Fred van Leeuwen (General Secretary of Education International), text of speech given at the AFT Convention, Jul. 2014. [Links to a pdf file.] EXCERPT: The attack on our profession, on our schools, on our unions has little to do with concerns about quality and excellence. Those attacks are, in my opinion, a (smartly) orchestrated effort (by some business corporations and conservative politicians) to create space for a multi-billion dollar education market, based on the illusion that education can be delivered more cheaply and efficiently by the private sector with fewer and less qualified staff, without tenure of course, and a liberal dose of one-size-fits-all on line programmes. Suffice it to say that this is not our vision. We do not want education businesses to tell us what and how to teach, we do not want them to tell us if, when and how to grade our students. We do not want our profession to be dumbed down to an army of teaching pawns. No, we will not be "Pearsonized". http://download.ei-ie.org/Docs/WebDepot/Remarks%20Fred%20van%20Leeuwen%20AFT%20Convention%202014-07-11.pdf Jan Resseger, "Stunning New Report and Website Expose Connected State-by-State Web of Privatizers," Nov. 2013. Blog post about stinktanks.org's exposing of the State Policy Network (SPN), a "tightly connected web of think tanks across the states...with the purpose of promoting privatization and unfettered free markets, and undermining government [and] regulation...." http://janresseger.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/stunning-new-report-and-website-expose-connected-state-by-state-web-of-privatizers/ Valerie Strauss, "The Quote that Reveals How at Least One Corporate School Reformer Really Views Students," Answer Sheet column in the WashingtonPost, Aug. 2014. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/27/the-quote-that-reveals-how-at-least-one-corporate-school-reformer-really-views-students/
Broad Foundation, "School Closure Guide: Closing Schools as a Means for Addressing Budgetary Challenges", 2009 report [pdf file] The first two sentences in this report: "This is a guide for school district operators considering school closures to address significant budgetary challenges. Note that this tool was not designed to assist with school closures as part of a periodical closing and opening of schools for academic performance, though a subset of the strategies may still be applicable." http://failingschools.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/school-closure-guide1.pdf
Keith Reeves' video response to Whoopi Goldberg's comments (made originally on The View, and expanded-upon in a FB video) about teacher tenure, Aug. 2014.
PRIVATIZATION
Fred van Leeuwen (General Secretary of Education International), text of speech given at the AFT Convention, Jul. 2014. [Links to a pdf file.]
EXCERPT: The attack on our profession, on our schools, on our unions has little to do with concerns about quality and excellence. Those attacks are, in my opinion, a (smartly) orchestrated effort (by some business corporations and conservative politicians) to create space for a multi-billion dollar education market, based on the illusion that education can be delivered more cheaply and efficiently by the private sector with fewer and less qualified staff, without tenure of course, and a liberal dose of one-size-fits-all on line programmes. Suffice it to say that this is not our vision. We do not want education businesses to tell us what and how to teach, we do not want them to tell us if, when and how to grade our students. We do not want our profession to be dumbed down to an army of teaching pawns. No, we will not be "Pearsonized".
http://download.ei-ie.org/Docs/WebDepot/Remarks%20Fred%20van%20Leeuwen%20AFT%20Convention%202014-07-11.pdf
Jan Resseger, "Stunning New Report and Website Expose Connected State-by-State Web of Privatizers," Nov. 2013.
Blog post about stinktanks.org's exposing of the State Policy Network (SPN), a "tightly connected web of think tanks across the states...with the purpose of promoting privatization and unfettered free markets, and undermining government [and] regulation...."
http://janresseger.wordpress.com/2013/11/15/stunning-new-report-and-website-expose-connected-state-by-state-web-of-privatizers/
Valerie Strauss, "The Quote that Reveals How at Least One Corporate School Reformer Really Views Students," Answer Sheet column in the Washington Post, Aug. 2014.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/27/the-quote-that-reveals-how-at-least-one-corporate-school-reformer-really-views-students/
GENERAL CRITICISM OF ED REFORMS
Steve Nelson, "Fiddling with Schools while our Nation Burns," Huffington Post, Aug. 2014.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-nelson/fiddling-with-schools-whi_b_5652255.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
Frank Breslin, "Dickens and Standardized Testing," Huffington Post, Sep. 2014.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-breslin/dickens-and-standardized-testing_b_5760932.html
David Finkle, "The Intellectual Bank Account: How to Invest in Students' Minds," The Real Mr. Fitz blog, Aug. 2014.
http://realmrfitz.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-intellectual-bank-account-how-to.html
UNION ISSUES
Valerie Strauss and Jeff Bryant, "Why Many Democrats Have Turned Against Teacher Unions," Answer Sheet column in the Washington
Post, Jul. 2014.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/07/05/why-many-democrats-turned-against-teachers-unions/?tid=recommended_strip_1
INTERNAL UNION ISSUES: MICHAEL MULGREW of NYUFT, AFT
Fred Klonsky, "There's a National Assault on Teacher Pensions, I Wond if the AFT and the NEA Heard?" Fred Klonsky's blog, Jul. 2014.
http://preaprez.wordpress.com/2014/07/14/theres-a-national-assault-on-teacher-pensions-i-wonder-if-the-aft-and-the-nea-heard/
Fred Klonsky, "The UFT's Michael Mulgrew Gets Punchy, but only towards Union Members in the Hall," Fred Klonsky's blog, Aug. 2014.
http://preaprez.wordpress.com/2014/08/07/the-ufts-michael-mulgrew-gets-punchy-but-only-towards-union-members-in-the-hall/
Fred Klonsky, "The Fight for Union Democracy you Won't Read about in the Post," Fred Klonsky's blog, Aug. 2014.
http://preaprez.wordpress.com/2014/08/08/the-fight-for-union-democracy-you-wont-read-about-in-the-post/
GatoronBC, "Pissing Off Mulgrew: #DoTheRightThing," Continuing Change blog, Aug. 2014.
http://gatorbonbc.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/pissing-off-mulgrew-dotherightthing/
EFFECTS OF ED REFORMS ON KIDS
Maggie Koerth-Baker, "The Not-So-Hidden Cause Behind the ADHD Epidemic," New York Times, Oct. 2013.
This article points out the strong correlations between the timeline of certain education reforms and the increasing diagnoses of ADHD.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/magazine/the-not-so-hidden-cause-behind-the-adhd-epidemic.html?
Ellen Wexler, "Too Many Structured Activities Hinder Children's Executive Functioning," Education Week, Jul. 2014.
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2014/07/study_too_many_structured_activities_hinder_childrens_executive_functioning.html
Maria Popova, "How Mind-Wandering and 'Positive Constructive Daydreaming' Boost Creativity and Social Skills," Brain Pickings, Oct. 2013.
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/10/09/mind-wandering-and-creativity/
John Chase, "Thoughts and Feelings Do Matter," WagTheDog blog, Aug. 2014.
http://vigornotrigor.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/thoughts-and-feelings-do-matter/
THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUSTING TEACHERS
Gordon Bonnet, "A Matter of Trust," Skeptophilia blog, Oct. 2013.
A teacher points out the importance of trusting teachers to do the job they were trained to do.
http://skeptophilia.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-matter-of-trust.html
SCHOOL CLOSINGS
Broad Foundation, "School Closure Guide: Closing Schools as a Means for Addressing Budgetary Challenges", 2009 report [pdf file]
The first two sentences in this report: "This is a guide for school district operators considering school closures to address significant budgetary challenges. Note that this tool was not designed to assist with school closures as part of a periodical closing and opening of schools for academic performance, though a subset of the strategies may still be applicable."
http://failingschools.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/school-closure-guide1.pdf
CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Michael Klonsky, "It was Duncan who Launched Chicago Schools on the Trail of Tiers," Michael Klonsky's Smalltalk Blog, Jul.2014.
http://michaelklonsky.blogspot.com/2014/07/it-was-duncan-who-launched-chicago.html
Bill Chappell, "'You Don't Really Know Us,' Chicago Kids Tell News Media," NPR, Aug. 2014.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/08/02/337338509/-you-don-t-really-know-us-chicago-kids-tell-news-media?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140802
David Sirota,"Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Cuts Schools, Pensions while Preserving Fund for Corporate Subsidies," International Business Times, Aug. 2014.
http://www.ibtimes.com/chicago-mayor-rahm-emanuel-cuts-schools-pensions-while-preserving-fund-corporate-subsidies-1648754
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Ani McHugh, "My Fundamental Objections to Charter Schools," Sep. 2013.
http://teacherbiz.wordpress.com/2013/09/14/my-fundamental-opposition-to-charter-schools/
Mark Naison, host of "Education News" YouTube series asks,
"Are Charter Schools Todays Version of Sub Prime Mortgages?" Jul. 2014.
KOCH BROTHERS
Marc Lamont Hill (host), "Are the Koch Brothers Brainwashing Students?" Huffington Post Live, Jul. 2014.
