Archives for category: Betsy DeVos
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Fred Smith: It’s Groundhog Day!

By dianeravitch
February 2, 2017 //
7

Fred Smith, testing expert and humorist, shares this bulletin:

“Spring may be on the way. Famed weather reporter rodent Staten Island Chuck declared that the city will enjoy an early end to winter after he failed to see his shadow during the annual Groundhog Day ceremony at the Staten Island Zoo.”

Reporters then put two bowls of groundhog food in front of New York’s second most famous Chuck. One was marked YES and the other was marked NO. They pressed him to make other forecasts. The one that drew much attention was when this usually reliable rodent Chuck was asked if Betsy DeVos’ nomination would be confirmed.

He hesitated but then began to DeVour the food in the NO bowl. (He refused to make predictions about the Super Bowl.) President Trump immediately tweeted that Chuck was a bigly rat and traitor who had sold out his base on Staten Island. Reporters looking for other sources of information about DeVos’ fate turned to the Magic 8 Ball. It said the Senate “Outcome in Doubt.”

Moments later, Kellyanne Conway with forced cheer said that this was nothing but fake news based on pseudo facts.

Categories Betsy DeVos

John Merrow to the U.S. Senate: Why DeVos Should NOT Be Confirmed

By dianeravitch
February 2, 2017 //
8

The vote on Betsy DeVos could come as early as Friday. John Merrow has written to every senator. This is the letter he wrote, which he shared on his blog, The Merrow Report.

“Friends,

“This is the letter I have sent to about 40 United States Senators, including Senator Deb Fischer, the Nebraska Republican. If you agree, please communicate with your Senators and with Senator Fischer, whose vote may well determine the immediate future of public education.

“Dear Senator Fischer,

In the 41 years I spent covering education for PBS and NPR, I never encountered anyone less qualified for leadership than Betsy DeVos, the Administration’s nominee for United States Secretary of Education.

I reported for the PBS NewsHour and National Public Radio from early 1974 to late 2015. In fact, I cut my reporter’s teeth on IDEA, the 1975 federal law originally known as The Education of All Handicapped Children Act and followed that story with great interest throughout my career.

The Charter School movement was born in 1988, when many of education’s original thinkers met at the headwaters of the Mississippi River to develop the notion. I moderated that historic 3-day meeting, which led to the first state charter legislation (Minnesota, 1991) and the first charter school in Saint Paul in 1992. From that day forward I reported on charter schools, covering post-Katrina schooling in New Orleans for six years (12 reports for the NewsHour and a 1-hour film for Netflix, “Rebirth: New Orleans”), as well as reports about charter schools in Los Angeles, Arizona, Texas, Washington, DC and elsewhere.

In 1989 I was invited to interview for the position of Education Advisor on George H. W. Bush’s Domestic Policy Council. Although I was told the job was mine for the asking, I chose to remain a reporter.

During my career I covered progressive ‘open classrooms’ and back to basics “No Excuses” elementary schools where children marched silently to their classes. I spent time with education’s radicals like John Holt and Jonathan Kozol and ideologues like Michelle Rhee in Washington, DC.

I covered the seminal 1983 report “A Nation at Risk,” Secretary Ted Bell’s “Wall Charts, and the rise and fall of No Child Left Behind, the law that set off our current obsession with standardized testing.

While the federal government’s track record in public education is mixed, the past 16 years have demonstrated quite clearly that……(for the rest of the letter, https://themerrowreport.com/2017/02/02/dont-confirm-betsy-devos/)

John

Categories Betsy DeVos

Please Send a Tweet to Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska @Senatorfischer

By dianeravitch
February 1, 2017 //
46

Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska is the deciding vote on the nomination of Betsy DeVos.

Apparently DeVos promised not to force vouchers and charters on Nebraska. But, Senator Fischer is making a decision that will affect every state in the nation, not just Nebraska. State’s like North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Florida, the Rust Belt, the Deep South, the Midwest will see hundreds of millions–nay, billions–of public funds taken away from public schools and transferred to religious schools with no certified teachers and to charter schools that are neither accountable nor transparent, with academic performance no better than public schools and possibly worse.

Senator Fischer’s mother was a public school teacher. Senator Fischer served on her local school board and was president of the Nebraska School Boards Association.

Please reach out to her. Her twitter handle is @senatorfischer.

She needs to know that the future of public education in America hangs in the balance.

Categories Betsy DeVos, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Democracy, Education Industry, Privatization, School Choice, Supporting public schools, Vouchers

Billionaire Eli Broad Opposes DeVos

By dianeravitch
February 1, 2017 //
29

Does anyone care? A day late and many dollars short, charter champion Eli Broad came out in opposition to Betsy DeVos.

Why did he wait until after she passed the GOP-controlled Senate committee? She has been under discussion for two months. Why the silence when it might have mattered?

Is he trying to protect charters from competition with vouchers?

Does he want to protect the charter brand from being mingled with the Trump brand?

Whatever his motive, he is not acting to protect public schools.

Would you rather be privatized by charter or voucher? Would you rather be hung or shot?

Categories Betsy DeVos, Broad Foundation, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Privatization, School Choice, Vouchers

Only One GOP Senator Who Might Stop DeVos

By dianeravitch
February 1, 2017 //
32

Earlier I posted a list of Republican senators who had not yet declared how they would vote on DeVos and her radical privatization agenda for our public schools. One by one, the list has been shrinking. At this point, there is only one Republican senator who might vote NO (I say this with the caveat that someone might surprise us): Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska (she was not on the earlier list).

Nebraska has no charter schools, no vouchers. It has a strong tradition of public education. According to Wikipedia, Senator Fischer’s mother was an elementary school teacher in the Lincoln, Nebraska, public schools. I’m willing to bet that Senator Fischer is a graduate of public schools. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska.

Which way will she go? Will she support public schools or open the door to public funding (and regulation) of religious schools? Will she give the High sign to entrepreneurs and out-of-state corporate charter chains to poach students and money from Nebraska’s public schools?

Will she preserve her mother’s legacy? Millions of parents and teachers are waiting to find out.

Stand with us, Senator Fischer. Become a hero of American public education.

If you live in Nebraska, call her. If you don’t, send her an email or a tweet.

The Senate will probably vote on Friday.

Categories Betsy DeVos, Nebraska

Here is the Current List on GOP Senators Who Are Undecided About DeVos

By dianeravitch
February 1, 2017 //
52

Friends,

This is the current list of Republican senators who have not committed whether or not they will vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education:

1. Gardner-Co
2. Toomey-Pa
3. Flake-Az
4. McCain-Az
5. Sullivan-Al
6. Heller-NV
7. Portman-Oh

If you live in their state, please call and urge them to oppose DeVos and stand up for our children, our teachers, and our public schools. Urge them to oppose privatization of our democratic community schools.

Categories Betsy DeVos

Collins and Murkowski Will Vote NO to DeVos!

By dianeravitch
February 1, 2017 //
30

According to CNN, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska–both Republicans–will vote against Betsy DeVos in the Senate floor. One more Republican vote is needed to stop her confirmation. In case of a 50-50 tie, Mike Pence would be the tiebreaker.

Collins, Murkowski to vote no on education secretary nominee – CNN
https://apple.news/AWHrwZNk-QbeMfCKV3pGDRA

NOW IS THE TIME TO CONTACT YOUR SENATOR AND URGE A NO VOTE. #novouchers #saveourschools

Rural Republicans are most likely to oppose DeVos because their communities don’t want vouchers or charters.

Education Week lists the Senators who might break against the rest of the party. They represent largely rural states.

http://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?cid=25920011&item=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.edweek.org%2Fv1%2Fblog%2F49%2F%3Fuuid%3D64864

“One possible place to look for that third GOP vote against DeVos is the vote tally from the Scholarships for Kids Act in July 2015.

“That proposal, proposed by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., would have redirected $24 billion in federal funding for education into $2,100 scholarships for 11 million low-income students to use at the school of their choice. Alexander called it “a real answer to inequality in America.” The proposal failed, with 52 senators voting against and 45 in favor.

