Archives for the month of: February, 2019
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Denver Teachers End Strike; Oakland Teachers Likely to Strike Next

By dianeravitch
February 15, 2019 //
9

 

Denver teachers ended their strike and settled with the district for a substantial pay raise, CNN reports:

“Denver educators have been promised pay raises as part of a tentative deal they reached with their school district after three days on strike.

“Under the tentative agreement between Denver Public Schools and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association, educators would see between 7% and 11% increases to their base salaries and a 20-step salary schedule, the union said in a statement Thursday.
“Teachers went on strike to demand higher, stable salaries, because the district uses unpredictable bonuses to compensate for low base pay.
“They also hoped higher salaries would keep more educators from leaving the city, where the cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years, one teacher told CNN.
The agreement would also put an end to “exorbitant five-figure bonuses” for senior administrators, the union’s statement said.
“This agreement is a win, plain and simple: for our students, for our educators, and for our communities,” union President Henry Roman said.”

Meanwhile, Oakland teachers authorized a strike and will do so if necessary.

This historic wave of teacher militancy seems to have a multiplier effect.

Teachers in most states are underpaid and finally have the public support they need as media coverage accurately portrays the national underinvestment in education over the past decade amp longer.

Back to Oakland.

Poor Oakland has been a Petri dish for Reform. State takeovers. Near bankruptcy. A series of Broadie Superintendents who opened multiple charters, stripping the district of resources.

No wonder teachers are talking Strike.

As teachers in Oakland prepare for a possible strike, the district office is trying to hire substitutes (scabs) to replace the teachers, offering double what subs usually earn. The Oakland teachers will have none of it.

https://eastbaymajority.com/oakland-unified-school-district-treats-scabs-better-than-teachers/?fbclid=IwAR1jZyKck5lrmS18PMFrfyfJX8HbqEGlDyVRjC4Uz4SC6njV6clETbg0jUY

Oakland teachers, you have the support of your allies across the nation!

Save public education in Oakland!

 

 

 

Categories Accountability, Broad Foundation, California, Charter Schools, Denver, Oakland, Privatization, Teachers

Bruce Baker and Mark Weber: The Big Lies About Charter Schools in Newark

By dianeravitch
February 15, 2019 //
13

 

Nowthat Cory Booker is running for the Democratic nomination for president, expect to hear a Big Liesabout the transformation of the Newark’s hoops when Booker was Mayor.

This study by Bruce Baker and Mark Weber of Rutgers University is a useful antidote.

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Education Reform, New Jersey, Newark, Privatization

Andrea Gabor: Why Bonuses and Merit Pay Fail

By dianeravitch
February 15, 2019 //
44

 

One of the reasons for the Denver teachers’ strike is opposition to ProComp, the city’s merit pay plan.

i researched merit pay for teachers, stretching back to the 1920s. It always failed.

But it never dies. A zombie idea.

Andrea Gabor explains here why Merit Pay and bonuses fail in both business and education. 

She begins:

“Fourteen years ago, Denver public schools embarked on what was hailed as “the most ambitious teacher compensation plan ever attempted.” It was thoughtfully planned, following a years-long pilot program. It won approval from teachers, businesses, local philanthropies and voters.

“Yet, somewhat prophetically, a 2005 study of the pilot program on which the Denver incentive-compensation model was based declared that it “demonstrates why, even with thoughtful pilot leadership and broad support, a strict pay for performance system — where performance is defined as student achievement — is an inappropriate model for education.””

Categories Failure, Merit pay

California: Charter School Threatens to Drive District into Bankruptcy

By dianeravitch
February 15, 2019 //
7

 

A school district in Santa Barbara County may go bankrupt because of the charter chain absorbing revenues from its schools.

https://ksby.com/news/local-news/2019/02/11/syvuhsd-says-charter-school-funding-could-bankrupt-the-district?fbclid=IwAR0V9u7V4jluBv5yN7vbzFuOc905hAhxnS0hJHorW-7tuia6DctW-nbgN20

“One Santa Barbara County school district says keeping a local charter school open could cause them to go bankrupt.

“California’s Department of Education recently decided the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District has to help fund Olive Grove Charter School, a public school with six different locations.

“Olive Grove Charter Schools have been in Santa Barbara County since 2000, originally chartered by the Los Olivos School District. In 2014, Los Olivos decided it no longer wanted to oversee the schools.

“The only district willing to speak with us was New Cuyama so we did get authorized with the state board and New Cuyama paid us in-lieu funds at that point,” explained Laura Mudge, Executive Director of Olive Grover Charter School.

“Then the laws changed, and they were back at the drawing board.

“So the California Department of Education was hoping everyone would be able to get to an agreement, especially since Olive Grove had been authorized and in the county since 2000. It didn’t go that way, so we went back to the districts, back to the county and back to the state and then got authorized,” Mudge said.

