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Sunday, January 15, 2017

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/15/17


Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/15/17

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Betsy DeVos: “Government Sucks” and “We Don’t Fire Teachers Enough” | deutsch29



The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice | gadflyonthewallblog
The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice | gadflyonthewallblog : The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice “Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, subsidizes, or results in racial discrimination.” -President John F. Kennedy “Injustice anywhere is a threat to jus
Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… - Wait What?
Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… - Wait What? : Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… In 2001, a Connecticut Commission set the goal of reducing child poverty by 50% over the next decade. Ten years later, the poverty rate hadn’t gone down, in fact it had doubled. And the problem remains as severe today, a decade and a half after the sta
Sunday morning coming down. | Fred Klonsky
Sunday morning coming down. | Fred Klonsky : Sunday morning coming down. Other Democrats as well as anti-Trump Republicans are reluctant to acknowledge the scale of our crisis, because our institutions may not be strong enough to cope with it. On CNN, David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s former campaign manager, said he was “not comfortable” with Lewis’ words, making an argument that echoed Rubio’s. “Th
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Last Sunday Before Trumpistan Edition + Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION
CURMUDGUCATION: ICYMI: Last Sunday Before Trumpistan Edition (1/15) : ICYMI: Last Sunday Before Trumpistan Edition (1/15) This week I'll start you off with a short video from the folks at Brave New Films about the DeVos nomination. Something to share with your friends who would rather watch than read. Sears in Death Spiral I wrote about this article earlier in the week, but if you missed that, yo
Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year - LA Times
Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year - LA Times : Political Road Map: The rules for how California pays for its schools may lead to a surprising result this year If this sentence leaves you confused, you’re not alone: Education spending rises under Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed state budget , but some California schools are
How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politics - POLITICO Magazine
How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politics - POLITICO Magazine : How Betsy DeVos Used God and Amway to Take Over Michigan Politic With her nomination as education secretary, a powerful political clan will bring its overtly Christian agenda to Washington. On election night 2006, Dick DeVos, the bronzed, starched 51-year-old scion of Michigan’s wealthiest family, paced to a l
Stop Betsy Devos! - Living in Dialogue
Stop Betsy Devos! - Living in Dialogue : Stop Betsy Devos! From Brave New Films with Dr. Diane Ravitch. Stop Betsy Devos! - Living in Dialogue :
#ReclaimMLK2017!: Let's Honor Him with Words and Action - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom
#ReclaimMLK2017!: Let's Honor Him with Words and Action - SF Public School MomSF Public School Mom : #ReclaimMLK2017!: Let’s Honor Him with Words and Action I’m gearing up for a week of action: family-friendly MLK teach-ins, marches, parent education and organizing. Being a “good mom” means modeling how to be a good person. That means speaking up for yourself and others. No… MLK was NOT a Magical
Will Betsy DeVos Restart The ‘Education Wars’? | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community
Will Betsy DeVos Restart The ‘Education Wars’? | Common Dreams | Breaking News & Views for the Progressive Community : Will Betsy DeVos Restart The ‘Education Wars’? Education, which was hardly ever mentioned in the recent presidential election, has suddenly been thrust to the frontline in the increasingly heated conflict over President-Elect Donald Trump’s proposed cabinet appointees. The reason
Maybe Teaching Special Ed Doesn't Have To Be So Hard : NPR Ed : NPR
Maybe Teaching Special Ed Doesn't Have To Be So Hard : NPR Ed : NPR : Maybe Teaching Special Ed Doesn't Have To Be So Hard Stephanie Johnson works with a student at the Renaissance Academy, a charter school in Lehi, Utah. Dan Krauss for NPR This time last year, Stephanie Johnson was miserable. She was in her third year teaching special education at a junior high school in Lindon, Utah, about 40 m
North Carolina’s Exclusionary Voucher Schools + More from Diane Ravitch's blog
North Carolina’s Exclusionary Voucher Schools | Diane Ravitch's blog : North Carolina’s Exclusionary Voucher Schools https://tcf.org/content/commentary/second-class-students-vouchers-exclude/‬ Kimberly Quick of The Century Foundation describes the many exclusionary policies of North Carolina’s voucher schools. Here is a sampling: Conservative education reformers have aggressively marketed the exp
Russ on Reading: Creating Life-Long Readers through Choice
Russ on Reading: Creating Life-Long Readers through Choice : Creating Life-Long Readers through Choice I am pleased to present this guest post by Lesley Roessing, Director of the Coastal Savannah Writing Project and Senior Lecturer in the College of Education, Armstrong State University. Lesley is a former graduate student of mine at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA. Like any teacher I
Betsy DeVos: “Government Sucks” and “We Don’t Fire Teachers Enough” | deutsch29
Betsy DeVos: “Government Sucks” and “We Don’t Fire Teachers Enough” | deutsch29 : Betsy DeVos: “Government Sucks” and “We Don’t Fire Teachers Enough” In March 2015, US secretary of education nominee gave this 9-page speech at the SxSW conference in Texas in 2015. The title of DeVos’ speech is “Competition, Creativity and Choice in the Classroom.” Below are some excerpts: As a kid I grew up middle