“Collins and Murkowski helped defeat the measure. Here are the other Republican lawmakers who voted against the Scholarships for Kids Act and are still in the Senate:

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia
Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska
Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada
Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas

DeVos is a prominent school choice advocate who favors vouchers. And those four senators have shown they’re not particularly big fans of vouchers, at least at the federal level.

“All four of those senators also represent states with significant rural interests to consider. As we’ve written before, school choice doesn’t necessarily play well in rural areas because of logistical and other barriers. And Heller is up for re-election in 2018, and could face a tough contest.

“We’ve reached out to all four of those senators’ offices for comment, and we’ll update this blog post if we hear back.

“None of this is to say that any of the four senators we’ve listed above are likely to vote against DeVos. GOP party discipline may prove far more important than any other factor. Those four senators decide that DeVos may be great on other education issues. And Republican senators may also be wary about the ripple effect of voting against a nominee who comes from the community of GOP mega-donors. Finally, remember that Trump won all four of those states except Nevada.

“There’s also this to consider: Both Capito and Heller have received money from the Alticor political action committee, which the DeVos family controls. (Murkowski herself has received money from Betsy DeVos directly, although that didn’t stop her from expressing serious reservations about the nominee on Tuesday.)

“Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who’s expressed concerns about President Donald Trump in other policy areas, has gotten money from the DeVos family directly. And another senator who’s done likewise, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has already said he’d vote for DeVos.”

DeVos is unqualified and she opposes community public schools. Oppose federal funding of privatization.

Categories Betsy DeVos, Education Reform

New York Republican Leader Endorses DeVos, to Dismay of Parents and Educators

By dianeravitch
February 1, 2017 //
16

John Flanagan, majority leader of the Republican-controlled state senate in New York, endorsed Betsy DeVos, shocking parent leaders and educators. Flanagan showed himself to be an enemy of public schools.

State Sen. Flanagan Draws Heat for Supporting Trump’s Education Secretary Pick

Michael Hynes, superintendent of Patchogue-Medford Schools, said Flanagan’s support of DeVos is “reprehensible.”

“It shows his true colors, and clearly he does not care about public education,” said Hynes, who has been a leading critic of the reliance on standardized state test scores to measure student performance.

Jeanette Deutermann, a Common Core critic, leader of the Opt-Out movement on Long Island and member of the steering committee for the New York State Allies for Public Education, denounced Flanagan’s endorsement of DeVos.

“Anyone who watched those confirmation hearings or dipped even an inch into her background yet still supports her nomination is doing so under a delusional ego-driven political pretense and cares nothing for his young constituents in our Long Island public schools or their parents,” Deutermann told the Press.

“Marla Kilfoyle, social studies teacher at Oceanside High School and manager of teacher advocacy group Badass Teachers Association, said that Flanagan’s support for DeVos proved his lack of concern not only for the students of New York, but for the entire nation.

“John Flanagan has shown time and time again that he will put his own needs and wants before the families and children of New York State,” Kilfoyle told the Press. “To endorse a dangerously unqualified candidate like Betsy DeVos, who had no clue that [Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] was a federal law that states had to follow, who had no clue what the difference was between proficiency and growth, and who said that guns were okay in schools so we could shoot grizzly bears, only proves she is absolutely unqualified.”

DeVos had pushed for passage of Michigan’s first charter-school bill in 1993, which allowed public money to be used for semi-independent schools that operated outside of the regulations that govern more traditional public schools. Public and private funds poured into the charter initiatives, but there was virtually no transparency on how that money was spent. A Detroit Free Press investigation reported that students’ standardized-test scores at charter schools were no better than traditional public school scores.

“The report also found that lower-income students were “effectively segregated into poorer-performing schools, while the parents of more privileged students were better equipped to navigate the system.”

Categories Betsy DeVos, New York

Los Angeles: Charter School, Raided by FBI, Has Money for Parties, Not for Basic Supplies

By dianeravitch
February 1, 2017 //
31

Last week, federal authorities raided the offices of Celerity charter schools in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times takes a closer look at the Celerity charters in this article.

