Jan Resseger, one of our most insightful analysts of education policy, praises Elizabeth Warren’s K-12 education plan for its comprehensiveness and its decisive break with decades of misguided federal policy under Clinton, both Bush presidents, Obama, and Trump.
She begins:
Warren articulates a set of principles that turn away from three decades of neoliberal, corporate school reform—the idea, according to The American Prospect‘s Robert Kuttner, that “free markets really do work best… that government is inherently incompetent… and an intrusion on the efficiency of the market.” Competition is at the heart of the system, all based on high-stakes tests, and punishments for the schools whose scores fall behind.
In her education plan, Warren endorses the civic and democratic principles which, from the nineteenth century until the late 1980s, defined our nation’s commitment to a comprehensive system of public education. Her plan incorporates the idea that while public schools are not perfect, they are the optimal way for our complex society to balance the needs of each particular child and family with a system that secures, by law, the rights and addresses the needs of all children. And she acknowledges the massive scale of the public commitment required to maintain an equitable education system that fairly serves approximately 50 million children and adolescents across cities and towns and sparsely populated rural areas.
I urge you to read Elizabeth Warren’s education plan. Here I will highlight what I believe are her most important suggestions for overcoming the bipartisan, neoliberal, corporate reform agenda, formalized in 2002 in the No Child Left Behind Act, but dominating policy for more than a decade before that. Corporate education reform has driven federal policy in education during five recent administrations—Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
AWrenchintheGears.com makes compelling points against Warren’s education plan, its underlying threat and opportunity for oligarch control.
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Which article from A Wrench in the Gears are you referring to? BTW, you will probably enjoy this: https://bobshepherdonline.wordpress.com/2019/05/11/he-sees-you-when-youre-sleeping-2/
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Bob,
Is it just my computer, or is the “wrenchinthegears” website very hard to read? Some of it looks like ads when I don’t think it is.
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The author of A Wrench in the Gears includes a lot of graphics files in the posts. These can be taxing for some computer systems. In general, it’s best to limit the number of these that one includes. WordPress also includes ads in posts by folks who use its free service (as opposed to paying for a premium service), but I don’t see any ads on the wrench site.
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AWrenchintheGears.com added a comment with support for her opinion about Warren and she provided a link to her site at the Ravitch blog on Oct. 23, 7:43 a.m. The Ravitch blog post with her comment, “Charter Advocates Outraged…” Oct. 22.
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From the Warren Plan:
Eliminate high-stakes testing: The push toward high-stakes standardized testing has hurt both students and teachers. Schools have eliminated critical courses that are not subject to federally mandated testing, like social studies and the arts. They can exclude students who don’t perform well on tests. Teachers feel pressured to teach to the test, rather than ensuring that students have a rich learning experience. I oppose high-stakes testing, and I co-sponsored successful legislation in Congress to eliminate unnecessary and low-quality standardized tests. As president, I’ll push to prohibit the use of standardized testing as a primary or significant factor in closing a school, firing a teacher, or making any other high-stakes decisions, and encourage schools to use authentic assessments that allow students to demonstrate learning in multiple ways.
This is great. A move in the right direction. But Senator Warren, what we need to do is to eliminate, entirely, the federal high-stakes testing mandate, as well as prohibiting the uses of standardized testing that you describe.
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“High stakes testing” is our accurate phrase, not part of the misleading corporate word soup associated with education Disrupters and Destroyers. So no problem there. The policy statement is imperfect, but yes, most certainly a move in the right direction. Congress, take note!
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Thank you, Senator Warren, for recognizing that poverty and segregation are the primary issues and for continuing to do, in this plan, what you do in your other plans: going after the grifters–in this case, the charter school and voucher hucksters who wish to divert public education funding to private enrichment.
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I am delighted that both Warren and Bernie support investment in legitimate public education as the most efficient and effective way to educate diverse students. This is a big shift in our policy which for the past twelve years has been to promote and incentivize privatization. The fact that both Warren and Bernie are turning their backs on monetizing our young people is significant. The war on public education is far from over, and there is still much work to be done. At least two candidates understand that we have been on the wrong path for many years. Voters may actually have a real choice when they go to the polls instead of being compelled to vote for another DFER Democrat.
I read the Kutter article as well. It is a clear analysis of how our free market folly has failed working people in this country. Kutter gives a clear analysis of the inadequacies of our neoliberal economic policy and our false allegiance to it which is backed by the super wealthy. It is well worth reading if you have the time.
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The following is something I just posted on facebook. It does not address exactly the above but may be of interest.
An article on new school buildings being built in the U. S. appearing in the “New Republic” caught my attention. They are being built to mitigate the shooting carnage of recent years. Walls are curved so a shooter’s line of fire is limited, barriers between lockers are built so children have somewhere to hide, classrooms lock on demand. One school in Los Angeles built a 20 foot yellow metal wall around its entire perimeter to protect children from gunfire. There is much more being done besides the school buildings themselves to address these shootings to mitigate the carnage but just check this out.
In the five years after Sandy Hook, 2012, states passed even more laws expanding access to guns. Congress has passed no legislation limiting them. “Slate” reports that school security industry rakes in $2.7 BILLION, yes with a “B” a year.
Meanwhile over half of American schools need extensive renovation. Insufficient heating systems sent students home in Baltimore. Outdated textbooks are utilized. Etc Etc. What does that say about our priorities?
Contrast this with those of Europe.
Denmark. “Boxes” are built around a common area. Each contain workshops housing everything from recording studios to dance halls. In Spain primary schools have different spatial layouts, geometric designs so that no child sees the same scenery out their windows two years in a row.
Our priorities? On what do we choose to spend our money? Live, act in fear or in building a better world?
Unfettered access to guns made to kill people, not hunting; just one area in which a future for our children is jeopardized. Wonder why they are frightened, are concerned about their future? Can we honestly say we really care about our children?
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This is news from the Chicago Teachers’ strike.
The CTU and SEIU are demanding that CPS lift the wage floor for custodians, security officers, SECAs, bus aides, and office workers. This is especially important because these workers are required to live within the city limits and are therefore struggling to keep up with runaway rent and other rising costs in many rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods across the city.
Chicago Teachers Union • 1901 W. Carroll Ave. • Chicago, IL 60612 • 312-329-9100
http://www.ctulocal1.org
for the schools Chicago’s students deserve
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Definitely time for me to mail a check to NPE for the eye popping report on Betsy’s charter slush fund that educated the Warren campaign. NPE is impactful. The Warren K-12 education plan is outstanding. Kudos and appreciation all around!
By the way, we Los Angelinos are wearing red tomorrow in support of CTU. Go striking Chicago teachers! You fight for the public good, for all of us.
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Father of three making poverty wages fights for of ALL of Chicago’s children
Willie Cousins is a teacher’s assistant at Bond Elementary on Chicago’s South Side. He is a father raising three children on $28,000 a year. He works a second job at Wal-Mart to make ends meet, but the long hours keep him away from his children, and it hurts.
“My children, when they see that I just come home and I have to go right back out, they’re like, ‘Man, my dad is gone.'”
Coming up short every month
Oct 23, 2019
Chicago Teachers Union
Willie and many of his colleagues make less than $30,000 a year, but they’re striking for Chicago’s public school students—for their safety and dignity, and for social workers, nurses, psychologists and other teacher assistants. These children need Willie, who will never stop fighting for the schools our students deserve.
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