Archives for category: Vouchers
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Arthur Camins: What Matters Most?

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2013 //
43

Arthur Camins is director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. When Camins read Paul Thomas’s latest commentary about the lack of evidence behind reform strategies, he wrote the following:

“Over the past several years I have read countless articles and books all saying basically the same thing: The foundations of current education reform – competition, reward, sanctions and consequential testing – are not supported by evidence. In fact, they are contraindicated. Their use as policy levers promotes competition rather than collaboration, teaching to the test rather than deeper sustainable learning and increased school segregation. Many have expressed incredulity that reform supporters ignore evidence. Maybe it is not so surprising.

I think there are two explanations.

The first is the power of ideological blinders and hubris or what I called in an earlier article, The Fog of the Education War. (http://www.arthurcamins.com/?p=36)

The second explanation is different goals and values. I, and many other critics of current reform strategies place high value on education for democratic participation and responsible citizenship, educational equity for all and deeper learning. We have argued that charter schools, merit pay and over-testing undermine those goals. Maybe “reformers” know this too, but do not object. Maybe they want different things. Maybe they accept inequality as a fact of life. And, some may be just out to make a buck.

The question is which road will we choose – improvement for all or just a few. (http://www.arthurcamins.com/?p=191)”

Categories Charter Schools, Closing schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Race to the Top, Vouchers

Was Tony Bennett Exonerated?

By dianeravitch
September 11, 2013 //
10

Rick Hess believes that a report on the Tony Bennett grade-fixing scandal exonerated him. But Indiana parents and friends of public schools don’t agree. Here they explain that no one understood the school grading system and that Bennett was voted out of office because of his policies, not his style.

Somehow I suspect we haven’t heard the end of this matter. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Industry, Indiana, Vouchers

Was Tony Bennett Exonerated?

By dianeravitch
September 11, 2013 //
1

Rick Hess believes that a report on the Tony Bennett grade-fixing scandal exonerated him. But Indiana parents and friends of public schools don’t agree. Here they explain that no one understood the school grading system and that Bennett was voted out of office because of his policies, not his style.

Somehow I suspect we haven’t heard the end of this matter. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Industry, Indiana, Vouchers

Duncan: “Not Familiar” with Voucher Lawsuit

By dianeravitch
September 5, 2013 //
28

When questioned about the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Louisiana’s voucher program, Secretary of Education Duncan said he was “not familiar” with it. DOJ is suing to block vouchers in districts that are under desegregation orders. DOJ recognizes that vouchers will exacerbate racial segregation.

This was reported on politico.com’s morning education edition, a valuable resource for breaking news:

“DUNCAN ‘NOT FAMILIAR’ WITH DOJ VOUCHER LAWSUIT – The Education Secretary made the rounds for back-to-school interviews Wednesday and ducked a question about the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuit (http://bit.ly/15cDXFA ) over Louisiana’s voucher program. The department is trying to block vouchers for the 2014-15 school year in districts under desegregation orders, arguing that the vouchers set back desegregation efforts. It’s been the focus of a high-profile campaign by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, both Republicans, who accuse the Obama administration of trapping poor, minority students in failing schools. “I’m not familiar with that lawsuit,” Duncan said in response to a question on public radio’s Diane Rehm Show. “That’s between the Department of Justice and the state of Louisiana.” Jindal’s Wednesday op-ed for the Washington Post is here: http://wapo.st/1dHSDFK”

Categories Duncan, Arne, Jindal, Bobby, Louisiana, Vouchers

Secret Emails: Indiana Takeover Planned Behind Closed Doors

By dianeravitch
September 1, 2013 //
60

Tom Lobianco, the investigative journalist of the Associated Press who uncovered the Tony Bennett grade-fixing scandal, has opened up another treasure trove of emails in Indiana.

What he learned was that the plan to introduce rightwing reforms was hatched in secret by GOP power brokers and did not include legislators or open hearings.

He writes:

“…emails and other documents obtained by The Associated Press show a small group of GOP powerbrokers crafted the details of the education policy that made Indiana a conservative model – over Scotch whisky at an Indianapolis steakhouse and in meetings at a private club.

