New Content at SusanOhanian.Org! Sept. 18, 2013

I can't resist posting Susan's updates. She is the original anti-standardista who has been battling ed deform before there was such a thing. How much irony in that Susan, once a sever critic of Diane Ravitch, was cited on Diane's blog once again yesterday. Shows you how much unity the ed deformers have brought to our movement. (Thanks Uncle Joel!)

The idea is that with all these links on the ednotes blog I and others can get to read some of them when there is some downtime. What is downtime? - Given I just returned from taping Ravitch at her web event which I went to after the UFT special DA to endorse di Blasio -- I win a cracker jack box prize for handing Big Bill the MORE newsletter --- I'll tell you about my confrontation with Uft/Unity attempts to muscle me. "Call the cops," I said "to have me removed." I had my cell phone out to film. I didn't have to.

Susan speaks from here on.

I've let things pile up again. Again, I apologize. I thought I hadn't posted much. I'm still plagued with bad asthma (just pray for hard freeze in Vermont) and trapped into immobility, which I choose to take in front of computer. But I'm working hard on 'other things'--to be announced. So this amount of posting surprised me.

Go on over to http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2013/09/poohs-little-instruction-book-for.html

for the close of an essay I wrote for New England Reading Association Journal--just out. The essay is 'Standards, Rubrics, and Dead Frogs' and has this pull-out quote:
When Standardistos speak, dead frogs fall out of their mouths.'

It leads off with a great gorilla story, if I do say so myself. Followers of this list with good memories will know I've told the story before. It is well worth repeating:
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=26

Cartoon
Baby Branding Nursery Clock
http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_cartoons.php?id=956

Assessments 2.0
http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_cartoons.php?id=955

Welcome to Charterland
http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_cartoons.php?id=954

Susan

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Education Insiders: Common Core's Testing Woes
William J. Mathis
NEPC
2013-09-17
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=580

From Bill Mathis' excellent review of backlash on Common Core, I somehow ended up baboon story in my book.

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Miami-Dade's GOP slaps down Common Core (takes stand against past chair, Jeb Bush)
Marc A. Caputo
Naked Truth: Miami Herald Blog
2013-09-17
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=579

I invite you to read the Republican resolution against the Common Core and see if you'd sign.

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Daniel Ruth
Tampa Bay Times
2012-08-20
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=578

Here we see what qualifies a columnist for the Tampa Bay Times to write about education policy.

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At Core, Better Schools
Phil Handy
Tampa Bay Times
2013-08-21
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=577

Phil Handy, who is loaded with political connections, insists that standards such as Common Core will automatically increase the achievement level of students.

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Channel One News Appoints Anne Schreiber as Vice President of Education; Newly-Created Position Part of Channel One News' Investment in Curriculum Development
Press Release
Globe Newswire
2013-09-16
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=576

Now Channel One is moving in on the profits to be made from the Common Core.

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Rick Hess:  Could the Common Core Be Bad for Schooling?
Rick Hess
Straight Up: Education Week blog
2013-09-15
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=575

Rick Hess expresses some concerns about the Common Core.

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How to Stop the Drop in American Education Your math teacher was right: Algebra matters. Common Core standards are vital too.
Rex Tillerson
Wall Street Journal
2013-09-06
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=573

This piece take the prize for the number of unattributed claims supporting need for the Common Core. I offer rebuttal of the NAEP claims.

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NEA Says Its Members 'Strongly Support' Common Core?
deutsch29
blog
2013-09-12
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=572

Here we go again with the CCSS support propaganda from an organization that has accepted millions from Bill Gates to promote the Common Core State Standards.

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Wisconsin Being Led Astray
Susan Ohanian
comment on Wisconsin State Journal
2013-09-11
http://susanohanian.org/core.php?id=571

Six awesome features missing from the Common Core

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REVIEW: 'Reign of Error,' Ravitch 3.0
P. L. Thomas

2013-09-17
http://susanohanian.org/show_commentary.php?id=1130

Here's an excellent review of Diane Ravitch's new book.

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Encouraging Educator Courage
Peter Farruggio and Alfie Kohn

2013-09-17
http://susanohanian.org/show_commentary.php?id=1129

Peter Farruggio offers an excellent intro to Alfie's latest commentary.

