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Friday, March 8, 2013

Diane in the Evening Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:









Corporate Reform in Idaho

A reader in Boise sends the following comment about the trial of Khan Academy videos, funded by the Albertson Foundation:
From the article linked in Diane’s post:
“The statewide pilot received $1.5 million for training, technology, technical assistance and assessment from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation.”
The Albertson Foundation has given over $500 million to Idaho schools over the years, but for the past few years its efforts have been devoted to promoting some of the worst initiatives and legislation ever to don the mantle of 

Another Bold Jindal Reform: Cut Special Education Funding

The wonders of education reform never end in Louisiana.
Reformers Bobby Jindal and John White want to take money dedicated to public schools and give it to religious schools that teach creationism. That’s reform.
Even though a judge said this plan was unconstitutional, that doesn’t stop them. You know, the fierce urgency of 

The Best Picture of the Day

Please see this picture. It shows what is truly sick about U.S. education today.
It proves again that a photograph is worth 10,000 words.

Kevin Huffman’s Zombie Policies

The Tennessee Education Association sent out this bulletin today. State Commissioner Kevin Huffman, whose only classroom experience was two years in Teach for America, has plans to adopt every evidence-free, demoralizing tactic in the corporate reform playbook.
Huffman is a purveyor of zombie policies. Nothing he advocates has any evidence behind it. “Pay for performance” has been tried repeatedly for a century and never succeeded. So he wants more of it. It failed in 2010 in Nashville, where teachers were offered a bonus of $15,000 for higher scores. But Huffman either doesn’t know or doesn’t care. It’s not his money he’s wasting.
He knows that the state’s teacher evaluation system is badly flawed, but he wants 

How Bad Is New Jersey’s New Teacher Evaluation System?

Jersey Jazzman studied the teacher evaluation system devised by State Commissioner Chris Cerf and concludes it is an unmitigated disaster.
Like it or not, teachers wupill be forced to teach to the tests. Teachers will be fired because of the test, using a system whose designer said it should not be used for this purpose.
The state, now one of the highest performing in the action, will be turned 

How to “Invest” in Los Angeles Schools: Buy the School Board

In this perceptive essay, California teacher David B. Cohen has some interesting observations about Mayor Villaraigosa and Superintendent John Deasey.
The mayor has no regrets about asking billionaires Michael Bloomberg and Rupert Murdoch to pour vast sums of money into the school board race. He says that “we” (himself and the billionaires) have to stop letting them (the people who teach in the public schools of Los Angeles) from having so much influence.
“We”–meaning the mayor and a handful of super-rich people who poured $4-5 million into a local school board race. “We” –meaning people who do not live in Los Angeles. “We”–meaning people who do not have children in the public schools of Los Angeles. “We”–meaning corporate elites that control vast amounts of wealth and know 



Diane Ravitch Announces New Network for Public Education - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 11 hours ago
Diane Ravitch Announces New Network for Public Education - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher: Diane Ravitch Announces New Network for Public Education by Anthony Cody This morning Diane Ravitch announced the launch of a new organization to connect supporters of public education across the country. This could not come at a better time. Tuesday's election in Los Angeles showed the raw power of the money driving corporate education reform. Supporters of corporate reform, including Rupert Murdoch's Newscorp, Michelle Rhee's StudentsFirst, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ... more »


LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 3-8-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 2 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] TeacherKen on The Network for Public Education by dianerav Ken Bernstein is one of the nation’s best education bloggers. He blogs frequently at The Daily Kos. He has wise in the ways of federal policies and politics. He also is a gifted teacher and a great person. One of the great rewards of writing my last book was that I met this great and generous man. Today, Ken wrote a great article about the new Network for Public Education. He explains more about the ... more »