Breaking News: ACLU finds many illegal policies in Charter Schools – Cloaking Inequity

“A new report released today by the ACLU and Public Advocates (a California civil rights organization) entitled Unequal Access: How Some California Charter Schools Illegally Restrict Enrollment has found a variety of illegal policies in charters schools. The ACLU and Public Advocates report examines charters schools policies across the state of California and details how they are failing students.

In this report, they provide
(1) an analysis of illegal charter school policies;
(2) a description of the framework of laws that prohibit exclusionary policies; and
(3) recommendations to ensure equal admission.

This report can be a guide for ACLU chapters and civil rights organizations across the nation to hold charters accountable for following federal and state law.”
https://cloakinginequity.com/2016/08/01/breaking-news-aclu-finds-many-illegal-policies-in-charter-schools/

Robert Scheer: Does Morgan Freeman Know He Lied to Us at the Democratic Convention? – Truthdig

Posted on Aug 1, 2016

By Robert Scheer

(From page 2 of 2 of his essay)

“The dominant message of the convention, aside from a truly obscene co-option of every bit of victimhood in the nation, including the “undocumented,” of whom Obama has deported in the millions, was Hillary’s lifelong concern for “the children.” Ah, yes, the children! Thank you, Morgan Freeman, for reminding us in the “Life of Hillary” film of the Children’s Defense Fund being the claimed essence of Hillary Clinton’s early career.

The film avoided the ugly fact that Clinton betrayed the beneficiaries of that fund and all children in poverty, beginning when she was first lady of Arkansas, proclaiming the virtues of a sham called “Project Success” as the best way to help poor women and their children. Project Success was a success only for those who wanted to decimate welfare.

READ: Disruptions by Angry Bernie Sanders Delegates Were Best Part of Democratic Convention

That plan, as I documented as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, forced welfare mothers to abandon mothering their children and take low-paying jobs at places like Wal-Mart and Tyson poultry, both of which Hillary Clinton represented as a lawyer with Atlanta’s Rose Law Firm, and theprogram was an atrocious failure.

But facts be damned. Project Success became the national model for President Clinton’s much-ballyhooed 1996 “welfare reform” that turned over the nation’s main anti-poverty program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, to the tender mercies of the states.

That action was condemned byMarian Wright Edelman, founder of the same Children’s Defense Fund championed in Hillary’s bio, who said it “makes a mockery of his pledge not to hurt children.” Her husband, Peter Edelman, resigned in protest from the Clinton administration.

Undoubtedly, readers troubled by this column will quickly produce quotes establishing that Donald Trump wants to hurt poor children far more barbarically. But if that’s enough to float your boat as you hold your nose for Hillary, know that that is a truly depressing choice for the country.

USA? USA?”

http://www.truthdig.com/report/page2/does_morgan_freeman_know_he_lied_to_us_at_democratic_convention_20160801

Ultra-Right Annotated Edition of Pocket Constitution Tops Amazon Charts After Khizr Khan’s DNC Speech

FOLLOWING GOLD STAR father Khizr Khan’s powerful speech at the Democratic convention last week, sales of pocket Constitutions have skyrocketed. But theedition topping Amazon’s charts – right up there with the new Harry Potter book — comes with annotations and right-wing commentary from Glenn Beck’s favorite conspiracy theorist.

“Let me ask you: have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy,” Khan said last week in Philadelphia, pulling his edition out of his pocket. “In this document, look for the words ‘liberty’ and ‘equal protection of law’.”

But the version that Amazon is touting as a best-seller is not the one Khan held up. And readers looking for those words in the edition there will be misled. It’s published bythe National Center for Constitutional Studies, a fringe Mormon group focused on teaching a fundamentalist interpretation of the founding documents.

The Washington Post, Forbes, the Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, and PBS NewsHour have all noted the extraordinary popularity the NCCS version is enjoying on Amazon — but all failed to note the edition’s unusual features.

https://theintercept.com/2016/08/01/ultra-right-annotated-edition-of-pocket-constitution-tops-amazon-charts-after-khizr-khans-dnc-speech/

