The conviction that the best way to prepare children for a harsh, rapidly changing world is to introduce formal instruction at an early age is wrong. There is simply no evidence to support it, and considerable evidence against it. Starting children early academically has not worked in the past and is not working now. —David […]
How to Protest Against Betsy DeVos
Our schools are being starved into failure in order to justify mass privatization. —Timothy Meegan, Chicago Sun Times A while back, I attended a meeting at the University of Memphis where many of us were against the Relay Graduate School of Education—a reform group that recruits students out of their chosen careers and supplies unqualified […]
Educating Betsy DeVos
Betsy DeVos does not understand what it is like to teach in any school let alone poor public schools. She does not understand what the lives of real teachers and students are like. She does not understand the problems facing many of America’s children. These problems won’t be solved with a voucher. They also won’t […]
Betsy DeVos, Democrats, and Good Theater
You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it. —Maya Angelou Betsy DeVos I think one thing Betsy DeVos has done is wake […]
DeVos and the Domino Effect on State Legislatures
So Betsy is in, or maybe she isn’t. DeVos stands as an example of both the corruption and stupidity of corporate America with its involvement attempting to educate America’s children. Republicans are spineless to confirm her, and Democrats, while united today, have also been complicit in permitting the dismantling of America’s public schools. If you […]
President Trump, Betsy DeVos, and the Elitist Drive to End Public Schooling
Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of social machinery. —Horace Mann President Trump, a billionaire, has demonstrated elitist hatred for our most public democratic institution and its teachers. It is the institution, despite its problems, that has the greatest chance of […]
Betsy DeVos Confirmation Hearing and Special Education
I was asked to write about the Betsy DeVos confirmation hearing and special education. So here is a quick rundown. I was pleasantly surprised at some of the questioning by Democrats. I know education reform is often bi-partisan, but the Dems hit some high notes tonight. I came away with much respect for Sen. Patty […]
President Obama’s “Bubble” and Our Fear of Losing America’s Democratic Public Schools
In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Martin Luther King, Jr. We become so secure in our bubbles, that we start only accepting information, whether it’s true or not, that fits our opinions. President Obama’s Farewell Address, January 10, 2017 On Martin Luther King, […]
The American Teacher vs. Betsy DeVos
They are asking me the question, ‘Is the American Dream dead?’ And the American Dream is in trouble. But we’re going to get it back and do some real jobs. –Donald Trump, Rochester, NH Town Hall, September 17, 2015 The appointment of Betsy DeVos as education secretary will offend every teacher in this country who […]
Betsy DeVos and the Ghosts of Education Secretaries Past
As we approach the end of 2016 and look with hope to 2017, educators and parents are concerned about President-elect Trump’s choice of Betsy DeVos for education secretary. I share those concerns. But it is also important to remember the education secretaries of the past and how they have led us to where we are […]