“In the months before the education package was unveiled to the public, its architects mulled the policy and politics of the rollout without any input from state lawmakers who’d later be tasked to pass the measures. They even debated when to loop in Daniels ahead of an election in which Republicans reclaimed control of the Statehouse.”

We learn in civics textbook how laws are written, legislators debate, hearings are held. But that ‘s not what happened in Indiana.

Does anyone care?

Categories Corporate Reformers, Indiana, Vouchers

U.S. Department of Justice to Bobby Jindal: The Voucher Program is Illegal!

By dianeravitch
August 25, 2013 //
40

This post by one of Louisiana’s great bloggers reports that the state’s voucher program undermines federal desegregation orders.  Pesky things, the Constitution, the law, and court orders.

Cenlamar writes:

Yesterday, the United States Department of Justice asked Judge Ivan Lemelle to issue an injunction preventing the State of Louisiana from providing taxpayer-subsidized school vouchers in 2014 to students residing in any of the thirty-four parishes currently subjected to federal desegregation orders. In simple terms, Governor Bobby Jindal, Superintendent John White, and the Louisiana Department of Education have been completely unable and unwilling to provide the federal government with sufficient evidence that their controversial school voucher program complies with the law. Because Superintendent John White and his team at the Louisiana Department of Education could not or would not provide the federal government with documentation demonstrating their compliance, the Department of Justice was, essentially, forced to go to court. Quoting from the lawsuit (bold mine):

Only after filing multiple motions in this case and receiving an order of this Court (see Record Docs. No. 109-202), did the United States finally receive, in March of 2013, the information and data it requested from the State. After analyzing the data, the United States determined that the State’s voucher awards appeared to impede the desegregation process in 34 schools in 13 districts. On May 17, 2013, the United States sent a letter to the State… requesting that the State cease its practice of awarding vouchers to students attending school districts operating under federal desegregation orders unless and until it receives approval from the presiding federal court. The State has not responded to that letter and, on information and belief of the United States, has already awarded vouchers for the 2013-2014 school year to students attending school districts operating under desegregation orders.

….

To date, the State has awarded vouchers for 2013-2014 to students in 22 of the 34 school districts with pending federal desegregation orders. See supra at notes 3-4 and Exhibit E. Upon information and belief, the State did not seek the approval of the appropriate federal court prior to awarding the vouchers to students in these districts. Further, the State did not contact the parties to the federal desegregation cases prior to awarding vouchers. Upon information and belief of the United States, the State did not evaluate the impact the vouchers would have on the desegregation process in any of the school districts operating under a federal desegregation order.

Categories Jindal, Bobby, Louisiana, Vouchers

Blood-Letting Kills the Patient

By dianeravitch
August 22, 2013 //
5

Bill Phillis, who was deputy superintendent of schools in Ohio, now spends his time advocating for public education in Ohio. He runs the Equity and Adequacy Coalition.

He writes:

“State policies supporting the privatization of public education are draining the life’s blood of the public common school

“8/22/13

“From the advent of the 1851 thorough and efficient clause in the Ohio Constitution until the early 1990s, state, county (ESC) and local school officials worked, often times diligently, to improve educational opportunities to all school children and to extend opportunities to the previously unserved and underserved students. One efficacious strategy was to assemble a sufficient number of students in a central location to efficiently and effectively provide comprehensive high quality educational opportunities. School district consolidation, area/regional service centers, joint vocational school districts, special education consortiums, Ohio State School for the Blind, Ohio School for the Deaf, each linked to the strategy to provide high quality educational opportunities for all students.

“By the early 1990s the Ohio public common school system was poised to take significant strides toward a world class system for all students. The DeRolph school funding case highlighted the need for adequate fiscal resources, equitably distributed to accomplish excellence for all.

“Unfortunately, the Voinovich-initiated choice movement was cleverly orchestrated in ways to undermine the advancement and enrichment of the public common school system. The reorganization of several thousands of school districts into 612 districts took a century and a half to accomplish. In two decades, Ohio school entities have increased by about 400 and voucher schools have added hundreds of school entities funded by public tax dollars.

“The traditional public school system is being dismantled. The new paradigm is proving to be less efficient, less effective and less productive, and is completely irrational. The current education scenario is antithetical to the traditional public school effectual model that was emerging in the early 1900s. It is hostile to the education clauses (Article VI, sections 2 and 3) of the Ohio Constitution.