MEA – Retired

August 2016 MEA-Retired Tribune Newsletter

Join a Protest Near You on August 3   Let’s make our voices heard! Across Michigan on Wednesday, Aug. 3, MEA and AFT Michigan members will gather together in their communities to protest Gov. Rick Snyder’s frivolous appeal of a court ruling that school employees are owed 3% of their salary that the state illegally stole from paychecks. Below–Find a protest site near you, and sign up to join in! We need a big turnout to send a loud message! Snyder’s decision to appeal is just another example of the wrong priorities that Snyder and his allies have about public education. School employees are fed up with Snyder’s constant disrespect and attacks on educators and public education. It’s time to gather together and make our voices heard and to advocate for the public schools that Michigan students deserve. Find a location near you: Detroit – Cadillac Place (outside Snyder’s Detroit office -3044 W Grand Blvd) 12 noon-2:00 p.m. Southfield – Southfield High School (24675 Lahser Rd) – 10:30 a.m.-Noon. Lansing – Adado Riverfront Park/Lansing Community College (300 N Grand Ave) – 2-5 p.m. Grand Rapids – Corner of 28th Street and the East Beltline – 4-6 p.m. Kalamazoo – MEA Kalamazoo Office (4341 South Westnedge, Ste 1210) – 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Flint – Genesee Valley Mall (Linden Rd entrance, 3341 Linden Rd) – 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Mt. Pleasant – Central Michigan University campus (corner of Mission and Bellows) – 2-5 p.m. Traverse City – MEA Traverse City Office (1745 Barlow) – 12 noon – 1:00 p.m. Marquette – Marquette Post Office (corner of Washington and 3rd) – 10:00 a.m. – 12 noon Escanaba – Delta County Court House (310 Ludington St) – Noon-1 p.m. (Eastern time). MEA Summer Leadership MEA-Retired chapter presidents attended the Summer Leadership conference in Sault Saint Marie July 26-29. Wednesday, presidents had an all day workshop learning information which will assist them in their leadership role for 2016-17. Some presidents chose to learn how to set up and maintain a chapter websites while the remainder learned about communicating with members. Branko Bojicic from Blue Cross Blue Shield spoke to the group about our insurance for 2017. Mona Tropf from MESSA shared information about keeping ourselves healthy both physically and mentally. Christina Canfield, MEA Lobbyist, brought the group up-to-date on current legislation and what might be coming up. Time was also spent sharing ideas. Did You Know Grand Valley and Central Michigan are the only two charter school authorizers, out of 45 colleges and universities, who may open a school in Detroit. The Detroit education legislation requires authorizers to have gone through a national accreditation process. The failure of Michigan charter authorizers to meet the standards of the national charter school authorizers group has been highlighted previously by Education Trust-Midwest and the Coalition for the Future of Detroit School children. Medicare reports a group of researches has successfully reversed memory loss for a small number of people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers developed the MEND program, which adjusts an individual’s diet, sleep, medications, and brain stimulation. This multi-point approach targets memory loss from different angles. One participant’s long-term memory recall increased from three percent to 84 percent over the past 22 months. Another participant regained her ability to speak in a foreign language she had previously had trouble remembering. Although the study only included 10 participants, the researchers are confident that the results have larger implications for the treatment of memory loss. On July 30, 2016, Medicare celebrated 51 years since it was signed into law. In those 50 years, Medicare has provided guaranteed health benefits to millions of older adults and people with disabilities. Today, more than 55 million Americans and their families rely on Medicare for basic health and economic security. Calendar August 2, 2016 – State of Michigan Primary September 14, 2016 – MEA-Retired Board Meeting November 8, 2016 – General Election Day

Source: MEA – Retired

Nashville Dad: Money Pouring in to Gain Control of School Board: Is It Really About the Kids?

Nashville Dad: Money Pouring in to Gain Control of School Board: Is It Really About the Kids?
by dianeravitch
T.C. Weber, a Nashville public school parent who writes a blog called “Dad Gone Wild,” writes that Nashville is a much overlooked epicenter of the corporate reform movement.

Nashville has, for the last several years, been an under-the-radar playground for the education reform movement. People may be familiar with the stories of New Orleans, Newark, Los Angeles, and lately, Denver, but the battles have been just as fierce in Nashville. Things ratcheted up in 2008 when Karl Dean was elected mayor. Dean fancied himself as a bit of the next coming of Michael Bloomberg when he opened up the doors wide to the education reform movement and invited them in with open arms.

Those were the salad days for the reform movement in Nashville. Nobody could really predict the unintended consequences of many of the policies, and they all sounded so great, there was little opposition. Teach for America was invited to town with full mayoral support along with the New Teacher Project. Dean set up the Charter Incubator, which was designed to help grow more charters faster. Next thing you know, Ravi Gupta and Todd Dickson showed up in town to great fanfare with their charter school models. Life was good for the reformers. Then came the overreach…

Diane Ravitch's blog

T.C. Weber, a Nashville public school parent who writes a blog called “Dad Gone Wild,” writes that Nashville is a much overlooked epicenter of the corporate reform movement.

Nashville has, for the last several years, been an under-the-radar playground for the education reform movement. People may be familiar with the stories of New Orleans, Newark, Los Angeles, and lately, Denver, but the battles have been just as fierce in Nashville. Things ratcheted up in 2008 when Karl Dean was elected mayor. Dean fancied himself as a bit of the next coming of Michael Bloomberg when he opened up the doors wide to the education reform movement and invited them in with open arms.