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To the editor
David Lentin
Portland Press Herald
2013-09-15
http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1604

Maine school board member writes an excellent letter on the Common Core.

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To the editor
Stephen Krashen
The Tennessean
2013-09-17
http://susanohanian.org/show_letter.php?id=1603

If school time is so limited that students have to get their exercise pumping a bike at their desks, something is seriously wrong with school.

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Lies, Damned Lies, and APPR Ratings
bgfay750
blog
2013-09-16
http://susanohanian.org/outrage_fetch.php?id=1694

I doubt you'll read an uglier story about teacher evaluation.

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Schools That Change Communities
Susan Ohanian

0000-00-00
http://susanohanian.org/show_yahoo.php?id=833

In a film about schools & communities working together, a profound comment is made in Watsonville, where 50% of the population do not have high school diplomas: 'Teachers discover they have a voice ... seeing themselves as people who can effect change in the system.'

And how many teachers do you know who have said
THAT lately?

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School Superintendents Sign Protest Against State Department of Education
 Andrea Zelinski
Nashville Scene
0000-00-00
http://susanohanian.org/show_yahoo.php?id=832

Almost half of the state's superintendents have signed a petition criticizing the Tennessee Department of Education for having 'no interest' in working with school district leaders.

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Electric Schlock: Did Stanley Milgram's Famous Obedience Experiments Prove Anything?
Peter C. Baker
Pacific Standard
2013-09-10
http://susanohanian.org/show_research.php?id=530

Stanley Milgram's test subjects were not the only ones misled by his famous experiments on obedience.

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Rich First-Grader Buys Whole Sheet Of Gold Stars
Staff
The Onion
2003-03-05
http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_news.php?id=901

Short and cuts to the bone.

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Mexico City Erupts Over Neoliberal Education Bill
Michelle Chen
In These Times
2013-09-12
http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_atrocities.php?id=4273

Teachers protest neoliberal ed reform in Mexico City.

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'Race to the Top’'for education a flop, report finds
Nirvi Shah
Politico
2013-09-12
http://susanohanian.org/show_nclb_atrocities.php?id=4272

The Obama administration's signature $4 billion Race to the Top initiative, designed to spur far-reaching education reforms across the country and raise student achievement, is largely a failure, an analysis by the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education concludes.

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Baby Branding Nursery Clock


2013-09-12
http://susanohanian.org/nclb_cartoon_fetch.php?id=0



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 Assessments 2.0


2013-09-10
http://susanohanian.org/nclb_cartoon_fetch.php?id=0


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Order the CD of the resistance:
"No Child Left Behind? Bring Back the Joy."
To order online (and hear samples from the songs)
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/dhbdrake4
Other orders: Send $15 to
Susan Ohanian
P. O. Box 26
Charlotte, VT 05445

Diane Ravitch Launched in Pittsburgh, Yinzer-Style in Front of A Thousand People

How awesome is this? Ed Deformers must be quaking.

Friends,

We here in Pittsburgh were honored to launch Diane's national book tour Monday night with a crowd of 1,000 people. We actually had a sneak preview, since as you know, the book did not officially get released until yesterday. Rather than a formal review, I've written the following piece describing the event, which was also a giant education justice rally, and how our local movement reflects Diane's message. I thought you might especially enjoy seeing the photos.

"Diane Ravitch Launched, Yinzer-Style"

I look forward to learning how things went in Philly last night … and am sending Diane lots of positive energy to keep her going on this national tour, which is bound to be absolutely exhausting. Kudos to all of you for propping her up with your words and these important reviews. She told me Monday that we bloggers are critical engines in this national public education movement of ours is … that's powerful. And what responsibility!