“The traditional public school system, due primarily to inadequate and inequitable funding, has defects and deficiencies that can be cured. The “choice” remedy (privatization) is wrongheaded. It is like the outmoded bloodletting medical practice of bygone days. This “cure” was counterproductive. History indicates that George Washington asked for a heavy dose of bloodletting for a throat infection. About 3.7 liters of blood was drained from him in a ten hour period. The Permanente Journal, Volume 8 NO.2 page 79 indicates that that procedure contributed to his death.

“The traditional public school system is being bled to death. What the public common school system needed was the analysis of a blood sample, not an ongoing draining of its life’s blood-students and the necessary resources.”

William Phillis
Ohio E & A
Join Our Mailing List!
Forward this email

This email was sent by ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net |
Ohio E & A | 100 S. 3rd Street | Columbus | OH | 43215

Categories Charter Schools, Ohio, Privatization, Vouchers

Incredibly Good News: The Public Does Not Support High-Stakes Testing

By dianeravitch
August 21, 2013 //
30

The new PDK/Gallup Poll had some amazingly good news for those parents and educators who have been fighting the movement to test, standardize, and quantify every last child, as well as to destroy public confidence in public education.

What this poll shows is that the public is not buying what the U.S. Department of Education and the corporate reform movement are selling.

They like their teachers and their schools. They don’t believe that standardized testing has helped their school. They don’t want test scores used to evaluate their teachers.

The message: Corporate reform lacks a popular base.

Here are some key findings:

*Only 22% of Americans “believe increased testing has helped the performance of local public schools.”

*A majority (58%) “reject using student scores from standardized tests to evaluate teachers.” This is a reversal from last year, when 52% approved of this obnoxious idea. The more people see that it mislabels teachers and disrupts schools, the less they like the idea.

*A majority (63%) oppose publishing teacher ratings in the media. This is a reversal from last year, when 51% favored this humiliating idea.

*A decisive majority (72%) “have trust and confidence” in teachers in the public schools. When the question is asked of people under 40, who are likeliest to have school-age children, the proportion grows to 78%.

*A bare majority (52%) supported the right of public school teachers to go on strike.

*A huge proportion (88%) of public school parents say their child is safe at school. Their greatest concern is not intruders but other students.

*A majority (68%) support charter schools.

*A large majority (70%) oppose vouchers for private schools. This is a very large increase from 2012, when only 55% opposed vouchers.

*Almost two-thirds of the public have never heard of the Common Core standards.

*Of those who have heard of the Common Core standards, most say they will either make the U.S. less competitive or make no difference.

*More than  90% of Americans “believe activities such as band, drama, sports, and newspaper are very or somewhat important,” with 63% saying “very important.”

 

Bottom line: The American people like their public schools, respect their teachers, do not like standardized testing, and do not want teachers evaluated by test scores.

They want their children to have a well-rounded education.

All common sense.

 

Categories Accountability, Opinion Polling, Parents, Students, Teachers, Testing, U.S. education, Vouchers

Chile: Vouchers and Inequality

By dianeravitch
August 19, 2013 //
2

Please read
the series of blog posts by Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig of
the University of Texas on the subject of Chile, vouchers, social
segregation, and inequality.

Categories International, Vouchers

Chile: Students Fight Privatization, Inequality, Segregation

By dianeravitch
August 15, 2013 //
10

Chile is the poster nation for free market education reform.

Dictator Pinochet installed Milton Friedman’s free market ideas into education. Chile has vouchers, and it also has vast income inequality. Vouchers have destroyed free public education.

Now Chile has an angry student movement demanding free public education and an end to privatization.

To learn about the damage wrought by the free market in Chile, watch this documentary. you will learn about the Chilean student movement.

Watch and learn where the free market policies of the Koch brothers, Arne Duncan, ALEC, the DC think tanks, the Gates Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation, the Broad Foundation, Tom Corbett, Michelle Rhee, Joel Klein, Scott Walker, and other free-market extremists are taking our nation.

Categories Global Education Reform Movement (GERM), International, Vouchers
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »