Archives for category: Vouchers
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Mitch McConnell Explains Why Privatization Is Good for You

By dianeravitch
July 30, 2013 //
56

I received the following email today from Senator Mitch McConnell.

He really needs to get some people on his staff who can read and understand education research.

It is not that hard.

So should Rand Paul, Lamar Alexander, and the other senators who are pushing vouchers.

He would learn, for example, that students in voucher schools have not outperformed students in public schools anywhere.

He doesn’t mention that in this letter, so maybe he does know it and doesn’t care.

He would learn that voucher schools appear to have a higher graduation rate because they have a huge attrition rate.

For example, in Milwaukee, 56% of the students who started vouchers schools in ninth grade dropped out before reaching graduation.

So, the 44% who did not drop out were more likely to have a higher graduation rate than the public schools that accepted the dropouts from the voucher schools.

Why do these so-called “conservatives” want to destroy their own community’s public schools? There is nothing conservative about that.

Conservatives protect traditional institutions.

Conservatives protect their community.

Conservatives are not anarchists.

Funny they don’t mention that vouchers have never been approved in any referendum. Voters don’t want their public dollars to go to religious or unregulated private schools.

 

McConnell writes:

 

We, as conservatives, know that the government is not the best place to do a lot of things. Although, if government must take action, we prefer that the most local level of government addresses an issue. 

Sometimes, every level of government creates obstacles to success. I consider it a priority in the United States Senate to remove those obstacles and help citizens, taxpayers and parents succeed.

That is why I am fighting hard for more choice and freedom in our schools.

School choice and parental control are issues I hold dear, which is why I am proud to join my friends Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Tim Scott, Lamar Alexander and others at an important school choice forum.

Every child, whatever their background and no matter where they live, deserves a great education and a chance to succeed in life. Unfortunately, Washington and the entire education establishment are failing our kids.

Every decision that Washington has made in recent years seems to bring more power to the federal government, leaving less control for local schools and parents.

However, school choice is working where it has been allowed to replace the education establishment. Here are a few facts about school choice and the positive consequences of a successful education:

In Washington, the voucher program increased the graduation rate by 21 percent.

By 25, the average high school dropout earns $18,796 per year. On the other hand, the average college graduate with a bachelor’s degree is earning $26,699 per year and will earn nearly 100% more over their lifetime than a high school dropout.

How do we get more young Americans to earn bachelor’s degrees instead of becoming another dropout statistic?

The answer is school choice, and I will continue to fight alongside my colleagues in the Senate to expand the control that parents have over their child’s education.

You can also help by making sure I can keep fighting in Washington. Fighting for choice in education. Fighting for local control of schools. Fighting for parents and taxpayers.

Categories Corporate Reformers, Education Reform, Vouchers

Join NC’s Moral Monday Protest Against Assault on Public Schools

By dianeravitch
July 27, 2013 //
7

Supporters of public schools in Virginia will be car-pooling to join the weekly protest at the North Carolina state Capitol called Moral Monday. If you can be there to support public schools, to oppose budget cuts and privatization, please join them.

This comes from Rachel Levy in Virginia:

“There is going to be a big Moral Monday event in support of public education & in protest of education cuts in NC: http://www.ncae.org/whats-new/moral-monday-protest-walk-join-us/

The VEA in neighboring Virginia will be hosting car pools to the event. From the VEA: “car pools are forming at VEA headquarters, 116 South 3rd Street, Richmond, at 11:15 am for a noon departure. The rally is being organized to protest steep cuts to North Carolina public education. The North Carolina Association of Educators HQ, the pre-rally meeting spot, is at 700 South Salisbury St. NCAE asks that you wear RED. Get more information at http://www.ncae.org.”

Categories Budget Cuts, North Carolina, Vouchers

North Carolina: Public Education in Peril

By dianeravitch
July 25, 2013 //
22

Dr. June Atkinson, the state superintendent of instruction in North Carolina, said, ““For the first time in my career of more than 30 years in public education, I am truly worried about students in our care.”

Lindsay Wagner summarizes the damage done to public education by the North Carolina legislature:

It cut more than $500 million from the state’s public schools.

It passed a voucher program to allow students to take public money to private and religious schools.

And more:

The 2013-15 biennial budget introduces a raft of spending cuts to public schools that will result in no raises for teachers, larger class sizes, fewer teacher assistants, little support for instructional supplies or professional development, and what could amount to the dismantling of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program. Teachers can also say goodbye to tenure and supplemental pay for advanced degrees.

