Comments May 14th-June 17th, 2019

“Build and Support” Issues

Learning Policy Institutes’ report on 156 districts achieving at higher levels. California’s Positive Outliers; Districts beating the odds. Experienced teachers made the difference. https://edsource.org/2019/experienced-teachers-key-in-california-districts-that-beat-the-odds/612611  and https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/positive-outliers-districts-beating-odds-report?utm_source=LPI+Master+List&utm_campaign=b8a094c94a-LPIMC_PositiveOutliersQuant_20190516&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7e60dfa1d8-b8a094c94a-42289731

Seven new schools join the list of previously 45 schools identified as high-achieving opportunity schools. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/05/20/here-are-schools-opportunity-that-show-us-way-forward/?utm_term=.25795df658b3

Pew reports: Public school funding is still below 2008 levels in most states. https://twitter.com/PewStates/status/1136976108333744129; and https://www.pewtrusts.org/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2019/06/lost-decade-casts-a-post-recession-shadow-on-state-finances?utm_campaign=finance_economy&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_content=k12

Rethinking the American High School. Review of Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine’s recent  book. https://harvardmagazine.com/2019/05/high-school-rigor-reform 

Four lessons for administrators on curriculum and instruction efforts. https://learningforward.org/2019/05/what-makes-curriculum-work-4-lessons-for-administrators/ 

An article on the importance of improving instruction and curriculum. https://curriculummatters.org/2019/05/28/curriculum-is-misunderstood-lets-overcome-that-in-service-of-equity/?utm_source=SW+News+Announcements&utm_campaign=bcdd0db6d2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_06_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b4b5ef9bcd-bcdd0db6d2-153474185

Top PISA official: Liberal arts and humanities may be crucial for 21st century educational performance. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/05/oecd-pisa-leader-arts-education-may-be-more-important-for-the-21st-century-than-test-scores/

NCEE: Report on the best way to structure early childhood education. http://ncee.org/earlyadvantage/

Leander School District in Texas is one of the most successful districts in the nation and has implemented Deming’s work on continuous improvement. It needs a new superintendent who will stay the course.  https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/15/andrea-gabor-will-one-of-the-nations-most-innovative-districts-survive-a-change-in-leadership/

17 things teachers want you to know about their jobs. https://www.weareteachers.com/truth-about-teaching/?utm_source=WAT_MDR&utm_medium=Enews&utm_campaign=WAT_Enews051619 

Empowerment and Trust are Keys to Employee Engagement https://go.achievers.com/the-keys-to-employee-engagement_Registration.html?UTM_Campaign=EATR&UTM_Content=EATR_Landing_Page&UTM_Medium=email&UTM_Source=Smart-Brief-Workforce&UTM_Term=Empowerment_Report  

Blind spots in teacher development report. https://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/teacher-professional-development/index.html?cmp=eml-eb-sr-pd19-05152019&M=58831902&U=56558&UUID=963b3ee1b30e99b18f611b1fbc9d893e

Want to alleviate the teacher shortage. Improve working conditions and engagement. https://epi.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ec2361f981a14ee1d45cccaa9&id=b13a10c894&e=c2e5bac0f3 

An eye-opening breakdown of actual time worked by a teacher. https://www.weareteachers.com/teacher-overtime/   

Interesting paper on the pros and cons of school autonomy. http://ncspe.tc.columbia.edu/working-papers/WP236.pdf?utm_source=WP+236&utm_campaign=School+Autonomy+and+Its+Impact&utm_medium=email

Larry Cuban: What ever happened to the Core Knowledge program? https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2019/06/05/whatever-happened-to-the-core-knowledge-program/

Emily Hanford’s article “Hard Words; Why aren’t our kids being taught to read?” won a prestigious award from the Education Writer’s Association. https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/09/10/hard-words-why-american-kids-arent-being-taught-to-read?utm_source=SW+News+Announcements&utm_campaign=9e7f7955bb-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_05_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b4b5ef9bcd-9e7f7955bb-153474185

Robert Pondiscio: Don’t dismiss the 30 million word gap quite so fast. https://www.educationnext.org/dont-dismiss-30-million-word-gap-quite-fast/

Jan Resseger: School segregation 65 years after “Brown v. Board of Education https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2019/05/17/19876/

Why Teachers Need Their Freedom (Ashley Lamb-Sinclair) and the effectiveness of Stanley Pogrow’s Teaching  Content Outrageously https://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2019/06/02/why-teachers-need-their-freedom-ashley-lamb-sinclair/

Pastors for Texas post significant wins for public education. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/17/news-from-the-pastors-for-texas-children/