Thank you for everything you do,

Jessie

Yinzer Nation + Education = Yinzercation

Today's the day! Diane Ravitch and Education Bloggers: A discussion about Reign of Error and the battle for our public schools

The event will take place Wednesday, September 18, 2013 from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT) 

TO ATTEND:At the time of the event please go to:

http://shindig.com/event/diane-ravitch

Please Note: Shindig is a video chat platform where you can see everyone in the audience. Although we recommend using a webcam and microphone you can still access the chat without them. Please use a PC or Mac to join the event. iPad support is coming soon. For more information please visit www.shindig.com

 

Diane Ravitch and Education Bloggers: A discussion about Reign of Error and the battle for our public schools.
	Hosted by Shindig: Live online video chat events
	Wednesday, September 18, 2013 from 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)

NYC Kids PAC Endorse DeBlasio, James, Stringer

From some of our favorite people: Shino, Mario, Isaac, Lisa, Leonie, Andy, Karen and Tesa for NYC Kids PAC

Our candidates still need your help! Please continue to support deBlasio, James and Stringer!   NYC Kids PAC is thrilled to announce that the three terrific individuals we endorsed for citywide office- Bill de Blasio, Scott Stringer and Letitia James - all came in first in last Tuesday night's election, a clear indication that New Yorkers are sick and tired of the Bloomberg policies of high-stakes testing, school closings, rampant privatization, and ignoring the priorities of parents and communities.  But the election is far from over. We urge you to give donate to Bill de Blasio's campaign for mayor  and volunteer for him, if you can.  You can be sure that millions of dollars will be spent against de Blasio in the general election, by the privatizers and the other special interests who oppose his progressive vision for our public schools. We also strongly recommend that you give all you can to the campaign of Letitia James, who faces a run off against Daniel Squadron on October 1.  Tish James has stood up for public school parents and our kids again and again, and it's time for us to stand up for her.  You can donate to her campaign here, and sign up as a volunteer here.   On the other hand, Squadron was the first NY Democrat to propose the bill in the State Senate that renewed mayoral control, is a reliable supporter of charter expansion, and his campaign is being financed by the same lobbyists and hedge fund operators that want to continue the damaging trend of privatizing our public schools. We've been successful so far - please do not become complacent until the end of this race.  We need to preserve and strengthen our public schools - for the sake of our kids, and for all future NYC kids to come. And please forward this message to other parents, friends, and colleagues - because every New Yorker should care about this issue. Thanks, Shino, Mario, Isaac, Lisa, Leonie, Andy, Karen and Tesa for NYC Kids PAC Become a member of the NYC Kids PAC! Please help us by becoming a member and forward this message to other parents and concerned New Yorkers, who can sign up for updates.  You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter! Contact NYC Kids Political Action Committee 1275 First Avenue, Suite 225 New York, NY 10065 Stay Connected "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world." -- Nelson Mandela

Ravitch "Reign of Error" Reviews - A running account

9/21  Update - More will be added as they come in or people notify me.

My review's been up for a couple of days on K12 News Network:

Open Letter to President Obama -- The One Book You Should Read on Public Education: Reign of Error, by Diane Ravitch http://bit.ly/18JzlOx

I added a widget at the bottom if you want to to put a link to your review on mine. The idea is that a reader reading my post would then see all of yours and be able to click over directly. (It's an old "mom blogger" trick to boost traffic to the blog carnival -- the link widget is similar to a slightly more organized comments section specifically devoted to highlighting related review posts.)

Here's the code if you want to add it to your post -- I'll jump over and add a link to mine from yours. Just let me know if you added the link widget to your post.
http://www.simply-linked.com/listwidget.aspx?l=AD9FD2A5-4251-4AF2-B042-FD33F4E63395"

My review is also on MomsRising. Might be up on a couple different places in a bit.

Cynthia Liu


Exciting news from Pittsburgh

One thousand attend -- Diane Ravitch Launched in Pittsburgh, Yinzer-Style...

More reviews since the Tuesday 5PM list was posted:

Deborah Meier Reviews “Reign of Error”

Nancy Flanagan:
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teacher_in_a_strange_land/2013/09/_reign_of_error_who_should_read_it.html

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teacher_in_a_strange_land/2013/09/truth_anger_and_the_national_conversation_about_ed_reform.html

Leonie Haimson:

NYC Public School Parents

Reign of Error: why you must read this book and share it with family and friends!

Urban Ed

10 quotes from the new diane Ravitch book that are backed up by facts -

NYC Educator

Diane Ravitch and the Corporate Reign of Error - I've been teaching for almost thirty years, and I don't know precisely when my colleagues and I became public enemy number one. But after reading *Reign ... 

Chaz's School Daze

Diane Ravitch's Book Exposes The Education Reform Agenda As A Hoax. -

Paul Thomas Reviews “Reign of Error”

9/17
Here is a list of reviews of the just published Ravitch book as of 5PM on Sept. 17.

Later tonight is the webinar with Diane. With so many bloggers signed up I am going to head down to webinar HQ to get some footage of Diane for what might turn out to be a short video of her book tour I am organizing.

Sam Chaltain: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek...
Kenneth Bernstein: http://www.dailykos.com/story/...
Andrew Cody: http://blogs.edweek.org/teache...
Mercedes Schneider: http://deutsch29.wordpress.com...
Jan Ressenger: http://janresseger.wordpress.c...
David Cohen: http://accomplishedcaliforniat...
Paul Thomas: http://radicalscholarship.word...
Ralph Ratto: http://rlratto.wordpress.com/2...
Dora Taylor http://seattleducation2010.wor...
Gary Rubenstein: http://garyrubinstein.teachfor...
Chris Goering: http://www.edusanity.com/2013/...
Nicholas Tampio: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Peg with a Pen: http://www.pegwithpen.com/2013...
Darcie Cimarusti: http://www.newsworks.org/index...
Peter Dewitt: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek...
Teacher Tom: http://teachertomsblog.blogspo...
Guy Brandenburg: http://gfbrandenburg.wordpress...
Guy Brandenburg #2: http://gfbrandenburg.wordpress...
Jennifer Berkshire: http://edushyster.com/?p=3260
Deborah Meier: http://deborahmeier.com/2013/0...
Steve Strieker: http://oneteachersperspective....
Ken Previti: http://reclaimreform.com/2013/...
Perdido Street School: http://perdidostreetschool.blo...
Norm Scott: http://ednotesonline.blogspot....
Accountable Talk: http://www.accountabletalk.com...
Kids in the system (David Chura): http://kidsinthesystem.wordpre...
Wendy Lecker (Via Wait, What?): http://jonathanpelto.com/2013/...
Jeff Bryant: http://educationopportunitynet...
Louisiana Educator (Michael Deshotels): http://louisianaeducator.blogs...
David Cohen: http://accomplishedcaliforniat...
And Jersey Jazzman got the coveted spot on the front page of the NEA’s newsletter that was sent out just moments ago: http://educationvotes.nea.org/...

Will the UFT Endorse Real Reformer Leticia James for Public Advocate in Runoff Against Well-Funded Squadron?

Ed Notes Online: Why Leticia James for Public Advocate? Watch this ... Aug 20, 2013

Leticia James in Strong Showing But Faces a Runoff...

  Kevin Francis ‏@KFrancisKearns 18m

@PSulliv @TishJames I really don't understand @UFT staying out of this one. Their support could def be the difference maker.

View conversation

·  Kevin Francis ‏@KFrancisKearns 38m

Seriously though... @TishJames has been one of the strongest advocates for public education on the council for years.

Expand

·  Kevin Francis ‏@KFrancisKearns 39m

Hey @UFT can you add an endorsement of @TishJames to the DA agenda tomorrow? I honestly have no idea why you never endorsed her..

Julie Cavanagh: Two words: mayoral control

1. 4. Patrick J. Sullivan ‏@PSulliv 3h

      .@lapham_katie @KFrancisKearns Squadron was lead sponsor of renewal of mayoral control in Senate. Bloomberg needed a Dem. He took $.

      Expand
   5. Kevin Francis ‏@KFrancisKearns 3h

      @PSulliv @lapham_katie certainly not the type you want to be your "advocate" against special interests.

      
      
2. Patrick J. Sullivan ‏@PSulliv 3h

   .@lapham_katie @KFrancisKearns Squadron was lead sponsor of renewal of mayoral control in Senate. Bloomberg needed a Dem. He took $.

   Retweeted by Kevin Francis

    
3. Kevin Francis ‏@KFrancisKearns 3h

   @PSulliv as you saw firsthand @TishJames actually stood up publicly against the privatization movement on my occasions.

   
   

   1. Patrick J. Sullivan ‏@PSulliv 4h

      @KFrancisKearns @UFT @TishJames Her opponent has been a strong proponent of mayoral control and charter school expansion

   
   

If you haven't seen James' speech challenging ed deform at a PEP, check it out.

Squadron, as one of our parent activists reported is pretty bad:

• Schumer boy
• Madoff money won and lost
• Married to a Bloomberg gov administrator
• Takes charter $$
• DFER$$
• Tisch $$
• etc.

Reign of Error: What’s Wrong With Preaching to the Choir?

This is my column for publication in The Wave this Friday. But since today is publication date of Diane Ravitch's new book I'm posting it to join with bloggers all over the nation who are part of the Ravitch support network. This is not a complete review. There are so many great bloggers out there who will do a better job than I can. (See Afterburn for links to some of the reviews out today.)

The book will go way beyond the choir. What is happening is that people who were ed deform supporters are becoming aware of the implications and the Ravitch book will nudge them over to the real reform camp. There are still gaps in her narrative which I will cover in follow-up posts.

Diane's book needs more than a review but a chapter by chapter analysis (which Gary Rubinstein touches on). So I intend to do a series of posts on the book -- and the thoughts it has provoked. I have notes. Lots and lots of notes. I only hope I can manage to read my own handwriting.

Reign of Error: What’s Wrong With Preaching to the Choir?

By Norm Scott

When it comes to the education wars I’m often accused of preaching to the choir – that my rhetoric will convince no one who doesn’t already agree with me. I’m fine with that. No matter what I say I won’t convince the other side and people in the middle will come to their own conclusions when the flames of education deform touch them personally. Many teachers in NYC have not been touched yet but are about to with a new teacher evaluation system hitting schools this year. So I expect the choir to grow. My goal is to activate the choir and share information they can find useful.

I’ve been reading the just released book, “Reign of Error: TheHoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools”by educational historian Diane Ravitch who has also been accused of preaching to the choir. Ravitch covers a lot of ground, using lots of charts and graphs to show how the claims by education deformers (Ravitch refers to them as “corporate reformers”) that our nation’s schools are in crisis and are failing and declining compared to other nations is not only not true but part of a design by people tied into the educational-industrial complex to get their mitts on a large chunk of the billions spent on education in this country.

At the heart of the education wars between deformers and real reformers is the role poverty plays in the education equation. Deformers claim we can fix poverty by changing the schools. Real reformers claim we must do both: attack poverty and fix schools that are deemed not to be working, not by merely closing them, which is the key mantra of deformers. Ravitch shows the debilitating effects of poverty on children and how the education deform agenda of closing schools, blaming teachers, pushing a narrow test-driven curriculum down their throats, opening charters as competition – I can go on but will spare you – actually undermines one of the few areas of stability so many of these kids have – local neighborhood school, often packed with teachers who spend many years there. I know all about that, having spent 27 years teaching on one school in a high poverty area of Brooklyn. We may not have been the best school all the time for every child but my colleagues and I were there year after year, often teaching the children of our students (and I once taught the grandchild – scary “getting old feeling” indeed.)

After spending over 200 pages savaging the deformers, she goes on to offer ideas for real reforms, most of which are not cheap, including investing in early childhood education and reducing class size. Maybe some of the money saved from not bombing Syria can go into implementing some of these real reforms. I’ll be doing a series of follow-up posts on the Ravitch book on my blog. See her Sept. 11 appearance at Judson Memorial Church:  https://vimeo.com/74638155.

Diane Ravitch endorsed Bill di Blasio due to his having the most real reform-like program of all the mayoral candidates. I had lots of angst over whether to vote for Big Bill – I don’t really trust him to be as progressive as he is claiming to be. As I walked to the polling booth I got a text message from The Wave: vote for Sal Albanese. My nascent Rockaway chauvinism, very heightened since Sandy, took over and I did it – with pride. The Wave made a strong case for casting a vote for someone who couldn’t win but to send a message. I don’t think that worked this time. I would hate to see The Wave sit this one out because di Blasio didn’t come to Rockaway – but I bet he will now.

