My website is dianeravitch.com. I write about two interconnected topics: education and democracy. I am a historian of education.
Diane Ravitch’s Blog by Diane Ravitch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at dianeravitch.net.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
OMG, Diane, You have got to see this “Charming” robot teacher in China: http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0604/c98649-8902151.html
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I am trying to get a copy of a video that was posted to your site about Nashville Prep a charter school in Nashville, TN. It was called 6 minutes in Ms. McDonald’s Social Studies class. I need a copy of this to show why my child should not attend this school. Please let me know how I can get a copy of this. I tried to click on the link but it says I have to sign in. Thank you. Concerned mom in Nashville
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Kelly,
Here is the post about Nashville Prep: https://dianeravitch.net/2014/06/22/the-secrets-of-success-at-nashville-prep/
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Lloyd, the child robots are in the above video, and the teacher is a human robot as well. Ugh. Besides the dreadful drill and kill, I didn’t see even one center where children can learn through play in that Kindergarten classroom. Grrr…
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Well, I’m not sure now how I got there, but I ended up seeing this video: https://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-k-math-counting-kcc2-kcc5kcc4a-kcc4b
I do recall the appalling Nashville Prep video, but since it’s now private, maybe the above video will suffice for those who want to see a demonstration of drill and kill Math in a NY KG with a lot of compliant Asian kids.
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The next step—that I’m sure Bill Gates and his Cabal will approve of and support with their billions—is charming robot children/students programed to comply. They will even have their own obedient killer army of robot drones.
Then the 0.1%, the oligarchs, won’t need the other 99.9%, and we will be swept away to create an earth with fresh air and clean oceans teaming with life—no fishing nets or plastic bottles to pollute the pristine waters. That would leave about 70 million people to populate the Oligarchs’ Garden Paradise on this earth. Oh, and poverty would be eliminated as an issue to solve. No more problems until the oligarchs turned on each other because none of them would rest until only one ruled supreme. Niccolo Machiavelli would be proud.
The Prince made the word “Machiavellian” a byword for deceit, despotism, and political manipulation. Even if Machiavelli was not himself evil, Leo Strauss declared himself inclined toward the traditional view that Machiavelli was self-consciously a “teacher of evil,” since he counsels the princes to avoid the values of justice, mercy, temperance, wisdom, and love of their people in preference to the use of cruelty, violence, fear, and deception
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In case you haven’t seen or posted this article from this week’s New Yorker about what poverty does to the young brain.
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/what-poverty-does-to-the-young-brain?intcid=mod-latest
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Thank you. I believe that this is a huge issue that needs to be shouted from the rooftops by teachers.
I was going to share a link from an NPR piece that I included in an article I wrote (that was not published – sent it out about five times), so I googled “poverty and brain npr” and got so much.
If teachers really want to make a difference, it will take more than individually fighting for individual students, in my opinion. We need a global educator network, and we need to address poverty, as a united force.
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So this is interesting. Here in Tacoma, Washington our Greater Tacoma Community Foundation (aka GTCF) has hired a new CEO. It saddens me to see that the board could have hired someone with previous community foundation experience, indeed someone with direct experience in fundraising. But they didn’t. Nope. They hired an education privatizer. The board was, apparently, dazzled at her very, very brief stint at the Gates Foundation where she didn’t have to raise a cent. How the board thinks this works in terms of the donor class in this town or the larger community that strongly supports public schools is beyond me. Even worse, the search committee had all candidates interview with the retiring CEO, Rose Lincoln, who was amazingly bad. So who is the public education privatizer now hired by GTCF? It’s Kathi Littmann, Ed.D. With one year here and a few months there, prior to 2.5 years ago she hadn’t held a full time job in a while. But she’s spent time with the Broad Academy, and worked for charter companies and other related privatization outfits in Los Angeles. And, natch, she has her own consulting firm. A Google search on her name tells you all you need to know. I can see foundation funds going to Tacoma’s new charter schools in 5…4…3…2… <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/kathi-littmann-ed-d/14/788/2b2
I plan to make her privatization efforts very taxing to her and GTCF in this town. You can bet on it.
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Diane, you’re a hero to our movement. I’d like to send you a copy of my new documentary film Schoolidarity, about teachers fighting back in Chicago and Wisconsin. Charter schools, testing, anti-union politicians, a capitol uprising, a strike, and a school closings battle… it’s all there with the movers and shakers of our movement in the Midwest.
Check out the trailer at schoolidarity.com (new trailer on the way). If you can read the back end of this post metadata, my email is in there and I’d love to hear from you if you’d like a DVD, BluRay, or private online screener.
Andrew Friend
labor filmmaker in Chicago
videoinsurgent at gmail dotcom
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Michelle Malkin talks TFA: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/419542/social-justice-warriors-posing-education-advocates-michelle-malkin
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It seems rather odd when another wing nut takes up a cause against an integral component of corporate education “reform,” like Common Core and, this time, TFA, when something about that is contrary to their rightwing ideology. Personally, I don’t feel very comfortable with such strange bedfellows, but I think we should take all the added support we can get. Hope she next goes after charters like Success Academy & KIPP for shutting their doors in order to go on political crusades on the public dime.
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Article about selective admissions charters in Orleans Parish, LA. Read the comments to see the TFA agenda in the attack.
http://thelensnola.org/2015/06/09/equity-transparency-undercut-by-holdouts-against-oneapp-school-admissions-process/
Pretty sure the statistics about race and poverty at Lusher are not accurate…
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As a follow up to Peter Greene’s post on the Marketplace take a look at my piece in today’ NonProfit Quarterly: https://nonprofitquarterly.org/policysocial-context/26279-the-state-of-the-traditional-public-vs-charter-school-war-in-chicago.html
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Hi Diane,
This afternoon, I spoke to one of the clergy leaders of the push to bring access to a decent public education back to East Ramapo, NY, where the school board has decimated public schools. He told me that they’re in all-hands-on-deck mode right now to drum up as much support — and get as much sign-on as possible — in favor of the New York legislature’s bill to install a long-term monitor for East Ramapo. The Legislative Session closes on June 17th, so time is of the essence! The Assembly has passed the bill, but to date the Senate has refused to touch it.
Please consider running Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin’s and/or Rabbi Ari Hart’s recent pieces on the East Ramapo mess, and helping the people on the ground there to put pressure on Albany to get this bill done. Here’s a brief primer I put together of links describing what’s happening in East Ramapo, as well as links to Salkin’s and Hart’s articles. http://parentingthecore.com/2015/06/11/a-call-to-action-for-east-ramapo-ny/ As a Jew, I feel it is incumbent on me to do what I can to stop my co-religionists from continuing to destroy their community’s public schools.
Thank you for any help you can provide.
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Diane, you have probably seen this (since you and Mercedes Schneider are cited). This is an excellent article about post Katrina New Orleans and the “facts” and legends that have supported education “reform”http://citationsneeded.com/2014/05/24/charter-schools-katrina-memory-hole/
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Diane and all,
I thought I’d share with you a beautiful story that a parent sent to me regarding the experience his daughter had when she opted out of the SBAC test. As the president of the teachers union here in Portland, Oregon, I couldn’t be more proud.
“In light of the OPB article I thought I would share my daughter’s opt out experience and how it could inform how we think about the role of education in general.
Kathe was one of four girls in her 5th grade class at Irvington who opted out. During testing times she was sent to a special education classroom where she got to assist the teachers. My daughter quickly formed bonds with many of the kids there. Every day she helped with math apps on the iPad or worked on reading out loud. She really looked forward to her time with the students. At dinner she would tell us about how much she enjoyed helping others learn and how much fun she was having. When I was visiting the school she made sure to introduce me to all the students who I would normally have never met in regular ed. classes.
After many weeks of assisting, she received a personal invitation to join the students for their Special Olympics field trip. She spent the day out in Hillsboro running a soccer skills station. When she got home, she had the biggest smile on her face. She had learned how much fun service to others can be. Moving forward she’d like to continue assisting special ed students in the years to come. I couldn’t be happier that she used her testing time to actually learn something of value, something that can stay with her for the rest of her life.”
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Just clicked on the link to view the video of robot children and robot teachers at 7 AM on 6-14-2015, and it is now locked and marked PRIVATE. Could not view.
Did the RheeForm Empire strike back with censorship? Is RheeForm Darth Vader or is Vader someone else in the RheeForm movement?
RhreeForm philosophy is “Control the message. Tell and show the people only what you want them to think. Censor or demonize content that does not support the message.”
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Diane, Parents in Jefferson County, Colorado are still fighting the school board and their attempt to privatize our public schools. Take a look at the data presented in this video. They say, charter school will raise achievement, therefore we need to give them every opportunity. Except, the data in Colorado suburban districts do not support this claim. Thought you might be interested.
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Dr. Ravitch, do you have any professional opinion or insights into the “No Excuses Network of Schools” founded by Damen Lopez? Anyone else with thoughts on this? Thank you.
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Our issues are global issues.
For a few years now I’ve been aware that the situation in Britain is as bad or worse than here, and similar, with teacher blame and privatization winning the day.
Here is an example from (presumably) an educator’s blog.
“Let’s give Morgan the benefit of the doubt, and assume that there’s been no impact of the last 5 years of being told that teachers are so shockingly poor that they need carpet salesmen , failed journalists and dodgy hedge-fund shysters with odd links to assaulted Lithuanian prostitutes, to show them how to do their jobs. Likewise, the endless tough-sounding speeches making damning-but-pointless comparisons with other countries, the very public attacks on teachers’ pay and conditions through PRP and pension cuts, and the official policy that teaching is such a piece of piss that nobody actually needs to be qualified to do it – anyone can walk in off the street and do a better job than these so-called “professionals”. Yes, none of that had any impact, Nicky, none of it. You’re right about the media – it’s all their fault.
