"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Thursday, June 21, 2018

How fringe-right are business banker Marshall Tuck’s education views?

How reactionary is Marshall Tuck on education issues? One measure is to compare his views to those of the notoriously right-wing JBS and GOP stalwarts. Here we look at some critical issues facing students, families, and our public schools.

Sources: ontheissues.org, marshalltuck.com, jbs.org

Remember that Marshall Tuck, like his white supremacist counterparts Tom Horne and John Huppenthal, shuttered Ethnic Studies, killed Dual Language Immersion Programs, and eliminated Heritage Language Programs.

Resources on Marshall Tuck

[list to be continued]

Monday, June 11, 2018

CURMUDGUCATION: Social Impact Bonds for Dummies

CURMUDGUCATION: Social Impact Bonds for Dummies: We've been hearing about Social Impact Bonds , or "Pay for Success" programs for a few years now, but only recently have they ...

Why Does Diane Ravitch Support Charter Schools? Will She Debate?

I have been asking this question for a long time, even before Diane's and AFT's Network for Public Education (NPE) issued a position statement on charters that somewhat clarifies their support for charter schools:
. . . we recognize that many families have come to depend on charter schools and that many charter school teachers are dedicated professionals who serve their students well. It is also true that some charter schools are successful. We do not, therefore, call for the immediate closure of all charter schools, but rather we advocate for their eventual absorption into the public school system.
Apparently, NPE's statement serves as a communique that is not be questioned.  Asking how Diane judges "success" of a charter school (test scores?), or which ones are the successful charter schools, or which charter teachers are the "dedicated professionals," only serve to raise the ire of Diane and her small flock of liberals who believe that bringing the truth to the charter industry through Facebook and Twitter postings will alter the corporate-run public education genocide that was underway long before Diane's conversion from neoliberal Republican to neoliberal Democrat.  

Inquiring minds might want to know, too, what it would take to bring about the "eventual absorption into the public school system" of charters that are so successful now that they should not be tampered with in 2018?     

I've had no luck in getting a response to any of these questions.

Would Diane offer an opportunity to discuss, debate, or dialogue on any or all of these questions related to her continuing embrace of the 6,000 "non-profit" segregated charter schools that drain away hundreds of millions of public dollars each year, dollars that could be used to improve the public schools that Diane, otherwise, supports?

In person or in writing?  Will she debate or will she continue to try to silence those who question the contradictory, misleading, and/or inconsistent policy positions that seek, simultaneously, to placate the charter industry and the supporters of public schools?
 

Sunday, June 03, 2018

Republican Accomplishments Under Trump

-->
Best Economy in 18 years, based on economic expansion begun 9 years ago under Obama.
Lower Taxes that primarily benefit the top 1 percent of earners, paid for by adding $2.3 trillion to the deficit.
Repealed Obamacare Individual Mandate, thus assuring higher premiums for sick and elderly and 13 million fewer Americans to be insured in 2027.
Support for Military (best in 15 years), which means support for corporations who will reap the benefits of an unneeded expansion of the military-industrial complex.
Supreme Court Justice, Neil Gorsuch, who promises to be one of the most divisive justices in SCOTUS history.
Conservative Appeals Judges (21 Circuit) with some of the most extreme elements of American racism.
Repealed Dodd-Frank Mortgage Rules, which promises to throw open the door to new criminal offenses by the wolves of Wall Street.