Archives for the month of: January, 2019
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Senator Diane Feinstein Supports Failed DC Voucher Program

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2019 //
48

 

 

The District of Columbia has a voucher program that enrolls fewer than 2,000 students.

The latest evaluation of the program has shown that students do worse than their peers in public schools.

Vouchers Found to Lower Test Scores in Washington Schools https://nyti.ms/2pemnp7?smid=nytcore-ios-share

https://ies.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=NCEE20184010

Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein just co-sponsored legislation to extend the DC vouchers until 2024.

Why  is Senator Feinstein supporting the GOP-DeVos agenda?

Sens. Scott, Johnson, Feinstein Introduce Legislation to Extend School Choice Options for Low-Income, Minority Communities During National School Choice Week

When will Congress stop funding this failed experiment?

Categories District of Columbia, Education Reform, Vouchers

Denver: Administrators Get Bonuses as Teachers Plan Strike

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2019 //
12

Administrators enjoy bonuses as teachers mull strike.

Denver is spending more than $3.2 million for bonuses given to administrators at various levels, according to documents released by the district. That is an average $16,645 per administrator and a maximum of $37,000. Every administrator, 197 total, merited a bonus, with a minimum bump of $10,000 (among the administrators whose data was made public).

Those same administrators earn nearly $20 million in yearly salary for the district, an average wage of over $100,000 a year. Nearly half a million of the bonuses go to administrators with no school or student responsibilities.

The revelations come on the heels of an analysis showing DPS has one administrator for every seven and a half teachers, more than twice as many as comparable area districts.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Denver

Eric Blanc: Five Big Lessons from the Los Angeles Teachers’ Strike

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2019 //
14

Eric Blanc has covered the wave of teachers’ strikes that started in March 2018. He has been on the ground at everystrike, talking to the rank and file to get their perspectives as working teachers.

In this article, he describes the big lessons of the strike on Los Angeles.

He begins:

It would be hard to overstate the importance of this victory in the country’s second-largest school district. Against considerable odds, Los Angeles teachers have dealt a major blow against the forces of privatization in the city and nationwide. By taking on Democratic politicians in a deep-blue state, LA’s strike will certainly deepen the polarization within the Democratic Party over education reform and austerity. And by demonstrating the power of striking, LA educators have inspired educators nationwide to follow suit.

With new walkouts now looming in Denver, Oakland, Virginia, and beyond, it makes sense to reflect on the reasons why LA’s school workers came out on top—and what their struggle can teach people across the United States. Here are the five main takeaways.

Strikes Work: For decades, workers and the labor movement have been on the losing side of a one-sided class war. A major reason for this is that unions have largely abandoned the weapon of work stoppages, their most powerful point of leverage against employers. Rallies, marches, and civil disobedience are good, but they’re not enough.

Like the red state rebellions of 2018, the depth of the victory in Los Angeles underscores why the future of organized labor depends on reviving the strike. LA also shows that the most powerful strikes, particularly in the public sector, fight not only for the demands of union members, but on behalf of the broader community as well—an approach the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) calls “bargaining for the common good.”

The Status Quo Is Discredited: LA’s educator revolt is a particularly sharp expression of a nationwide rejection of decades of neoliberalism. Unlike many labor actions, this was not primarily a fight around wages—rather it was a political struggle against the billionaires and their proxies in government.

Like the electoral insurgencies of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, the upsurge of Los Angeles rank-and-file teachers, and the overwhelming support they received from the parents of their students, shows that working people are looking for an alternative to business as usual. Work actions like LA’s will be an essential part of any movement capable of defeating Trump and the far right.

That’s only lesson number one and two.

Keep reading to learn the other lessons.

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Los Angeles, Privatization, Resistance, Teacher Education, Teachers, Unions

New York Parents: Our Schools Are Not Failing!

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2019 //
10

 

 

Two parents whose children attend highly regarded progressive public schools were shocked to learn that Commissioner MaryEllen Elia had approved a plan in which their schools are rated failing.