Little Bill (Thompson) pulled out before all the votes were counted. The vaunted support of the UFT, which spent almost $3 million supporting Thompson – over $15 a vote – did not work out. Michael Mulgrew is being mocked for saying, “We’re not about picking a mayor. We’re about making a mayor, making the winner. And that’s what we’re gonna to do.” Oy! Cringe time. Even as a critic of the UFT leadership and the manner in which it went about its endorsement (lacking, as usual, the democratic process), I still give the UFT credit for dragging Thompson, a notoriously poor campaigner, into second place over Christine Quinn. I have no doubt Quinn would have finished second if not for the UFT support for Thompson.  But in the long run it all means nothing as Big Bill seems to have pulled off the impossible by getting 40% and avoiding a run-off in the midst of a very crowded field.

Now it’s on to the race with Lhota, a throwback to the Rudolph Giuliani era who has to convince  the public he is and is not a Bloomberg/Giuliani clone. He totally support Bloomberg’s educational deform policies which have so divided the city. And he is calling di Blasio divisive for his “tale of two cities” theme. I personally don’t mind seeing the 99% divided from the 1% – a fitting note on the 2^nd anniversary of the Occupy movement.

Norm blogs at ednotesonline.com

AFTERBURN

• 
  Diane Ravitch's blog

  Mother Crusader Reviews “Reign of Error” - Darcie Cimarusti, aka Mother Crusader, reviewed “Reign of Error” for public radio WHYY. She explains how she got involved in the battle to save her communi...

   
• 
  Accountable Talk

  Reign of Error: A Short Review - Diane Ravitch was kind enough to send me and a number of my fellow education bloggers an advance copy of her outstanding new book, "Reign of Error: The Hoa... 

   

  Gary Rubinstein's Blog

  Let It Reign! - The reformers can wait for Superman all they want. We’ve got Wonder Woman. ‘Reign Of Error: the Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to Amer... 
  

 And of course RBE's killer review from Saturday:

NY Post Launches Attack Against Diane Ravitch In Review Of Her New Book

There have been attacks against Diane Ravitch in the past, but the one by Kyle Smith in the Post is particularly vicious.

Even Forbes Mag Gets It: Charter School Gravy Train Runs Express To Fat City

Charter schools are frequently a way for politicians to reward their cronies.... Too bad the kids in charter schools don’t learn any better than those in plain-vanilla public schools...
Unimpressive, especially when you consider charter schools can pick and choose their students....Nor does the evidence show that charters spend taxpayers’ money more efficiently....
About the only thing charters do well is limit the influence of teachers’ unions. And fatten their investors’ portfolios..... Forbes

Amazing piece esp. given that it’s published in Forbes.... Leonie Haimson

http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2013/09/10/charter-school-gravy-train-runs-express-to-fat-city/

September 10, 2013

9/10/2013 @ 5:31PM |11,010 views

Charter School Gravy Train Runs Express To Fat City

Addison Wiggin, Contributor

2 comments, 0 called-out

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On Thursday, July 25, dozens of bankers, hedge fund types and private equity investors gathered in New York to hear about the latest and greatest opportunities to collect a cut of your property taxes.

Of course, the promotional material for the Capital Roundtable’s conference on “private equity investing in for-profit education companies” didn’t put it in such crass terms, but that’s what’s going on.

(Getty Images via @daylife)

Charter schools are booming. “There are now more than 6,000 in the United States, up from 2,500 a decade ago, educating a record 2.3 million children,” according to Reuters.

Charters have a limited admissions policy, and the applications can be as complex as those at private schools. But the parents don’t pay tuition; support comes directly from the school district in which the charter is located.  

They’re also lucrative, attracting players like the specialty real estate investment trust EPR Properties EPR -0.25% (EPR). Charter schools are in the firm’s $3 billion portfolio along with retail space and movie mega-plexes.

