Archives for category: Education Reform
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EdNext Poll: Support for Charter Schools Plummets

By dianeravitch
August 15, 2017 //
14

Education Next is a publication funded by conservative foundations and staffed by conservative editors and writers. It supports charters, vouchers, school choice, high-stakes testing, the commodification of education, and the education industry.

Here are the results of its latest poll:

“The 2017 Education Next annual survey of American public opinion on education shows public support for charter schools has dropped, even as opposition to school vouchers and tax credits for private-school scholarships has declined. Opposition to the Common Core State Standards seems to have finally leveled off. When the “Common Core” name is not mentioned, support for the same standards across states rises among both Democrats and Republicans. Meanwhile, support for the federal role in education policy has waned. This year’s poll also finds that President Trump’s policy preferences widen the partisan divide on issues such as charter schools, Common Core, tax credits, and merit pay for teachers.

“Among the key findings:

“Charter school support drops. In a dramatic change of opinion over the past year, support for charter schools has declined by 12 percentage points, from 51% last year to only 39% this year (36% opposed). Support has fallen by 13 percentage points among Republicans and by 11 percentage points among Democrats, to 47% and 34% support respectively, leaving the partisan gap on the issue largely unchanged. Support for charters among blacks has dropped from 46% to 37% and among Hispanics from 44% to 39%.

“Opposition to private school choice declines despite partisan differences. Opposition to universal vouchers, which give all families a wider choice, has declined from 44% to 37%, while support for vouchers targeted to low-income parents has increased by six percentage points (43% in 2017 up from 37% in 2016). However, an analysis of individuals by political party reveals that support for universal vouchers has increased by 13 percentage points among Republicans (to 54%) but fallen by 9 percentage points (to 40%) among Democrats, whereas in 2016, Democrats were more supportive than Republicans of universal vouchers by an 8-percentage point margin. Opposition to tax-credit funded scholarships has declined from 29% to 24%.

“Support for national standards rises while opposition to Common Core levels off. Though support for Common Core plummeted between 2013 and 2016, the downward trend has leveled off, with support standing at 41% (38% opposed) in 2017, virtually the same as in 2016. Support for standards that are the same in all states is, at 61%, 20 percentage points higher when the name is not mentioned (6 percentage points higher than in 2016). While there remains a partisan divide in support for Common Core (32% in favor among Republicans and 49% among Democrats), support rises to 64% and 61%, respectively, when the name is not mentioned, eliminating the partisan gap.

“Support for local control of schools is on the rise. Although a plurality of the public continues to think accountability policy should mostly be a state responsibility, the latest poll numbers show that the public has shifted away from federal towards local control of schools. Only 36% of the public think the federal government should play the largest role in setting standards, down 5 percentage points from 2015; only 13% think it should identify failing schools, also down 5 percentage points; and only 16% think the federal government should be responsible for fixing schools, down 4 percentage points. Democratic support for federal decision-making has dropped by 8, 6, and 7 percentage points, respectively. The share of the public thinking these policies should be a local responsibility has risen by 4, 6, and 7 percentage points, respectively, for the three areas.

“Information about cost and earnings has little impact on college-going preferences–except among Hispanics. The latest poll shows that two-thirds of the public want their child to pursue a 4-year degree, while only 22% prefer a 2-year degree. Among white respondents with a 4-year college degree, 88% want their child to pursue a 4-year degree, compared to 57% of white respondents without a 4-year college degree. Most respondents, when they are informed as to the average costs and earnings associated with 2-year versus 4-year degrees, do not change their preferences. For Hispanics, however, providing both types of information shifts their preference for a 4-year degree to 72%, from 61% when no information is provided. This shift reverses the white-Hispanic gap in preferences for a 4-year degree. These findings emerge from an experiment where a randomly chosen group within the sample receives financial information while another group does not.

