of the podcast “Busted Pencils” interviews Carol Burris about privatization and the future of public education in the Trump-DeVos era.

https://bustedpencils.com/episode/episode-67-charter-schools-and-progressive-values-a-lesson-for-democrats/

What should progressives do?

Categories Accountability, Betsy DeVos, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Reform, Privatization

Shocker: Republicans Vote to Strip Funding from Election Security

By dianeravitch
July 20, 2018 //
27

What is happening to our country?

The Republicans in the House of Representatives voted to strip funding from election Security.

The GOP House voted this morning, 217-199, to zero out election security funding. Minority Whip Steny Hoyer couldn’t believe it: “Surely we can rise above pandering to party and Putin to act on behalf of our freedom and our security.”

And House Democrats broke into chant of “USA! USA!”

November can’t come soon enough. This is an existential crisis and our democracy is literally at stake.

This isn’t just Trump or Trumpism and we can’t count on “true conservatives” or Never Trumpers to do the right thing. The Republican Party is corrupt to its core. They’d rather be traitors and open the door to Russia’s help than lose their grip on power.

Vote.

VOTE.

Categories Education Reform

Eugene Robinson: Thank God for the Deep State!

By dianeravitch
July 19, 2018 //
55

Eugene Robinson, staff writer for the Washington Post, wrote this today:

Before this harebrained and reckless administration is history, the nation will have cause to celebrate the public servants derided by Trumpists as the supposed “deep state.”


The term itself is propaganda, intended to cast a sinister light upon men and women whom Trump and his minions find annoyingly knowledgeable and experienced. They are not participants in any kind of dark conspiracy.

Rather, they are feared and loathed by the president and his wrecking crew of know-nothings because they have spent years — often decades — mastering the details of foreign and domestic policy.


God bless them. With a supine Congress unwilling to play the role it is assigned by the Constitution, the deep state stands between us and the abyss.


Witness, with horror and shame, Trump’s disgraceful performance on the world stage during the past week. The lowest of several low points was his joint appearance Monday in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who smirked with obvious glee as the president of the United States soiled himself. Metaphorically, I mean.


Trump said that Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats and other officials had told him “they think” Russia meddled with the 2016 election. But Putin issued an “extremely strong and powerful” denial when the two leaders met privately, and Trump concluded that “I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia. Coats fired back within hours, issuing a statement that reiterated the intelligence community’s consensus view, which is not “we think” but “we know.” Trump’s ridiculous claim Tuesday that he meant to say “wouldn’t” instead of “would” amounted to nothing more than a moment of comic relief.




Thanks to a New York Times article published Wednesday night, we now know that the nation’s top intelligence officials briefed Trump in detail about the Russian meddling on Jan. 6, 2017 — two weeks before his inauguration.

According to the Times, the officials shared with Trump powerful evidence that the interference, meant to boost Trump’s chances of winning, was ordered by Putin himself.
So we know that when Trump casts doubt on Russia’s culpability, he’s not speaking from a position of ignorance. It’s not that intelligence officials have asked him to take their conclusion on faith. They’ve shown him the goods. He’s just lying.


Who were the anonymous sources for the Times story? I have no idea. But if I had spent a career fighting for my country in the secrets world, and I heard my president give more credence to the former KGB officer who rules an undemocratic Russia than to his own intelligence chief, I would be angry.


And if I had also heard my president welcome what he called an “incredible” offer from Putin — that he would allow special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to observe questioning of the 12 Russian spies he indicted last week if Russian authorities were also allowed to interrogate Americans they speciously accuse of crimes, including a former ambassador to Moscow, Michael McFaul — I would be furious and alarmed. I would have to wonder about the loyalty of my commander in chief. And I would have to think about my duty to the nation.


Russian officials have said publicly that they are ready to begin implementing agreements reached by Trump and Putin during their two-hour private meeting, which only one Russian and one American translator were allowed to attend. But according to The Post, in an article also published Wednesday night, high-ranking U.S. diplomatic and military officials did not know what those agreements were.


Did they reach some sort of understanding about nuclear arms? About Syria? About Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea? If you worry, as I do, that Trump may have intentionally or unintentionally given away the store, you have to root for the deep state to find out what transpired in that room — and find ways to reverse, or at least mitigate, the damage.
Is Trump so obsequious to Putin because his ego will not allow him to acknowledge that the Russian strongman helped him beat Hillary Clinton? Or does Putin have something on him?

