Archives for category: Louisiana
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Testing Toddlers in Louisiana?

By dianeravitch
November 13, 2012 //
5

Louisiana plans to test 3- and 4-year- olds. This is out-of-control testing fanaticism. We have come to expect extremism in Louisiana. The state is placing its bets on high-stakes testing and privatization.

Andrea Gabor, who writes about business and education, interviewed early childhood specialists in Louisiana. They think the people making the new laws and policies have no idea about child development. As one says, they think that there is no difference between a 10-year-old and a 3-year-old.

Categories Childhood, Pre-K, K, Louisiana, Testing

Indifferent to Kids–and Proud of It!

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
3

Three teachers in training from Louisiana State University went to a meeting of the state board of education and were stunned by what they saw.

This is the board that Governor Jindal worked so hard to install, the board whose last election attracted an avalanche of out-of-state money.

Categories Childhood, Pre-K, K, Corporate Reformers, Louisiana

Who Tried to Buy School Elections?

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
6

Robert Valiant has launched a website to gather information about who funded campaigns for charters and vouchers and against teachers, unions and public education.

If you have links to newspaper articles or other reliable sources, please post them to this website.

I hope that a law firm or investigative journalist will find out where Rhee collected money and which races she supported. She certainly influenced the legislature in Tennessee, where she helped Republucans gain a super-majority, enabling her ex-husband TFA State Commissioner Kevin Huffman to impose the full rightwing reform agenda.

http://dumpduncan.org/forum/discussion/42/registry-of-attempts-to-buy-education-elections-by-prizatizers.

Categories Bloomberg, Michael, Broad Foundation, Bush, Jeb, California, Charter Schools, Connecticut, Corporate Reformers, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Industry, For-Profit, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Indiana, Klein, Joel, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Luna, Tom, Merit pay, Privatization, US Education, Walton Foundation

Help! Someone Collect All the Elections that Privatizers Are Buying

By dianeravitch
November 6, 2012 //
18

I keep seeing articles about elections influenced by out-of-state and out-of-district contributions.

Sometimes, as in Los Altos, California, and in New Orleans, the elections are for local school board.

Sometimes, as in Louisiana, the election is for state school board.

Sometimes, as in Indiana and Idaho, the election is for state superintendent.

Sometimes, the election is a ballot initiative, as in Georgia, which is voting on whether to give the Governor the authority to create a commission to authorize charter schools even if the local school board objects; and in Washington State, where a referendum would create one of the nation’s most expansive charter laws; or in Michigan, where money is pouring in to oppose an initiative to make collective bargaining a right.

In school district after school district, state after state, PAC money is being bundled to promote candidates and issues with the same agenda: anti-union, anti-teacher, anti-public education, pro-privatization.

Some of the names are familiar: Bill Gates (in Washington), Michael Bloomberg (in Louisiana), Alice Walton (in Georgia and Washington), Joel Klein (in New Orleans), the DeVos family (American Federation for Children) in Michigan, Eli Broad (in Louisiana), Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst (in Michigan and in many districts). Much of the spending is targeted by Democrats for EducationReform (DFER), the Wall Street hedge fund managers group.

This cannot be sheer coincidence. In most places, the amount of money coming from outside is unprecedented. In Louisiana, the spending on a state board race was a multiple of 12 times what was previously spent.

To the naked eye, this seems to be a concerted effort to orchestrate a privatization of public education.

Big money undermining local control, democracy, and public education.

Categories California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Klein, Joel, Louisiana, Luna, Tom, Michigan, New Orleans, Privatization

Outside Cash Flooding into New Orleans School Board Race

By dianeravitch
November 4, 2012 //
4

This is becoming a familiar story: billionaires and millionaires are choosing a school board member in New Orleans. One of the city’s leading charter advocates, Sarah Newell Usdin, is the recipient of more than $110,000, way more than her opponents. Usdin was executive director of New Schools for New Orleans, which received nearly $30 million from the federal government to open charter schools. she also worked for the New Teacher Project and is an alumna of Teach for America. Among her contributors: Joel Klein and hedge fund manager Boykin Curry, both residents of New York City, not New Orleans.

According to the National School Boards Association, 87% of school board members spend less than $5,000 to run for office.

In the most recent state board election, Kira Orange Jones, the director of Teach for America in New Orleans, raised $450,000 in her successful effort to oust an incumbent. She had the support of the Wall Street hedge fund managers’ organization called Democrats for Education Reform. Among her generous contributors: Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Eli Broad, both billionaires who don’t live in Louisiana. Jones’ opponent raised $9,000.

There seems to be a concerted program by DFER and its allies to pour money into local and state school races and issues. The number of contributors is small, but they swamp the local races. The same names pop up again and again. Their agenda is always the same: testing, union-busting, TFA, and privatization.

Categories Bloomberg, Michael, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Industry, Education Reform, Louisiana, New Orleans, Privatization, Teach for America TFA

New Orleans Students Demand True Reform

By dianeravitch
October 29, 2012 //
22

In all the hype and spin about the privatization of education in New Orleans, no one has heard from students. Various special-interest claim to speak for them, say “it’s all about the kids.” Some raise millions of dollars from corporations and ideologues by claiming to be student advocates. It turns out that students have their own views and need no surrogates.

Silent no more. High school students are speaking out. They are holding a rally on October 30 at 5:30 pm to insist that they be heard. See the details below.
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New Orleans students host first ever youth-led election forum for Orleans Parish School Board

Using their voices rather than a Super PAC, impacted students attempt to re-shape direction of a school system that has become a prime target of out-of-state political contributions and influence.

What: The Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association, in partnership with Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools and Orleans Public Education Network, will be mobilizing students and families from all across the city to engage candidates on issues that passionately concern them. A candidate forum of this scale, placing student voices at the center of the discussion, has not taken place in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. From food access, discipline policies, and transportation services, to charter governance, school closures, and resource inequality, student leaders will share testimony and ask the candidates to lay our their plans for improving academic achievement, democratic participation, and resource equity.

When: October 30th at 5:30 pm

Where: Ashe Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Bldv., New Orleans, LA 70113

Who: The Vietnamese American Young Leaders Association, Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools, Orleans Public Education Network, Fyre Youth Squad, Young Adults Striving for Success, Puentes New Orleans, and students from McMain Secondary, Warren Easton, Benjamin Franklin, and Sarah T. Reed

Why: In recent state school board elections, billionaires Michael Bloomberg, Eli Broad, and Alice and Jim Walton gave $500,000 in political contributions to cement New Orleans’ status as the nation’s preeminent education reform test-tube. Yet, New Orleans students inside this national experiment have not been given meaningful opportunities to provide feedback on these reforms or vocalize their own visions for educational equity. Despite being the stakeholder group with the greatest first-hand experience of present schooling conditions and the most at stake in school board elections, student voices have been consistently drowned out by a well-financed, national education reform agenda.

Media Visuals: Students speaking at a lectern to present issues and questions; students moderating the event; students submitting comment cards; a room with 100-150 community members and youth from all over the city representing over a dozen organizations and schools.
***********************************************************

Here are the articles generated by the activist youth groups of New Orleans:

Press on our youth organizing work and campaigns:

EdWeek: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/11/02/10tran.h31.html? (tkn=PNPF+K6Ugps%2F6AuN60lliB8PhatGJThqZFXs&cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS (Student opinion piece based on survey of conditions in six schools)

The Lens: http://thelensnola.org/2011/09/07/vayla-surveys-high-schools/

Colorlines: http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/11/new_orleans_students_who_raised_concerns_about_city_schools_win_accountability.html

Times Picayune: http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2011/09/vietnamese-american_group_rate.html

Good Magazine: http://www.good.is/post/students-say-new-orleans-schools-are-no-education-miracle/

Louisiana Weekly: http://www.louisianaweekly.com/reed-students-present-turnaround-plan/

Louisiana Weekly: http://www.louisianaweekly.com/removing-the-mask-of-chartered-schools/
/www.louisianaweekly.com/n-o-east-residents-picket-outside-ben-franklin-high-school/

Times Picayune: http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2012/05/eastern_new_orleans_residents.html

The Lens: thelensnola.org/charters/eastern-new-orleans-students-want-more-reliable-faster-bus-service/

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Categories Charter Schools, Louisiana, New Orleans, Students

Two Contrasting Views of the New Orleans Story: LINK FIXED!

