Mercedes Schneider loves Elizabeth Warren’s plans for K-12 education.
Note that in Warren’s plan, the term, “public school” means traditional public school– the neighborhood school, sufficiently supported and defended against much of the corporate ed reform attack against it.
Warren’s education plan is refreshing to read, and extensive. I encourage readers to view Warren’s entire ed plan firsthand.
Below are some of my favorite parts. But my favorites-of-favorites is the ending of federal funding for charter schools and Warren’s pledge to fight against charter schools’ outsourcing operations to for-profit companies.
She proceeds to describe what she likes best in the Warren plan.
Schneider is a tough critic with a keen nose for fraud. When she likes something, pay attention.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This primary has been wonderful if you’re a public school supporter because there has been some actual discussion of PUBLIC schools.
We haven’t had anyone interested in working on behalf of public schools at the presidential level in 20 years.
We’ll have to be vigilant though- if we get a new president and that president hires exclusively out of the ed reformer echo chamber we will end up with no real effort or investment expended on behalf of public school students. Again.
It will be Bush-Obama-Trump, again. It can’t just be recycling the same set of people from the ed reform orgs back to government again or we will get the same results- neglect or outright hostility towards public schools (and public school students) and lobbying on behalf of charters and vouchers.
I would challenge any ed reformer to show me specific examples of their successful advocacy on behalf of any PUBLIC school student anywhere in the country. They can’t do it, which is why they exclude public schools and public school students from all of their policy debates. They offer PUBLIC school students nothing of value yet expect us to hire and pay them in government. It’s ludicrous and it’s gone on far too long.
When the ed reform echo chamber lobby on behalf of charter schools and private schools (which is all they do, really) they insist they aren’t lobbying on behalf of the schools but instead are lobbying on behalf of students.
So why doesn’t this apply to public schools? Why don’t public school students get advocates in government? If they’re lobbying on behalf of “students” then why are public school students excluded?
If public school advocates start saying they aren’t lobbying on behalf of the schools but are instead lobbying on behalf of the students does that rhetorical shift change the substance of what they’re doing? The students are IN the schools. If you’re an ed reformer and you lobby to gut public school budgets you are lobbying against our students. You can dress it up with as much clever marketing as you want and the result is the same.
Lots of good ideas in there, including treating teachers like professionals.
TFA relative to turnover and to impact on worker collectives representing the profession of teaching- Warren’s view?
Ending of high stakes testing is my #1 favorite platform in the Warren plan (among many others). Really surprised me.
I posted her article at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Elizabeth-Warren-Stands-Up-in-General_News-Charter-School-Failure_Education_Elizabeth-Warren_Public-Education-191026-275.html#comment748436
with 2 comments.
She really has a plan!Read Warren’s entire ed plan firsthand.
Democracy and income equality depend on ensuring that all our children get a genuine, quality education. Please, don’t let all the propaganda discourage you from learning the truth.
Look at just Arizona, as the power elite demolish public schools “Cathy Frye Tells All About the Shadowy World of School Choice in Arkansas, Part 7 “https://dianeravitch.net/2019/10/23/cathy-frye-tells-all-about-the-shadowy-world-of-school-choice-in-arkansas-part-7/
COMMENT 2 HAS EMBEDDED LINKS
CHARTER ADVOCATES BLAST WARREN’S PLAN:
The plan, which would cost some $800 billion over 10 years, would ban for-profit charter schools, end the main source of federal funding for all types of charter schools, and end federal funding for their expansion!
Our Constitution’s preamble stated that our laws are there for THE COMMON GOOD. The lies put forth about ‘capialism’ and the ‘right’ to make unlimited income is causing grand theft of our GNP. Money that goes off-shore, does not shore up our nation’s people.
The data by 400 journalists from around the world, who spent much of this year sifting through some of more than 13 million files was released in The Paradise Papers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlQSikwu-5A&feature=em-lss+. and it SHOWS the REALITY of the dark money undoing us all, as the banksters and the oligarchs and criminals who own the world’s wealth, look to stash it.
How would this be paid for… a 1% to 3% tax on billionaires income… give something back to OUR PEOPLE, so they can thrive, and buy the stuff that our corporations sell! How many millions does a person need to be considered successful?
“I will push to fully fund the Teacher Quality Partnership program to support teacher residency programs in high-need areas.”
Will the residency program be for those that are certified teachers that intend to be career educators? Or is this another way to disguise the promotion of TFA associates in high need communities? Poor, struggling students deserve teachers with the same level of training as teachers in suburban schools. In fact, I believe that these teachers should be among the best trained as the demands of working with poor students are far more challenging than working with middle class students. Warren should explain and define her residency programs in greater detail.
“I will push to fully fund the Teacher Quality Partnership program to support teacher residency programs in high-need areas.”
I think this is not a great way to think about “teacher quality.” I am not sure how a “high-need area” might be defined. I have other questions about how these residencies, trading on the aura of medical residencies but not the substance or comparable requirements, have been marketed as if inevitably superior to other forms of preparation.
The National Center for Teaching Residencies has been promoting teacher residencies since 2007, with programs in Boston, Chicago and Denver beginning in 2004. About 72% of the funding for this national operation comes from the following sources–not known for robust support of teachers in traditional public schools or higher education programs of teacher preparation. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, NewSchools Venture Fund, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, Silver Giving Foundation, W. Clement & Jesse V. Stone Foundation, and the United States Department of Education.
The US Department of Education “Teacher Quality Grant Program,” is clearly designed to allow sham investments in teacher preparation through “partnerships” with a range of entities, many with no professional expertise in education. Grants are for five years with some renewals possible.
From the current website: An eligible partnership may include any of the following–
The Governor of the State;
The State educational agency;
The State board of education;
The State agency for higher education;
A business;
A public or private nonprofit educational organization;
An educational service agency;
A teacher organization;
A high-performing local education agency, or a consortium of such local educational agencies, that can serve as a resource to the partnership;
A charter school (as defined in section 5210 of the ESEA);
A school or department within the partner institution that focuses on psychology and human development;
A school or department within the partner institution with comparable expertise in the disciplines of teaching, learning, and child and adolescent development; or
An entity operating a program that provides alternative routes to State certification of teachers.
In theory, you can look at the applications and reviewer comments at the website for Teacher Quality Grants. I was unable to open these files and have emailed the contact person to learn more. https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-quality-partnership/awards/
I am impressed with many of Warren’s plans, but this one is not among them, nor do I see the wisdom for higher education in her Senate bill 800.