Archives for category: Education Reform
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Trump Administration Mulling Religious Exemptions to Permit Discrimination against LGBT

By dianeravitch
February 3, 2017 //
76

The Washington Post (and also The Nation) obtained a leaked draft of a plan to allow individuals, organizations, and businesses to opt out of federal regulations on religious grounds. Critics say this would permit discrimination against LGBT persons. This would implement the controversial “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” that Mike Pence tried to enact in Indiana and was forced to withdraw when major corporations threatened to leave the state.

President Trump is considering how to allow Americans to opt out of complying with federal policies and regulations on the grounds of religion, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday, a move that critics said could open the door to discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender or gender identity.


“There’s clearly a lot of evidence in the last couple of years of the government coming in with regulations and policies that have, frankly, denied people the ability to live according to their faith,” Spicer said during his daily briefing. “People should be able to practice their religion, express their religion, express areas of their faith without reprisal. And I think that pendulum sometimes swings the other way, in the name of political correctness.”

”Spicer’s comments, which came on the same day Trump told the audience at the National Prayer Breakfast that his administration “will do everything possible to defend and protect religious liberty in our land,” could signal a sea change in how the federal government balances protections for gay, transgender and reproductive rights against individuals’ religious objections.


“Administration officials are considering a proposed executive order, a draft of which was obtained by The Washington Post, that would provide individuals and organizations wide latitude in denying services, employment and other benefits on the basis of their religious beliefs, though Spicer emphasized that Trump had no immediate plans to issue a directive on the issue.
“There are a lot of ideas that are being floated out,” he said. “But until the president makes up his mind and gives feedback and decides that that’s final, there’s nothing to announce.

”
The proposal, titled “Establishing a Government-Wide Initiative to Respect Religious Freedom,” is one of several dozen draft directives written on a range of topics by people within the administration, on the transition team or working for outside groups.
Trump did not discuss any specific actions he might take at the National Prayer breakfast, but said: “Freedom of religion is a sacred right, but it is also a right under threat all around us.”


“In the event that the order is actually issued, multiple groups are already preparing to challenge it on the grounds that it effectively sanctions discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans, women and minorities.”

Categories Civil Rights, Education Reform

A Short Interview about DeVos Today on the Real News Network

By dianeravitch
February 2, 2017 //
26

I spent about 15 minutes talking about DeVos with Jaisal Noor of the Real News Network.

Couldn’t do a thing with my hair.

Blogging all day with breaking news.

Categories Education Reform

BREAKING NEWS: Senator Deb Fischer Will Vote for Betsy DeVos

By dianeravitch
February 2, 2017 //
66

Despite the pleas of her constituents and parents and teachers across America, Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer just tweeted that she will vote to support Betsy DeVos.

She said that DeVos assured her in writing that the Department of Education will not impose mandates on the states regarding vouchers.

She also said–despite DeVos’s obvious ignorance and incompetence at her hearings–that DeVos has the “ability and commitment” to lead the Department.

This is very disappointing coming from the daughter of a public school teacher, a former member of a school board, and former president of the Nebraska School Boards Association.

Senator Fischer is giving her support to a woman who has demonstrated her contempt for the public school teachers and public schools of the nation.

Categories Education Reform

Betsy DeVos Lied to Senate Committee about Cybercharter Graduation Rates

By dianeravitch
February 2, 2017 //
32

Betsy DeVos is a huge fan of cybercharters. When responding in writing to questions from the Senate HELP Committee, she cited astonishing graduation rates for cybercharters.

She lied.

Benjamin Herold of Education Week did the fact-checking:

In her written response to questions from a key Democratic senator, Education Secretary-nominee Betsy DeVos defended full-time online charter schools using graduation rates significantly higher than those used for state and federal accountability purposes. The figures and language cited by DeVos directly mirror those used in a report from K12 Inc., the country’s largest for-profit operator of cyber charter schools, in which DeVos is a former investor.

According to the Ohio education department, for example, the Ohio Virtual Academy has a four-year graduation rate of 53 percent, good for an “F” on the state’s accountability system.

DeVos put the figure at 92 percent….

She was specific in her lies.

In written questions, Murray, who is the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, asked whether it is appropriate to advocate for the schools, despite their poor results.

DeVos responded:

“High quality virtual charter schools provide valuable options to families, particularly those who live in rural areas where brick-and-mortar schools might not have the capacity to provide the range of courses or other educational experiences for students. Because of this, we must be careful not to brand an entire category of schools as failing students.”

She then cited a number of schools and what she described as their graduation rates, which differ markedly from the figures used by each school’s state for accountability purposes:

The Idaho Virtual Academy has a 90 percent graduation rate, DeVos said. The school’s most recent publicly reported figure for state accountability purposes is 33 percent.

The Nevada Virtual Academy has a 100 percent graduation rate, DeVos said. The school’s most recent publicly reported figure for state accountability purposes is 67 percent.

The Ohio Virtual Academy has a 92 percent graduation rate, DeVos said. The school’s most recent publicly reported figure for state accountability purposes is 53 percent.

The Oklahoma Virtual Academy has a 91 percent graduation rate, DeVos said. The school’s most recent publicly reported figure for state accountability purposes is 40 percent.

The Utah Virtual Academy has a 96 percent graduation rate, DeVos said. The school’s most recent publicly reported figure for state accountability purposes is 42 percent.

The schools listed in DeVos’ written response, and the language she used to introduce them—”the following virtual academies have four-year cohort graduation rates at or above 90 percent”—is the same as the language used by K12 Inc. in its 2016 Academic Report.

Here is what she did not mention, but that the Senate HELP Committee–and the full Senate–should know.

The Tennessee Virtual Academy is the lowest-performing school in the state (Senator Alexander must know that). When then-State Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman tried to close it, he was stymied by its friends in high places.

The New York Times reported that the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow has the lowest graduation rate in the nation.

Even DFER founder Whitney Tilson inveighed against K12 Inc. because of its “dismal academic results” and “sky high” attrition rates.

Stephen Henderson, the editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press, warned that Betsy DeVos has a long-standing habit of twisting data to promote her favorite causes (charters and vouchers), and that she is not to be trusted to tell the truth.

He wrote:

A true advocate for children would look at the statistics for charter versus traditional public schools in Michigan and suggest taking a pause, to see what’s working, what’s not, and how we might alter the course.

Instead, DeVos and her family have spent millions advocating for the state’s cap on charter schools to be lifted, so more operators can open and, if they choose, profit from more charters.

Someone focused on outcomes for Detroit students might have looked at the data and suggested better oversight and accountability.

But just this year, DeVos and her family heavily pressured lawmakers to dump a bipartisan-supported oversight commission for all schools in the city, and then showered the GOP majority who complied with more than $1 million dollars in campaign contributions.

The Department of Education needs a secretary who values data and research, and respects the relationship between outcomes and policy imperatives.

Nothing in Betsy DeVos’ history of lobbying to shield the charter industry from greater accountability suggests she understands that.

If she’s confirmed, it will be a dark day for the value of data and truth in education policy.

Categories Betsy DeVos, Education Reform, For-Profit, Fraud, Graduation rates, Virtual Charter Schools

Arthur Goldstein: When Teachers Complained About Large Classes, the Arbitrator Said…

By dianeravitch
February 2, 2017 //
30

High school teacher Arthur Goldstein reports what happened when teachers complained about overcrowded classes in New York City:

“A few months ago, a $1,600-a-day arbitrator named Deborah M. Gaines declared that Francis Lewis High School, where I work, could keep oversized classes, but that teachers of said classes would be relieved once a week from a school assignment, e.g. tutoring.

“It’s hard to imagine, by any stretch of the imagination, that 40 minutes per week of not tutoring alleviates the difficulties of teachers grappling with oversized classes. It’s even harder to imagine how less tutoring benefits students, particularly from a city that claims to put “Children First. Always.”

“If I’m a conscientious kid, sitting in one of our 42 oversized classes — some of which run as high as 37 students — and not getting enough attention from my teacher, I might be wondering how her being less available to tutor me helps the situation. Do I breathe a sigh of relief that she’s off that period and hope for the best? The arbitrator and the Department of Education seem to assume so.

“Maybe I’m not sophisticated enough to grasp how it helps. I’m just a lowly teacher. But I’m also my school’s UFT chapter leader, so twice a year I report class sizes, the union files a grievance, and we bring them before an arbitrator.

“Usually there are a handful and we work it out. This year the number was higher, never went down, and in fact rose to 42 by my last count.

“Oversized classes are tough to manage, especially when teachers in New York City are rated by a rubric that values student engagement highly. In a room with over 34 teenagers, keeping them motivated and on task is challenging in that it demands total attention. The arbitrator may as well have declared that teachers of oversized classes will now have eyes in the backs of their heads.

“It’s been 50 years since class size limits were first established in the United Federation of Teachers contract. Since that time, we’ve managed to not improve upon them at all, and worked our way up to the highest class sizes in the state….”

Categories Class size, Education Reform, New York City

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

Nebraska: Bigoted Rightwing Extremist Takes Control of Senate Education Committee

By dianeravitch
February 1, 2017 //
56

Nebraska has one of the best state school systems in the nation. It does not have vouchers or charters. Its students do far better on NAEP than most states that won Race to the Top grants.

But the public schools of Nebraska are under attack by mean-spirited politicians who want to destroy public education and turn children over to the free market to monetize.

The meanest of them is Senator Michael Groene, who is chair of the state senate committee on education. Hard-right Republicans in Nebraska have been following the same plan as Hardliners in Kansas, North Carolina, and Michigan, which is to replace reasonable, moderate Republicans with extremist ideologues. Groene is one of them.

Read his email exchange with a constituent about education, and you will see his hatred for teachers and his grand ego.

Teachers are lazy and second-rate, he says, protected by tenure. As the exchange continues, his hatred grows more intense.

People like this want to destroy public education, destroy teaching as a profession, and drag down a great democratic institution that made America great. Like his peers in other red states, he wants to turn schools over to profiteers and Wall Street, to turn taxpayer dollars into profits for investors.

Shame on him.

Categories Accountability, Corporate Reformers, Democracy, Education Industry, Education Reform, Nebraska, 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

Jersey Jazzman: Corporate Reform in the Age of Trump

By dianeravitch
January 31, 2017 //
10

Jersey Jazzman writes that the corporate reform movement had a good thing going until Trump was elected.

The Democratic reformers were able to link arms with the far right and even to enjoy the financial largesse of anti-labor, anti-public school financiers like the Walton family.

But now the alliance is broken. But is it shattered? After all, DeVos gave Eva’s schools $500,000. DeVos funds AEI. Mike Petrilli was #neverTrump but endorsed DeVos. Very confusing.

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

Jeff Sessions is the Brains Behind Trump Policies

By dianeravitch
January 30, 2017 //
53

Now this is scary! According to the Washington Post, the mastermind behind the Muslim travel ban and other signature Trump policies is Alabama Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, soon to be confirmed as Attorney General.

“The early days of the Trump presidency have rushed a nationalist agenda long on the fringes of American life into action — and Sessions, the quiet Alabaman who long cultivated those ideas as a Senate backbencher, has become a singular power in this new Washington.


“Sessions’s nomination as Trump’s attorney general is scheduled to be considered Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, yet his influence in the administration extends far beyond the Justice Department. From immigration and health care to national security and trade, Sessions is the intellectual godfather of the president’s policies. Sessions’s reach extends throughout the White House, with his aides and allies accelerating the president’s most dramatic moves, including the ban on refugees and migrants from seven mostly Muslim nations that has triggered fear around the globe.


“The author of many of Trump’s executive orders is senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, a Sessions confidant who was mentored by him and who spent the weekend overseeing the government’s implementation of the refu­gee ban. The tactician turning Trump’s agenda into law is deputy chief of staff Rick Dearborn, Sessions’s longtime chief of staff in the Senate. The mastermind behind Trump’s incendiary brand of populism is chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who promoted Sessions for years as chairman of the Breitbart website.”

Categories Education Reform
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