30 min program with guests Christina Wilkie Sumner, L'Hereux Lewis-McCoy, Henry Giroux, and Mark Naison
http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/the-koch-brothers-highland-park-youth-entrepreneurs-organization/53c7c33602a760832800006f
THE WAR ON DUE PROCESS: CAMPBELL BROWN
Gabriel Arana, "Tenure haters’ big delusion: Why Campbell Brown and Co. are wrong about teaching," Salon, Jul. 2014.
http://www.salon.com/2014/07/16/tenure_haters_big_delusion_why_campbell_brown_has_teaching_all_wrong/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
Karoli, "Colbert Spars with Union-Busting Campbell Brown," Crooks and Liars, Aug. 2014.
http://crooksandliars.com/2014/07/colbert-spars-union-busting-campbell-brown
Darcie Cimarusti, "Campbell Brown's Ties To Billionaire 'Vulture Fund' CEO," Mother Crusader blog, Aug. 2014.
http://mothercrusader.blogspot.com/2014/08/campbell-browns-ties-to-billionaire.html?spref=tw
Jersey Jazzman, "Campbell Brown: Lame," Jersey Jazzman blog, Aug. 2014.
http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2014/08/campbell-brown-lame.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JerseyJazzman+(Jersey+Jazzman)
Bailey Shawley, "An Open Letter to Campbell Brown from a Teacher on Leave," Life Under the Ponytail blog, Aug. 2014.
http://baileyshawley.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/an-open-letter-to-campbell-brown-from-a-teacher-on-leave/
Valerie Strauss, "Stephen Colbert to Campbell Brown: ‘Why are we blaming the teachers? Maybe it’s the dumb kids,’"
Answer Sheet blog in Washington Post, Aug. 2014.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/01/stephen-colbert-to-campbell-brown-why-are-we-blaming-the-teachers-maybe-its-the-dumb-kids/
Alyssa Hadley Dunn, "Fact Checking Campbell Brown: What She Said, What Research Really Shows," Valerie Strauss' Answer Sheet blog in Washington Post, Aug. 2014.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/08/03/fact-checking-campbell-brown-what-she-said-what-research-really-shows/
Alliance for Quality Education's 9 page, extensively footnoted report, "The Real Campbell Brown" [Links to pdf file]
http://realcampbellbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/TheRealCampbellBrown.pdf
Dana Goldstein, Randi Weingarten, Derrell Bradford, and Amy Goodman, Conversation with Melissa Harris-Perry about tenure, Dana Goldstein's blog (includes embedded MSNBC video clip), Aug. 2014.
http://www.danagoldstein.com/2014/08/discussing-teacher-melissa.html
THE WAR ON DUE PROCESS: WHOOPI GOLDBERG
Keith Reeves' video response to Whoopi Goldberg's comments (made originally on The View, and expanded-upon in a FB video)
about teacher tenure, Aug. 2014.
By the way, Ari Emanuel is Whoopi Goldberg's agent. Ari Emanuel is both co-CEO of William Morris, and brother to Rahm Emanuel (mayor of Chicago, who has been involved in many controversial actions involving closing 50 public schools).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari_Emanuel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahm_Emanuel#Chicago_Public_Schools
Open letter to The View from Badass Teachers Association, BATs blog, Aug. 2014.
http://badassteachers.blogspot.com/2014/08/an-open-letter-to-view-from-badass.html
Yohuru Williams, "Making Whoopi: Missing the Point in the Tenure Debate," LA Progressive, Aug. 2014.
http://www.laprogressive.com/whoopi-goldberg-tenure-controversy/
"GRIT"
P.L.Thomas, "NPR Whitewashes 'Grit' Narrative," The Becoming Radical, Mar. 2014.
This exceptional article contains over 20 links to other articles on "grit"!
http://radicalscholarship.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/npr-whitewashes-grit-narrative/
SPECIAL EDUCATION AND ED REFORM
Nancy Bailey, "Do Public School Students Need Special Ed Anymore?" Nancy Bailey's Education Website, Aug. 2014.
http://nancyebailey.com/2014/08/23/do-public-school-students-need-special-ed-anymore/
ANALYSIS OF ED REFORMERS / FORCES BEHIND ED REFORMS
Wilma DeSoto, "Education Reforms and Sociopathy," Mark Naison's With a Brooklyn Accent blog, Aug. 2014.
http://withabrooklynaccent.blogspot.com/2014/08/education-reforms-and-sociopathy-guest.html
Owen Davis, "Flipping Schools: The Hidden Forces Behind New Jersey Education Reform," Truthout, Aug. 2014.
http://truth-out.org/news/item/25425-flipping-schools-the-hidden-forces-behind-new-jersey-education-reform
Richard Rothstein, "Grading the Education Reformers," The Economic Policy Institute, Aug. 2011.
http://www.epi.org/publication/grading_the_education_reformers/
PARODIES OF COMMON CORE STANDARDS & THEIR CREATORS
David L. Finkle, The Real Mr. Fitz, Aug. 2014.
Two consecutive series from the Mr. Fitz comic strip, in which we find out that Mr. Fitz is a BAT, and has to attend a presentation by a character who is suspiciously similar to David Coleman, and what that meeting inspires him to crreate....
"A Common Core Dialogue: Mr. Fitz Meets Dylan Trollman"
http://realmrfitz.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-common-core-dialogue-mr-fitz-meets.html
and
"Mr. Fitz's Un-common Un-standards"
http://realmrfitz.blogspot.com/2014/08/mr-fitzs-un-common-un-standards.html