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WELCOME BIPARTISANSHIP!
Jennifer McCormick: Proud to work in bipartisan manner instead of partisan posturing
The last elected State Superintendent of Public Instructions is traveling around the state pushing for bipartisanship in education policy!
From the Muncie Star Press
...This bi-partisan approach positions Indiana to become a national leader in opposition to an unflattering hyperpartisan environment. The Hoosier Community Conversations model is a purposeful and positive collaboration in the spirit of student success. Sen. Melton understands our state’s educational landscape and the inefficient, expensive governance structure. Thus, he is eager to build on successes and find solutions to the concerns of Hoosiers. He appreciates the Indiana Department of Education’s aggressive strategic plan, which explains much of the State’s impressive results and national attention. Yet, Senator Melton is also aware of the challenges our students, educators, schools, and employers continue to face...
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ALL SCHOOLS RECEIVING STATE DOLLARS
All schools using public dollars need to account for their spending.
All schools that receive public tax dollars should be held to the same accountability standards and reporting- fiscally & academically.— Jennifer McCormick (@suptdrmccormick) July 6, 2019
State Takeover is triggered by data. Yet, select schools are exempt from much of the data collection. 🤦🏼♀️#beinformed
Letter: Lack of voucher school accountability appalling
From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette Letters
How can anyone justify the compensation of the founder of the failed Horizon Christian Academy, comprising 300 students, making more than the superintendent of FWCS, the largest school system in Indiana with 30,000?
This same co-founder is being allowed to open a new, faith-based school using the voucher program ... how ludicrous! What a travesty that we put profit above the real needs of children.
WE NEED AN EDUCATOR IN WASHINGTON
Catch up: Four takeaways from the Democratic presidential forum on education
Only three of the eleven Secretaries of Education have had any K-12 experience. It would be nice to have a career teacher in the position of Secretary of Education instead of political donors or cronies.
From Chalkbeat
...political winds have shifted in the union’s direction, with teachers’ strikes across the country drawing wide support and many Democratic voters and leaders souring on charter schools, most of which are not unionized. At the NEA’s Strong Public Schools 2020 forum, candidates vying for the endorsement of the powerful union took questions from NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. And while the candidates agreed on a lot, there were a few standout moments.
Here are four takeaways from the event.
1. More candidates agreed: The next education secretary must be an educator...
See also The Network for Public Education Action 2020 Presidential Candidates Project
TBE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
When The Wall Of Separation Comes Down
From Curmudgucation
Here's what's going to happen. If you win the right to spend tax dollars on religious institutions (like, say, private schools), sooner or later you are going to be shocked to discover that your own tax dollars are supporting Sharia Law High School or Satan's Own Academy. And that's not going to be the end of it. Where resources are limited (there can only be, for instance, as many meeting opening prayers as there are meetings), some agency will have to pick winners and losers. Worst case scenario-- you get a government agency empowered to screen churches and religions. You can paper over it, as Kenai Peninsula apparently did, by turning it into a lottery (but what does it mean that God apparently let Satan's crew win that drawing).
A HERO OF PUBLIC EDUCATION
A True American Patriot and a Hero of Public Education
From Diane Ravitch
What does it mean when the school system that you’ve poured your heart into doesn’t have the decency to consider a thoughtful transition plan before making the decision to close your school?
It means they never saw you as human in the first place.
It means that your job, then, is to make it impossible for them to look away from your humanity.
BILLIONAIRES CONTINUE TO MEDDLE IN ED POLICY
Koch Network Announces New Education Lobbying Group, Walton Funding Pact
From Education Week
Philanthropic groups associated with billionaire businessman and activist Charles Koch have announced two initiatives to deepen their involvement in K-12 education.
SNYDER'S FLINT FAILURE HAS COME BACK TO BITE HIM
Ex-Governor Rick Snyder Will Not Teach at Harvard, as Backlash Grows Against Him
From Diane Ravitch
Michigan Ex-Governor Rick Snyder will not teach at Harvard,The outcry over Snyder’s role in the Flint water crisis made his position at Harvard untenable.
Former Gov. Rick Snyder has pulled out of a prestigious fellowship at Harvard University after the Ivy League school faced immense criticism for the governor’s track record in the Flint water crisis.
AMERICA'S RACIST PAST -- AND PRESENT, STILL SEGREGATED
Debate puts ‘busing’ back in the news
From School Matters
U.S. courts have mostly abandoned school segregation, and it’s unlikely that politicians will call for a return to busing. But busing isn’t and never was the point. Research continues to show that students benefit, academically and socially, from attending diverse schools. And there are many methods, aside from busing, to promote integration, including purposeful drawing of school attendance boundaries, “controlled choice” programs and better policies for siting low-cost housing.
At the very least, candidates who profess to care about education should be addressing the fact that American schools have been growing more segregated by race, ethnicity and economic status, some 65 years after the Supreme Court ruled that “separate but equal” schools were inherently unconstitutional.
PRIVATIZATION DRAINS PUBLIC DOLLARS
Letters: Voucher school charade draining tax dollars
From the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
Vouchers continue to strip Southwest Allen County, East Allen County, Northwest Allen County and Fort Wayne Community Schools of valuable resources. And our public-school teachers are required to meet a growing list of standards to serve all students, not just the ones they choose to serve, or those who share their religious beliefs.
It's time for the people who want less government and government spending to step up. Let's demand the state stop funneling tax dollars to the likes of Henline and Beasley for their failing schools and giant salaries.
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