We will get answers at some point, but we can’t ignore what we appear to be seeing right now: ongoing collusion, between Trump and Putin, to impede and denigrate the Mueller investigation. It’s happening before our eyes.
Democrats in Congress are powerless; the Republican leadership, spineless. Experienced government officials know that their job is to serve the president. But what if the president does not serve the best interests of the nation?


In this emergency, the loyal and honorable deep state has a higher duty. It’s called patriotism.
Read more from Eugene Robinson’s archive,

Categories Education Reform

Harold Meyerson: Trump’s Man at the Fed Admits that American Workers Are Losing Ground

By dianeravitch
July 19, 2018 //
15

Harold Meyerson, editor of The American Prospect, writes today:

JULY 19, 2018

Meyerson on TAP

Even Trump’s Man at the Fed Says Workers Are Being Screwed. Anyone who still remains bewildered by the rebirth of American socialism should consider this: Jerome Powell, the Trump-appointed chairman of the Federal Reserve, says he’s concerned that the share of the national income going to labor has fallen “precipitously.”

In testimony Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee, Powell bemoaned the fact that “labor’s share of profits has been sideways.” This, he said, was “very troubling.”

That’s Jerome Powell who said this. Donald Trump’s appointee as the nation’s top banker.

The unhappy development Powell was referencing was the fact that the share of the national economy going to workers’ wages and benefits has fallen since the turn of the millennium from 66 percent to 62 percent, while the share going to corporate profits has risen correspondingly, from 8.3 percent to 13.2 percent. (And, adding insult to injury, more than 90 percent of those profits have been doled out in the form of increased dividends and share buybacks to shareholders and top corporate executives.) Had the workers’ share stayed at 66 percent of the economy, according to estimates by Jared Bernstein, Vice-President Biden’s former chief economist and a contributing columnist to the Prospect, their average annual income would have risen by $3,400.

Cautiously, Powell intimated this wasn’t good. “We want an economy that works for everyone,” he concluded.

That, however, is as far as the Fed chairman was willing to go. He didn’t adduce causes for the decline of the labor share, other than “global factors.” He didn’t cite the role that the business community’s and the Republican Party’s war on unions had played, or the Republicans’ opposition to raising the federal minimum wage, or the shareholders-uber-alles ethos that has governed corporations since Milton Friedman first propounded it and Ronald Reagan’s SEC supercharged it by legalizing share buybacks. He did admit he wasn’t sure how to reverse the decline—in fairness, a cluelessness that follows logically from his refusal to recognize the causes of that decline.

Still, even Trump’s man at the Fed is distressed that the labor share has dwindled. Is it any wonder that, among more sentient Americans, socialism is on the rise? ~ HAROLD MEYERSON

Categories Economy

Puerto Rico Divided Over Mass School Closures: Elites For, Teachers Against

By dianeravitch
July 19, 2018 //
5

From Politico Morning Education:

PUERTO RICO SCHOOL CLOSURES DEBATE HEATS UP: School closures will move ahead in Puerto Rico as tensions between the territory’s Education Department and teachers union escalate. Earlier this week, the Tribunal Supremo of Puerto Rico ruled that a plan to close dozens of schools in Puerto Rico does not “directly and substantially interfere with the right to an education,” el Vocero de Puerto Rico reports.

— Officials there celebrated the victory, even as teachers unions and civil rights advocates continue to oppose the plan. The Puerto Rican civil rights commission this week called for a one-year moratorium on the closures, calling the process “disorganized” and “directionless,” according to El Nuevo Dia. Education Secretary Julia Keleher issued a statement in response, saying that “the process was based on data … and responded to the urgent need to address the consistent decline in school enrollment.”

— The ruling only exacerbated tensions between Keleher and the Asociación de Maestros de Puerto Rico, the largest teachers union in the island. During a press conference earlier this week, union President Aida Díaz decried the ruling as harmful to displaced students and teachers, and called Keleher “machiavellian.”

Would Puerto Rico be a nice destination for recruits from TFA? Especially if they don’t have to be there for the hot summer months.

Categories Closing schools, Puerto Rico, Teachers, Unions

North Carolina: An Insider on the Hoax of School Choice

By dianeravitch
July 19, 2018 //
5

A few days ago, I posted teacher Stuart Egan’s description of the attack on public schools in North Carolina, which identified the malefactors who are luring kids to charter schools, religious schools, cyber charters, and home schools, driving down public school enrollment to 81%.

Egan received a response from a staff member of the North Carolina Department of Instruction, which is led by Mark Johnson, former TFA who marches to the tune of the Tea Party and has no conscience of his own, no vision for the 81%, no concern about the quality of education in the state’s charter or religious schools. How does TFA find the people who advocate and act so strongly against public schools that enroll the majority of students? Will TFA ever be held accountable for them?

Here is the comment:

“This is so spot on. Everyone should translate ‘choice’ into ‘undermining of public schools’, because that is exactly what it is. The most sickening part is how low-income families and those of children with disabilities have been targeted, cajoled, hoodwinked and bamboozled into believing that choice automatically equates to quality. (Anyone who considers themselves conservative should be outraged at this profound misuse of their tax dollars.)

“Unfortunately, I get to witness this erosion and implosion every day at DPI. I just met another of my colleagues whose job was eliminated by the General Assembly’s draconian cuts and our puppet superintendent’s ‘just following orders’ approach. It was so sad to see this person, who was providing passionate, competent and knowledgeable support to eastern NC schools trying mightily to serve their markedly low-income populations, tossed aside in this ponzi scheme to dangle ‘school choice’ in front of needy families. It’s like eliminating the road crew that is fixing potholes and cracks on I-95 and using the public’s money to build a flimsy expensive two-lane highway right next to it that has no markings, guardrails, speed limits or enforcement (with full kickbacks going to the private paving company). ‘Hey mom and dad — let your kids ride on this shiny new road because you’ll have a choice, and we all know choice is better!’

“EdNC put out an excellent article a few days ago: https://www.ednc.org/2018/07/11/steep-cuts-to-north-carolinas-education-agency-hurt-low-performing-schools-the-most/. It perfectly spells out the absurdity in our agency and our feckless leadership. We’re told ‘shh, be quiet; this is a sensitive time’ for all our colleagues who were laid off, when in reality there should be a loud leader fighting for his folks every step of the way, even if the jobs could not be saved. You see, that’s how the damage really occurs here in our agency — not by vocal or visible action of those who ultimately have to answer to their supervisor every day, month and year, but by the SILENCE and joint inaction of the only ones in the agency who AREN’T supervised. The superintendent has no official boss and writes no annual work plan like the rest of us; instead, he gets a four-year ride and won’t have a whiff of accountability for another two and half years, long after the damage has been done. Meanwhile, scores of good people continue to walk out the door, either voluntarily or involuntarily, and the Public Schools of North Carolina will continue to suffer for it.”

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Education Reform, Ethics, Fraud, North Carolina, Privatization, Shame, Teach for America, Virtual Charter Schools, Vouchers

Fred Klonsky: Chamber of Commerce Bars Freeloaders

By dianeravitch
July 19, 2018 //
43

The Supreme Court’s Janus decision said that people who don’t want to pay dues to a union are not required to do so. The assumption is that non-members can get the benefits without paying any dues.

But when a union in Owensboro, Kentucky, asked if it could remain a member without paying dues, the Chamber of Commerce said no. No freeloaders!

Fred Klonsky has the letter here.

I recently got a comment on the blog from someone who said, “why should I have to pay union dues to teach?” I told him he was right. He should not be required to pay union dues. He should also not expect to get the pay raises negotiated by the unions or the health and pension benefits. No reason for him to pay dues.

Categories Education Reform, Unions

Dr. Michael Hynes: Women Who Have Informed and Inspired Me

By dianeravitch
July 19, 2018 //
7

Dr. Michael Hynes is the Superintendent of the Patchogue-Medford School District on Long Island in New York. He is a champion of child-centered education, has given TED talks, and has led his community in support of a vision of education that is good for children. He should be New York’s State Commissioner of Education.

In this video, he talks about women who informed and inspired him.

You will recognize some of them immediately, maybe all of them.

Categories Courage, Creativity, Education Reform
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