There is something she’s right about though, and that is the forthcoming teacher shortage. I’ve written about this before and lo, it has come to pass. I’d love to claim that I was particularly prescient, but every bugger with eyes in their head and a brain to think with, has seen this one coming for a while. ”
Apparently, Gove has been replaced by Nicky Morgan; however, it doesn’t seem that things will change for the better.
This is not just an American education fight; it is a globalized issue, with globalized players, no doubt. Didn’t Chile privatize? A global corporate takeover needs to be fought at a global level. They are so big, powerful, and rich, and they are winning so fast. But, as Bernie Sanders has shown us, sometimes a voice in the wilderness earns itself ears.
Diane Ravitch has been one, and continues to be, but my sense is that she is doing all she can do now. We need to get louder, faster, and that may require a world-wide educator network.
(Note: I am reposting this after the post about AZ attrition, as that is what led me to this blog post.)
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http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2015/06/16/nc-senate-unveils-education-budget-that-guts-teacher-assistants-rewards-less-experienced-teachers/
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“Everything you need to know about Jeb Bush’s dangerous education agenda:
The presumptive GOP frontrunner thinks privatization is a cure-all. In truth, that idea couldn’t be more dangerous”
http://www.salon.com/2015/06/17/everything_you_need_to_know_about_jeb_bushs_dangerous_education_agenda/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
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http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/06/17/414980239/a-vision-for-teacher-training-at-mit-west-point-meets-bell-labs
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CNN I-Report on Politician’s Obsession with Testing Students and Firing Teachers.
Governor Cuomo’s reaction when asked about the Sheri Lederman lawsuit against NYS Ed Department demonstrates an obsession with firing teachers, rather than reasonable consideration of whether VAM evaluations of teachers work in the first place.
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1246922
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Diane, legislators in Pennsylvania are reviewing a report on public education funding and a proposed formula for said funding. One legislator has asked about the ratios with regard to poverty and ELL students. He is trying to determine how the formula was developed and the report apparently doesn’t provide much background on this. For example, if a regular student gets funded at 1.0, then a student living in poverty would get funded at 1.4 and an ELL student would get funded at 1.6, according to the report. He is asking if the extra .4 and .6 are based on research or were they just pulled out of a hat. Is there a source that could provide some solid background on the appropriate amount of additional money that should go to support such students? Thanks for your help!
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Here’s a story that EVERYONE should be aware of….it’s no wonder that our schools and other public services don’t have the needed funding! Remember that it was the pharmaceutical companies that were the largest contributors by far to the Bush campaign….where all this nonsense, beginning with Every Child Left Behind, began.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/company-that-fled-us-over-taxes-now-wants-feds%E2%80%99-help/ar-AAc43Kk?ocid
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Did you see this piece in Slate about the NOLA Miracle? It’s written by a young woman getting ready to write (or publish) a book about Post Katrina NOLA. I find it filled with more half truths and then she spins into how race of teacher matters more than all these other egregious things happening.
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DId you see this piece is Slate about the NOLA Education Miracle. The women , who is about to publish a book on post_Katrina NOLA, ignores or downplays many of the egregious social engineering of the schools (and city) in the wake of the hurricane to focus on one study that cites “a teacher’s race” is crucial in a classroom.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/schooled/2015/06/18/black_teachers_in_new_orleans_the_number_of_them_has_plummeted_since_hurricane.html?wpisrc=obnetwork
More half-truths than you can shake a stick at.
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I want to share this inspiring letter (http://www.syracuse.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/06/nottingham_high_graduates_give_syracuse_schools_a_chance_commentary.html) with you and, hopefully, your readers. As graduates of one of our high schools, their comments fly in the face of the reformers’ narrative regarding urban public schools, “failing” schools, etc… They celebrate their education, shared experiences and the work of the adults who supported them throughout. For those of us working in a district that is being reformed to death, their words provide validation and a reminder of why we got into this profession in the first place. Kudos to these smart alumni and beware reformers: They’re on to you!
Kevin Ahern
President
Syracuse Teachers Association
Syracuse, NY
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For your information,pPlease read about the problems with Read to Achieve in NC. Written by colleagues of mine. http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article25616455.html
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Diane,
I heard this quote today on NBC’s Meet the Press: NEWT GINGRICH:
“Well, I think first of all, issues change and topics change. I’ll give you an example. The president wants us to be deeply concerned about poor children getting a decent education. The city of Baltimore spends $130,000 a year for every student who passes the eighth grade math test. Yet, there’s not a single Democrat who’s prepared to fundamentally reform the school system.”
I’m interested to know where/how Mr. Gingrich is getting this figure. This seems like a highly inflated amount. Sounds like another attack on public education. Misinformation about public education should be opposed at every level!
Thanks,
Dan Muirhead
Splendora ISD Trustee
LTASB 2015 Master Trustee
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Dan, Politicians pick numbers out of the air to defame our public schools. No one checks facts.
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Please check this out in Florida.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/teachers/questions-abound-for-new-program-that-rewards-teachers-based-on-sat-and/2235316
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How can we set up some type of fund for teacher Jason Duchan, who was falsely accused of having an inappropriate Facebook page, then treated poorly by the district once he was found not guilty?
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So here in the PNW, our legislature just finished a special session and they’re now into the third. One part of our legislature, the House, just passed Washington HB 1491…”Expand Early Childhood Education Across the State” and has nice fine print related to testing kindergarteners and 3-4 year-olds. That’s right. TESTING. FOR KINDERGARDTENERS. Section 2, [2][a] “Improve short-term and long-term educational outcomes for children as measured by assessments including, but not limited to, the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills in RCW 28A.655.080. The only saving grace? RCW 28A.150.315 is in force WITH THE EXCEPTION OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN EXCUSED FROM PARTICIPATION BY THEIR PARENTS OR GUARDIANS. That’s right. The K-12 public schools will now HAVE to administer the test with all the attendant costs and time suck but, as a parent, you won’t be hearing how you can opt-out. Lots of more work to do. Then again, I’m so pissed about it that it gives me the energy I need to fight, fight, fight.
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So what’s up with the Assistant to the President for Technology sending an email about how Obama has increased Internet connectivity speed in schools?
Some initiative called ConnectED
?
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I’m pretty sure ConnectEd is referring to the expansion of federal E-rate funds available to school districts, especially those with a high low-socio economic student population. The new E-rate rules focus the funds on expanding Internet availability on campuses and divert funds from traditional telephone services.
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We have a lot of craziness in Buffalo. Teachers are becoming activated and recently held a rally to oppose the insidious receivership that Cuomo has forced upon us. This is only the first rally we will do do counteract what Cuomo is doing to public education in the city of Buffalo. http://www.dailypublic.com/articles/06302015/teachers-students-parents-rally-against-receivership
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On June 26th, about 39 minutes in, Bernie Sanders said he’s against privatizing education, NCLB and testing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKJ0yFKE3kY
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In a sudden twist…the Senate Democrats of Washington State have done a surprising and stupid thing. You may have read in the press that our Legislature got a budget done by midnight on June 30th. It was a an affair of compromises and a few bright spots like Microsoft paying more taxes and closing some tax loopholes, but people were trying to sing the same tune although everyone is always unhappy and we’re no where near fulfilling the Contempt of Court Order by the Washington State Supreme Court for NOT fully funding K-12 public education as a result of the McCleary decision. Then, in a surprise move, Senate Democrats are suddenly high-centered on I-1351, a twice-passed ballot initiative to reduce class sizes. If I’m understanding this right that’s not the real focus. So this is all bait and switch?
Senate Democrats want to focus on I-1351 to force Republicans to pass HB 2214, a crappy bill that is described as removing biology end-of-course exams as a graduation requirement. Not a bad thing. In addition, it essentially removes English Language Arts and Mathematics from graduation requirements in 10th grade. Not a bad thing. Sadly House Bill 2214 would replace our current End of Course exams, which have their own problems for many students with the unfair HIGH FAILURE RATE SBAC exams.
But here’s where it gets worse. The bill is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. While it says it reduces the number of tests for graduation, it really does this: it accelerates the SBAC test monopoly from 2019 to 2016 and it will severely harm the Opt-Out Movement by imposing a fourth year of advanced math on anyone who opts out of the test in high school – giving Washington state the most draconian graduation requirements in the nation.
So not only does it speed up SBAC, it will NOT preserve a parent’s right to refuse their student from taking test (and I see that in the House of Representatives, there IS a bill to preserve that right. So this is more Education Refomers’ nonsense. Even worse, both the Washington State Republican Party and the Washington State Democratic Party voted overwhelmingly LAST YEAR to OPPOSE Common Core standards and the Common Core SBAC test. Just months ago, 100% of the students at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle opted out of taking the SBAC test. The same day that this hearing on House Bill 2214 was held, the legislature in the State of Tennessee voted unanimously to repeal Common Core and Common Core High Stakes High Failure rate testing. This makes Tennessee the 26th state in the nation to drop out of Common Core!
Washington Education Association, League of Education Voters and WSPTA are supporting nonsense far too often. Gates money buys leaders decisions in many locations. And if you want more money from him and his groups of organizations you have to show you will play ball. Talk about an express bus to minority status in the Washington State Senate.
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It appears ECAA is scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor July 7th.
American Principles in Acton’s talking points about the Every Child Achieves Act (ECAA) are posted below.