“Now, the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District is stuck footing the bill – one that’s so high, they say it could lead to bankruptcy.

“We received notification from the Department of Education in December that we’re going to owe $696,000 to help fund Olive Grove Charter. That was just based off the beginning of the year attendance. If you listen to projections coming from the executive director of Olive Grove, that number will be closer to $1-1.2 million come the end of this school year,” said Scott Corey, superintendent of the Santa Ynez Valley Union High School District.”

Categories Accountability, California, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Funding, Privatization

In Remembrance: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

By dianeravitch
February 14, 2019 //
18

Today is the one-year anniversary of the massacre at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It should never be forgotten. Nor should the massacre of children and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Nor the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado. So many more. So many tragedies. So little action in response. So many excuses by politicians who are in a position to limit access to deadly weapons. There will be more tragedies, more empty “thoughts and prayers” until we as a society get serious about establishing effective measures to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of people who have not been carefully screened and trained. Please. No more.

 

 


Teachers Union Leaders on the Anniversary of Parkland Shooting
WASHINGTON—Leaders of the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, the Florida Education Association and the Broward Teachers Union on the anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.:

 

AFT President Randi Weingarten:

“Over the past year, I’ve gotten to know so many of the educators, students and parents of the Stoneman Douglas community. We’ve wept, we’ve mourned, we’ve marched, we’ve lobbied, and we’ve made it clear that we will never stop fighting for the proven interventions that can make our schools safe from gun violence. Today we honor the 17 innocent children and educators murdered last year on Feb. 14—children whose hopes and dreams were snuffed out, and educators who sacrificed their lives shielding their students from bullets. I visited Stoneman Douglas last week, along with AFT leaders from across the country, to honor the students and educators there. The trauma is still real, and the healing is far from over. But they remain ‘MSD Strong,’ and all their unions—the AFT, the NEA, their local affiliates in Broward and statewide affiliates in Florida—remain committed to providing the support the Stoneman Douglas community needs.

 

“Today is also a day to remember, to mourn those who died and to show gratitude to the students, educators and parents who summoned the courage to fight this righteous fight to end the epidemic of gun violence in our country. They’ve done what many of us were unable to do: expose how so many in power have prioritized the interests of the National Rifle Association and gun manufacturers over the safety of children, educators and schools. We stand with them today and every day to ensure our schools are safe sanctuaries, not armed fortresses. We do it for the innocent children and educators lost on Feb. 14. We do it for the countless lives lost to gun violence over the past year. We do it for every student and every educator in a classroom right now who just wants to feel safe and loved in their school. And we will never give up.” 

 

NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia:

“While many high schoolers exchange valentines on Feb. 14, the students in Parkland, Fla., will relive the trauma of running for cover and sheltering under desks as they tried to save themselves and their friends from the onslaught of gunfire one year ago. On that day, 17 students and educators lost their lives, making it the deadliest mass shooting at a high school in U.S. history.

 

“Sadly, the Parkland community is not alone in facing this kind of devastating loss. Thoughts and prayers simply aren’t enough to keep our students and educators safe. Politicians can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines, and the National Education Association applauds how members of the U.S. House of Representatives have begun to move legislation that actually addresses the scourge of gun violence plaguing our communities. The lives that have been lost to gun violence cannot be in vain. The time is now to create policies that make a difference and save lives.”

 

FEA President Fedrick Ingram:

“The fight for safe, welcoming public schools in Florida is forever shaped by what happened in Parkland last year. Since then, we have come together to rebuild, and to make sure students and teachers in Florida have the tools they need to build safe sanctuaries where kids can learn free from fear of gun violence and teachers can teach math, science and the arts. Target practice should not be part of the curriculum.”

 

BTU President Anna Fusco:

“BTU stands with and sends our love to the teachers, staff and most importantly the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. We will continue the fight to create and maintain safe but welcoming learning environments in all schools.”

 

###

 

 
 
The American Federation of Teachers is a union of 1.7 million professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.

The Broward Teachers Union is the fifth-largest teachers union in the country. Its 12,000 members encompass teachers, education support professionals and technical support professionals who work for the Broward Public Schools. BTU also represents Pembroke Pines Charter School teachers. 

 

The Florida Education Association is the state’s largest association of professional employees, with more than 140,000 members. FEA represents pre K-12 teachers, higher education faculty, educational staff professionals, students at our colleges and universities preparing to become teachers and retired education employees.

 

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers. Learn more at www.nea.org and follow on Twitter at @NEAmedia.

 

 

 

Categories Guns

Peter Greene Tries to Understand the Shallow Mind of Donald Trump Jr.

By dianeravitch
February 14, 2019 //
46

 

At a recent rally in Texas, Donald Trump Jr. lashed out at teachers as “losers” because, he said, they want to indoctrinate their students into socialism.