Wagner asks, “Is this the beginning of the end for public education in North Carolina?”

The privatization movement is in full swing in North Carolina. What was once the most progressive state in the South is now leading the attack on public education. For the first time since Reconstruction, the governorship and both houses of the Legislature are in the hands of Republicans, and these are not moderate Republicans who want to preserve a strong public education system. These are radical privatizers who want to send public monies to private schools, religious schools, and entrepreneurs.

The governor’s education advisor, Eric Guckian, is a Teach for America alum. TFA won $5.1 million in the new budget.

Categories Budget Cuts, Class size, Education Industry, For-Profit, North Carolina, Privatization, Teacher Tenure, Teachers and Teaching, Vouchers

How Choice Schools “Hitchhike” in Ohio

By dianeravitch
July 24, 2013 //
1

Ohio has a thriving choice sector, but neither vouchers nor charters have ever been approved by voters.

Legislators know that the public–nearly 90% in public schools–would not support funding vouchers or charters and never has. So they find clever ways to establish choice programs and fund them without asking the voters’ opinions. Currently, as the post below shows, legislators have figured out how to force voters in Columbus to share a new tax levy for charters.

Why are supporters of choice so fearful of the democratic process. If people really are clamoring to leave public schools, why not allow them to vote on how public money is allocated?

Bill Phillis wrote the following explanation of how choice programs hitchhike in Ohio. Bill, now retired, was Deputy Commissioner of Education during a time when the government of the state was determined to improve education, not to privatize it. If you want to join his mailing list, you may contact him at ohioeanda@sbcglobal.net

Bill Phillis writes:

“FY2014-FY2015 State Budget: Choice programs hitchhike again

July 24, 2013

Charter schools came into Ohio law by hitchhiking on a budget bill-same is true of vouchers. Choice programs have never been enacted in Ohio as stand-alone legislation. State officials have historically inserted controversial proposals in budget bills that would not pass on their own merit. The Ohio Constitution (Article II, section 12d) requires that bills constitute a single subject but this provision is frequently violated, particularly when there is little or no political balance in government.

The new “universal” voucher program in HB 59 most likely would not have passed if it had been introduced separately. Remember HB 136-a “universal” voucher bill introduced in the 129th General Assembly? It was stopped amid public opposition. Over 400 boards of education passed resolutions of opposition to HB 136.

HB 167 (The Columbus Plan) is another example of choice hitchhiking. This enactment requires the Columbus Board of Education to put a levy on the ballot in November, the proceeds of which would be shared with charter schools. A Columbus school board member proposed that the levy proposal be bifurcated so as to allow Columbus School District residents to vote on the charter school funding piece separately-rather than hitchhiking on the Columbus District levy. The powers-that-be said “NO”, it is a package.

What is the problem with allowing Columbus school patrons to vote specifically on the charter school funding issue? The answer seems clear-it wouldn’t pass. Citizens should have the right to vote on each issue. Charter schools, unless sponsored by a school district, are not a part of the public common school system; thus, a local tax levy for charter schools should be a separate proposal. Local school district revenue is already shared with charter schools inasmuch as, on average, the per pupil charter school deductions are nearly twice the average state payments per pupil to school districts.

Citizens need to challenge the decisions of their elected representatives. The Columbus school board member should be commended for raising the issue of a separate vote.

William Phillis
Ohio E & A

Ohio E & A | 100 S. 3rd Street | Columbus | OH | 43215

Categories Charter Schools, Ohio, Vouchers

This Post Went Viral Today

By dianeravitch
July 23, 2013 //
7

Congratulations to Yevonne Brannan, whose post about the legislative attack on public education in North Carolina went viral today. Nearly 30,000 people read her post. That is amazing!

Congratulations, Yevonne, and forgive me for misspelling your first name in the post.

Yevonne is one of the leaders of Public Schools First NC.

She and other devoted parents, teachers, and citizens will win this battle. Not today, not this year, maybe not next year, but they will win.

Here is the announcement of the formation of her group of brave fighters for the common good. They got started only last February. They are determined. They will take back NC from the cultural vandals. It will happen. They have just begun to fight.

Public Schools First NC Forms to Champion Public Education

We are pleased to let you know that a a new statewide, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy group committed to high-quality public schools for North Carolina has formed. Public Schools First NC is a group of citizens, parents, teachers, businesses and organizations joining together out of a deep concern about the growing threat to privatize and weaken North Carolina’s public schools.

Public Schools First NC’s common sense agenda includes:
Adequate, equitable funding reflecting at least the national average for North Carolina’s school district
A limited number of truly innovative charter schools designed to work with local school districts, managed with careful local and state oversight.
Excellent educational environments that are partnerships between schools, families, teachers and the community.
Increased support for pre-school, because high quality, early childhood education is a wise investment for communities and has lifelong, positive results for children.
Programs that encourage the training and retention of professional experienced teachers and principals.
Take the next step for public education in NC!

Join Public Schools First NC to receive news, information, and important action alerts: http://www.publicschoolsfirstnc.org/join-us/
Like Public Schools First NC on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/publicschoolsfirstnc
Follow Public Schools First NC on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ps1nc
_________________________________________________________________________________

Categories North Carolina, Vouchers

North Carolina: A First Look at the Destruction of Public Education

By dianeravitch
July 22, 2013 //
22

Lindsay Wagner is an excellent journalist at NC Policy Watch. She covers the legislature.

Here is her summary of the slash-and-burn policies that the legislature applied to public education:

1. Vouchers. $10 million set aside. This week, legislators will consider vouchers for students with disabilities. This is an ALEC priority, but ironically students with disabilities have greater rights and protection in public schools than in private schools.

2. Elimination of teacher tenure. Teachers now become temporary employees.

3. Teacher pay. NC teachers are among the worst paid in the nation. This legislation won’t help. “Teacher pay: no raises for teachers, who have only seen a 1% pay increase in the past five years. Supplemental pay for teachers who have master’s degrees is gone, with the exception of those whose jobs require advanced degrees. A scheme for merit pay is included, with highly performing teachers getting bonuses in the second year.”

4. Funding for teacher assistants was cut.

5. Class size limits were removed. Class sizes will grow.

6. Virtual charters: the state board is urged to give them another look.

The North Carolina legislature and governor are systematically dismantling the teaching profession and privatizing public education. These people are cultural vandals.

Categories Budget Cuts, Charter Schools, North Carolina, Teacher Tenure, Vouchers

The First Review of “Reign of Error”!

By dianeravitch
July 22, 2013 //
83

This is the first review of my new book.

Kirkus sends out early reviews that are read by journalists, librarians, and others in the publishing industry.

This reviewer provides an accurate summary of the book. He or she got the main point and presents it succinctly here.

REIGN OF ERROR
The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools
Author: Diane Ravitch

Review Issue Date: August 1, 2013
Online Publish Date: July 21, 2013
Publisher:Knopf
Pages: 416
Price ( Hardcover ): $27.95
Publication Date: September 18, 2013
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-0-385-35088-4
Category: Nonfiction

“A noted education authority launches a stout defense of the public school system and a sharp attack on the so-called reformers out to wreck them.

“We’ve been misinformed, writes Ravitch (Education/New York Univ.; The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, 2010, etc.), about the state of our public schools. Test scores are higher than ever, the dropout rate is lower, and achievement gaps among races are narrowing. The only “crisis” is the one ginned up by government bureaucrats, major foundations, an odd coalition of elitists and commercial hustlers intent on privatizing education. They’ve made inflated claims about the virtues of vouchers, charter schools, virtual schools, standardized testing (and its efficacy for identifying excellent teachers) and merit pay. With no supporting evidence, they insist poverty has no correlation to low academic achievement, that abolishing tenure and seniority will improve schools, and that overhauling the entire system along business lines is the way to go. Ravitch makes her own proposals for genuine improvement, and if they are as unsurprising as they are expensive—e.g., prenatal care for all expectant mothers, high-quality early education for all, reduced class sizes and a full, balanced curriculum, medical and social services for poor children—they at least leave responsibility for the public school system where it belongs: in the hands of our elected representatives. When it comes to education, notoriously plagued by fads, it’s always difficult to determine truth. Ravitch, however, earns the benefit of the doubt by the supporting facts, figures, and graphs she brings to her argument, a lifetime of scholarship, and experience in and out of government. She’s as dismissive of George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind as of Barack Obama’s Race to the Top and as critical of former Secretary of Education William Bennett as of the current Arne Duncan.

“For policymakers, parents and anyone concerned about the dismantling of one of our democracy’s great institutions.

“41 graphs. First printing of 75,000. Author tour to Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C.”

A note from Diane: I will also be in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and other cities.

Categories Charter Schools, Closing schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, Vouchers

Breaking News: NC Legislature Approves Vouchers, Ends Teacher Tenure

By dianeravitch
July 21, 2013 //
46

The North Carolina legislature reached agreement on a budget that initiates vouchers in 2014 and ends teacher tenure.

The Republican leadership hailed the budget deal as a huge improvement for public education, which of course it is not. Vouchers are terrible public policy that will harm the public education system by draining dollars from it to fund religious schools. No voucher experiment in the past 20 years has shown that vouchers produce better education.

As for ending teacher tenure, it guarantees an end to academic freedom for teachers. Will any teacher dare to teach a controversial book or discuss evolution?

North Carolina was once hailed as one of the most progressive southern states. Now its governor and both houses of the legislature are members of the same party, and they are extremist in their determination to crush teachers and privatize public education. Teachers’ salaries in the state are among the lowest in the nation.

A critic said this about the budget deal:

“Lawmakers chose to drain available revenues by $524 million over the next two years through an ill-advised series of tax cuts that primarily benefit the wealthy and profitable corporations,” wrote Alexandra Forter Sirota, director of the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center, which has been critical of the Republican-led legislature. “This revenue loss isn’t just a number on a piece of paper—it means fewer teachers in more crowded classrooms, higher tuition rates and elevated debt load for families, scarcer economic development opportunities for distressed communities, and longer waiting lists for senior services.”

Categories North Carolina, Teacher Tenure, Vouchers

Louisiana Educator Speaks Out Against Privatization

By dianeravitch
July 18, 2013 //
6

Mike Deshotels is a retired educator in Louisiana who blogs at http://louisianaeducator.blogspot.com/.

He sent the following letter to the media:

“To the Editor

As an experienced, retired educator I feel I must speak out about the serious damage being done to public education in Louisiana by Governor Jindal and State Education Superintendent John White.

Many educators are shocked and disappointed about the drastic cuts to higher education, however my greatest concern is for K-12 education, where I was privileged to have a rewarding career as a teacher and education leader. It is like watching a slow motion train wreck to see the thousands of dedicated teachers who are retiring early because of the insane education policies of this administration.

The attempted privatization of public education using vouchers and charter schools is doing serious damage to education. Contrary to what our new non-educator leaders claim, Louisiana has had a basically sound system of public education. Our student performance was steadily improving before Jindal. All we needed to do was authorize our school administrators to restore basic discipline and safety to some of our troubled schools and make sure that our school curricula included both strong college prep and excellent career programs.

Instead Jindal and White policies are now putting our school tax dollars into the hands of profiteers and education charlatans.

Basically all the state takeover schools converted to charters have been absolute disasters both in student performance and in fiscal management. The so called Recovery District remains the second lowest performing school district behind St. Helena.

The recent audits of the voucher schools have been a total sham. The State Superintendent pronounced the voucher schools in compliance with state requirements even though almost none of them kept proper books to demonstrate compliance.

Finally and most damaging, Jindal and White have rammed through a terribly inaccurate and unfair teacher evaluation system that is driving our most dedicated educators out of the profession. Our teachers are being forced to do almost nothing but rehearse students for state tests instead of real teaching.

Teachers were not the problem to begin with. It was the poverty in our state and the lack of positive parental involvement compounded by the arrogant polices of a State Department of Education which is now dominated by amateur educators.

Let’s restore sanity to our education system, stop the teacher bashing, and support our professional educators in doing the effective job they desperately want to do for our children!

Sincerely,
Michael Deshotels, retired educator
Zachary, Louisiana, 225-235-1632
email: mikedeshot@aol.com”

Categories Education Industry, For-Profit, Jindal, Bobby, Louisiana, Vouchers

Cory Booker: Champion of Privatization

By dianeravitch
July 15, 2013 //
31

Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, is heavily favored to win the race to replace the late Senator Frank Lautenberg.

Booker doesn’t like public education. He is an avid proponent of charters and vouchers. He is active in Democrats for Education Reform, the Wall Street hedge fund managers’ advocacy group for privatization.

As Jersey Jazzman points out, there is a credible alternative: Rush Holt, a member of Congress.

Holt is a physicist. He would bring deep knowledge of science and education to the Senate.

Booker would bring a determination to privatize public education.

Categories Democrats for Education Reform, New Jersey, Privatization, Vouchers
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