Archives for category: School Choice
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Global Report on Choice: Beware! Choice May Undermine Quality and Equity

By dianeravitch
November 10, 2017 //
16

The Global Education Monitoring Blog just released a bulletin about the risks of school choice. The blog is published by UNESCO, which the Trump administration recently abandoned.

Be that as it may, its conclusions are evidence-based. The full report, which is linked on the blog offers extensive documentation and references.

The overall conclusion:

In the last three decades, reforms rooted in the school choice logic have been implemented in more than two-thirds of OECD countries, for instance. Across the 72 systems participating in PISA 2015, the parents of around 64% of students reported that they had at least two schools to choose from for their children.

However, a closer look at the evidence suggests that school choice often doesn’t work as it’s meant to, and can in fact increase inequalities and undermine quality education…

The main criticisms of market-oriented policies are that they benefit wealthier schools, families and communities, increasing inequality and segregation…

Studies have repeatedly shown that school choice benefits wealthier families, while further marginalizing disadvantaged parents and schools…

School choice is meant to strengthen accountability but often concentrates disadvantaged students in disadvantaged schools…

All these concerns indicate that governments should be extremely cautious in pushing forward reforms that promote an education ‘market’, as school choice may actually have negative effects on the quality and equity of education.

Categories Accountability, Equity, School Choice

Alan Singer: Does The NY Times Editorial Board Read Its Own Paper?

By dianeravitch
November 9, 2017 //
26

Alan Singer did not like the editorial in the New York Times declaring that certain charters with high test scores should be allowed to hire uncertified teachers.

If only they read the news stories in their own newspaper, he writes, they would have known better.

He writes:

“Do the editors of the New York Times read their own newspaper? The opening line of their pro-charter school editorial offered faint praise for charter schools. Apparently, “New York City is one of the rare places in the country where charter schools generally have made good on the promise to outperform conventional public schools.” If the statement is true that New York City charter schools “generally” outperform conventional public schools, what about the rest of the charter school industry in the United States?

“According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, “In 2016-17, there are more than 6,900 charter schools, enrolling an estimated 3.1 million students.” In New York City there are only 227 charter schools that enroll a little over 100,000 students. That means 97% of charter schools in the country and 97% of the children attending charter schools are outside New York City and many do underperform. In Michigan, 70% of the charter schools score in the bottom half of the state’s school rankings. As a result of “charterization,” Michigan declined from being an average performing state on math and reading tests to one of the worst. These do not seem like a reason to endorse an expansion of charter schools in New York City or to advocate for removing regulations from the existing schools.

“I visited two excellent New York City charter secondary schools, one in Queens and one in Brooklyn. Neither is part of a “not-for-profit” charter school network or a private for-profit charter school company. Part of what makes them good schools is that they function just like regular public schools, educating diverse young people without making exaggerated claims for student performance or lobbying state officials for extra privileges and waivers.”

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Privatization, School Choice, Teachers and Teaching

Report From Denver: Public Education Advocates Win a Seat on School Board: Extraordinary

By dianeravitch
November 9, 2017 //
8

The Denver School Board is supposed to be bought and paid for by Dark Money, so public education advocates rejoiced when they elected one person to the seven-member Board.

Jeannie Kaplan, a former member of the board and now a tireless activist, tells the story here. She says it was EXTRAORDINARY!

“Dr. Carrie Olson, 33 year DPS teacher, soundly defeated incumbent, “reformer,” Mike Johnson., and she did so with $33,747 in her campaign war chest and a completely volunteer “staff.” The dollars and vote totals cited in this post can be found here and here. As of the last campaign finance report Mr. Johnson had raised $101,336 on his own and was the beneficiary of $42,777 from Democrats for Education Reform( DFER) dark money and $6320 Stand for Children dark money. His 11,193 votes cost his campaign $13.44 each; Carrie’s 11,121 votes cost her $2.73 per vote. He spent almost 5 times as much per vote as she. Extraordinary.”

Jeannie’s underfunded (almost unfounded) Group is called ODOS (Our Denver Our Schools). In one race, it supported a dynamic high school graduate named Tay Anderson. The union, however, decided to support a candidate who is from TFA and works for the TFA leadership training program, which grooms TFA Teachers to get involved in political roles. The latter candidate swamped poor Tay, and now TFA has two seats on the Denver board.

As you can see, Denver is a hotbed of political intrigue and big money.

But ODOS is celebrating because it elected one member to the board.

Given the odds, that was quite an accomplishment.

Categories Dark Money, Democrats for Education Reform, Denver, Privatization, School Choice, Stand for Children

Jeff Bryant: Northam Won By Repudiating Not Only DeVos But Obama’s Education Policies

By dianeravitch
November 9, 2017 //
73

Jeff Bryant sees the Virginia election, as do I, as an affirmation of a progressive approach to education.

Education is an important issue to parents everywhere and is the biggest item in state budgets. Taxpayers want to know that their money is well spent.

Northam ran against the DeVos privatization policy. But he also ran against Obama’s policies of charter schools and high-stakes Testing.

He points the way to victory for Democrats in other state races.

Support a strong and much improved public school system that seeks to meet the needs of all children.

Categories Accountability, Betsy DeVos, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Education Reform, Privatization, School Choice, Testing, Vouchers

Northam Wins!!! Democrats Sweeping Virginia! Trumpism Repudiated!,

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2017 //
84

Fantastic news!

Lt. Governor Ralph Northam won the governorship in Virginia, beating Ed Gillespie, who ran a dirty Trump-like campaign, accusing Northam of allying with criminal immigrant gang MS-13, wanting to remove Confederate statues, and supporting unpatriotic athletes.

The major networks just called the race for Northam. They say it is 51-48, but the margin seems likely to grow as the votes roll in from the DC suburbs. Now it is up to 52-47. It will grow. It is currently a 54-45 blowout. Nine points.

Democrats are also picking up seats in the House of Delegates. The GOP author of the phony transgender bathroom bill was defeated. An openly transgender candidate beat him.

The House Majority Whip was defeated. Our friend and reader “Virginia Parent” says that the “charters and choice” issue is dead in Virginia.

It is a wonderful win for a good man who refused to pander.

Dr. Northam went to public schools, supports public schools, does not support charters or vouchers.

Teachers and public school parents turned out in full force for Dr. Northam.

Message to the Democratic Party: Support public schools, and you can win again!

Categories Charter Schools, School Choice, Supporting public schools, Virginia, Vouchers

Law Professor: Is There a Limit to How Much States May Prefer Choice Programs Over Public Schools?

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2017 //
23

Readers of this blog have noticed that many states spend far more time legislating about school Choice than about the public schools that enroll most students. Once charters and vouchers are introduced, public schools seem to become an afterthought, despite the fact that most students attend them.

Derek Black, a Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina, asks whether there are limits to the preference that states show to school choice programs over public schools.

Here is an abstract of his paper:

“Rapidly expanding charter and voucher programs are establishing a new education paradigm in which access to traditional public schools is no longer guaranteed. In some areas, charter and voucher programs are on a trajectory to phase out traditional public schools altogether. This Article argues that this trend and its effects violate the constitutional right to public education embedded in all fifty state constitutions.

“Importantly, this Article departs from past constitutional arguments against charter and voucher programs. Past arguments have attempted to prohibit such programs entirely and have assumed, with little evidentiary support, that they endanger statewide education systems. Unsurprisingly, litigation and scholarship based on a flawed premise have thus far failed to slow the growth of charter and voucher programs. Without a reframed theory, several recently filed lawsuits are likely to suffer the same fate.

“This Article does not challenge the general constitutionality of choice programs. Instead, the Article identifies two limitations that state constitutional rights to education place on choice policy. The first limitation is that states cannot preference private choice programs over public education. This conclusion flows from the fact that most state constitutions mandate public education as a first-order right for their citizens. Thus, while states may establish choice programs, they cannot systematically advantage choice programs over public education. This Article demonstrates that some states have crossed this line.