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How Parents Really Choose Schools
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/01/15/376966406/a-new-study-reveals-much-about-how-parents-really-choose-schools
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Here is another critique readers should see: http://www.nationofchange.org/2015/07/06/growing-evidence-that-charter-schools-are-failing/
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They just don’t stop.
http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/247004-congress-must-not-reverse-course-on-education includes this ironic passage:
Congress and all of us can do better than “not our problem” for our nation’s students. They deserve more than Congress doing what is easy, such as rolling back accountability for student achievement. Doing what is easy is rarely the same thing as doing what is right.
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This gives me hope that Cuomo really will be gone soon. I do not like Hochul, but it is a start.
http://buffalochronicle.com/2015/07/02/us-attorney-hochul-begins-recusing-himself-expecting-his-wife-to-become-governor/
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A different perspective about our testing in this country…..
“London is a city whose two priorities are being a playground for corrupt global elites who turn neighbourhoods into soulless collections of empty safe-deposit boxes in the sky, and encouraging the feckless criminality of the finance industry. These two facts are not unrelated” [Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing].
So he’s moving to Los Angeles.
“The USA is putting curbs on surveillance, expanding its national healthcare, and there are mass parental boycotts of standardised testing in its public schools.”
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Just in 25 minutes ago at 11:01 am Latest Sirota piece. Senate allows schools to give money to consulting firms. #shameful and disgusted http://www.ibtimes.com/senate-passes-bill-letting-schools-give-education-money-financial-consulting-firms-2000761
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Translation: Consultants = Pearson and all RheeFormers blessed by Bill Gates, the Walton family, Eli Broad and a garbage can full of Hedge Funds, but not many real educators and teachers if any.
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Nice review of CC Math textbooks – 87% don’t teach what the kids need
http://theweek.com/speedreads/565526/87-percent-common-core-textbooks-dont-teach-kids-what-need-know-standardized-tests
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On that note, has there ever been a study to rate how many children don’t learn what they are taught by teachers?
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NY is dumping Pearson. Anyone know about Questar Assessment?
http://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/238350/new-york-chooses-a-new-3-8-testing-firm/
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To the New York State Board of Regents Trustees:
There are obvious political and exploitative reasons for continuing the APPR insult to public schools especially to teachers and students, but there are no valid, researched, educational reasons that support using student test scores to evaluate teachers, assuring that many of our best teachers will absurdly be rated “ineffective” despite every evidence that they are in fact known excellent teachers. Making a mockery of the teacher evaluation system will demoralize teachers and debase teaching.
The common core tests themselves are disastrous, skewing instruction in the direction of teaching to the test and away from educational value. Changing publishers who create these tests is not an answer. A new publisher paid an absurd fee for writing the common core tests will further divert funds from children and do nothing to alleviate the problem of excessive testing.
From the point of view of an objective and dispassionate observer of the destruction that continues to be wrought by the NYSED and Board of Regents, it would seem that the suspect motives of public school governance in New York answer to hedge fund investors in charter schools, exploitative and politically connected publishers, and mendacious politicians. Arnie Duncan, Bill Gates, the Walton family, and their arrogant ilk continue to spread abundant money around, and like everything else in Albany, the Board of Regents demonstrates that it is eager to be bought. Shame!
Dr. Franklin C. Cacciutto
English Chair, East Meadow High School (retired)
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Diane, So here you go again, New York, putting the cart before the horse…another test with different academic language and no way for teachers to know whether to call a vowel pattern a “word family” or a “rhyming word” or “sounds the same in the middle.” These are the multiple ways SBAC Grade 3 test questions referred to the reading of vowels. Teachers and students need to be familiar with the academic language being used in tests in order for the tests to be valid. (If teachers were involved in test writing in the first place, this would never have occurred.). The real issue is Professional Development for several years before administering new tests. And I don’t mean a website that a teacher can access “in her spare time.” I mean real Professional Development with grade level teachers meeting to design curriculum instead of just how to use computers for testing and grading. That leads me to another important issue: elementary students should NOT be tested on computers. I teach reading to elementary students. I watched our students take the SBAC tests this spring. I watched students just hit any key to answer a confusing question so they could get to the next question. I watched them struggle to take the test on ipads with split screens. They had to read and reread multiple articles and questions. Then they had to type–we don’t teach keyboarding–an essay using information from the articles and cite which article it came from when they could only see several inches of text at a time. Even I wasn’t sure which article I was looking at. A paper and pencil test is developmentally appropriate for elementary children. A few computers in each classroom are great as math and literacy centers and invaluable for research projects. We don’t need any more than that. And we certainly don’t want to spend money on tablets that would be used mostly for testing. (I’m certain you know how that worked out in LA!) So, New York, tell The Regents or whoever makes that decision, No computer testing in the elementary grades!
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Dear Ms. Ravitch,
I am a math teacher in Washington, D.C., and the Washington Post recently published an
an article that I wrote about the harmful effects of PARCC. I would be honored if you would mention it or provide a link to it on your blog.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/07/09/d-c-teacher-how-the-parcc-common-core-test-hurt-my-students/
I have been a huge fan of yours since I read “Death and Life” and saw you speak at the NCTM conference in Philadelphia in 2012. To be honest, it was reading your blog and seeing the encouragement you give to teachers around the country that inspired me to make my voice heard and write this article.
Thank you for everything that you do for public education.
Sincerely,
Joe Herbert
Math Teacher | Wilson HS
Fellow | Math for America DC
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Joseph, of course.
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Dr. Ravitch, your blog gives me hope that there are still thinking people in the world of education. I just wonder if you do anything besides post articles and ideas for us. Do you maybe have a staff who monitors and posts for you? If not, you must be a voracious reader! My understanding of the old conservative position on education involved states’ rights and local curriculum control; how on earth did we manage to create the disaster that passes for education today? My faith in the political process I learned about in the dark ages (60s and 70s), that sparked my interest in government and history is shattered these days. I no longer trust any politician to do the right things for kids! And I’m sick to death of the noneducators, and even the education researchers who never actually work with real students in real school settings, telling those of us in the trenches how to do our jobs.
I think perhaps that’s enough of a rant for today. I really only wanted to commend you for your blog.
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Petition to recall the AFT’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton: https://www.change.org/p/american-federation-of-teachers-withdraw-your-endorsement-of-hillary-clinton-for-the-democratic-presidential-nomination?recruiter=2874199&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_twitter_responsive
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Hillary’s twitter feed on AFT’s poll may be a tad misleading:
Hillary 2016 @HlLLARY Jul 11
AFT polled it’s 1.6 million members, 8 in 10 said they support Hillary.
Also, 11 to 1, Hillary is who can beat Republicans.
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Another petition to rescind the endorsement of Hillary Clinton: https://www.change.org/p/aft-leadership-contact-the-aft-and-demand-they-rescind-their-endorsement-of-hillary-clinton?recruiter=59387857&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=share_twitter_responsive
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I have taught Adobe Photoshop for 20 years and did not pass the ridiculous Certiport test (owned by Pearson) the first time. I did manage to pass it the second time, because I figured out how to answer the obscure questions about functions rarely used by myself or most other Photoshop users.
On the other hand, I passed the Adobe Premiere (their video software) test, also given by Certiport and owned by Pearson, the very first time and have never used the software until the day of the test. It was all a matter of knowing how the test was set up, and nothing to do with how well I really know the software.
I was lucky not to have to pay for these tests like many people have to, it was covered under an umbrella subscription for the school. But it does make me wonder how much the school district pays Pearson for these tests.
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I wonder who is crazier, Rauner or Walker? http://www.weareoneillinois.org/news/rauner-bill-would-wipe-out-collective-bargaining-rights-of-teachers-police-fire-fighters-nurses-caregivers-and-all-public-service-workers-in-illinois
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I am trying to locate information on entire school districts that have opted out of or boycotted federal standardize testing. Not because of low participation due to parental opt outs, but because the district administration and/or school board said we don’t find value in the testing and we just aren’t going to do it, we’ll administer our own locally controlled assessments, thank you very much. I am also curious as to whether or not those districts were penalized in any way for not administering the tests. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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With regard to the post concerning Iowa kindergarteners needing to be doing what used to be first grade work, I have a few comments relating to my own daughter. When she was five, we were facing a dilemma. She was ready for K but a bit immature. All our friends who could afford it. Suggested we keep her in day care for another year so she would be mature enough for the tough road that their children had experienced. But day care is expensive and she was verbally very advanced. Off we went to a great K experience with a teacher who was in her 39th year of being super human.
It got me to thinking about people who have little choice. No one on the lower end of the pay scale can even afford to think about this decision. If we raise the expectations of the first year school children, who is most likely to be hurt? Who will experience more failure? The answers are obvious. Poor folks, mostly from single parent homes, take it on the chin.
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“Rahm Emanuel opted for his own chief of staff and the former president of the Chicago Transit Authority, Forrest Claypool [to become CEO of Chicago Public Schools] — who has no experience in education and says his first priority will be “making the system as efficient as it can possibly be.” http://catalyst-chicago.org/2015/07/with-ceo-pick-rahm-goes-back-to-the-daley-way/
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Diane, The blog entry from yesterday at the following website seems rather bizarre to me, “BIG (BIG!) MONEY BEHIND ESEA REWRITES,” because the “big money” is supposedly Yong Zhao: http://emilytalmage.com/2015/07/18/big-big-money-behind-esea-rewrites/
What do you think?
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In a NYT puff piece on Bill Gates by Nicholas Kristof yesterday, Gates acknowledged that “the foundation’s investments in education here in the United States haven’t paid off.., “There’s no dramatic change.’”
Now he’s going after programs for children from birth to 5. God help us!
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What we need to understand about Bernie Sanders:
http://ed-detective.org/2015/07/19/what-we-need-to-understand-about-bernie-sanders/
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Teachers seeking employment, please see
http://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-teachers/7159/
I believe this is from 2014, so still relevant.
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Diane
Please review the recent white paper by Rhode Island a College Professor Dr. Janet Johnson regarding teacher experiences with the first year of PARCC in RI.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/content_link/MinYoWzHEgFDk4wcBfmnvIWydNSaUjn4hYdpyI6QvPEmw4bHNHhaEZUlwdTW3FdE?dl=1
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What’s happening in Lawrence MA. Teacher reflects on NNN.
Google it and you’ll feel nauseous: No Nonsense Nurturing (NNN) – is it me or does that phrase qualify as an oxymoron? Even more disturbing – it appears that parents are unaware or not upset.
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=NO+NONSENSE+NUTURING&btnK=Google+Search
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Diane, thanks for your work and your blog. Here’s something fun but relevant to the discussion:
Walter
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I think I would prefer a different acronym!
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Of interest regarding NYS cut scores as compared to NAEP: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20150720/BLOGS04/150719889
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I highly recommend three books for people to read this summer. Between them, they cover the truly important things we need to keep fighting for in the face of “education reform,” the scary truth about how our government works, and an incredible idea we should be teaching our students, our colleagues and anyone who will listen. The books are: “Holding on to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones” by Thomas Newkirk, “Who Governs” by James N. Druckman and Lawrence R Jacobs, and “Intelligent Disobedience” by Ira Chaleff. Together, these books will help “arm” readers and advocates with the research-supported information we need to further our mission to save American public education.
Read. Digest. Let me know what you think.
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THE STRANGELY UNFOUNDED ROLE OF NEA IN CCSS
Navigating the NEA website section Common Core State Standards (CCSS) gives the impression of reading a paid promotional brochure. There are several subsections, articles, and informative videos explaining and promoting CCSS. Contrasting with the CCSS presence in the NEA website, there is no mention of the institution of public education or links to its centennial history, social value, and considerable significance. There are only two small specific subsections: “Education Funding” and “Raise your hand public education”. A simple visit to NEA webpage reveals this stark contrast between a 150 year old institution which gave birth and still sustains NEA, and a revision created barely six years ago.
The CCSS “highlights” subsection stands out with a tool kit with links to CCSS materials, a Student Achievement Partners website full of free materials to better understand and implement CCSS, a list of propaganda explaining the worthiness of CCSS, how already parents and teachers are cooperating in this times of CCSS; and a new section about new materials available in i-tunes and through the ASDC website, among other things. In addition, there is a selection articles and multimedia giving a positive spin to CCSS. Everything seems all right or innocuous; after all, it is information for NEA members. So, what could be wrong about NEA’s CCSS page?
Indeed, I would argue precisely that the CCSS page itself is wrong: there is an evident promotional campaign section for CCSS in NEA’s website for no valid reason! There are at least two major questions that deserve answers. Conspicuously, no one has deemed appropriate to question the existence of such section, but more importantly: Why does NEA show such inordinately vested interest in promoting CCSS in the first place? First of all, CCSS is copyrighted by the NGA Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO); CCSS was not an NEA initiative or the product of a partnership with these entities. Secondly, there never was a serious debate on the issue of NEA supporting CCSS in the committed way it has done it. As a matter of fact, the official NEA position appears in a policy brief signed by NEA president Van Roekel . Thirdly, CCSS has not even been properly tried or piloted! This condition alone raise doubts about the unwavering and expensive support from the largest teachers association To make this support even more difficult to explain is that despite two years of serious criticism and protests against CCSS, NEA leadership has remained firm in supporting the implementation of CCSS . If there is no academic evidence or valid reason to commit millions of dollars and the trust of its millions of members to CCSS, why does NEA do it?
Corporate Reformers Are Opportunistic Edupreneurs
For an experienced educator, the long and short term consequences of the CCSS problematic implantation –confusion, sinking scores, lack of support and materials, students and teachers frustrated, unreliable systems of evaluation– would be good enough reasons to demand a cautions, more vigilant position from its association. However, there is yet another issue that should be considered: the undue influence of Bill Gates in the creation and promotion of CCSS.
Record shows that from its inception The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has funded and supported CCSS. Its influence is a most serious factor and arguably, all NEA members should share the primal concern of NEA potentially compromising its autonomy and integrity. Conceivably, given the fact that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has bankrolled all companies associated with the creation and advancement of CCSS, NEA could be swayed as well.
In matters of CCSS, NEA has associated with companies funded by the B&M G. Some examples from the NEA pages are: 1) The company ASCD, whose materials NEA promotes in its website, was awarded $3 Million to aid nationwide common core standards implementation. 2) Student Achievement Partners, a non-profit organization founded by David Coleman, Susan Pimentel and Jason Zimba, lead writers of the Common Core State Standards, received a grant of $4,042,920 in order to support teachers nationwide in understanding and implementing the Common Core State Standards . Achieve had received $23.5 million in Gates’s funding before. Another $13.2 million followed after CCSS creation, with $9.3 million devoted to “building strategic alliances” for CCSS promotion; 3) NGA received $23.6 million from the Gates Foundation from 2002 through 2008. After June 2009, NGA received an additional $2.1 million from Gates expressly to work with state policymakers on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, and later $1,598,477 for “rethinking state policies on teachers’ effectiveness.” 4) For CCSSO, “Prior to June 2009, the Gates Foundation gave $47.1 million to CCSSO (from 2002 to 2007), with the largest amount focused on data “access” and “data driven decisions.” Later, Bill Gates gave CCSSO $31.9 million, with the largest grants earmarked for CCSS implementation and assessment, and data acquisition and control. As noted, all people in these misunderstood non-profit corporations actually have managed millions of dollars for the sole purpose of constructing and supporting CCSS. Inconsistently, in what logistically could be considered a central role promoting CCSS to millions of teachers, NEA did not receive a cent . . . does it?
Market Values, Association Values, or Union Values?
Perhaps not enough NEA members may think that Mr. Gates funding CCSS from its inception to date is relevant or important enough to question NEA leaders about their participation in CCSS. After all, NEA holds values like democracy, equal opportunity, professionalism, a just society, and has internal mechanisms to deal effectively with relevant decisions, like supporting or not CCSS in this case. In short, NEA is not a company like Achieve or the others, it is inherently different. NEA leaders take their own decisions based on what is best for NEA members regardless of CCSS, not on what the B&M GF promotes with its grants, right?
However, how dissimilar it could be if NEA had been the recipient of more than seven million dollars from B&M Gates Foundation since 2009 for the equivalent purpose of advocating for CCSS? How has this unsolicited money influenced leaders’ decisions in this, and perhaps, other matters? Without that money, would NEA leaders have that well designed webpage section promoting CCSS? Would they have organized the several workshops to help teachers with CCSS? Would leaders have asked their members to increase dues to provide those same services? Did leaders actually think CCSS is worth the association’s complete backing?
When years ago, the respective leaders of NEA and CTA unexpectedly became devoted agents for CCSS, these organizations gave a new and unwarranted project an undeserved validity. That legitimacy by association indeed exempted and protected CCSS from the authentic, valid, and probably devastating scrutiny from rank and file teachers. Furthermore, a collateral damage was done to the prospective dissenters and potential protesters. By NEA becoming a pro-CCSS agent, all dissidents were automatically disqualified and forced to isolation. That explains that non-conforming teachers formed fringe group such as the BATs (Badass Teachers Organization).
When teachers associations practically took away their members’ prospect for dialogue, debate, or complain about CCSS, it felt as if they were participating in a cult. Every teacher was basically trapped in a frame where CCSS had to be thought of as right, good, and necessary. With the associations themselves reciting what reformers stated about CCSS, unsuspecting teachers had no option but to obey, comply, and conform. At a time when teachers were hoping to end feeling demoralized after a decade of NCLB, having NEA reinforcing CCSS mandates was bizarre.
Unfortunately for public school teachers and public education in general, when NEA leaders prematurely embraced CCSS, they made worse than a misleading mistake, a colossal blunder, which NEA then President Van Roekel acknowledged by stating that there were so many problems with CCSS that teachers even asked NEA to oppose CCSS. As it happened, the confusing and frustrating process of implementing CCSS in New York, Chicago, and now in California, do not seem to validate NEA’s faith in CCSS. Considering implausible a significant improvement of the current situation with the CCSS implementation, isn’t it time for NEA members to question their leaders, and take time to actually learn about CCSS? Isn’t this a good time to redirect NEA to rescue and rebuild our public education system?
No Match Between Corporate Reformers vs Public School Teachers
After learning how CCSS came about, one has to admire how brilliantly Bill Gates played teachers for the CCSS’s promotion– Teachers were taught through induction that CCSS are necessary standards, and that in order to apply them properly they needed a serious change, a new paradigm. Unlike NCLB with prescriptive, dry, lessons and bubble tests, the sales pitch presented CCSS as a teacher friendly, collaborative, and different approach! Thus, promptly appropriate teaching methods were introduced. In fact the pedagogical aspect of CCSS was made the center of attention. In the CCSS everything was taken care off. Everyone would vouch for CCSS — billionaires, politicians, administrators, board members, PTA’s, and the most important ones, the teachers’ associations’ leaders. As teachers are concerned, NCLB was dead, long live CCSS!
As far as Bill Gates and all the corporate reformers, the way CCSS is progressing is good for business. Privatizing policies are firmer in place than ever. Consequently, there will be more opportunities for profit and control . As a matter of fact, some corporate reformers are already lobbying for the potential billions of dollars in revenue in computer data collection and testing alone. No doubt, corporate reformers know what they want and work diligently to succeed .