Charter schools are frequently a way for politicians to reward their cronies.
In Ohio, two firms operate 9% of the state’s charter schools and are collecting 38% of the state’s charter school funding increase this year. The operators of both firms donate generously to elected Republicans
The Arizona Republic found that charters “bought a variety of goods and services from the companies of board members or administrators, including textbooks, air conditioning repairs and transportation services.” Most charters were exempt from a requirement to seek competitive bids on contracts over $5,000
In Florida, the for-profit school industry flooded legislative candidates with $1.8 million in donations last year. “Most of the money,” reports The Miami Herald, “went to Republicans, whose support of charter schools, vouchers, online education and private colleges has put public education dollars in private-sector pockets.”
Among the big donors: the private equity firm Apollo Group APOL -0.19%, the outfit behind the for-profit University of Phoenix, which has experimented with online high schools. Apollo dropped $95,000 on Florida candidates and committees.
Lest you get the idea charter schools are a “Republican” thing, they’re also favored by big-city Democrats. This summer, 23 public schools closed for good in Philadelphia — about 10% of the total — to be replaced by charters. Charters have a history in Washington, D.C., going back to 1996.
And they were favored by Arne Duncan when he ran Chicago Public Schools. Today, he’s the U.S. secretary of education. In 2009, Duncan rolled out the Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” initiative, doling out $4.4 billion in federal money to the states — but only to those states that lifted their caps on the number of charter schools.

Too bad the kids in charter schools don’t learn any better than those in plain-vanilla public schools. Stanford University crunched test data from 26 states. About a quarter of charters delivered better reading scores, but more than half produced no improvement, and 19% had worse results. In math, 29% of the charters delivered better math scores, while 40% showed no difference, and 31% fared worse.

Unimpressive, especially when you consider charter schools can pick and choose their students — weeding out autistic kids, for example, or those whose first language isn’t English. Charter schools in the District of Columbia are expelling students for discipline problems at 28 times the rate of the district’s traditional public schools — where those “problem kids” are destined to return.

Nor does the evidence show that charters spend taxpayers’ money more efficiently. Researchers from Michigan State and the University of Utah studied charters in Michigan, finding they spent $774 more per student on administration, and $1,140 less on instruction.

About the only thing charters do well is limit the influence of teachers’ unions. And fatten their investors’ portfolios.
In part, it’s the tax code that makes charter schools so lucrative: Under the federal “New Markets Tax Credit” program that became law toward the end of the Clinton presidency, firms that invest in charters and other projects located in “underserved” areas can collect a generous tax credit — up to 39% — to offset their costs.

So attractive is the math, according to a 2010 article by Juan Gonzalez in the New York Daily News, “that a lender who uses it can almost double his money in seven years.”

Tuesday: Ravitch Book Publication Date and Video of Ravitch at Judson Church

I am rushing to finish the book for my review. It is so packed with info I have to keep going back to reread in order for my weak brain cells to absorb it all.

I know there are so many talented bloggers out there I can't imagine being able to say much more than they will. Bloggers with advanced copies will start reviewing tomorrow when the book is officially published.

Here is video I shot of Diane at Judson Memorial Church on Sept. 11, 2013. The speaker system echo doesn't make it easy to hear everything.

Salon has published a major expert of Reign of Error.

Diane Ravitch: School privatization is a hoax, “reformers” aim to destroy public schools

http://www.salon.com/2013/09/15/diane_ravitch_school_privatization_is_a_hoax_reformers_aim_to_destroy_public_schools/

The New York Post wrote one of their typical hatchet jobs against Diane and the book  -  http://nypost.com/2013/09/14/author-shows-how-ridiculous-arguments-are-against-school-reform/ and Perdido Street School blog quickly responded with a great post which can be found here:  http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2013/09/ny-post-launches-attack-against-diane.html

Note this funny contradiction in Kyle Smith's hack work. After attacking the shit out of teacher unions Smith says:

Here’s a reform agenda: Stanford economist Eric Hanushek has calculated that if we could raise our overall education standard to that of Canada (a pretty high bar — Canada ranks just below Massachusetts, which is the No. 1 US state in education performance), that one factor would increase the pay of US workers by 20 percent (in inflation-adjusted dollars) over the next 80 years.

But he forgets to mention that Canada and Massachusetts are amongst the most highly unionized education systems. DUHHHHH!