Those were the salad days for the reform movement in Nashville. Nobody could really predict the unintended consequences of many of the policies, and they all sounded so great, there was little opposition. Teach for America was…

View original post 619 more words

On Creative Drought Plus Shareworthy Reading and Writing Links Jul 31

On Creative Drought Plus Shareworthy Reading and Writing Links Jul 31
by Suddenly Jamie (@suddenlyjamie)
Even a withered stalk can generate a beautiful flower.
Even a withered stalk can generate a beautiful flower.

While our situation is not as severe as the one in California or many others around the world, this summer has been one of the driest in recent history for our little north-of-Boston town. Water bans are in effect all across the region, causing lawns to wither and crisp under the cruel and oppressive rays of the sun. Garden plants and flowers wilt and fade during the day, recovering as best they can in the slightly cooler and blessedly darker overnight hours. Rooted in the ground, the parched plants have no escape from the heat or the searing touch of the sun’s rays. They can only endure in silence and hope to survive long enough to feel the life-giving caress of a good, soaking rain.

For weeks now, we have been watching the weather reports for any signs of precipitation…

Live to Write - Write to Live

Even a withered stalk can generate a beautiful flower.

While our situation is not as severe as the one in California or many others around the world, this summer has been one of the driest in recent history for our little north-of-Boston town. Water bans are in effect all across the region, causing lawns to wither and crisp under the cruel and oppressive rays of the sun. Garden plants and flowers wilt and fade during the day, recovering as best they can in the slightly cooler and blessedly darker overnight hours. Rooted in the ground, the parched plants have no escape from the heat or the searing touch of the sun’s rays. They can only endure in silence and hope to survive long enough to feel the life-giving caress of a good, soaking rain.

For weeks now, we have been watching the weather reports for any signs of precipitation. On…

View original post 889 more words

The Price of Speaking for the Hidden

The Price of Speaking for the Hidden
by wboyler
You may have heard that the state of Michigan is paying for the pursuit of a lawsuit by the Detroit Public School District against two of its teachers. And you may wonder, just what terrible thing did the teachers do that justifies the state’s payment of $320,000 in legal fees against them?

They are accused of promoting teacher sick outs.

And why would they do such a thing?

Because they cared for kids.

Such is the price these days of caring for kids.

You see, the sickouts brought attention to the fact that teaching and learning conditions in may Detroit schools were horrendous.

educarenow

You may have heard that the state of Michigan is paying for the pursuit of a lawsuit by the Detroit Public School District against two of its teachers. And you may wonder, just what terrible thing did the teachers do that justifies the state’s payment of $320,000 in legal fees against them?

They are accused of promoting teacher sick outs.

And why would they do such a thing?

Because they cared for kids.

Such is the price these days of caring for kids.

You see, the sickouts brought attention to the fact that teaching and learning conditions in may Detroit schools were horrendous. As reported in CNN, “Black mold grows in the classrooms of Spain Elementary-Middle School.

Rats and roaches run through the halls of Moses Field School and pieces of ceiling have fallen on the heads of students at Palmer Park Preparatory Academy.

At Thirkell Elementary-Middle School, eighth-graders are…

View original post 392 more words

Irony.

Excellently ironic!

Fred Klonsky

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Restorative justice as alternative to suspension

Restorative justice as alternative to suspension
by SPJ
In the last couple of years, I’ve been hearing more and more about “restorative justice” as an alternative philosophy to punitive discipline in schools. I have to do more of my own research on the topic, especially since a lot of folks speak the term without really having a firm grasp of the concept. A […]

Read more of this post…

Will Public Education Survive the Next Administration?

Will Public Education Survive the Next Administration?
by Emily Talmage
Donald Trump has called Common Core a “disaster.” The leaked DNC emails refer to the standards as a “political third rail.”

At this point, however, the controversial standards may be more of a red herring than anything else.

While the public remains largely in the dark, a massive upheaval of our public school system is well underway, and recent proposals from both major political parties indicate that the transformation will move full speed ahead regardless of who is elected president this fall.

The new system is designed to expand the education market by allowing out-of-district providers – including online programs, non-profits, local businesses, and even corporations- to award credit for student learning. At the same time, it doubles down on workforce development by aligning educational outcomes to the needs of industry leaders.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, students will “no longer [be] tethered to school buildings or schedules.” Instead, the system will require students to earn “digital badges” that they will display in individual competency-profiles accessible to potential employers and investors.

“By collecting skill-based badges, the record of achievement begun in secondary school becomes the foundation upon which workers build their capabilities and tell their stories to employers,” explains the infamous testing-behemoth, Pearson Education.

Knowledgeworks recently described the new learning system as an “ecosystem,” in which the role of the traditional teacher will soon be obsolete.

With major investments from Wall Street, leaders in the online learning, ed-tech, and student loan industries, and even celebrity billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Reed Hastings of Netflix, the transformation has recently been picking up speed.
Meanwhile… (follow the link to read the entire post)