“The second limitation that state constitutions place on choice programs is that their practical effect cannot impede educational opportunities in public schools. Education clauses in state constitutions obligate the state to provide adequate and equitable public schools. Any state policy that deprives students of access to those opportunities is therefore unconstitutional. Often-overlooked district level data reveals that choice programs are reducing public education funding, stratifying opportunity, and intensifying segregation in large urban centers. Each of these effects represents a distinct constitutional violation.”

The full article is here.

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Education Reform, Privatization, School Choice, Vouchers

Michigan: Legislators Blame Plummeting Test Scores on State Board, Not Failed DeVos Choice Policies

By dianeravitch
November 4, 2017 //
8

This is actually a very funny article in The 74, the unofficial voice of the privatization, union-busting movement.

The Republicans in the state legislature want to abolish the State Board of Education (which they don’t control) because of the state’s plummeting test scores.

The legislators do not consider that the state’s total embrace of choice without accountability (the DeVos plan) might be responsible for the state’s decline.

That would require some thought and reflection, which is in short supply in Lansing.

In a move to radically upend Michigan’s governance over schools, Republican lawmakers are seeking to eliminate the elected state board of education. While many believe it’s unlikely the legislation will pass, both its authors and detractors agree that some action is necessary to arrest an alarming decline in local academic performance.

The proposal is spearheaded by state Rep. Tim Kelly, chairman of the House Education Reform Committee and a longtime critic of the state board. He led a similar effort last year in response to its guidance on the needs of transgender students, accusing members of “practicing social engineering with every progressive agenda that comes down the pike.”

That push attracted dozens of cosponsors but ultimately fell short. Abolishing the board would require a constitutional amendment passed by two-thirds of both the state House and Senate, followed by public approval of a ballot measure in the next election. Kelly, recently nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as assistant education secretary under fellow Michigander Betsy DeVos, has assailed the board as a superfluous institution muddling the question of exactly who has jurisdiction over Michigan schools.”

The elimination of districts and the promotion of choice and charters has coincided with a dramatic drop in the state’s performance on the federally-funded National Assessment of Educational Progress.

In 2015, Michigan ranked 41st and 42nd in the country, respectively, for fourth-grade reading and math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card — down from 28th and 27th in 2003. It experienced more modest drops in both eighth-grade reading and math as well, fanning worries of a comprehensive downturn in school quality throughout the state.

Michigan is witnessing systemic decline across the K-12 spectrum,” read a 2016 report from The Education Trust-Midwest. “White, black, brown, higher-income, low-income — it doesn’t matter who they are or where they live, Michigan students’ achievement levels in early reading and middle school math are not keeping up with the rest of the U.S., much less our international competitors.”

Some local observers have laid blame for the poor results at the feet of school choice advocates, most notably U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. After the widespread expansion of charter schools and open enrollment across school districts, the quality of Michigan schools is no better than it was two decades ago, and arguably a good deal worse. Analysis from Phil Power’s Center for Michigan has found that close to one-third of Michigan charters occupy the state’s bottom quarter of academic performance. About one-quarter of traditional district schools were grouped in that category.

I wonder what Betsy would say? My guess is that she would respond that Michigan needs vouchers, which voters overwhelmingly rejected in a state referendum in 2000. Betsy and her husband Dick DeVos sponsored the referendum. Then Michigan could have three low-performing sectors, not just two.

Categories Accountability, Betsy DeVos, Charter Schools, Failure, Michigan, School Choice, Vouchers

Take This Survey to Help Document the Path of the Privatization Movement

By dianeravitch
November 2, 2017 //
4

Dr. Jim Scheurich of Indiana University and his colleagues have spoken out against the ongoing effort to privatize the Indianapolis public schools. He has developed a brief survey and invites readers to fill it out.

I encourage you to help him. Please revolt the survey if you have your own blog.