Teacher Tien Le worked at Celerity Dyad Charter School, where she

taught in a portable classroom on an asphalt lot — not unheard of in this city of tight squeezes and little green space, but her students also had no library, cafeteria or gymnasium. The school didn’t provide most supplies, Le said, so when her sixth-graders needed books, or an extra pencil and paper, she spent her own money to buy them.

Months into her first year at Dyad, Le and her colleagues were invited by the organization that managed the school to a holiday party at a large house on a winding street in Hollywood. She parked in a lot rented for the occasion and took a shuttle to the house with other teachers and staff. Inside, there were two open bars, casino tables for poker and blackjack, and a karaoke room. At evening’s end, a limousine ferried guests back to their cars.

“I remember being really confused that night,” Le said. “When I asked for basic supplies, I couldn’t get those things, yet you have money for this expensive party? I know at big corporations and for-profit places these parties are normal, but for a public school it was not normal.”

Celerity operates seven charter schools in Southern California and four in Louisiana.

The investigation is ongoing. I can’t help but wonder whether Betsy DeVos will call a halt to the investigation when and if she becomes Secretary of Education. True, the FBI is involved, but a phone call to her friend in the White House….

Categories Betsy DeVos, California, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Fraud, Los Angeles, Privatization

Network for Public Education Vows to Carry Fight Against DeVos to Senate Floor!

By dianeravitch
January 31, 2017 //
23

The Network for Public Educations vows to carry the fight for a qualified Secretary of Education to the Senate floor.

We now have more than 300,000 members, located in every state.

We will fight for a Secretary of Education who will uphold the laws, support the right to an education for all children, and strengthen our public schools.

http://networkforpubliceducation.org/2017/01/devos-nomination-moves-senate-npes-300000-will-continue-fight/

NPE just released this statement:

Although disappointed by the decision of the HELP committee to send the vote on Betsy DeVos to the Senate floor, The Network for Public Education (NPE) was pleased by the strong opposition to DeVos. All Democrats voted against DeVos. Senators Collins of Maine and Murkowski of Alaska while voting to move her nomination forward, would not commit to voting for her when the vote comes to the full Senate.

“Betsy DeVos put a spotlight on the threat to public education that charters-both online and brick and mortar, and private voucher schools pose to our democratically governed, community public schools. Public school advocates across the nation spoke out. Our campaign against DeVos generated over 600,000 emails and thousands of phone calls and letters to the Senate. Most Americans do not want an unregulated, privatized school system paid for by American taxpayers. That is what DeVos represents,” said NPE Executive Director, Carol Burris.

NPE President, Diane Ravitch, believes the massive political donations by DeVos was the driving factor behind her appointment. “We are disappointed but not surprised that Betsy DeVos was approved by the Senate HELP committee, despite the fact that she is completely unqualified for the job by experience or knowledge or any other criteria. As she has acknowledged, she and her family have given millions of dollars to the Republican party, including to members of the committee that just approved her. We weep for the children of America, knowing that this woman will launch an assault on their community public schools, as she did in Michigan. Since her choice theology was implemented in Michigan, that state’s rankings on national tests have plummeted, and Detroit–now flooded with charters–remains the lowest performing urban district on national tests. We will continue to fight this nomination as it moves forward.“

NPE Executive Board member, Phyllis Bush, lives in Indiana, a state the embraces the DeVos philosophy. “While the members of the HELP committee can talk about the importance of using a business model to reform public schools, the ultimate cost to Indiana is landing on the backs of students. Privatization reform has resulted in larger class sizes, tests that provide little useful information, school letter grades that reward zip codes, the elimination of essential services in public schools, and a critical teacher shortage.”

The Network for Public Education intends to mobilize its over 300,000 supporting members to continue the fight against DeVos’ appointment.

“When it comes to our fight for adequately funded, democratically-governed public schools, we make ‘no excuses’.” Our neighborhood schools made our country great. We will not allow them to be destroyed,” Burris said.

Categories Betsy DeVos, Education Reform, Network for Public Education, Networkfor Public Education Action Fund, Supporting public schools, U.S. Department of Education
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »