We live in troubling times, reflected in the longtime attacks on one of our most sacred democratic institutions, public schools. But Americans have a fierce fighter for those schools in Diane Ravitch. The historian, in her new book Slaying Goliath, reminds us of the dangers facing schools, but also the hope we have in a […]
The Summit for Corporate Reformers vs. Teachers Who CLIMB Summits
A summit is defined as the highest peak of a mountain. It’s also a meeting of high-level officials. In education, corporate politicians and reformers promote themselves as child experts. Yet they are far removed from the classrooms where teachers climb mountains every day to help students learn. Chicago teachers recently fought for paraprofessionals to have […]
Teacher Age Discrimination Hurts Students!
Rejecting veteran teachers to keep them from moving up the ladder for pay increases means students miss out on getting to know and learn from elderly people. Teach for America is popular because they remain at the bottom rung of the funding ladder and leave after a few years. This creates a revolving door of […]
Thanksgiving: Family, Friends, Teachers, HOPE, and Public Schools
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. It involves family and friends and is rather unassuming, tucked between the shenanigans of Halloween and the solemn, yet frenetic, Christmas rush. We especially remember those suffering loss today. The tables that aren’t whole due to empty chairs. Loss is a burden on a day to give thanks. […]
The School Safety Commission’s Troubling Ties to the Border Crisis
School safety is simmering in everyone’s minds during summer vacation. But looking at the individuals on the Federal Commission on School Safety should give us pause. How do they view children? There’s cognitive dissonance when they say they want safe schools, yet they thought it fine to separate babies and children from their parents in the […]
On this Memorial Day: Remembering Protectors of Children and Public Schools
On this day, Americans rightfully remember those who fought and died for our freedom. Maybe they will have a barbecue. Perhaps they will make use of the sales and go shopping at the mall. But when they hang the flag, they will thank those who made our country safe, so we can say what we […]
Require Ed. Secretary Betsy DeVos to Teach in a Public School
Betsy DeVos and any corporate reformer who impacts school policy should be required to spend at least a month each year teaching in a public school classroom. DeVos just attended Gov. Jeb Bush’s ExcelinEd meeting in Nashville. Let Jeb Bush and his corporate friends and politicians who drive corporate reform also teach for a month. […]
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 […]