On the other side, teachers showed neither goals nor motivation. They apparently only care about CCSS being better! In fact, NEA’s poll in 2013 showed that teachers strongly supported CCSS. What corporate reformers conveniently kept for themselves is that CCSS is an all included and expensive package — It has standards, curriculum, and convoluted testing and then some, all in a package that included more arbitrary accountability. In short, NCLB had been a road, and now CCSS was the highway to privatization of public education. Indeed, reality differs sharply from rhetoric, as the 2014 Gallup survey showed when more than 60% of teachers said they felt frustrated or worried about CCSS. But since teachers have no particular direction or drive, they did nothing to change that.
If going through NCLB taught teachers a lesson is to pay attention when the corporate reformers tell educators what and how to do their jobs: they must not believe them. CCSS is not about solving the problem of identifying effective or ineffective teachers, or about the need of standards to make them all good finally, or about the good and wise teachers taking from CCSS training what they think is proper and good in their own classrooms. It certainly is not about the ludicrous international competition. There is so much more they do not warn you about, as the Chicago Teachers Union realized a year ago passed a resolution opposing CCSS.
According to its short record, CCSS seems to be the corporate reformers’ next and final step to take over public education. Public school teachers, who have been overworked already, will be even busier. They will spend extra hours learning anything that they are told need to be in place for CCSS to be properly implemented. By design, teachers would be too busy to pay attention to the structural changes brought upon them. In the meantime, the responsibility of this bold project would be as always solely on teachers’ shoulders. As in the past, when the poor scorers come, corporate reformers will criticize even more harshly public schools and teachers, and will come up with more privatizing solutions.
Following recurrent patterns, corporate reformers will keep this CCSS trend of controlling the direction of public education while being unaccountable and making profits in every possible way –consultants, materials, books, charter schools, and so on, while teachers do all the work for even less money and are held accountable.
Given what we know about CCSS, would NEA and CTA members care enough about their public schools and their profession to stop vouching for CCSS. Why after more than twenty years of looking at the reformers demonizing, underfunding, and privatizing public education, NEA and CTA leaders find appropriate to validate and promote CCSS? I for one find NEA supporting CCSS unethical, outrageous, and self-destructive, while deserting public education while is being privatized .
A clear conclusion can be drawn from looking at corporate reformers interaction with teachers in the past twenty years. Unlike corporate reformers who have the ultimate goal of dismantling and privatizing public education for profit motives, public schools teachers in general and their teachers’ association’s leaders have a shortage of motivations and goals related to public education as an institution. Interestingly, teachers do not feel obligated to defend the institution of public education against privatization, or to protect their livelihoods or profession from the corporate reformers’ unfair and invalid criticism. Never mind the sacrifices of tens of thousands of teachers, mostly women, who through history organized and fought for the right of their students, teachers, and communities to have a public school. Teachers associations in this century do not care about that. The explanation for that, I believe resides in the corporate reformers’ anti-public education ideological campaign. Carried on for decades, the neoliberal ideology has rendered teachers incapable to appreciate or value the institution of public schools or their own role as stakeholders.
The civic values –democracy, solidarity, common good, and so on–that shaped attitudes and developed the norms that created America’s public schools slowly have been crowded out by the market values –profit, efficiency, competition, choice–that corporate reformers use effectively to criticize, cut, fire, dismantle, and privatize. It is telling that I cannot remember when the last time any stakeholder seriously defended public education in public! Disturbingly, with a well-funded and motivated group of profiteers attacking, and nobody devoted to defending it, public education in America seems to have its days numbered.
Who wins, who loses, who cares?
In solidarity,
Sergio Flores
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Watch out higher ed. Here comes Secretary Duncan!
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/07/27/white-house-pivots-accountability-and-outcomes-and-away-debt-free-major-duncan
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Interesting article about the financial woes of TIME Magazine. CEO notes that the traditional “Church and State” divide between editorial and advertising wings of a publishing business is a thing of the past. He might as well be saying, “Mr. Gates, our cover is for sale.” I think this article gives us some of the story behind the stories promulgating The Reformist propaganda in TIME (and other media outlets): http://www.wsj.com/articles/clock-is-ticking-for-time-inc-s-ceo-1438051150
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In Washington State David’s Spring’s blog is one with great details about our legislature and education issues. Readers will want to be sure to see his personal statement about why he opposes any further delay in school funding. Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn asks Supreme Court to Bring Legislature Back for Fourth Special Session
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Campbell Brown explains the Common Core and other educational issues. Watch out. She proclaims Jeb Bush as the best informed candidate for president when it comes to educational policy. She’s also concerned about Hillary due to her AFT endorsement…but she holds out hope when looking at Hillary’s statements on education while First Lady of Arkansas: https://www.yahoo.com/politics/former-cnn-and-nbc-journalist-campbell-brown-in-125200486656.html
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Former teacher now policy wonk explains that annual testing is GOOD for students and teachers. Warning. Many logical leaps made. http://www.realcleareducation.com/articles/2015/06/18/eliminating_annual_tests_would_hurt_teachers_1203.html
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Diane, Gates is coming after Early Childhood Education now. Could you please tell Nancy Carlsson-Paige to be alert to this, because some of the people who influenced the leadership at NAEYC in ways that are in conflict with developmentally appropriate practices are involved in the program that Gates is funding, the Ounce of Prevention’s First Five Years Fund?
For example, as head of the ECE department at CPS, Barbara Bowman, mom of Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to Obama, eliminated nap time for 3 and 4 year olds attending all day preschool, because it cut into “instructional time.” That is not developmentally appropriate for most kids those ages, so if children attend preschool in private child care centers, like the Ounce programs, the state requires they be given nap time. The head of the Ounce is the governor’s wife, Diana Rauner, so I can’t help but wonder if Rauner will make a move to eliminate nap time for those kids as well, to increase “instructional time,” as well as institute other practices that are not developmentally appropriate, such as more testing (at-risk Preschoolers are already tested way too much IMO).
“Next Move? Parsing What Bill and Melinda Said About Education Funding”
http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2015/7/28/next-move-parsing-what-bill-and-melinda-said-about-education.html
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Dear Diane,
I’m taking a new prescription medication that gives me incredibly complex and vivid dreams. Last night I dreamt that the newest ed reform idea in Oregon was that all professional development be conducted in Klingon. My new principal and entire district office showed up to our first meeting for the year in full Klingon dress complete with the leather, hair, teeth, bulging eyes, and pointy weapons. Our high school teaching staff was rather stunned, to say the least.
I got a good giggle out of it when I woke up and I thought you’d appreciate the visual.
Thanks for your amazing blog. I read it every day.
Qapla’!
Piroska Balogh
Centennial High School
Gresham, Oregon
Earthling Science Teacher
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I’ve been urging school board associations to create model job descriptions for school board members that include political advocacy as a specific responsibility.
This is important because many people run for or serve on school boards without understanding how critical it is to advocate the needs of schools and students to the state legislature and Congress.
People get on a school board and are either resistant or reluctant to contact state senators and representatives… the result is that others control the outcomes, legislation and regulation.
Mobilizing school board members and administrators is one important element in any effort to improve education. The place to start is by activating every school board member and administrator. That requires educating them about what they can do as political issue advocates and how to maximize their effectiveness. It needs to be an explicit part of their job.
###
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could not find a way to email you. from a texas teacher, saw this post originally on firedoglake. note that profit motive is seen even in 3rd world. please check it out and thanks.
http://www.mintpressnews.com/world-bank-peddling-private-for-profit-schools-in-africa-disguised-as-aid/208140/
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Would like to have this survey from the California Teachers Summit yesterday – July 31, 2015 – shared with everyone. There was clear pretense that CCSS was not the main agenda. But of course it was. Here is the post-Summit survey we were all sent by email:
Thank you Larry Lawrence and Virginia Tibbetts for making this comprehensible.
“Teachers and other stakeholders who attended the CA Teachers Summit were required to give their email addresses when registering. After the summit was over they received this email that is steeped in inquiry about the CC$$.
1. To what extent do you agree that the California Teachers Summit provided you with key learning you can take away and implement? Strongly Agree – Agree – Disagree – Strongly Disagree.
2. What is one key learning you are taking away from the California Teachers Summit?
3. The California Teachers Summit helped to build my enthusiasm for implementing the California Standards this school year. Strongly Agree —– Strongly Disagree.
4. In what ways did today help build your enthusiasm for implementing the California Standards for this school year?
5. To what extent were you able to network with other teachers at the California Teachers Summit? A Great Deal – Quite a bit – Some – Hardly Any – Not at all.
6. How will you stay engaged with them?
7. How confident do you feel as you move forward to implement the California Standards based on what you learned today? Very Confident – Confident – Somewhat Confident – Not Confident.
8. How confident do you feel about implementing the California Standards before today? Very Confident —— Not Confident.
9. What is you greatest need moving forward to support you in the implementation of the California Standards?
10. How satisfied are you with the learning experience offered to particpants at the Summit? Very Satisfied —– Not at all Satisfied.
11. What did you like best?
12. What two Summit resources have been the most helpful to you?
13. Please confirm your email address to receive your 2015 Better Together: California Teachers Summit Certificate.”
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August 3, 2015
Dear Professor Ravitch,
As you know, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has threatened to punch in the face “the national teachers’ union.” I am not sure which of the two national unions he means, but in any event, as a longtime public school English teacher, I am scared. I know the likelihood is small, but what if I should encounter Governor Christie in a dark alley (or a school hallway), and he takes a swipe at me? After all, I am an NEA member, as well as a member of my state and local teachers’ unions. The Governor is a big man, while I am a spindly bantamweight with glasses. Frankly, I don’t like my chances. And I need my face to teach, I really do.
Professor Ravitch, till now, attacks on teachers have been of the figurative kind. In your blog and elsewhere, you have deftly fended off these attacks. But Governor Christie’s attack seems, well, of a different sort. I am wondering if you have any advice. I have already been doing some thinking myself. Maybe there could be a “Teacher Protection Program,” modeled after the federal Witness Protection Program. Teachers who felt particularly threatened by Governor Christie could be relocated (to a different state, or to a private or charter school) or even be given a new name and occupation (say, as a member of the Alabama School Board), all in an effort to avoid a punch in the face.
What do you think?
Sincerely,
Neil M. Kulick
Newton, Mass.
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This article is from today’s (8/06/15) Charlotte observer. It discusses new research that VAM is not helping to improve teacher effectiveness despite the gobs of money and instructional time spent on testing.
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Kim Young, you did not send a link to the article in Charlotte Observer about VAM.
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Jeb Bush is actually getting positive press for his debate comments on education. Really to see him benefitting from this: http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/07/politics/jeb-bush-common-core-gop-debate/
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Diane, please comment on the article in the New York Times on teacher shortages – here is the link:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/us/teacher-shortages-spur-a-nationwide-hiring-scramble-credentials-optional.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
A blog post, letter to the Editor, or both would be great! Thank you!
Perhaps we all need to write to the editor (or some powers that be at the Times) and insist that the Times follow up with some good old-fashioned investigative journalism, for example researching any link between privatization/teacher evaluations based on student test scores and teacher exodus. How about actually interviewing teachers who have left the profession, to find out why? The article’s only explanation for the shortage is the Great Recession, which is woefully inadequate.
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I went back to work today (Utah) and what a difference a year makes. Of course I was in meetings all day, but the rhetoric from the administration was very different. The last few years it was the district’s way or the highway; and teachers cannot go rogue anymore and teach what they want, they need to follow the script (teach to the test).
This year there is a teacher shortage and all of the administrators who spoke today were touting the same message: “we love our teachers, we know you are professionals and we trust you to do the right thing when it comes to teaching our students, we know you’re underpaid and you will never be compensated enough, you have the hardest job and we respect you, we are even going to take all of our teachers and their spouses to a professional soccer game and we’re giving you goody bags”. We have not heard this kind of pandering in years, it almost made me sick!
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Thank you for all you do for our kids, their teachers and schools. Your blog is a great resource.
Over twenty five years ago, while an educator in Attleboro, MA, I was shocked that there was no ongoing talk show about education. ‘A plethora of TV about sports, sex, cooking, etc. So I started SCHOOL TALK (School Talk, Inc. non-profit, mostly volunteer & collaborative) a half-hour TV/Internet talk show with experts and leaders, and continue on a shoestring budget. Our guests range from U.S. senators like Ted Kennedy to presidents of unions and colleges. Topics from education policy and access to higher education to youth violence, suicide and cyberbullying.
Perhaps your followers would be interested is viewing some of the 443 shows. Google: tvsbsc and scroll down to School Talk. (almost 100 available). It airs on Sundays at 10:03 a.m. on RI PBS (WSBE- Comcast #9,19,20; Verizon #18; Cox #9) on WSBEL at
5:00 p.m. (Comcast #294; Verizon#478, Cox #808) and at http://www.onworldwide.com at 10:30 a.m. Selected shows at http://www.schooltalk.tv
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Hello Diane. My wife’s blog is written for the express reason of encouraging teachers. Here is a blog piece that went viral that you might be interested in. http://pursuitofajoyfullife.com/2014/01/26/what-students-remember-most-about-teachers/
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Diane, I don’t know if this is the right place to post this, but Illinois Senators have introduced a bill (SB 318) that would end all school funding formulas (across the state) on June 1, 2017.
Thank you for anything you can do!
I am afraid that this will create a man-made “Katrina moment to charterize/privatize Illinois schools, while simultaneously destroying professionalism, pensions and the teachers’ union in one fell swoop. Or am I being overly paranoid?
Per Bev Johns, as posted on Fred Klonsky’s website:
“The school aid formula will crash if this bill passes, and the commission fails to come up with a replacement,” Phelon [spokesperson for Senate President Cullerton] said.
Senate Bill 318 passed the Illinois State Senate, but is currently stuck in the Illinois House of Representatives.
In House committee this morning, State Rep. Lou Lang said SB 318 would blow up school funding in Illinois because if Illinois can not even agree on a Budget this year, how could a commission agree on new formulas for school funding plus pension changes plus state intervention into local property taxes?
SB 318 would end all Illinois school funding formulas on June 1, 2017. SB 318 would set up a commission composed only of legislators, 1/2 Democrats and 1/2 Republicans, to propose new school funding formulas plus pension changes plus property tax changes, etc.
The previous bill that passed the Illinois Senate last year would have directly and seriously harmed special education.”
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http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/politics-government/article31008225.html
The state of WA is being fined 100,00k a day for failing to have a plan to fully fund basic education as required by the McCleary ruling.
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Scott Walker – ALEC’s Trojan Horse: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/11/1410793/-Must-Read-at-TPM-Scott-Walker-ALEC-s-Trojan-Horse
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Will Jeb(!) effectively retreat from Common Core: http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/run-2016/2015/08/14/jeb-bush-common-core-is-poisonous
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Diane — did you catch this in The Atlantic:
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/
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Hi Diane,
If you see this, I’d be interested to pick your brain a bit. Some other ed-tech folks and I are working on a tool to help incentivize parents to improve their students’ attendance. We know how big a factor attendance is, and we also believe it’s the factor parents have the greatest control over – if they realize its importance. Shoot me an email if you have a few minutes to spare.
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Maine DOE trying to cover the tracks of Jeb’s influence: http://www.pressherald.com/2015/08/16/education-agenda-in-maine-shifts-abruptly-and-ties-to-bush-model-go-cold/
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UUgh. Not lookin good for NC. https://www.ednc.org/2015/08/17/14076/
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Thought you might be interested in this article about the vindictiveness of a charter school company in Akron, OH:
http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/summit-academy-more-than-doubles-lawsuits-against-former-teachers-1.617597
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The Post and Courier in Charleston, SC is running an excellent investigative series called “Left Behind — The Unintended Consequences of School Choice.” It highlights what we know to be true: choice = segregation. Glad to see a spotlight put on this issue.
http://data.postandcourier.com/school-choice/page/1
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Dear Diane, Your column brilliantly discusses student testing and its effects often, I thought I would share with you an educators testing tale, as follows:
I have been a teacher of special needs children in NYC for the past eleven years and also have an advanced degree in educational administration. I am now looking to utilitze it.
Here’s my issue– I just took a Pearson test under the most arcane circumstances. It was the eight hour marathon of the two part school building leader exam. Throughout the exam on a computer that was not functioning right, jack hammers were being pile driven above my head (and other test takers like me) on the floor above the “Pearson Professional Building” test site. They gave us tight headphones to wear and the vibrations were still felt. It was insane! Fun fact, did you know that Pearson does not allow you to bring water into the testing room? It’s true. For four hours at a shot you have to find water elsewhere. Are they afraid I would find my answers to the 600 word essays floating in the bottle? If you have to use the bathroom, or grab some water, it takes five minutes to leave the premises because first you raise your hand, and hope that your ‘proctor’ sees you behind the glass, comes inside, turns off your computer (which is still ticking down), then you have to have your palm scanned, and show them your ID then run the ten second hundred yard dash to a key in bathroom. Reverse the process when through. On part two of the exam (seven hours in) – I held my body in check with dehydration and hallucinations floating along simultaneously because I did not want to lose valuable time on the clock. In my exhausted opinion, these tests are more of an endurance meet then a skills test for the field. I felt like it was a cult indoctrination, or a cruel hazing ceremony from college before being expelled.
I wish the world of politicians and other loudmouths and crack-pots could see inside the vail of the Pearson testing empire. Thanks for reading!
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Governor Kasich has a solution for all educational ills. Who knew it was so simple? http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/08/19/kasich-if-i-were-king-in-america-i-would-abolish-all-teachers-lounges-where-they-sit-together-and-worry-about-how-woe-is-us/
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A Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial columnist explains a little about the Ohio charter school fiasco: http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/08/legislative_inaction_adds_to_o.html#incart_river
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In the NY Times book review “The Prize,” by Dale Russakoff, a must-read about the Newark Brooker-Christie-Zuckerberg fiasco, is given an excellent treatment by Alex Kotloswitz. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/23/books/review/the-prize-by-dale-russakoff.html?em_pos=large&emc=edit_bk_20150821&nl=books&nlid=47693186
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Diane – There is a very powerful video being sent around Facebook involving a mother rabbit rescuing her young from a black snake intent on taking their young lives. I believe this video, viewed by millions online, captures the essence of our public teachers fight against the evils of vulgar/divisive corporate deforms currently in favor by the political and monied classes.
Please watch the video, digest it, and then consider sharing it on your blog. It’s a heroic on several levels. I believe this simple video has the power to help us better-frame the current public v. corporate narrative in powerful ways, as well as raise teacher/parent moral. *** Thanks for all the hard work you do – it does matter and is making a difference!
Best Regards,
Charlie Follis
Here’s the video location for retransmission purposes, which I hope you will consider:
https://fbcdn-video-i-a.akamaihd.net/hvideo-ak-xft1/v/t42.1790-2/11851758_995803933804491_1869056956_n.mp4?efg=eyJybHIiOjE0NDUsInJsYSI6MTY4N30%3D&rl=1445&vabr=803&oh=3b45f6781a917babdb69726e7841cc44&oe=55DC0626&__gda__=1440482709_5e56425a4ccedc704fdd935ef14448b3
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Cannot open/reach file.
Is there another source besides FACEBOOK?
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The corporate media strikes back: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/08/how-new-orleans-proved-education-reform-can-work.html
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Greg, not surprising. New York mag is a gossip-and-celebrity mag. Not sure who reads it.
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I believe Chiatt’s wife has a few charter school connections. And since when is what happened in NOLA germane to NYC?
Great post: via JerseyJazzman
http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2015/02/jonathan-chaits-pc-hypocrisy.html?m=1
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You may be interested in the measurement/statistical side of things?
Here is a link to mathbabe and a list of articles on the errors and dangers of BIG data.
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On Monday, the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools released a report noting that school takeovers seem to be linked to the privatization movement, and are disenfranchising African American and Latino voters. See the report here: http://www.reclaimourschools.org/sites/default/files/out-of-control-takeover-report.pdf
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You have to wonder why NM officials can’t do a quick Google search when hiring. Timothy Johnson Martinez – former Deputy Super faces multiple felony sex charges in NM and Colorado.
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http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=23625
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This link says it all, AMERICA FOR SALE, Including schools……… http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=23625
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View at Medium.com
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Another reason to hate the lottery.
I will always believe that the lottery is one of three reasons public school became vulnerable. I’ll save the other two for another time.
http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2015/08/27/the-telling-priorities-of-the-budget-compromise/
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Hi Diane,
I don’t have time to follow up on some new development that doesn’t appear to have any coverage right now….. In Washington State the high school Science End of Course Exam was scored incorrectly and all the scores had to be scored again. I personally talked with an assessment analyst from OSPI who confirmed that the company that scored them (AIR) screwed it up and they all had to be re-scored. If you want to follow up and ask some hard hitting questions email them at assessmentanalysts@k12.wa.us
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I’m sorry …. I’m not 100% sure about AIR being the scorer of the exam…
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And so, “this school network is not for everyone” is so true. We decided that the road to Success will not be ridden on the back of our 5 yr. old. We have decided that Success can be found at our local elementary school too.
We made it through kindergarten, but there will be no Success Academy in our family ever again. We have seen our very smart, precious, talented rising 1st grader demoralized, beaten down, turned into a nervous wreck, a little robot – for what – not for Success at 5 yrs. old.
This decision was not based on how the scholars are treated, not the demands put on mom and dad, not the videos sent to use as our 5 yr. old was having a meltdown one day, not physically being prevented from picking up my child from a detention type room. Why you ask, because I forgot to hand in a form with my decision not to attend yet another rally. Maybe we made the decision to find Success at another school because off the rising cost of the uniforms, well yes all of that. But the straw that broke our backs was when we got an email a week before the start of school informing us that the school day was going to be extended to 4:30Pm. NOT OUR BABY, NO MORE!
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Last paragraph of the article very touching.
Art Show Captures the Wrenching Effects of Closing a School – Philadelphia- NY Times review
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I find it telling that the NYTimes places this article in “Art and Design” but does NOT link to it from the Education section. The exhibit is of great relevance to education, not only because of the students’ involvement, but primarily because of the insight it could provide about the current inadequacies and a community’s powerful response.
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Hi Diane,
I wanted to call your attention to a trend that is sadly moving through seondary ed institutions in my area: the gutting of school libraries in fvor of a “learning commons”. We just had our faculty meeting today and our “librarian” had adopted this position–books were getting in the way, students use the internet for research anyways, so get rid of the books in favor of “collaborative spaces”. One school in our area I visited had already put a coffee shop in the library. I imagine that’s on tap for ours soon.
How can we help the students to develop research skills or just the enjoyment of literature when they have no books? The very idea that “anything worth knowing is online” saddens me to no end. The concept of this derives from the corporate world and not from good edcational practices. That we have succumbed to it is terribly frustrating.
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David,
I love libraries and books. The Internet can’t replace them
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Hello All,
I started a new education blog, Raise the Bar Higher. The first post is called The Cheaters and The Players: Why the U.S. News and World Reports High School Rankings are Meaningless. http://raisethebarhigher.wordpress.com
If you enjoy it, I hope you will share with your followers. Thank you, Noelle Green
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Here is a link to yet another program designed to undermine teacher education. The sponsors will sound familiar. A quote from the article describes the content well: ”
“Blood in the water” in established teacher preparation?”
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/2015/09/teach-now-online-certification-scaling-up.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2#
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I read this article yesterday on exceptionaldelware@wordpress.com.Here is the link https://exceptionaldelaware.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/an-inside-look-at-air-the-most-terrifying-company-in-education-reform/ Would you consider looking into AIR?
An Inside Look At AIR: The Most Terrifying Company In Education Reform
APR 28
Posted by Kevin Ohlandt
The scariest company making millions of dollars from the Delaware Department of Education is not who you would think. It’s not Pearson, or Amplify, or even the Rodel Foundation. It is a company which has been a part of education policy longer than Common Core was even an idea. This company sowed the seeds for No Child Left Behind and they even helped to tear down one of Bill Gates original education reform agendas. This company is American Institutes for Research, otherwise known as AIR.
AIR is the contracted vendor to create and distribute the Smarter Balanced Assessment, the state standardized assessment in Delaware. But they have been around in Delaware since long before this. They were also the testing vendor for the Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS) in Delaware. To date AIR received over $35 million dollars from the Delaware DOE as per Delaware Online Checkbook. How did Delaware bargain students to such a company?
This blog reached out to the Delaware Department of Education through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the DOE contracts with AIR, as well as the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and Data Recognition Corporation, the contracted company that will grade the Smarter Balanced Assessment being administered across Delaware public schools this Spring.
In my original FOIA request I asked for all contracts between the DOE and SBAC, AIR and Data Recognition Corporation as well as all documented contacts between the DOE and these companies or consortiums. In the DOE’s response, they indicated it would cost over $7000.00. I promptly filed a complaint with the Department of Justice. While the results of the complaint are still under investigation, I have not received any documents from the DOE about this FOIA request. I can say that the cost would actually be more because they forgot there was a recently signed contract in January 2015 between the Teacher Leader Effectiveness Unit at the DOE and AIR. No contracts or memorandums of understanding are on the DOE website or the Delaware Awarded Contracts website.
For the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, Washington is the lead state in the Consortium, and I published the contract between the United States Department of Education and SBAC yesterday. The Memorandum of Understanding for each state involved in SBAC, now handled through the Graduate School for Education at the University of California, is most likely similar to all the states in the consortium. Such as Idaho…
But information on American Institutes for Research is much harder to find. Who is AIR? The company was created in 1946 by a World War II veteran named John Flanagan. The non-profit company creates assessments in various areas of everyday life. Their first big project was designing recruiting strategies for Trans-World Airlines pilots. In the late 1950’s they created a program called Project TALENT for high school students. This program followed a large group of high school students and had them do surveys in the next eleven years to help get research on curriculum and career development. In the business world, they invented the Supervision, Creativity, Organization, Research, Engineering, and Sales assessment to measure aptitudes of career workers in various fields.
In the 1960’s, the bulk of AIR’s work was in helping to create the requirements for Peace Corps workers and creating aptitude tests for developing countries such as Nigeria, Brazil, Liberia and South Korea. As AIR grew in the 1970’s, they started becoming a part of public policy with the Federal government of the United States. They did vast amounts of reports and research for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. It also delved into the area of gerontology and did reports on the effects of aging. They also did a lot of Asthma research and public education regarding the condition and how to treat it. The highlights of the 1980’s for AIR included designing wheelchair access for commercial airlines, commissioning a key report about intercollegiate athletics and student achievement for the NCAA, and working with women to make sure they had equal access to computer instruction.
It was in the 1990’s that AIR’s biggest forays into education began in earnest. From their website (link to history link):
“The 1990s saw AIR helping to bring about equitable personnel policies in the military, as well as enhancing learning in the classroom through technology and spearheading an effort that helped safeguard the nation’s blood supply. AIR expanded its work throughout the world of education — from developing voluntary national tests in reading and mathematics (linked to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the “Nation’s Report Card”) to evaluating the nation’s largest program for strengthening high-poverty schools, from investigating the value of smaller classes to creating nationally recognized centers that share information on effective programs for children with special needs and identifying the best education technology.”
The scariest part is AIR’s role in the creation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
“AIR Develops Voluntary National Tests in Reading and Mathematics — In 1998, AIR, with six partners, won a contract to develop voluntary national tests of reading at the fourth-grade level and math at the eighth-grade level. Scores on these standardized tests linked student performance to achievement levels used by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). AIR developed test items, scoring rubrics, and evaluated some of the test items with students in cognitive labs.”
During this decade, AIR also did consulting work for the military, which “improved the selection, classification, and utilization of Army personnel.” Not everything AIR does is nefarious in purpose because they did do some excellent work in terms of blood donor work during the AIDS crisis, and working on adult education practices to make that more streamlined.
AIR’s work in the nineties set them up for a very prosperous first decade of the 21st Century. The non-profit played a key role in the No Child Left Behind creation by providing reports on education and how the United States compared to other countries. In the early 2000’s, Bill Gates launched a ton of “small” high schools around the country thinking this would dramatically impact education. This initial reform movement by Gates didn’t work out, and the Gates Foundation commissioned a report from AIR that indicated the problems with this initiative: while attendance was up, test scores were lower. As well, special education issues and graduation rates were horrible according to Diane Ravitch in an article for Forbes.
