Building Better SchoolsBuild and Support Items
Excellent new book In Search of Deeper Learning; the Quest to Remake the American High School by Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine. https://www.amazon.com/Search-Deeper-Learning-Remake-American/dp/0674988396 and their Op Ed piece in the New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/30/opinion/sunday/fix-high-school-education.html
A similar book to be released in May by Linda Darling-Hammond and Jeannie Oakes. Preparing Teachers for Deeper Learning https://www.hepg.org/hep-home/books/preparing-teachers-for-deeper-learning?utm_source=LPI+Master+List&utm_campaign=67ef9ab0d6-LPIMC_SeniorFellowBooks_20190404&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7e60dfa1d8-67ef9ab0d6-42289731
A fine review of Andrea Gabor’s After the Teacher Wars. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/04/17/john-thompson-what-andrea-gabor-teaches-us-part-1/
WestED: Strategies for Supporting Teacher Collaboration and Inquiry. https://mailchi.mp/wested/2019-newsletter-trauma-informed-practice-1109161?e=cc0a3f69a8
How San Jose school district achieved more collaborative labor/management partnerships. https://edsource.org/2019/how-one-district-achieved-a-more-collaborative-labor-management-partnership/610611
LeBron James’s efforts raises performance in a regular public school. Ohio: LeBron James’ School Demonstrates that Money and Kindness Matter
How Democracy Prep charter schools boost student voting. https://www.educationnext.org/life-lesson-civics-how-democracy-prep-charter-schools-boost-student-voting/
Marc Tucker: http://ncee.org/2019/04/how-districts-can-learn-from-the-worlds-best/
Marc Tucker: The sorry state of Career/Tech Education in the US. https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/sorry-state-career-and-technical-education-america?utm_source=National+Education+Gadfly+Weekly&utm_campaign=8b94489d88-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_02_27_05_21_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_ef00e8f50e-8b94489d88-71635837&mc_cid=8b94489d88&mc_eid=ebbe04a807
Don’t give up on curriculum reform. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/04/02/dont-give-up-on-curriculum-reform-just.html?cmp=eml-enl-cm-news1-rm&M=58795629&U=56558&UUID=963b3ee1b30e99b18f611b1fbc9d893e
The teacher shortage is worse than we thought and growing. https://www.epi.org/publication/the-teacher-shortage-is-real-large-and-growing-and-worse-than-we-thought-the-first-report-in-the-perfect-storm-in-the-teacher-labor-market-series/?utm_source=Economic+Policy+Institute&utm_campaign=ea34032b08-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_02_22_11_12_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e7c5826c50-ea34032b08-55876685&mc_cid=ea34032b08&mc_eid=c2e5bac0f3
Bill McCallum and his group have developed the tremendously useful mathematic progressions. Here are the latest changes to them. Changes in the progressions
IllustrativeMath’s latest choices. https://www.illustrativemathematics.org/6-12-math/
Wallace Foundation: Principal pipelines are an effective way of increasing student performance. https://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/Principal-Pipelines-A-Feasible-Affordable-and-Effective-Way-for-Districts-to-Improve-Schools.pdf; https://learningforward.org/2019/04/01/the-principal-pipeline-initiative-anticipating-the-effects/
Continuity of superintendent key to improvement. St. Louis Regains Its Elected Board After 12 Years of State Control
26 Ted talks to spark student discussion from WeAreTeachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/ted-talks-students/?utm_source=WAT_MDR&utm_medium=Enews&utm_campaign=WAT_Enews032119
Opinion in the Hechinger report. How Our Youngest and Neediest Learners Benefit from Phonics and Other Reforms. https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-phonics-and-other-ways/ and Meet the Moms Pushing for a Reading Overhaul in Their District
Fordham Institute: How aligned is Career/Tech Education to local labor markets? https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/research/how-aligned-career-and-technical-education-local-labor-markets?utm_source=National+Reports+%26+Event+Invitations&utm_campaign=8d318bf634-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_07_19_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e6ce50d375-8d318bf634-71652537&mc_cid=8d318bf634&mc_eid=ebbe04a807
Vouchers, Charters, and Privatization Problems
The U.S. government has wasted up to $1 billion on charter schools that never opened, or opened and then closed because of mismanagement and other reasons, according to a report from an education advocacy group. The study also says the U.S. Education Department does not adequately monitor how its grant money is spent. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/03/26/bombshell-report-congress-wastes-nearly-1-billion-on-defunct-charter-schools/
Jeff Bryant: What is the U.S. Department of Education Hiding?
Why Does Betsy DeVos Tolerate Fraud in the Charter Sector?