HELP US STOP THE DESTRUCTION

OF DEMOCRATICALLY CONTROLLED PUBLIC SCHOOLS

A national effort by wealthy, conservative and rightwing, individuals and organizations to privatize schools, particularly those in urban centers, and turn them into sources of profit is well underway.

Some of us fighting this effort in Indianapolis have identified ten elements or characteristics of what we are calling a national model to destroy democratically controlled public schooling.

The elements or characteristics we have identified come from our experience in Indianapolis, public information about other urban centers, and those fighting the same national effort in other cities

However, we are now trying to more systematically collect national information on this destructive model.

Please help us by completing the survey below along with minimal information about you.

If you have questions, please contact Dr. Jim Scheurich, Professor, School of Education, Indiana University – Indianapolis (IUPUI) at jscheuri@iupui.edu.

Click here for the survey: https://goo.gl/forms/cC8Lrn7a5OPNVpsc2

Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Indianapolis, Privatization, School Choice

Lily Eskelsen Garcia: DeVos Knows Nothing About Public Schools

By dianeravitch
October 30, 2017 //
50

Lily Eskelsen Garcia forced herself to sit down and listen to Betsy DeVos’ speech at Harvard, where she thought she would be in a choice-friendly environment, surrounded by allies at the Program on Educational Policy and Governance, led by choice advocate Paul Peterson. As we now know, students in the audience rejected her message and unfurled banners expressing their opposition to her policies.

Lily has refused to meet with DeVos because of her well-known contempt for public schools and the teaching profession.

This is her reaction to DeVos’ remarks.

“At times, I felt like I was getting a root canal without novocaine from the dentist in “The Little Shop of Horrors.” When the pain subsided, I was more convinced than ever that DeVos knows little about public schools and even less about their mission.

“Here’s a summary:

“1. DeVos talked about her Rethink School tour, applauding the schools she visited for openly stating: “’We’re not for everybody and we don’t expect everybody to want to come here.’ I think all schools should have that attitude.”

“She doesn’t understand the concept of “public” schools—schools that are open to all students, no matter what language is spoken at home, what the family income is, what their religion or race is, what abilities or disabilities they have, whether they are gay, straight, or transgender. The mission of public schools is to provide opportunities for each and every student who walks through the door, not to roll up the welcome mat, bar the door, and declare: “Sorry, but we’re not for everybody.”

“I think we already went through that time in history. There was even a name for it: Segregation.

“2. When she mentioned the places she visited during her tour, there was one noticeable omission: Michigan, her home state. Who can blame her? She funded efforts in Michigan to siphon funds from students in public schools, allowing for-profit companies to operate schools with taxpayer money and no accountability. The result? Schools with shoddy academic records continued operating for years; no state standards focus on who operates or oversees charters; and schools routinely close without giving families or educators adequate notice.

“This, apparently, is her goal from coast to coast.”

Read on to understand Lily’s reaction.

Categories Betsy DeVos, Charter Schools, Education Industry, For-Profit, Privatization, School Choice, Segregation, Virtual Charter Schools, Vouchers

Jack Schneider: Betsy DeVos Doesn’t Understand How Markets Work

By dianeravitch
October 29, 2017 //
33

Jack Schneider, historian of education, writes that Betsy DeVos is an enthusiast about markets but she doesn’t understand how markets work.

In her recent speech at Harvard, she spoke admiringly about the food trucks that have parked around the Department of Education building due to the lack of nearby restaurants. This is a silly metaphor because the government doesn’t pay for lunches, and provision of lunch is not a government responsibility.

But Schneider tears the metaphor apart for other reasons. You can go to a different food truck every day, and you can judge the food yourself, but you can’t switch schools every day, and you can’t judge a school directly, the way you judge a cheese sandwich.

His analysis is more subtle than my representation of it here. The bottom line is that choice in schooling is disruptive without necessarily improving the quality of schooling.

But Betsy is a choice and markets person, without regard to quality or accountability.

Categories Betsy DeVos, Charter Schools, Education Reform, School Choice, Vouchers
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