Charter, Voucher, and Privatization Travails

Jeff Bryant: Why charter school proponents have lost many Democratic supporters. https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2019/05/why-charter-school-proponents-have-lost-many-of-the-democrats-who-once-supported-them.html

Charters were supposed to save public education. Why are Americans turning against them? https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2019/05/30/feature/charter-schools/?utm_term=.c9668af37cbe&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1 

The Feds poured millions into failing charter schools in Louisiana. Over half of the federally supported charter schools in Louisiana folded or never opened wasting $24 million. Jeff Bryant recounts this sad tale. https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/05/19/federal-government-has-poured-millions-failing-charter-schools-louisiana?fbclid=IwAR00eJIXMTXjaXZr2fJAlNcuekziUuf8Yr6-jLdoaDAMq-YWbzIDHq7h4ys

Jan Resseger: Charter Schools at a Turning Point: How to Rein in an Out of Control Education Sector. Time to reign in the carter sector. https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2019/06/05/20079/

The Untold History of Charter Schools https://democracyjournal.org/arguments/the-untold-history-of-charter-schools/

Another expose of charter school failure. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/28/shawgi-tell-the-untold-history-of-charter-school-failure/

Shawgi Tell: New CREDO evaluation of Pennsylvania charter reports mediocre results. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/11/shawgi-tell-credo-study-of-pennsylvania-charters-reports-mediocre-results/

Time to rein in charters. https://edsource.org/2019/unchecked-decades-long-experiment-with-charter-schools-yields-unintended-consequences/612997

California’s charter school task force recommendations. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/07/california-hot-off-the-presses-charter-school-task-force-report/ and https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2019/06/14/one-state-sets-out-to-rethink-charter-oversight/ and https://capitalandmain.com/task-force-report-curb-runaway-charter-school-expansion-0613 and https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/16/los-angeles-times-what-tony-thurmonds-charter-school-task-force-recommended/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/16/tom-ultican-on-the-privatizers-efforts-to-sabotage-reform-of-the-charter-law-in-california/

Research on benefit of virtual school is lacking or extremely negative. https://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/virtual-schools-annual-2019

No excuse schools. Parents actually want strong academics AND respect for their children https://haveyouheardblog.com/different-strokes-for-different-folks/

Another study showing charter schools encroach on district funding for traditional public schools. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/24/in-the-public-interest-the-real-cost-of-chartersbudget-cuts-for-public-schools/  and also see;

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/31/pennsylvania-finance-experts-warn-that-charter-costs-may-bankrupt-500-school-districts/ and http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2019/06/magical-money-and-school-choice.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FORjvzd+%28CURMUDGUCATION%29

San Diego charter chain scandal. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/education/story/2019-05-28/eleven-people-connected-to-online-charter-schools-are-indicted; and

A spectacular $50 million charter scam in San Diego by Peter Greene. http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2019/06/a-spectacular-charter-scam.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FORjvzd+%28CURMUDGUCATION%29 and https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/06/california-about-that-50-million-charter-school-heist/

NAACP response to a pro-charter article in the Wall Street Journal. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/25/derrick-johnson-president-of-the-naacp-responds-to-the-wall-street-journal-about-charters/

Diane Ravitch articles on charters and vouchers:

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/26/bill-phillis/ Public schools will survive the privatization movement.

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/26/michigan-president-of-state-board-explains-why-it-declined-to-spend-47-million-for-new-charters/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/06/closing-delaware-charter-that-won-10-million-xq-award/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/15/oakland-charter-supporters-wonder-why-no-one-loves-them-anymore-and-blame-the-unions/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/15/great-news-nebraska-says-no-to-vouchers-again/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/16/nea-state-report-card-on-charter-school-laws-not-good/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/19/californiagov-newsom-tightens-enrollment-rules-for-charter-schools-no-exceptions/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/20/arizona-legislators-plan-to-use-public-to-pay-tuition-at-out-of-state-private-schools/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/25/pennsylvania-those-disgraceful-failing-cybercharters/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/24/matt-barnum-summit-learning-misleads-about-percent-of-schools-that-quit-every-year/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/24/samuel-abrams-on-the-coming-charter-expansion-in-puerto-rico/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/22/rob-levine-how-charters-kill-public-schools-the-example-of-minneapolis/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/22/jennifer-berkshire-when-cory-booker-helped-devoss-voucher-referendum-in-michigan/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/22/journey-for-justice-had-a-busy-day/ Advocacy group adopts a policy against charter expansion.