“The Trump Effect. On four issues—Common Core, charter schools, tax credits, and merit pay for teachers—the poll examines whether President Trump’s endorsement of a policy has a polarizing effect on public opinion by telling half of the sample the president’s position while not supplying this information to the other. EdNext conducted similar experiments in 2009 and 2010 during President Obama’s first two years in office. In 2009, Obama enjoyed a period of bipartisan support during which he moved public opinion toward his position, though the effect waned in 2010. Trump has not enjoyed such a “honeymoon” period (see figure). When informed of Trump’s position, Republicans move toward it on three of the four issues, including a 15 percentage-point increase in support for charter schools. However, Trump fails to persuade Democrats, who move away from the president’s position on two of the four issues, including a 14 percentage-point decrease in support for merit pay. These offsetting effects leave overall public opinion on these issues largely unchanged.”

One can draw different conclusions from this poll, but I am impressed by the stunning drop in public support for privately managed charter schools. As the public learns more about them, it likes them less. The steady drumbeat of charter scandals is getting through to the public. The scandals in Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Arizona, California, and elsewhere may be taking a toll on public estimation of charters. There is a glimmering of understanding that charters are unaccountable and that every dollar for a charter is taken away from public schools. The public is beginning to wonder about the value of funding two systems, one selective, the other open to all. One subject to democratic governance, the other controlled by private, self-selected boards.

Categories Charter Schools, Common Core, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, Privatization, Testing

A Class Lesson on Trump’s Response to #Charlottesville

By dianeravitch
August 14, 2017 //
32

Reader GregB offers this lesson on Trump’s belated response to the Battle of Charlottesville:

“Class, what if:

President Obama had waited three days after Sandy Hook to make a statement?

President Bush had waited three days after September 11th?

President Clinton had waited three days after the Murrah building bombing in Oklahoma?

President Bush had waited three days after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait?

President Reagan had waited three days after the Challenger explosion?

President Carter had waited three days after the American embassy in Iran had been taken?

What would we have said/thought about them?

Discuss.”

Categories Education Reform

Will DeVos Continue or Kill Investigation of Charter School in Red Bank, N.J., for Racial Discrimination?

By dianeravitch
August 14, 2017 //
4

On January 31, the U.S. Department of Education opened an investigation of the Red Bank Charter School, which local groups accuse of excluding minorities. Will Betsy DeVos continue this investigation or will she shelve it?

Local civil rights groups complain that the charter school is far whiter than the district school and contend that this is no accident.

“Critics of the charter school have long complained that minorities are underrepresented in the charter school, contributing to an over-representation of minorities in the public school district, where the population is also more economically challenged than the charter school’s enrollment.

“According to state data, the charter school is 50 percent white, while the borough schools are about 7 percent white. Hispanics comprise just 38.5 percent of the charter school, while they are 81 percent of the borough schools. Both are about 10 percent black.

“The complaint was brought by Fair Schools Red Bank, a group of parents with children in Red Bank public schools, and the advocacy group Latino Coalition of New Jersey. Both the Education Department and the Justice Department received the complaint, which was filed in November, according to a Education Department official.

“Their complaint accuses the charter school, by virtue of its enrollment practices, of making Red Bank “the most segregated school district in the state of New Jersey.”

Charter schools long ago figured out that careful selection of students is key to high test scores. Unfortunately, they can’t share this lesson with public schools, which must enroll everyone who walks in, at any time of year.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Reform, Hoax, New Jersey, Privatization

Has Trump Become So Disgusting that Even the Republicans Are Willing to Say So?

By dianeravitch
August 14, 2017 //
32

During the night, I thought about the presidents in office during my lifetime. As a little girl, I recall sitting by the family radio and listening to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who spoke eloquently of our ideals and values as our troops fought around the globe in World War II. Then there was scrappy Harry S Truman, who protected struggling labor unions and pressed legislation to advance better living conditions. Then Dwight D. Eisenhower, not eloquent but a hero, who ultimately sent federal troops to Little Rock to safeguard the black children integrating the schools. Then John F. Kennedy, whom I met a few times, a man who understood the power of language to lift our spirits. You can pick it up from that point. Even the much-vilified Richard Nixon opened relations with China, launched affirmative action, and created the Environmental Protection Agency.

All my life, until now, our nation has had presidents who understood the enormity of the position and reached for ideals greater than themselves.

Until now. Now we have a loathsome little man called 45 who stands for nothing more than self-aggrandizement. His political ideas, such as they are, are rank and low: disparaging our allies, excusing and encouraging racists and white nationalists, “America First” isolationism, selfishness as policy. He is utterly lacking in humility, curiosity, intellect, and compassion. He cannot inspire because he has no ideals. He is all ego. He still hopes to lock up his political opponent. His instincts are base.

A terrific article by John Harwood of CNBC about Trump and the Republican Party. They know he is not a Republican. He is not a conservative. He is a Trumpist. He believes in himself and only himself. The world revolves around him.

Will they denounce him? John McCain, Cory Gardner, and Orin Hatch made strong statements about the Nazis and terrorists in Charlottesville. Who will follow?

Trump is on track to destroy the Republican party, which used to have a core of principled conservatism. No longer. Now it exists solely to carry out the wishes of Trump and the Koch brothers, to smash healthcare, to lower corporate taxes, to remove any safety net. What do they stand for? In the age of Trump, nothing.

Will they find their soul? Or is it too late? Did they exchange it for power? With a bumbling, ignorant “leader” like Trump, the party has thus far been unable to turn their dominance into accomplishment. Given their Trumpian agenda, that’s a good thing.

Categories Education Reform

Trump Denounces White Supremacists, Neo-Nazis, and KKK

By dianeravitch
August 14, 2017 //
16

Normally, this story would not be a story.

Trump denounces KKK, neo-Nazis as Justice Department launches civil rights probe into Charlottesville death – The Washington Post
https://apple.news/AwHSIWWOeTxCPzOUULRlViw

Under what circumstances would it be a news story if the president denounced these racist, hate groups?

Only if the president is Trump, who depended on these groups during the campaign and never rejected their support.

It took him three days after the KKK arrived to reject these hate groups. Excuse me if this seems insincere.

This is not what we expect of our leaders. We expect leaders to respect all people.

I hope he stops saying that we should all unite as one. I don’t want to be one with neo-Nazis and fascists. No, thank you.

Categories Education Reform

An Excellent Article About Why Trump Can’t Condemn White Nationalist Terrorism

By dianeravitch
August 13, 2017 //
16

This is a good read, except for the phony upbeat ending, which an editor must have inserted. The writer knows that Trump will always be Trump and will never be Lincoln.

Opinion: Why Trump won’t stand up against hate
http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/13/opinions/charlottesville-trump-bully-cowardice-dantonio-opinion/index.html

The article was written by Michael D’Antonio, one of his biographers.

Trump has played the race card all his adult life. There’s no reason to expect him to change.

Categories Education Reform

Indiana: Voucher Program Supports Religious Schools that Discriminate Against LGBT students

By dianeravitch
August 13, 2017 //
88

Chalkbeat reports that the Indiana voucher program includes religious schools that openly discriminate against students who are gay, lesbian, transsexual, or bisexual.

“Our investigation found that roughly one in 10 of Indiana’s voucher schools publicly shares a policy suggesting or declaring that LGBT students are not welcome. Together, the 27 schools received over $16 million in public funds for participating last year.

“Many private, religious schools are also accredited by a group that provides advice about how to turn away LGBT students. Given that nearly 20 percent of schools do not publicize their admissions policies, the true number of schools with anti-LGBT policies is unclear.

“These findings are likely an understatement,” said Steve Suitts, a professor who has researched discrimination against LGBT students in Georgia’s voucher program.

“However, Chalkbeat did not find public, discriminatory policies at the vast majority of schools. In fact, many had rules in place to protect students from discrimination based on sexual orientation.”

Of the schools that receive vouchers, 27 specifically prohibit gay students, while another 27 have protections for them. Most have no policy at all.

Is it against the law to discriminate against gay students? There is no law specifically protecting gay students?

What will DeVos do if the matter comes before her? Her family’s foundations funded the leading anti-gay organizations so don’t expect any federal guidance while she is there.

Indiana has the largest voucher program in the country. It enrolls almost 35,000 students. The public school enrollment is slightly more than one million. Thus, slightly more than 3% of students in the state have chosen to use a voucher. A recent study found that attendance at a voucher school lowered academic achievement. After three or four years, the students in voucher schools caught up with their public school peers, but the weakest students had returned to public schools within two or three years.

Categories Education Reform

Gary Rubinstein: Why Would NYC Invest Another $699,000 in a Failing Program?

By dianeravitch
August 13, 2017 //
18

On Tuesday night, the New York City Board of Education (aka, the Panel on Education Policy) will vote on paying $699,000 for a program called Teach To One. It was developed by Joel Rose, a protege of Joel Klein when he was chancellor of the NYC public schools.

Gary Rubinstein saw this program in action and thought it was dreadful.

Teach To None

To check whether his judgment was right, he reviewed the scores of the schools using this math program. They were abysmal. In one of the schools, 0.0% of the students passed the state math test.

Why would the Department of Education propose to pour more money into this failing program?

By the way, look at the funders: the Gates Foundation, the Bezos Foundation, etc. guess it doesn’t take much other than who-you-know to get their money.

The leaders of KIPP are on their advisory board, but KIPP doesn’t use the program.

Categories Curriculum, Education Reform, Failure, New York City

Oklahoma City: We Tried Test-and-Punish, It Failed: Lets Try Love and Fun

By dianeravitch
August 13, 2017 //
2

This is a delightful article by teacher-historian John Thompson, written with Stanley Hupfeld, a retired hospital executive in Oklahoma City.

They write:

“For over 15 years, the OKCPS has adopted the normative instruction-driven, curriculum-driven approach to school improvement. The key to these policies is holding individuals accountable for measurable increases in student performance. The system has done a respectable job of implementing that game plan, but there is a growing body of research explaining why it simply can’t work with schools facing the challenges in our poorest schools. To turn around schools with extreme concentrations of children from generational poverty who have endured multiple traumas, schooling must become a team effort…

“Dipesh Navsaria, keynote speaker at the Potts Family Foundation Oklahoma Early Childhood Coalition Business Summit, also explains that once every student knows he has a mentor who is “crazy about him,” meaningful learning will follow. Navsaria then reviews the scientific evidence on why schools must make education fun. Research shows that the first 1,000 days of life are the key to closing the achievement gap. As Navsaria explains, we must restore play to its rightful place in elementary schools.

“We know the district teachers love their students. But this is not the point. What has been left out is a culture that promotes and sustains an aura of love and fun. Common sense tells us this is so — but now so does the research. Nothing less than a cultural transformation is necessary — not the program of the month.”

Categories Accountability, Education Reform, Oklahoma, Play, Testing

August 12, 2017: A Shameful Day for America and Trump

By dianeravitch
August 13, 2017 //
44

The demonstration, protest, and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, yesterday shamed our nation. A large number of racists, white supremacists, and skinheads rioted, and one of them used his car as a weapon to kill a woman and injure many others in his path.

Trump’s spineless response to acts of domestic terrorism was disgraceful. He blamed the violence on “many sides.” He could not bring himself to say the words “domestic terrorism,” “neo-Nazis,” “white supremacists.” KKK leader David Duke sent his thanks to Trump. It was Trump’s people who perpetrated the violence and brought chaos to the streets of Charlottesville. He could not denounce his base.

Many other Republican leaders, to their credit, did exactly that. They named the terrorists and white supremacists. Will they now acknowledge that this immoral, unethical man is not one of them? Will they denounce him for his craven response, for sending “best regards” to those who were mowed down by the terrorist car?

On Twitter at 6:02 pm, Soledad O’Brien posted a comment by the neo-Nazi Daily Stormer praising Trump.

The quote:

“Trump comments were good. He didn’t attack us. He just said the nation should come together. Nothing specific against us.

“He said we need to study why people are so angry, and implied that there was hate…on both sides!

“So he implied the Anita are haters.

“There was virtually no counter-signaling of us at all.

“He said he loves us all.

“Also refused to answer a question about White Nationalists supporting him.

“No condemnation at all.

“When asked to condemn, he just walked out of the room.

“Really, really good.

“God bless him”

Now Jeff Sessions will investigate. This is a nightmare. There is no end in sight. Time to get up and join the resistance. Keep your eyes on 2018. Then 2020. And pray we are not in a nuclear war before then.

Categories Education Reform
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