Right before the United States launched the Common Core standards on an unwitting public, companies like AIR and NCEE (National Center on Education and the Economy) were launching reports left and right about how bad U.S. education was and how we had to correct this if we wanted to stay number one in the world. **link to article w/Tough Times** These reports set the tone for the Common Core. In Delaware, then State Treasurer Jack Markell and Paul Herdman of the Rodel Foundation were setting up their own statewide education reform movement which catapulted Markell into the Governor’s mansion in 2008 and set him up to take education by the neck and turn it into something completely different.
The same year Markell won the Governor race, AIR released a report on No Child Left Behind which addressed issues concerning some very familiar issues: teacher quality, achievement gaps, and low-income and Title I funding. These all became the cornerstones of President Obama and US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s Race To The Top.
“Providing Comprehensive Data on Education — AIR experts have contributed to the development of national and international statistics about education that inform the discussion and planning of decisionmakers at national, state, and local levels. Our work includes survey and assessment design, the development of questionnaires and test items, incentive and informational materials, data editing and imputation specifications and data products. AIR produces the National Center for Education Statistics’ annual flagship report, The Condition of Education, as well as the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), the Schools and Staffing Survey, and the Digest of Education Statistics, the nation’s most authoritative and comprehensive compilation of statistical information about education in the United States.”
As states were mandated to create rigorous state assessments, Delaware developed DCAS. They put out a contract notice for bids in March of 2009, and one of the companies that issued a bid was AIR, along with Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) who created the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) tests, and three other vendors. When the Delaware DOE chose NWEA, AIR filed suit against the DOE. Documents obtained by the News Journal showed that 54 % of teachers preferred the AIR proposal over NWEA. As a result, the contract went to AIR for DCAS.
With AIR as the contract winner, the implementation and roll-out of DCAS was in place for roll-out in 2010-2011. They already had their foot in the door in the First State with their role in the creation of The National Center on Response To Intervention (RTI) which is widely used in Delaware public schools to “help out” the students in need. As well, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Corporation awarded AIR the contract for the Smarter Balanced Assessment in September of 2012.
AIR has been very busy the past five years cementing their role as the main assessment vendor. The major media and bulk of education blogs such as Diane Ravitch talk about Pearson and their PARCC assessment all the time, but Smarter Balanced and AIR don’t get as much play. With Pearson subject to many issues, and their economic outlook in the United States under advisement, AIR is in a very good place to gain more contracts in the coming years.
The Delaware DOE’s current “school accountability” initiative with letter grades given to each district comes from a seed developed by AIR.
“Breakthroughs in International Benchmarking — AIR has expanded assessment criteria to help educators and policymakers better gauge how well U.S. students are performing compared with those in other nations. AIR developed a method that calibrates U.S. and international mathematics tests on the same scale with the familiar letter grades of A, B, C, and D. This groundbreaking approach to benchmarking allows parents and policymakers to see how students are performing in comparison with their counterparts in other countries.”
AIR was very involved in the Say Yes To Education initiative in Syracuse, NY, even providing a promised $7.5 million. Although the idea never really took off, AIR loved the fact that investors came out of the woodwork for it.
“Though it may not seem large when viewed as a percentage of education giving overall, venture philanthropy makes substantial contributions in absolute terms: at least $1.5 billion to more than 500 investees in the last decade. Additionally, venture philanthropy is growing along with the industry in general—with cash donations quadrupling over this time period—and often focuses on the most vulnerable groups in society.”
Venture philanthropy also benefits hedge fund managers and investors who make a ton of money off of these vulnerable groups. The very fact that AIR would promote such a scheme shows they are not the unbiased group they like people to think they are.
A very creepy part about AIR is found on their website, in the section entitled Statistics and Psychometrics. For teachers, value-added models have been the bane of their existence. Guess who helped create them? None other than AIR.
“AIR uses scientific sampling for field tests and advanced models for linking and equating to ensure stable test results. We customize our approach to the specific needs of each assessment program to obtain the best possible data and statistics.”
In 2014, the Delaware General Assembly realized the state’s contract with AIR for DCAS was set to expire, and with the implementation of the Smarter Balanced Assessment, House Bill 334 was introduced in March of that year. The Delaware DOE already bought the test, and the legislators approved the bill. Not without some controversy, but this allowed the Smarter Balanced Assessment to become the official state assessment. With AIR as the official vendor for this assessment, the transition was seamless (how convenient for AIR). The current contract for the Smarter Balanced Assessment contract is only for a year according to credible sources who did not want to place their name as the source.
AIR has successfully ingratiated themselves into multiple facets of society, nationally and internationally. Their fingerprints are in education, the military, healthcare, disabilities, housing, labor and the workforce, and international relations. To me, they are the scariest company in the world because we don’t hear enough about them. All the concerns parents in Delaware have about the Smarter Balanced Assessment are because of policies AIR has helped to create. They set the tones, create the product, and then unleash it on the world. If you look at everything in education in the past twenty years, AIR is at the forefront of it all, helping to create policies and assessments specifically designed for one thing: continuous improvement. After all, they don’t just act their part in the play, they designed the whole book the play is based on. Based on what I have read about AIR, they will always have to issue reports about how to improve education, because if they don’t, they won’t be able to sell their product.
The US Department of Education currently has numerous contracts with AIR, as well as multiple states. The Delaware DOE is so secretive about AIR they won’t show their contracts with them. What is the big secret they are hiding from all of us? Could the answer be in this document:
I have no doubt they customize everything so it benefits their own company to continue selling what they want people to think they so desperately need. This is the heart of corporate education reform. Create the scene and show how bad things are and then give the people what they think they want. They create the very evidence and research used to set policy, which makes them very dangerous to society as a whole. Hundreds of thousands of parents are seeing through the illusion this Spring though as everyday more and more students are opted out of state assessments administered by either AIR or PARCC. It is my fervent hope one day all will be exposed in regards to these companies that have transformed education for their own greedy purposes. Until then, I will keep digging.
*The history and quoted sections in this article on AIR all came from their own website: http://www.air.org/
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For an insider’s perspective on Youngstown charter take over and the role of John Kasich, this long-form article in the current online edition of BELT is excellent: http://beltmag.com/the-mess-of-academic-distress-are-charters-in-the-future-for-youngstown-city-schools/?mc_cid=d89ea108f2&mc_eid=d31f56d5eb#prettyPhoto
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We’ve been going in the wrong direction (as most of you know): http://ed-detective.org/2015/09/07/weve-been-going-in-the-wrong-direction/
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Your book seems like it may be interesting…
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That’s the plan 🙂
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https://dianeravitch.net/2015/09/09/new-york-why-the-regents-should-oppose-the-governors-teacher-evaluation-plan/
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New York: Why the Regents Should Oppose the Governor’s Teacher Evaluation Plan
by dianeravitch
The New York State Board of Regents was founded in 1784, then reorganized in 1787. In their wisdom, the state’s founding fathers (there were no mothers there) decided to place educational policy making in the hands of this body rather than the governor. Governors come and go. Educational decisions should not change with every election.
Unfortunately, Governor Andrew Cuomo has seized control over educational policy, despite the absence of any state constitutional authority. To avenge his anger at the state’s teachers for not endorsing his re-election, Cuomo inserted into the state budget a punitive teacher evaluation plan.
Now, the question is whether the State Board of Regents will endorse the Governor’s seizure of the powers that legally belong to the Regents. They meet on September 16-17 to decide whether to abandon their constitutional authority.
Lisa Eggert Litvin, a public school parent and lawyer, explains why the Cuomo plan is harmful to students, teachers, and education. She concludes it should be voted down.
It will make tests more consequential than ever. This will certainly fuel the growth of the opt out movement.
“The Regents need to address one of the biggest flaws in the evaluation plan — that this technical plan is apparently not based on any science, research or expert study, in violation of the law, and against all common sense.
“For much of the past year, New York’s teacher evaluation plan has been a central concern of parents and educators. There is wide agreement that an accurate teacher evaluation plan is necessary, with the public urging that the plan be created with experts, based on research, science and best practices, unlike past plans. In its Education Transformation Act of 2015, the state Legislature even specifically directed that the Education Department, which drafts the plan, to consult with experts in education, economics and psychometrics.
Unfortunately, it appears that what was created is not based on expert input. New York’s State Administrative Procedure Act is clear that any studies, research or analyses on which the plan is based be specifically identified in the required notice to the public.
“Summaries, citations and authors must be listed, so that the public may assess the plan’s validity and may comment. But the notice fails to provide any of this information; instead the notice just acknowledges that expert input is mandated. And despite numerous follow-up calls and emails to the Education Department alerting it to its deficient and defective notice, the department still refuses to supply the information or, alternatively, confirm that in fact, the rules aren’t based on any research whatsoever.”
Last June, six Regents voted no -and insisted that any such plan must be based on research and evidence.
Now,
“the other Regents need to join their colleagues and vote “no” this time, and insist on following the law, gathering the appropriate research, and giving the public access, as the law requires. By doing so, they will insure that new rules are scientifically and not politically based and that the Regents are ready to work with the public instead of what has appeared to be against it. And perhaps most important, a “no” vote will show that the Regents want the laws of our state to be respected and enforced, especially when those laws protect the public’s right to transparent and participatory rulemaking.”
dianeravitch | September 9, 2015 at 1:00 pm | Categories: Cuomo, Andrew, New York, Teacher Evaluation | URL: http://wp.me/p2odLa-b8S
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Teachers Say What’s Wrong With Education in the U.S.
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