Charter Schools: A Very Horrible, Terrible, Awful Week by Diane Ravitch
Jan Resseger: Charter School Sector Swindles the Public, Burns Tax Dollars, and Cheats Children—Part 1; https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2019/04/10/charter-school-sector-swindles-the-public-burns-tax-dollars-and-cheats-children-part-2/
Jeff Bryant launches “Our Schools” media project to report on the privatization movement. https://educationopportunitynetwork.org/3-19-2019-new-our-schools-media-project-to-report-on-privatization-movement/
Jan Resseger: momentum grows for charter school regulation. https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2019/03/19/19258/
One month’s examples of lax regulation of and harm to public schools caused by the charter and voucher industry nationwide:
Wisconsin legislator: Charters and vouchers siphon off $193 million from public schools. http://www.startribune.com/report-voucher-charter-schools-consume-193m-in-state-aid/507792962/
How a couple worked charter school regulations to make millions. https://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-edu-charter-schools-20190327-htmlstory.html and BREAKING: Los Angeles Times Exposes Charter School Fraud and Profiteering;
Los Angeles: Enrollment in Charter Schools Declines While Executive Salaries Soar
Arizona: Acclaimed BASIS Charter Schools Are $44 Million in Red, Audit Shows
An expose in five parts of self-dealing in charter schools from New Jersey: https://dianeravitch.net/2019/03/29/new-jersey-expose-part-1-how-charters-use-millions-of-dollars-from-taxpayers-for-their-private-property/; https://dianeravitch.net/2019/03/30/new-jersey-expose-part-2-millions-of-taxpayer-dollars-spent-on-a-floundering-charter-school/; https://dianeravitch.net/2019/03/31/new-jersey-expose-part-3-how-charter-operators-collected-hundreds-of-millions-from-a-federal-fund-for-building-public-schools/ ; https://dianeravitch.net/2019/04/02/new-jersey-expose-part-4-cashing-in-on-real-estate-deals-in-the-charter-market/ ; https://dianeravitch.net/2019/04/03/new-jersey-expose-part-5-how-to-fix-the-states-broken-charter-financing-problem/ ; and a challenge by a respected reporter questioning why the paper doing the expose didn’t reach the obvious conclusion to clean up the mess.Bob Braun Blasts the Weak-Kneed Charter Expose in New Jersey Press
Bob Braun: The Political Machine That Is Taking Over Newark’s School Board
Florida: The Graveyard of American Public Education
Peter Greene: FL: Charter Thievery And The Worst Legislature In The USA
Problems with equity practice in Philadelphia charter schools Education Law Center Criticizes Equity Practices in Philadelphia Charter Sector
Pennsylvania: Court Rules that Charter Is Not Tax-Exempt
Former President of Milwaukee School Board Charged with Taking Kickbacks from Charter Chain
Bill Phillis: One-Half of Ohio’s Authorized Charter Schools Either Closed Or Never Opened
Bill Phillis: Ohio and Indiana Race to the Bottom to Waste Money on Cybercharters
Bill Phillis: Dictatorship Does Not Raise Test Scores
Stephen Dyer: Ohio’s Failing Charter Sector Wants a 22% Funding Increase
Jan Resseger: Ohio’s Poorest School Districts Need Support Instead of Punitive HB 70 State Takeover
Lynn Davenport: Look Out, Texas, Here Comes Kitamba Consultants to Privatize Your Public Schools!
Tom Ultican: Atlanta School Board Votes for Privatization
Tennessee: Showdown Over Vouchers
Mercedes Schneider: Ah, Those Failing Charter Schools in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
https://dianeravitch.net/2019/04/12/larry-lee-the-rape-of-washington-county-alabama/
Philadelphia: It Takes Years and Millions to Close Failing Charter Schools and the Public Pays for Everything
Lisa Haver: How Many Lawyers Does It Take to Close Down a Failing Charter School?
Anthony Cody: Will Oklahoma Rein In Epic Charter Failure?
Diane Ravitch: Julia Keleher: The Destroyer of Public Schools in Puerto Rico
Indiana: Virtual School Scams Taxpayers and Students
Missouri: Why Fund More Charter Failures?
A Teacher in Arizona Reports on the Slow Strangulation of Public Schools
“Have You Heard” Interviews Award-Winning Reporter about Arizona Charter School Scandals
Houston: Charter Founder Pays Her Companies $17 Million a Year
Houston: Charter School Superintendent and IT Specialist Charged with Embezzlement
New Beginnings Charter CEO Under Investigation for Grade Changes, Unapproved Contract, Forged Docs to Cover Tracks
https://dianeravitch.net/2019/04/05/alan-singer-is-promesa-the-worst-charter-chain-in-the-nation/
Congress Should Defund the Charter Schools Program and Invest the Money in Title I and IDEA Jan Resseger
New organization to reform charter schools in California. http://reformcharterschools.org/. and https://dianeravitch.net/2019/03/28/california-now-is-the-time-to-reform-charter-schools/
Just released book on the perils of privatization and segregation. Noliwe Rooks , Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation, and the End of Public Education
California: East L.A. Community Defeats “Mega-KIPP” Plan, Plus the Identity of the Culprit Who Weaponized State Law
And for the charter advocate’s point of view, a Forbes article comments on five arguments being used against charter schools. https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilylanghorne/2019/03/14/separating-fact-from-fiction-five-important-findings-about-the-nations-charter-school-landscape/#48a28814570a
Reform Foibles
Steven Singer: Accountability Begins at the Top, not in the Classroom
Bob Shepherd’s expose on how Florida is killing the teacher profession. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/04/13/bob-shepherd-life-as-a-teacher-in-the-age-of-the-deformers/
A South Carolina teacher makes similar points. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/04/16/why-this-south-carolina-teacher-quit-mid-year-the-unrealistic-demands-all-consuming-nature-profession-are-not-sustainable/?utm_term=.fce67a37788c
New Mexico: New Democratic Governor Eliminates A-F School Grades
Gary Rubinstein on Teach for America’s CEO: Same old tired clichés. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/03/19/gary-rubinstein-tfa-ceo-still-spouting-same-tired-cliches/
The dangers GERM (The global education reform movement)Denisha Jones: First, Protect Childhood and Children from Harm
Bombshell Report About Copycat Legislation Written by ALEC but Adopted by Your State
Chalkbeat: Attending a Selective High School Does NOT Confer Advantage
Technology
Pros and cons of robot tutors: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/robots-are-becoming-classroom-tutors-will-they-make-grade?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=latest-newsletter-v2