By dianeravitch
October 27, 2012 //
13

Is New Orleans a national model?

Simple formula: have a major catastrophe. Wipe out public education. Get rid of the unions. Hand schools over to private operators. A miracle. A national model for school reform. Read this article by a British reporter.

Or the contrary view: The New Orleans story is an example of hype and spin by entrepreneurs seeking new markets. The district ranks 69 of 70 districts in the state. Read this letter by a teacher in the state.

What do you think?

Categories Charter Schools, Education Industry, Education Reform, Louisiana, New Orleans, Privatization, Vouchers

Big Money to Buy School Boards

By dianeravitch
October 27, 2012 //
9

It’s happening in local school board races around the nation.

Out-of-state money is pouring in to capture seats on local school boards.

The money comes from billionaires like Michael Bloomberg and Reed Hastings, owner of Netflix, and Alice Walton of the Walmart family. They fund candidates who support privatization of public education. Their resources overwhelm local candidates.

The first high-profile race to attract big money was last year in Denver, when large amounts of money arrived from businessmen with no previous interest in school board races, targeted to defeat Emily Sirota, a Denver mom. Sirota threatened control by hard-line privatizers.

Earlier this year, millions of dollars were spent by out-of-state donors to hand control of the Louisiana state school board to Governor Jindal, so he could pursue his privatization plans.

In Washington State, the charter referendum is financed by a handful of billionaires, some local, like Bill Gates, some not, like Alice Walton of Arkansas.

In Georgia, the charter referendum is funded almost entirely by out-of-state donors like Walton of Arkansas.

Now in little Los Altos, California, out-of-state money is targeting a charter school critic with negative ads. The school board member had raised questions about a charter school serving some of the wealthiest residents of the district.

The privatization movement may not have a popular base, but it is adept at marshaling big money to buy support and elections. The only way to stop them is to build an informed public.

Categories California, Charter Schools, Colorado, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Georgia, Louisiana, Privatization

The Real Goal of Reformers: Re-Segregation?

By dianeravitch
October 25, 2012 //
33

Anthony Cody has a stunning article this week about what is happening in Louisiana.

The expansion of vouchers and charters will facilitate the re-segregation of the schools, he predicts.

Governor Jindal eliminated all funding for public libraries in his new budget.

The TFA Commissioner has put a young and unqualified TFA alum in charge of teacher evaluation.

The freight train of reform (aka privatization) is running full blast in that unfortunate state.

Arne Duncan will be there any day now to congratulate Governor Jindal on the progress made in “reforming” the schools.

And lots of thanks to the Gates Foundation, the Broad Foundation, the Walton Foundation, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Netflix founder Reed Hastings, and Teach for America for turning the clock back to 1950 and calling it “reform.”

Categories Broad Foundation, Budget Cuts, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Duncan, Arne, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Jindal, Bobby, Louisiana, Privatization, Segregation , Racial Isolation and Integration, Vouchers

A Puzzlement

By dianeravitch
October 24, 2012 //
0

The Louisiana Constitution says that the state’s Minimum Foundation Budget must be used solely for public schools.

Governor Bobby Jindal is diverting portions of that budget to pay for students to go to religious and other private schools.

The budget for public schools has seen no increase for four years.

Every student who gets a vouchers reduces the funding dedicated to public schools.

Is this a problem?

Is there an inconsistency?

What part of “public” does Governor Jindal not understand?

Dear Reader, are you tired of reading about Louisiana?

Please don’t be.

It is the future in many states.

De-funding of public education.

An explosion of vouchers and charters.

A welcome mat for entrepreneurs and online schools of dubious quality.

An official program to reduce the status and professionalism of teachers.

This reddest of red states is killing public education.

Categories Louisiana, Vouchers
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