Nancy Bailey, retired teacher, has been blogging for ten years. She reflects on the continuing efforts to destroy public education, based on a false narrative, hubris, and in some cases, the profit motive.
Nancy and I co-authored a book that serves as a glossary about fads and “reforms.”
She begins her new article:
School reform continues to privatize and destroy public schools. August marks ten years since I began blogging. Within that time I have written two books and co-authored a third with Diane Ravitch. I’m proud of all this writing but Losing America’s Schools: The Fight to Reclaim Public Education is the book title that especially stands out today.
Many Americans still don’t understand or value their ownership of public schools, and how they’re losing one of the country’s great democraticinstitutions. Instead of working together to build up local schools, to iron out difficulties, they’re willing to end them.
Thank you for reading my blog, commenting, and for those of you who have written posts. I am amazed at the wonderful educators, parents, students, and policymakers I have met. I have appreciated debate.
Here are some of the main education issues still of concern.
The Arts
School arts programs help children thrive. Those with mental health challenges benefit. Students might find art jobs. Sadly, many poor public schools ditched the arts. Some schools might get Arts Partnerships or entrepreneurships (Hansen, 2019). These programs aren’t always consistent. Public schools must offer well-rounded and fully resourced K-12 arts programs.
Assessment
Assessment is important for teachers to understand students. But high-stakes standardized tests push a narrow, one-size-fits-all agenda used to drive parents to private schools which, on the other extreme, have little accountability. Tests have been harmful to students.
Class Size
Children deserve manageable class sizes, especially for K-3rd grade (STAR Study), and for inclusion andschool safety.
Common Core State Standards
Controversy originally surrounded Common Core State Standards, promoted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2010, but Common Core continues to drive profiteering, especially in online programs.
Stan Karp of Rethinking Schoolssaid CCSS are:
A massively well-financed campaign of billionaires and politically powerful advocacy organizations that seeks to replace our current system of public education which, for all its many flaws, is probably the most democratic institution we have and one that has done far more to address inequality, offers hope, and provide opportunity than the country’s financial, economic, political, and media institutions with a market-based, non-unionized, privately managed system.
Corporations and Politicians
Corporations and politicians continue to work to end public schools and drive teachers out, transferring tax dollars to nonprofit and for-profit entities.
Nancy covers many more topics that have been harmful to public education.
Open the link and read her article in its entirety.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Public schools like democracy are supposed to be of, by and for the people. Instead, they are being usurped by a variety of special interest groups that are led by non-educators. As always Nancy Bailey uses her heart, reason, expertise and experience to explore the many ways that public schools continue to be bashed and exploited by those that seek to use public schools for their own outside agendas. As she points out, we cannot rely on mainstream media or politicians to tell the truth and support public education, despite its important role in creating a more equitable society.
Public schools must be defended by a grassroots coalition of those that understand its mission, value and collective role in creating a better future for our young people. Those that support public education should protest, petition and seek relief in the courts, when necessary, in order to push back against aggressive, relentless anti-democratic assaults. We as nation must defend our right to a legitimate, free public education and vote out those that refuse to support it.
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Well said, RT!
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Great Essay in today’s 8/28 WAPO. On Public School Critical Issues History Curriculum 1960’s era. The teacher and the Course Of Study that helped Katy Roberts learn to think and problem-solve in a Democracy.
What My 1960s U.S. History Class Taught Me About Slavery And Life
By Katy Roberts
As a sheltered 16-year-old, I had no idea that Mr. Friedlander’s curriculum was part of a national movement. I knew only that the turmoil of the outside world — assassinations, war and demonstrations — had suddenly spilled through the school’s new chain-link fence.
USA Schools were asked to examine themselves.
To institutionally self-interrogate.
“Do you treat honestly the issues of Segregation and Civil Rights?
Or do you timidly and antiseptically clean up USA history and current events?
Thus guaranteeing only partly educated graduates unable to cope with the issues and tensions of the times?”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/08/27/american-history-slavery-race-relations/
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On one hand,
Sixty years without substantially
narrowing the Black-white wealth
divide.
(March on Washington)
On the other,
The most democratic institution
we have and one that has done
far more to address inequality.
(Mission Statement)
Does the inequality continue
because of a failure to
understand the mission,value
and collective role of
Public schooling?
When did the powers that be
establish an institution, that
reduced the powers that be?
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The way in which we fund education through property taxes bakes inequality into the formula. It creates wealthy schools for affluent communities, and poor schools for those living in poverty. While some adjustments have been made to address this issue, it remains the main way public schools are funded. Despite all this. public schools serve all students and remain a strong force that brings diverse groups together. Public schools remain less segregated than charter or voucher schools. They also provide civil rights protections that private educational options do not offer.
