Education

Fast Times at Recruitment High: Arne Duncan and the Militarization of Chicago's Schools

When Arne Duncan stepped down as the head of the Chicago Public Schools to become the secretary of education in January, the school district he left behind had little to brag about. While Duncan served as its chief executive officer, CPS received mostly average or below average rankings in "The Nation's Report Card," a Department of Education assessment of the country's largest urban school districts.

Posted in Education, Militarism

The Big One: Teaching about Climate Change

I sat on the tall stool, facing the class of 9th graders. I put a cigarette between my lips and flicked on the lighter.

"Anyone mind if I smoke?"

Yes, they did mind: "That's disgusting." "It's against the law to smoke here." "There's secondhand smoke and it smells bad."

Posted in children, climate change, common good, Education

Eshu’s Blues: Obama and Duncan’s “Race to the Top”

The Obama administration has announced its long anticipated education plan, and it has turned out to be the usual market crapshoot approach to public education which has long distinguished this country from every other.

Posted in Education, nclb, privatization

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2009
1:25 PM

CONTACT: FairTest
Dr. Monty Neill (857) 350-8207 x101
or Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773

'Race to the Top' Guidelines Conflict With Obama's Testing Positions; Assessment Reformers Say, 'Back to the Drawing Board,' for Stimulus Plan to Truly Support Better Education

WASHINGTON - August 13 - Draft guidelines for the federal "Race to the Top" (RTTT) program, recently issued by the U.S. Department of Education (DoE), conflict with President Obama's repeated calls for less emphasis on standardized exam scores and "would actually make high-states testing problems worse," according to the nation's leading assessment reform organization.

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Posted in Education

We Shall Not Be Moved

"A fight, a fight . . ."

Oh Lord. From what depths did this story come? This was the power of the peace circle, pulling something out of me beyond any known zone of emotional safety.

Posted in Education, humanity, peace

Christian Right Aims to Change History Lessons in Texas Schools

The Christian right is making a fresh push to force religion onto the school curriculum in Texas with the state's education board about to consider recommendations that children be taught that there would be no United States if it had not been for God.

Members of a panel of experts appointed by the board to revise the state's history curriculum, who include a Christian fundamentalist preacher who says he is fighting a war for America's moral soul, want lessons to emphasise the part played by Christianity in the founding of the US and that religion is a civic virtue.

Posted in church/state, Education

Getting Children Back to the Great Outdoors

At dinner one evening, my younger son Matthew, then 10, said quite seriously: “Dad, how come it was more fun when you were a kid?” Like many parents, I do tend to romanticise my childhood — and children today do have plenty of fun, of a different sort. But my son was serious; he felt that he had missed out on something important. He was right.

Many people of about my age, baby boomers or older, were inclined towards a kind of free, natural play. I knew my Missouri woods and fields; I knew every bend in the creek and dip in the beaten dirt paths.

Posted in children, Education, Health, nature

When It Comes to Kids, Change Can’t Wait

Last week, Michelle Obama made these remarks (VIDEO) to a group of fifth-graders who had just harvested 73 pounds of lettuce and 12 pounds of snap peas from the First Lady’s Garden on the White House Lawn:

Posted in Education, food, school lunch

School Lunch Reform and Ann Cooper’s Bigger, Boulder Move

The world of public-school lunch reform is abuzz this week as chef/author Ann Cooper, the outgoing Director of Food Services for the Berkeley Unified School District, takes charge of Boulder’s school cafeterias. Cooper earned national acclaim for remaking Berkeley’s meals program top to bottom in three years’ time. Out: transfats, high-fructose corn syrup, anything processed and pre-packaged, frozen vegetables, syrupy canned fruit, Wonder bread, vending machine snacks.

Posted in children, Education, food, school lunch

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2009
5:13 PM

CONTACT: CORE
Kenzo Shibata,Communications Secretary
312.296.0124 kenzo.shibata@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/coreteachers

Chicago Educators to Demonstrate Against Arne Duncan’s Visit Coalition of Education Activists to Warn Nation About Duncan’s Draconian 'Turnarounds'

CHICAGO - June 18 - On Friday, June 19th, 2009, the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators (CORE) will hold a demonstration against “turnarounds” and other policies promoted by current Secretary of Education Arne Duncan outside of the Hyatt Regency Chicago (151 E. Wacker Drive) from 8:00 AM until 9:30 AM. Duncan is the guest of honor for a breakfast reception at the hotel sponsored by education policy group Advance Illinois. CORE will be holding a press conference at the demonstration at 9:15 AM.Updates from the demonstration will be available at www.twitter.com/coreteachers.

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CORE is the reform caucus of the Chicago Teachers Union that represents rank-and-file members. The group is composed of teachers, retired teachers, educational staff and other champions of public education who hope to democratize the Chicago Teachers Union and turn it into an organization that fights on behalf of its members and the students they teach.

Posted in Education, inequality, privatization