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The following post was written by Mario Waissbluth, President of Educación 2020 Foundation, a Chilean citizen’s movement founded in 2008. Its latest reform proposals (in Spanish) are called “La Reforma Educativa que Chile Necesita”, and were published in April 2013. A book on this subject (in Spanish) is also available. These proposals were mostly adopted by and included in the educational program of the recently elected government of Michelle Bachelet, and are starting to be implemented now.

Valentina Quiroga (32) was one of the student founders of this organization and is now Undersecretary of Education.

Although Educación 2020 remains as a fully independent movement, the positions stated thereon are in many ways similar to those of the current government.

Chile: Dismantling the most pro-market education system in the world

Mario Waissbluth

In August 2013 I wrote in this blog a three piece series, called “Chile: The most pro-market system…

In story after story, the New York Times consistently misses the essence of the controversy surrounding Common Core.

Today’s New York Times gives its lead article on page 1, column right, top of the fold, to the battle raging within the Republican party, about the Common Core. On one side is Jeb Bush, standing up for the Common Core standards (presumably a moderate, let’s not talk about his fight for vouchers and for the destruction of public education in Florida), while on the other are figures like Ted Cruz and other extremists of the party. Common Core, we are told, is now the “wedge issue” in the Republican party, with sensible people like Jeb Bush fending off the extremists.

A few weeks ago, the newspaper wrote an editorial enthusiastically endorsing the Common Core standards, while giving no evidence for its enthusiasm other than the promises offered by the advocates of…

On Friday, Néw York Times’ columnist David Brooks wrote a column excoriating critics of the Common Core standards as “clowns.”

He didn’t seem aware that his personal opinion piece, devoid of documentation other than anecdotes, is precisely the kind of writing that David Voleman abhors. In his most famous statement about the Common Core, Coleman said that when you grow up, no one gives a &$@& about what you think or feel. Brooks told us what he thinks and feels, but gets all the facts wrong.

Here is Mercedes Schneider at her best. I will provide a link so you can see the video she embeds. YOU MUST ALSO GO TO HER POST TO SEE ALL THE LINKS EMBEDDED, DOCUMENTING WHAT SHE WRITES, AS THEY DID NOT TRANSFER TO MY BLOG.

Schneider writes:

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David Brooks, Common Core Circus Performer

Why newspapers hire individuals to regularly offer the public unsubstantiated…

Abby White is a junior at Shaker Heights High School in Ohio and an editor at her high school newspaper. She researched the Common Core, read the standards, interviewed faculty, and developed her own views about their strengths and weaknesses.

She wrote this article for her school newspaper, the Shakerite.

She has done more research than many newspaper reporters, who like to quote what people say for and against the Common Core, without deigning to read them. She works harder to understand and explain the subject than many people twice her age.

Without spoiling her effort to analyze the standards, I present here her biggest concern: how do we know they will measure up to all the promises?

She writes:

“That’s like devising a new surgical method to fix a man’s heart condition, not testing that method, and going ahead with the surgery anyway. I can’t speak for anyone…

For those teachers assigned to the task of finding resources supporting Common Core State Standards, TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a resource that is spreading rapidly on a global scale:

• TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less).
• TED Talks —  1700+ talks to stir your curiosity
• TED covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages.
• TED–Ed — lessons and videos that introduce new topics to learners in an exiting, curiosity-inspiring way.
• TED Books —  little books about big ideas, shorter than a novel, but longer than a magazine article
• TED Blog —  Follow TED on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinerest, Instagram, YouTube, and TED Blog

As Education Chair of the Education Association…

John Ogozalek teaches in upstate Néw York. He read Tom Friedman’s column in the Néw York Times on Sunday and had a strong reaction of cognitive dissonance, as in, why can’t Tom be consistent?

Tom Friedman’s describes a thrilling ride on a nuclear submarine, where there is no room for error. At one point, an admiral says, “There is no multiple-choice exam for running the sub’s nuclear reactor.” If you want to be certified to run any major system on this ship, he added, “everything is an oral and written exam to demonstrate competency.”

John hopes that Tom will remember that when he returns to land.

John writes:

So, Tom Friedman gets a free ride on the U.S.S. New Mexico under the Arctic ice, leading him to gush warmly in today’s Sunday Times. “My strongest impression… was experiencing something you see too little of these days on land: ‘excellence'”, he…

Say I didn’t just read that Chicago Board of Education Members, Henry Bienen and Mahalia Hines, were making fun of an impassioned parent who chose to speak up for her children and their teachers … ?

Really ? Really ?

So, while Rousemary Vega, Chicago parent, is pleading for her children in the space of under two minutes, while she is fighting for the rights of students and teachers everywhere, the right to speak up and be heard … they mock her? They turn and ridicule her?

I am a teacher. When we see that kind of behavior in the classroom, we are obligated to address it. If it continues, prolonged, it is an indicator of bullying. And, even from way down here in Florida, this teacher can call their behavior exactly what it is … bullying.

Yes … bullying. And do you know…

The New York Daily News reports that  the revolt among the state tests is growing among parents. State officials are doing whatever they can to tamp down the parent rebellion against the state’s obsession with testing. No one at the State Education Department ever speaks of the “joy of learning,” as New York City Chancellor Carmen Farina did when her appointment was announced. The state department seems to be filled with statisticians, bean counters, technocrats, and bureaucrats who never read for fun, never enjoyed learning, don’t like learning. They love data. Data fill them with joy.

“…The revolt against the education overlords in Albany was gathering steam Thursday as parent organizers at Public School 368 in Harlem said they will not subject their kids to the annual English Language Arts (ELA) and math exams that begin next week.

Kimberly Casteline, whose 8-year-old son attends the school, said the tests…

Anthony Cody wonders why corporate education reformers hate democracy. They love mayoral control, but only if the mayor agrees with their privatization agenda. They hate local school boards, because they are elected and can be removed.

They love private corporate control. They work to enact ALEC’s goal of removing local control from communities.

Democracy is too messy. The reformers know how to buy mayors and legislatures. Campaign contributions do the job. But the problem with democracy is that voters are unpredictable. The “reformers” can’t buy them, although the reformers can spend millions to flood the airwaves with attack ads, and they own most of the mainstream media. Think Murdoch. Think Education Nation.

Think Reed Hastings, the billionaire who owns Netflix. He let the cat out of the bag in a recent speech, which Cody quotes and links to.

Cody asks:

“Reed Hastings was right about one thing. If you go…

Politicians in Florida are dysfunctional, petty and cruel.
When the story of the infliction of a mandated high stakes testing on a dying, blind, brain damaged child with cerebral palsy, Ethan Rediske, finally received full national attention, Ethan had just died. His mother, Andrea, had previously written a simple and clear letter prior to his death requesting that the insane demands by the Florida Board of Education and the State of Florida cease. The letter was included in the news coverage.

Ethan’s mom was then slammed by some members of the press for even attempting to opt-out of the test. Less than a month after Ethan’s death, Florida Secretary of Education Pam Stewart sent a letter to all of the state’s teachers demeaning Ethan’s mom without mentioning Ethan or Andrea by name. A law, Ethan’s Law, was introduced in order to simply exempt children such as Ethan from being subjected…