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Well said, RT
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“Does the inequality continue because of a failure to
understand the mission,value and collective role of
Public schooling?”
No, not at all. Inequality continues because America is based on “I,ME,MINE” capitalism. Schooling is a small part of that whole. So schooling cannot overcome such thinking without resorting to coercive means a la Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot.
“When did the powers that be establish an institution, that
reduced the powers that be?”
Never.
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On a completely unrelated note, as the sole priest and practitioner of Omnitheism, or belief in all gods, I would like to take this occasion (I’m waiting, as I write this, for a predicted hurricane to strike St. Petersburg, FL, where a mandatory evacuation for my area has been announced for 7:00 PM; I’m planning on staying put) to offer unto all of you the inspiration of Tawhirimatea, the Māori weather god.
“Tāwhirimātea gathered an army of his children, winds and clouds of different kinds – including Apū-hau, Apū-matangi, Ao-nui, Ao-roa, Ao-pōuri, Ao-pōtango, Ao-whētuma, Ao-whekere, Ao-kāhiwahiwa, Ao-kānapanapa, Ao-pākinakina, Ao-pakarea, and Ao-tākawe (Grey 1971).” Grey translates these as ‘fierce squalls, whirlwinds, dense clouds, massy clouds, gloomy thick clouds, fiery clouds, clouds which preceded hurricanes, clouds of fiery black, clouds reflecting glowing red light, clouds wildly drifting from all quarters and wildly bursting, clouds of thunder storms, and clouds hurriedly flying on’ (Grey 1956).
All hail Tawhirimatea! (pun intended).
G. Grey, Polynesian Mythology, Illustrated edition, reprinted 1976. (Whitcombe and Tombs: Christchurch), 1956.
G. Grey, Nga Mahi a Nga Tupuna, fourth edition. First published 1854. (Reed: Wellington), 1971.
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I watched Ron on the news making his official comments about how inconvenient Hurricane Idalia will be for Florida. I also heard some people in the crowd booing him as did some folks when he appeared in Jacksonville. This should be the new way to greet this divisive dictator. BTW, stay safe, Bob! I hope your incantations work in St. Petersburg/ Tampa.
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Thanks, RT. IKR? Ron Ron is such an embarrassment.
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But hey, he is saving us from Drag Queens and Mickey Mouse and those twin beasts of the apocalypse, woke and CRT.
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Be safe, Bob.
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Thanks, Flerp.
Lash me to the mast, me hearties!
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Echoing Flerp’s sentiment
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Thanks, Flerp and Linda!
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Jenny Siss 1:3
And the gods said “Let there be light”
Hearing the order, Bobby threw the
light switch, and moved all, out
of the darkness, and became the
major schleppard, tasked with
splaining everything to everyone.
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It’s a heavy burden. ROFL
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The First Noel, the angels did say,
was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay.
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Whoa – talk about the “boiled frog syndrome!”
It is overwhelming to read the entire list of what has been “done to” kids and schools over the years. We dealt with each but a few at a time – got through one – maneuvered to make schools still work – and then here came another. But all together… whew!
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yup
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CBE is growing into the biggest problem in my neck of the woods. The school board on Tuesday decided to mandate within-school segregation with constant AI based test prep and data surveillance for “targeted” groups. The superintendent is a real slick tech salesman.
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Everything has to be so heavily theorized and current and shiny and standardized for implementation. Always some new bullsh!t to sell. And then, are you on board with the new thing? Oh you’ve got to be on board!
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The privileged get extra elective classes while the rest get online “targeted interventions.” The pandemic taught us nothing about online instruction. No one wins but Bill Gates when it continues. The truly painful thing is watching my allies on the school board and in the teachers union fall for the sales pitch. That hurts.
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The “outside agenda” being served by the sacking of Public Schools.
Is largely Financial as WAPO Details in the 8/29 headline
“The Christian home-schooler who made ‘parental rights’ a GOP rallying cry”
On a private call with Christian millionaires, home-schooling pioneer Michael Farris pushed for a strategy aimed at siphoning billions of tax dollars from Public Schools. Farris claimed Public schools were indoctrinating children with a secular worldview that amounted to a godless religion.
The solution: lawsuits alleging that schools’ teachings about gender identity and race are unconstitutional, leading to a Supreme Court decision that would mandate the right of parents to claim billions of tax dollars for private education or home schooling.
Farris assured his conservative donors, their money would be well spent on this legal campaign. A conservative supermajority reigned on the nation’s highest court. In statehouses and at school boards, political activism over parental rights was at a fever pitch. “The time is right. Sometimes it does take a while for seed to be planted and to germinate.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/08/29/michael-farris-homeschoolers-parents-rights-ziklag/
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