Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé

Democrats for Education Reform is an organization founded, funded, and led by hedge fund managers who support charter schools and high-stakes testing. They raise money to elect likeminded people across the country and are a key part of the Dark Money world of fundraisers for privatization of public schools.

On Saturday, the Colorado Democratic Party passed a strong resolution opposing privatization of public schools and demanding that DFER stop calling themselves “Democrats.”

Here is the story of the state Democratic convention, as reported in Chalkbest.

Colorado has been fertile ground for corporate reform, and DFER has been a source of funding for candidates for the state board, the Denver board, and other critical races. Senator Michael Bennett, once a superintendent of the Denver public schools, is a DFER favorite. So are two current candidates for governor, Jared Polis (who is so rich he doesn’t need DFER money) and former TFA…

Tom Ultican has been chronicling the doings of the Destroy Public Education Movement, as it tears a path through urban districts across the nation.

In this post, he tackles the DPE invention of new credentials for people who didn’t have time to get real ones.

He begins like this:

”The destroy public education movement (DPE) has given us teach for America (Fake Teachers), Relay Graduate School (Fake Schools) and the Broad Superintendents Academy (Fake administrators). None of these entities are legitimately accredited, yet they are ubiquitous in America’s major urban areas.

“There was a time in the United States of America when scoundrels perpetrating this kind of fraud were jailed and fined. Today, they are not called criminals; they are called philanthropists. As inequitable distribution of wealth increases, democratic principles and humane ideology recede.

“It is time to fight the 21st century robber-barons and cleanse our government of grifters…

The Network for Public Education Action Fund is pleased to endorse Tony Thurmond for the post of State Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state of California. As an organization, we are committed to the improvement and preservation of public education. We oppose privatization in all ite forms, including charters, cybercharters, and vouchers. Thus, Tony Thurmond was the right choice for us, in light of his record.

“The Network for Public Education Action is proud to endorse East Bay Assemblyman, Tony Thurmond, for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“Assemblyman Thurmond has been a member of the State Assembly since 2014. He serves on the Assembly Committee on Education, and has made education policy his top priority. Before serving in the legislature, he was on the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board for four years.

“Thurmond is passionate about improving public schools. His public school education prepared him for…

Heads Up: It’s political!

One of the downsides of Twitter is its immediacy.

If one is not careful, one can toss off a tweet that comes back to haunt in full force.

Such is the case of FOX News talk show host, Laura Ingraham, and her use of a single word: “whines”:

Ingraham did not have to use the word, “whines.” She could have chosen a neutral term, such as “talks.” Or she could have altered a phrase, replacing “whines about it” with “expresses disappointment.”

One problem with Ingraham’s tweet is that it is inaccurate: Hogg was not whining.

I watched Hogg’s interview with TMZ, the video upon which the article Ingraham tweeted is based.

Hogg…

The Washington Post writes here about Oklahoma’s abysmal treatment of teachers and a decade of budget cuts. 

Teachers are working second jobs to make ends meet. Some have to resort to food pantries at the church to feed their families. It is amazing that anyone wants to teach in a state that treats teachers so disrespectfully.

“Oklahoma teachers are among the nation’s lowest paid, and ­despite the governor and lawmakers approving a $6,100 raise this week, educators pledge to walk out Monday if their full demands — including restoration of budget cuts — are not met. For a decade, little has been done to address the plight of the state’s teachers. It is a situation that has forced many to take second jobs, rely on food pantries and donate their plasma to pay the bills.

“The revolt in Oklahoma comes amid a wave of teacher protests that have no recent…

The Florida Legislature is firmly controlled by advocates for privatization, some with direct conflicts of interest because of their ties to charter chains. Last year, it passed the “Schools of Hope” law, creating a new program to bring in charter operators to compete with or take over low performing schools.

There has not exactly been a gold rush by charter operators but two have stepped forward and are having trouble meeting the state’s minimal criteria. (I got a one-day complimentary subscription to Politico Pro, so you may not be able to access the full  access the full article).

“A controversial program signed into law in June called “Schools of Hope” gives charter school networks designated as “Hope Operators” the ability to open a “School of Hope” within five miles of a persistently low-performing public school. Those operators, collectively, get access to a pot of tens of millions of dollars to…

California is holding a gubernatorial election this year. Three candidates lead the field. Antonio Villaraigosa, former mayor of Los Angeles and a strong supporter of privatizing public schools; Gavin Newsom, former mayor of San Francisco and noncommittal on privatization; and John Chiang, State Treasurer and advocate of charter accountability, is a strong supporter of public schools.

If no candidate wins a majority, the two top candidates will face one another in a runoff.

The Network for Public Education Action Fund enthusiastically endorses John Chiang for Governor.

When John Chiang responded to our survey, he emphasized his support for good public schools for all students.

When we asked John what he would do if elected, he said the following:

“I plan to restore academic success by increasing per-pupil funding, reducing class sizes, and moving towards providing free tuition for two years of community college. We also need to address underlying factors…

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR
March 9, 2018

For more information contact:
Carol Burris, NPE Executive Director

718-577-3276

cburris@networkforpubliceducation.org

Kew Gardens, New York – Today the Network for Public Education (NPE) released a new report, Online Learning: What Every Parent Should Know, in response to the growing dependence on technology in K-12 education. Schools are increasingly implementing digital instruction, often requiring that students use online programs and apps as part of their classwork. Many students even attend a virtual, full-time charter school, never meeting teachers or classmates face to face.

Yet there is scant evidence of educational technology’s success and growing concerns regarding its negative impact. This guide presents a frank assessment of the intended and unintended consequences of online learning in K-12 school and offers questions parents should ask principals if their child’s school adopts computerized programs to deliver instruction, assessment or behavior management.

Rachel Stickland, Co-Chair of the Parent Coalition…

As retired high school teacher Tom Ultican writes: This makes no sense.

The California Association of School Administrators endorsed Marshall Tuck, the candidate of the privatization movement, in the race for State Superintendent of Instruction, and snubbed Tony Thurmond, a steadfast friend of public education.

The Association of California School Administrators (ACSA) Back-Stabs Public Education

Read his post to see where Tuck’s money comes from.  It’s the Destroy Public Education Movement.

The old familiar faces. Walton, Broad, Jobs,Hastings, Fischer.  And more that you will recognize.

I urge my friends in California to vote for Tony Thurmond. He supports public schools, and we should support him.

Writer, occasional visiting professor, and “renowned public scholar,” John Warner takes to social media regularly to opine about the failures of pundits and high-profile Op-Ed commentators, notably the ever-dreadful David Brooks. This Tweet strikes at what I have labeled the “naive expert”:

It’s amazing the amount confidence those outside of writing studies have in their wisdom about how writing works, as though no one has thought about or studied these things before, or there isn’t an entire body of research and theory already at work in the field.

— John Warner (@biblioracle) March 4, 2018

My response was something like “Welcome to my world!” since educators, practitioners and scholars, have worked through the high-stakes accountability era under that exact environment: Politicians, the public, and pundits holding forth on teaching and learning as if no practice or research has ever existed, and then, policy being adopted that seems…