 

The Brooklyn School for Collaborative Studies (BCS) and Central Park East One (CPE1) are the public schools where we send our children.

They’re excellent schools, well known for their progressive practices and their history of supporting the whole child. Both are schools in “good standing, high performing and high impact,” according to city’s Department of Education standards. Because of their student outcomes and enriching environments for diverse learners, hundreds of students apply for spots in these schools…Yet a week ago, parents learned that the state’s Education Department put both BCS and CPE1 on its new list of 124 supposedly struggling schools, designating them as among the worst schools in the entire state….

First, let’s look at how New York State measures our schools. Elementary and middle schools are assessed with five “indicators.”
Four of these five are essentially different ways of describing state standardized test scores. The fifth measure targets chronic absenteeism, which is strongly correlated with larger systemic inequalities and is more likely to affect schools serving students from low-income families.
When will we measure whether a school meets state mandates for art and music? How small (or large) class sizes are? The number of guidance counselors and sports teams available? Whether there is a library?
Three-quarters of BCS sixth- through eighth-graders and 80% of CPE1’s third-through fifth-graders boycotted the state’s English and math exams last year.

 

No, their schools are not failing. But the New York State Education Department is.

Categories Accountability, Education Reform, New York, Testing

New York: How a Successful School Was Labeled a “Failure” by the State

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2019 //
3

New York has a mad crush on test scores. It’s been this way for many years. But it has never been as crazy as now.

The state commissioner, MaryEllen Elia, hates opting out. She wants all students to have scores.

About 20% of theeligible students didn’t take the state tests and that made Elia very, very angry.

She decided to get even by punishing schools where students didn’t take the tests.

They disobeyed!

Here is a letter that a principal wrote to the parents of his school, trying to explain how their school, with scores higher than the city average, ranked in the bottom two 2% statewide!

The school had sinned! 80% of the students did not take the tests because their parents said no.

Commissioner Elia can’t figure out how to punish the students and the parents, so she is punishing their school!

Categories New York, Opt Out, Parents, Students

Aaron Pallas: The Problem with New York’s “New” Teacher Evaluation Law

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2019 //
13

The New York legislature passed a law shifting teacher evaluation to districts. The law does not prevent linking teacher evaluations to student test scores. It allows districts to choose the tests, subject to the approval of the state commissioner.

The state and NYC teachers’ unions are happy with the bill.

The leaders of Opt Out say it’s a hoax. They say it shifts the responsibility to evaluate teachers by high-stakes tests from the state to districts. This “change” is no change.

Pallas explains.

Categories New York, Teacher Evaluations, Testing

Audrey Watters: Fables of School Reform

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2019 //
36

Audrey Watters writes here about the promises and realities of EdTech.

Why the boom in education technology? Is it the pursuit of the total transformation of schooling? Is it marketing, competition and the pursuit of profits? Is it an effort to cut costs by replacing humans with machines?

Watters writes:

OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, more than $13 billion in venture capital has been sunk into education technology startups. But in spite of all the money and political capital pouring into the sprawling ed-tech sector, there’s precious little evidence suggesting that its trademark innovations have done anything to improve teaching and learning.

Perhaps, though, that’s never really been the point. Rather, it may be that all the interest in education technology has been an extension of a long-running campaign to make over American schools into the image of corporate endeavor—to transform education into a marketplace for buzzword-friendly apps and instruction plans, while steadily privatizing public institutions of learning for the sake of enhancing the bottom lines of the business interests promoting investment-friendly school “reforms.”

Categories Accountability, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, Technology

Public Education Partners: This Is Public Education Week!

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2019 //
2

 

 

Public Education Partners in Ohio has declared this week as Public Education Week. Time to stand up and be counted. Time for elected officials to show which side they are on.