YESTERDAY

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/14/17
Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 1/14/17 Featured Post Jeb Bush may have won something in the election after all: the U.S. Department of Education - The Washington Post Catch up with CURMUDGUCATION: Investors Warned Off 

Top Posts This Week


The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice | gadflyonthewallblog

The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice | gadflyonthewallblog:

The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice


screen-shot-2017-01-15-at-8-10-02-am
“Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, subsidizes, or results in racial discrimination.”
-President John F. Kennedy
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I say they’re pushing for it because voters always turn it down.
Every single referendum held on school choice in the United States has been defeated despite billions of dollars in spending to convince people to vote for it.
But advocates aren’t discouraged that the public isn’t on their side. They have money, and in America that translates to speech.
But don’t think that’s some huge change in policy. The previous administration championed a lighter version of these market-driven plans. The main difference goes like this: Democrats are for charter schools and tax credits for private and parochial schools. Republicans are for anything that calls itself a school getting your tax dollars – charter schools, private schools, religious schools – if some charlatan opens a stand on the side of the road with the word “school”in the title, they get tax dollars.
In all this rush to give away federal and state money, no political party really champions traditional public schoolsNinety percent of children attend them. In opinion polls, a majority of Americans like their local community schools. But like most things Americans want, politics goes the other way. Universal healthcare? Have Romneycare. Universal background checks on all gun sales? Nah. That sort of thing.
However, what often gets lost in the rush of politicians cashing in on this policy is its The Racists Roots and Racist Indoctrination of School Choice | gadflyonthewallblog:
Image result for school vouchers racist

Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… - Wait What?

Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… - Wait What?:

Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest…


In 2001, a Connecticut Commission set the goal of reducing child poverty by 50% over the next decade.  Ten years later, the poverty rate hadn’t gone down, in fact it had doubled.
And the problem remains as severe today, a decade and a half after the state of Connecticut committed to make a profound impact on the level of child poverty in the state.
As Connecticut Voices for Children recently reported,
In Connecticut today, child poverty for non-Hispanic white children is 6 percent, compared to 33 percent for Latino children and 28 for black children. The child poverty rate in Stamford (6.7 percent) contrasts dramatically with that in New Haven (46.6 percent).
In 2015, 14.5 percent of the state’s children (more than 100,000) lived in poverty, more than three percentage points higher than pre-recession levels.
Child poverty rates across many cities and counties are more than double the statewide average and 25 times more than in the state’s wealthiest towns
But as CT Voices goes on to explain,
Over the past twenty-five years, the share of our budget dedicated to children has fallen by a quarter, from 40 to 29.5 percent. It should come as no surprise that as state policy priorities have moved away from children and families, the existing disparities in wellbeing and opportunity have only grown.
Failing our children is not only a Connecticut legacy, it has become the Child Poverty – America and Connecticut are failing our youngest… - Wait What?:


Sunday morning coming down. | Fred Klonsky

Sunday morning coming down. | Fred Klonsky:

Sunday morning coming down.



Other Democrats as well as anti-Trump Republicans are reluctant to acknowledge the scale of our crisis, because our institutions may not be strong enough to cope with it.

On CNN, David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s former campaign manager, said he was “not comfortable” with Lewis’ words, making an argument that echoed Rubio’s. “The greatest triumph for Russia would be to legitimate their charges about our democracy,” he said. “I worry about our institutions. I worry that we’re in this mad cycle of destruction. I understand the outrage. But where is this all going?”
This is a legitimate fear: Nobody knows where this is all going. Democrats particularly are in a difficult position, because they want to uphold basic political norms, but doing so alone, while the other side shamelessly flouts them, puts them at a constant disadvantage. The peaceful transition of power is a cherished value of our democracy. But it’s not the only value, or the highest one. It should not require us to sleepwalk into authoritarianism. If the price for preserving our democracy is pretending that our would-be god-king-emperor has clothes, then it’s already rotted beyond repair. Michelle Goldberg, Slate
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The Illinois Democratic County Chairmen’s Association’s executive board voted recently to endorse U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., as chairman Sunday morning coming down. | Fred Klonsky: