Category Archives: public protests

Education News

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A Chicago Alderman has proposed drones in Rahm Emanuel’s Safe Passage routes.  I kid you not.  If you continue with the next blog of Fred Klonsky, he questions the “none of your business” attitude of CPS on emergency preparedness plans.  At the end, there is another link “continuing the story” which has this:

In a written statement, CPS officials insisted that every school in the district does, in fact, have a plan but said they were limited to “management level staff within the Office of Safety and Security,” building principals and assistant principals, and officials of the Chicago Police and Fire Departments.

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This is ridiculous.  The schools that I have taught at had plans the teachers knew and the children went through drills so they would know what to do.  It is important because their teacher may be incapacitated, so the children all the way up to the principals need to know the plan.    I found it highly ironic one year when we had a small earthquake while I was teaching.  I asked the kids if they knew what to do in case of an earthquake, which they didn’t, so I told them to stay under their desks until the shaking stopped, and then we would leave the building in the usual emergency route.  One of the regular instructors thought that I had needlessly worried the children….all the while they have been  put in “lockdowns” for some terrorist going to attack the school.  <sigh>
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The Indignant Teacher has a post up on a petition to remove David Koch from the board of WGBH Boston’s PBS station.  I have always admired WGBH and WTTW PBS stations, and now that Kochs are trying to control the media, it is even more imperative to get them out.
More moneyed influence on campaigns of the anti-public school crowd.  Good God, this guy is a liar.  A bold-faced one at that.
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More here on John Pelto’s blog that Diane links to:
The evidence is clear that income inequality is a major factor in educational inequality. Children living in poverty experience prolonged stress that affects their brain development in the regions associated with learning. There is a strong correlation between socioeconomic status and standardized test scores. As proven by Stanford’s Sean Reardon, the widening of the achievement gap results from additional opportunities affluent parents provide their children out of the K-12 environment: high-quality pre-K, tutoring, and after-school and summer enrichment. Reardon demonstrated that the test score disparity between low-income and high-income children is not the result of schools.
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See, the pro-Charter $$ folks would prefer to ignore this important fact that impacts learning….it’s much more fun to blame unionized teachers…and watch them scramble to put out fires the Charter proponents deliberately set.
This is pretty powerful.  He puts it so well–that every child develops in different ways and at different speeds and those differences should be honored, not ridiculed by failure of a “skills” test.  (hat tip to Diane Ravitch)
Finally, a wonderful history lesson here by Diane.  She was there on the March on Washington.

Go Virginia!

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Virginia has had enough of dismissive politicians who circumvent the people whom they represent and they have filed suit against what is basically taxation without representation.

 

In other education news,  Diane reposts about the Gesell Institute’s take on Common Core…waay back in 2010.

From the statement:

We urge the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers to respect the individual developmental differences of children and revise the K-3 standards based on research and the advice of experts in the field of early childhood.

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In the comments, someone provided a link to Bill Moyers’ program on Glitz and Greed in D.C.  I haven’t viewed it yet, but knowing Bill Moyers, it will be eye-opening.

This is why I love teachers

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Diane Ravitch has this up on the last day of a First Grade teacher.

As I said in the comments section:

This is why a child sitting in front of a computer to “learn” is a fallacy. A stone cold computer could never teach the powerful lesson this wonderful teacher taught. A stone cold computer would not allow the kids to “make a mess” and express their creative talents as well as analytical skills.

God Bless and please write that book someone else suggested.

A Charter Founder Indicted

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I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I’m not.  These folks are greedy opportunists who look at schools and our children with $$ in their eyes. 

I AM surprised and disappointed that more of them aren’t indicted….if not for these schemes, but for seeking to get rich and destroy public education. 

North Carolina memory hole on voting rights

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Well, if there was any doubt that repubs are trying to interfere with voting rights….this should pretty much take away that doubt.

How is this not a violation of civil rights?  As Rachel brings up—this is why we need newspapers and the media.   Granted, they’ve not done the best job of keeping people informed, but it’s never been more clear that they are just as important as ever.

If you don’t have a newspaper that does its job, then take it upon yourself to record public meetings as was done here.   If you’re not available for all public meetings, then form a co-op of news where a group of folks take turns recording public meetings.  Of course, you need reliable folks who are dedicated to get to the truth, no matter what, and will stick to the facts.  They can write their own opinion about the facts, in an editorial,  but the facts need to be put out there for everyone to draw their own conclusions.

What if someone had not recorded this meeting?  What is happening to other states where the meetings are not being recorded and there is no proof of these crooks?  This goes back to the damage Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton caused with consolidating media and removing the Fairness Doctrine.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Nick Clegg defends bullying Guardian

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Nick Clegg has defended his actions towards the Guardian newspaper.

The fact that the Guardian has copies outside the country has restored my faith…somewhat.  Why should they have to go to such great lengths to exercise Freedom of Speech?

Gah, as I thought about this story last night, images of the King’s soldiers coming in and smashing printing presses went through my head…if nothing else, it sure does hit home that nothing has changed and that Freedom of Speech needs to be fought for and protected for democracy to survive.

News of Egypt, Syria, Middle East

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In Syria,  appears there have been several chemical attacks on civilians, according to this. 

The video is hard to watch.  Good God.  They’ve got oxygen masks on them, but I would think that water is more suited to flushing the poison out of their systems?  What kind of monster would do this?

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EU’s response to the crisis in Egypt.

Meanwhile, a court orders the release of Hosni Mubarak.  (!!)  Color me confused.

The report states this is likely to add fuel to the fire in Egypt already, so I’m at a loss to understand the thinking behind it.

 

 

The Guardian hard drives destroyed

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When I first began reading this, I wondered how the agents got into the basement….shocked doesn’t begin to describe how I felt when I read that the Guardian’s editor allowed them to destroy the hard drives. Wow.  Just wow.

I never thought I’d see the day that the Guardian caved.  They threatened legal action?  Are you serious?  You caved because of threatened legal action?  Or was the threat something more sinister?

Jaysus H.