Public Education Week

WHEREAS, traditional public school districts in Ohio serve more than 1.8 million students and employ more than 245,000 Ohioans; and

WHEREAS, all children in Ohio should have access to the highest-quality education possible; and

WHEREAS, Ohio citizens recognize the important role that an effective education plays in preparing all students to be successful adults; and

WHEREAS, quality education is critically important to the economic vitality of the Buckeye State; and

WHEREAS, public education not only helps to diversify our economy, but also enhances the vibrancy of our community; and

WHEREAS, Ohio has many high-quality teaching professionals who are committed to educating our children; and

WHEREAS, public education is celebrated across the country by millions of students, parents, educators, schools and organizations to raise awareness of the need for effective public schools;

THEREFORE, WE do hereby recognize January 20-26, 2019 as PUBLIC EDUCATION WEEK and call this observance to the attention of all Ohioans.

https://publiceducationpartners.org/2018/11/13/ohio-public-education-week-is-january-20-26-2019/

Categories Education Reform

Politico: Trump Aides Don’t See Problem About Going Without a Paycheck

By dianeravitch
January 24, 2019 //
43

Politico reports:

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/24/ross-government-shutdown-food-banks-1122842

Wilbur Ross is a billionaire. He says that missing a paycheck or two is no big deal. Not for him, it isn’t.

 

White House Trump aides set off furor with out-of-touch shutdown remarks

One of President Donald Trump’s top aides likened the shutdown to a “vacation.” Another called it a “glitch.” And on Thursday, Democratic leaders pounced after Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said he didn’t “really quite understand why” unpaid federal workers are going to food banks.

As the government shutdown stretched into its 34th day and as roughly 800,000 federal workers are bracing for their second missed paycheck, the White House is facing an intensifying backlash over seemingly out-of-touch comments from Trump’s group of largely wealthy advisers.

The comments are also handing Democrats leverage as party leaders and Trump have failed to reach a compromise on the president’s demand for $5.7 billion in border wall funding.

One of the latest missteps came on Thursday when Ross went on CNBC to encourage federal workers to seek low-interest loans to tide them over, and appeared to minimize the shutdown’s toll on thousands of workers who live paycheck to paycheck.

“These are basically government-guaranteed loans because the government has committed, these folks will get back pay once this whole thing gets settled down,” Ross said. “So there is really not a good excuse why there really should be a liquidity crisis now.”

“Now true, the people might have to pay a little bit of interest, but the idea that it’s paycheck or zero is not a really valid idea,” he continued.

Federal employees have reported going to homeless shelters to find food for their families, but when asked on Thursday about the desperate measures, Ross replied: “Well, I know they are, and I don’t really quite understand why.” Ross argued with loans backed by the guaranteed back pay, federal workers should be able to find the money to carry them through the shutdown.

Regardless of the individual cost on federal employees, Ross said the shutdown won’t be too damaging for the country’s image or economy. “You’re talking about 800,000 workers and while I feel sorry for the individuals that have hardship cases, 800,000 workers, if they never got their pay — which is not the case, they will eventually get it, but if they never got it, you’re talking about a third of a percent on GDP so it’s not like it’s a gigantic number overall,” he said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi quickly pounced on the comments, characterizing them as a “let-them-eat-cake attitude….”

Some of the president’s allies have started privately worrying that the seemingly callous comments reinforce the perception that the president and his team of wealthy advisers are out of touch with the public.
.

Categories Accountability, Billionaires

Denver Teachers Vote to Strike!

By dianeravitch
January 24, 2019 //
12

The Teacher Revolt continues!

Fred Klonsky reports here that 93% of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association voted to strike.

Denver has been the epicenter of merit pay since 2005. It has confused and demoralized teachers.

The city school board is completely dominated and bought by reformers, who hold every seat, thanks to out-of-state money. The board has jumped on the portfolio model, closing public schools and opening charter schools. Typically the charters and other alternatives are non-union. Betsy DeVos has praised the Denver model, and hopes it will one day add vouchers.

Read Tom Ultican’s appraisal of the failure of Denver’s portfolio district.

Be it noted that Colorado just elected a Democratic Governor Jared Polis, who started two charter schools, and strongly supports school choice, not public schools.

Categories Accountability, Betsy DeVos, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Denver, Education Industry, Education Reform, Merit pay, Portfolio District, Privatization, Teachers, Testing, Unions
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