Did Trump Jr. ever meet a teacher? If he had teachers, did they try to make him a socialist? Oh, yes, he went to the Hill School, where tuition is $50,000 a year. Probably no socialist indoctrination there.

Peter Greene tries through parody to describe a day in the life of a socialist indoctrinator, who just can’t seem to find the time to get much indoctrination into the day.

Trump Jr. must have embarrassed his teachers with his public display of ignorance and contempt for teachers.

i don’t know about you, but whenever I think of him, I think of the pictures of him as a big-game hunter, smiling alongside the corpses of the animals he slaughtered. Google his name and big-game hunter. He and his brother pose with creatures they killed. The most disgusting is the one where he holds the tail of an elephant he killed. But others might choose other photos as even more revolting. Did he Major in Animal Abuse with a Minor in Stupidity?

Categories Cruelty, Stupid, Trump

Jan Resseger: Why Denver Teachers Went on Strike

By dianeravitch
February 14, 2019 //
1

 

Jan Resseger cogently summarizes the reasons that Denver teachers went on strike. 

They struck against Corporate Reform.

Categories Accountability, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Privatization

The Failure of Market Reforms in Sweden

By dianeravitch
February 14, 2019 //
6

German Bender writes here about the failure of market-based school reform in Sweden.

Privatized schools that get public money, for-profit schools that get public money, the gamut of school privatization has degraded the education system of Sweden.

The main results of privatization: education inequality, falling test scores, and segregation.

Please take note, Center for American Progress, Ann O’Leary (the new chief of staff to California Governor Gavin Newsom, former chief of staff for the Hillary Clinton campaign), and other devotees of school choice (Betsy DeVos, the Koch brothers, the Walton Family Foundation, Arne Duncan, Bill Gates, the Dell Foundation, John Arnold, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, etc.).

Categories Inequality, International, School Choice, Segregation

Wesley Null and Diane Ravitch: The Heart of a School is Its Teachers: Treat Them with Love and Respect

By dianeravitch
February 14, 2019 //
19

Wesley Null, vice provost for undergraduate education at Baylor University, and I wrote this piece for the Dallas Morning News.

Texas legislators are revising the state’s school finance laws. We wanted to put before the public the importance of paying teachers well.

Some legislators are enthusiastic about what they call “outcomes-based funding,” which would send more money to affluent districts and less money to needy districts. This would be a huge mistake for obvious reasons. It’s reverse Robin Hood.

Long ago, Texas had visionaries in the legislature who understood that the future of the state relied on having a strong public education system. Current legislators think they can use charters as a substitute for adequate funding.

In 1948, those visionaries proposed a dramatic increase in state funding and equalization. Gilmer and Aiken persuaded their colleagues to raise the state share of funding to 75-80% of costs. This year, the state share will fall to 39%, shifting the burden of financing schools to localities, which favors the richest districts.

We wrote:

The heart of any school is the teacher. The only way to ensure that every Texas child receives a quality education is to place a well-educated, well-prepared teacher in every classroom. That truth will never change.

The attractiveness of teaching, however, continues to decline. The results are tragic. Labor Department statistics reveal that public educators are leaving the profession at the highest rate in 20 years. Low pay and disrespect are key factors in this alarming decline.

The Texas Legislature this session will have the job of remedying the state’s public school finance system. As historians of education, we think some background is helpful.

The last time Texas overhauled public school finance was immediately following World War II. The need for change was great. Many young Texans had been denied the opportunity to serve during the war because of their poor level of education. Such news was embarrassing to Texas leadership. 

Compulsory attendance laws existed, but they had many loopholes. Only 65 percent of school-aged children attended school. Only 40 percent of adults had a high school education. Many school buildings were dilapidated and dangerous. 

School finance was based on a census count of how many school-aged kids lived in a county regardless of whether those students attended school. Consequently, funds were commonly distributed but no education took place. Pay for teachers was embarrassingly low, leading to difficulties with recruitment and retention.

Fortunately, Texas had leaders who were driven by foresight and determination. Named in honor of legislators Claud Gilmer and A.M. Aikin, the Gilmer-Aikin Laws modernized Texas education. They revolutionized school finance, substantially increased pay for teachers, rebuilt dilapidated buildings, and redesigned teacher education and certification.

Please read it all!

 

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Funding, Teacher Pay, Teachers, Texas

Jan Resseger: The Challenge of Removing Arne Duncan’s Bad Policies from State Laws

By dianeravitch
February 14, 2019 //
17

 

Jan Resseger explains the power of conventional wisdom, which persists even when its effects are harmful and its premises disproven.

She sees Race to the Top as the quintessential bad idea locked in place in almost every state.

How to restore good sense and expunge bad policies?

She shows how her own state of Ohio has been severely damaged by Duncan’s policies.

The Difficulty of Cleaning Arne Duncan’s Awful Policies Out of the Laws of 50 States

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Common Core, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, Privatization, Testing
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