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/23/jan-resseger-teachers-in-west-virginia-forego-a-pay-raise-to-block-charters-and-vouchers/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/01/pennsylvania-charter-lobby-pushes-to-remove-all-quality-controls-and-allow-unlimited-expansion/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/23/jersey-jazzman-offers-advice-to-the-media-about-covering-charter-schools/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/09/how-andre-agassi-and-his-partner-are-profiting-in-the-charter-sector/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/04/chicago-teachers-union-wins-some-victories-in-legislature/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/11/pennsylvania-inaction-on-cyber-charters-is-not-an-option/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/14/california-summit-charter-schools-fire-three-teachers-who-were-union-organizers/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/14/colorado-state-turns-over-school-district-to-private-management-corporation/

https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/17/valerie-jablow-d-c-chancellor-ferebee-is-cutting-the-budgets-of-public-schools-while-shifting-funds-to-new-charter-schools/

Jan Resseger: Charter schools undermine the public good in Louisiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania. https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2019/05/22/19968/

West Virginia teachers continue their battle against charter schools and vouchers. https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2019/05/21/19953/

Peter Greene on New Hampshire’s proposals to privatize and outsource public education. http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2019/06/nh-outsourcing-and-privatizing-public.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FORjvzd+%28CURMUDGUCATION%29

Credit ratings for charters in nine states. https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2019/05/24/2018-charter-school-credit-ratings-for-nine-states-with-a-focus-on-california-and-michigan/

Jeff Bryant: Charter schools support a major dividing issue among democratic candidates. https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/06/10/charter-schools-are-major-dividing-line-2020-democratic-candidates-education-fights

Failures of “Reform”

Jeanine Kaplan, “Education Reform” was a hoax from the start. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/15/jeannie-kaplan-education-reform-was-a-hoax-from-the-start/

Improving our schools alone won’t fix America by billionaire Nick Hanauer previous major supporter of charter schools. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/11/a-billionaire-declares-better-public-schools-wont-fix-america/

John Thompson reviews Diane Ravitch’s new book,  The Wit and Wisdom of Diane Ravitch in a review entitled “How could reformers get it so wrong?” http://www.livingindialogue.com/ravitch/ and http://www.livingindialogue.com/countering-reform-nonsense-common-sense/

The failure of a highly touted Florida reform plan by Sue Legg https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/14/sue-m-legg-the-failure-of-jeb-bushs-a-plan-in-florida/

Louisiana VAM deficiencies. https://deutsch29.wordpress.com/2019/05/23/louisianas-vam-quantitative-bungling-on-display/

JerseyJazzman: Stop using flawed student growth measures in New Jersey. https://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2019/06/njs-student-growth-measures-sgps-still.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FCqnJA+%28Jersey+Jazzman%29

Florida teacher quits after oppressive testing culture.  https://dianeravitch.net/2019/06/04/florida-a-teacher-quits-beaten-down-by-the-states-toxic-testing-culture/

States using A-F letter grades do no better than those states without that “reform”. http://vamboozled.com/states-math-and-reading-performance-after-the-implementation-of-school-a-f-letter-grade-policies/

Peter Greene: Teach for America’s other big problem—two years in the classroom doesn’t qualify your for leadership and policy positions. http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2019/06/teach-for-americas-other-big-problem.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FORjvzd+%28CURMUDGUCATION%29

Gary Rubenstein on inflated payments for “Teach for America” recruits in Ohio. https://garyrubinstein.wordpress.com/2019/05/14/whats-round-on-the-end-and-high-in-the-middle-ohios-20k-finders-fee-for-each-tfa-corps-member/ and Kansas ($30,000) https://garyrubinstein.wordpress.com/2019/05/15/toto-i-have-a-feeling-were-not-in-the-state-that-paid-tfa-a-finders-fee-of-90k-per-recruit-anymore/

Gary Rubenstein: After 29 years of evidence TFA still doesn’t prepare new corps members for success. https://garyrubinstein.wordpress.com/2019/06/06/after-29-years-evidence-that-tfa-still-doesnt-set-new-corps-members-up-for-success/

Jan Resseger: Shady exit of CEO of Ohio’s takeover district in Youngstown shows the perils of that approach. https://janresseger.wordpress.com/2019/05/15/19927/

Peter Greene: Can personalized learning deliver? http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2019/05/can-personalized-learning-deliver.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FORjvzd+%28CURMUDGUCATION%29

Peter Greene: who is behind the effort to woo teachers away from their unions. https://dianeravitch.net/2019/05/28/peter-greene-who-is-behind-the-effort-to-woo-teachers-away-from-their-unions/

Chris Edley and Pam Burdman: Don’t use SAT for accountability. https://edsource.org/2019/dont-use-the-sat-or-act-to-undermine-education-accountability/612942 

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