Yohuru Williams and Carol Burris assess the expressed views of the Democratic candidates—thus far—on K-12 education.
One hopes that the other candidates will soon state or clarify their views about privatization, testing, funding, and other important issues that the president can change.
They should all be asked at town halls whether they will kill the federal Charter Schools Program slush fund, which is now $440 million a year and is being used by DeVos to expand corporate chains.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Not so sure this is anything more than a rune stone for Warren, but at least she turned down a private invitation from some of Massachusetts’ ed deformists for a fund raiser.
“One candidate who has declined the Conversations 2020 invitation: Senator Elizabeth Warren. Her campaign told the group they believe such an appearance would violate her policy of giving special access to high-dollar donors.”
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/06/07/the-state-top-politicos-are-vetting-candidates-their-way-new-hampshire/9QWLsP2pCg7goynD2II54L/story.html
Cory and Beto stopped by, as did Klobuchar, Gillibrand, Hickenlooper and Molton is on tap.
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This seems like an excellent sign for Warren, given that the other candidates were stopping by. Is this something Bernie also spurned, or was he not even invited?
I think it is clear that Warren’s position is evolving on this and I would like to hear more from her.
This was an very good article and I’m grateful to Williams and Burris for their work helping to hold candidates feet to the fire and not let them get away with mush which is what happened in 2016.
The article enlightened me about something I did not realize happened — Sen. Gillibrand (during a CNN town hall) being asked by an ill-informed young woman who teaches special education at a Washington DC charter school who truly believed with all her heart that Success Academy was a terrific thing and wanted to know if Gillibrand also shared her over the top admiration for Success Academy and will support expanding charters.
“Good evening, Senator. in your home state of New York, Success Academy, a charter school started by a Democratic city councilman in 2006. has become a top 1% School in math, science and English. Students of any color, socioeconomic standing and address can attend. These students graduate and attend college at far higher rates than public schools in the state. Do you support charter schools like — like Success Academy? And if so, would you expand funding for charter schools?”
It is a real problem when a young special education teacher has no idea how uninformed her question is and this is especially shocking given the manner in which Success Academy has treated so many students with special needs and the lawsuits by parents. Remember, this special education teacher wants to expand a charter network which violated FERPA laws and releases private records of young children with special needs to smear them when their parents have complained. This uninformed young woman wants Gillibrand to support expanding a charter network that has been sued by parents of special needs students who have been humiliated and punished to get them out of their charter. And this young woman is responsible for teaching special education students at a DC charter!
This special education teacher is an example of an ill-informed young person who doesn’t understand the issue and believes all the PR articles about miracles. Her question about “these students graduate and attend college at far higher rates” about a charter school network that graduated its first class of around 16 students last year and their second class just graduating this week is beyond shocking in its ignorance.
I hope Bernie — and then Elizabeth Warren — start doing some real work in their campaign educating ignorant young charter supporters like this charter special education teacher about why sending 16 or 26 students to college is only a miracle to someone who has no idea how many low-income students at high schools across NYC are going to excellent colleges from their public schools.
Ignorance is not bliss — it is very dangerous for those of us who support public schools.
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I hope that both Sanders and Warren start LOOKING for the teacher vote: if they actually sit down and think about why teachers have been putting massive effort into striking for two years, they could bring much truth into the light.
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Reblogged this on Mister Journalism: "Reading, Sharing, Discussing, Learning".
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