Voting Information…
The Supreme Court has done its job!!
Now it is up to every citizen in Wisconsin to vote in November. Winning a legal battle is a hollow victory if
people don't fulfill their responsibilities as members of a democratic society.
The U.S. Supreme Court blocks Wisconsin from implementing a law requiring
voters to present photo IDs.
wisn.com|By WISN
Fixing
Education- The Wrong
Ideas
from the Wrong People. . .
Issues around public
education truly are complex. There
aren't too many easy answers, and those of us who work and learn in our state's
public schools know this all too well.
From issues of classroom discipline to curriculum to holding everyone
involved in the educational process accountable for academic achievement, the
issues are many and the challenges are intense.
Over the years we've turned to "experts", and we've looked to
those who have been "successful" for solutions to these issues.
Bill Gates had an idea. He
was passionate about it, absolutely sure he had a winner. His idea? America’s high
schools were too big. When a multibillionaire gets an idea, just about
everybody leans in to listen. And when that idea has to...
politico.com|By Bob
Herbert
Not surprisingly, the
results haven't led us towards a more socially just system that provides
equality of opportunity for all students.
In fact, despite what may very well be noble intentions, we are seeing
the exact opposite trends happening.
Trends that are leading us towards more segregation, more
standardization and bigger gaps in opportunity and achievement between groups
of students.
Where you live should not determine the type of education
your child gets, but several local schools and a new study are saying that is
exactly what is...
wsaw.com|By Emily Davies
Fans of market forces for education simply don't understand
how market forces actually work. What they like to say is that free market
competition breeds...
www.huffingtonpost.com
monologuesofdissent.blogspot.com|By Heather DuBois Bourenane
Acknowledging the myriad ways in which school districts can
undermine curiosity and academic exploration by over-stressing test scores and
technical training, one can emphasize the importance of structured explorations
that can expand a...
huffingtonpost.com
A Letter to Commissioner King and the New York State
Education Department:I have played your game for the past two years. As an
educator, I have created my teaching portfolio with enough evidence ...
mrsmomblog.com
Why is this
happening? How is it that in a nation
with the resources that America
has available we can't seem to get education (public or private) "right"? We continue to struggle and experience
societal frustration, even as we claim to support public education as a
concept.
democratsforpubliceducation.com
We hear more and more from
educators who are frustrated and too many who are leaving the profession
because of the negative climate around our public schools.
Surrounded by piles of student work to grade, lessons to
plan and laundry to do, I have but one hope for the new year: that the Common
Core State Standards, their related Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
testing and the new teacher...
www.courant.com|By Hartford
Courant
We see too many people who
are leaving the fight and deciding to look out for their own children or
neighborhood, while choosing to ignore the plight of those in other places. We want a system to work, but not at the
expense of our own interests, and certainly not because of the challenges that
other people's kids present. Along the
way, we forget that all kids are our kids.
As a society we can't survive and succeed if we don't help care for all
of our fellow citizens.
It's an issue affecting children and
their families across the country but is hitting Wisconsin harder than most,
even occurring more often in our local schools.
weau.com|By Jessica.Bringe
It becomes easy to blame
others, or to claim that the problems we face are too big and too difficult for
us to solve. We are frustrated by the
apparent inability of anyone to address issues of poverty, inequality and
discrimination. The blame falls squarely
on the shoulders of those who are most directly involved in the struggle, and
we find ourselves drawn to "common sense", bumper sticker
solutions. Solutions that sound good,
but lack the depth necessary to really address the challenges we face.
This creates a disconnect
between what we the people claim to want and what the policies that our
decision makers and elected officials implement. According to the polling done by the Democrats
for Public Education about 2/3 of those polled want neighborhood schools
staffed by educators who are accountable to the community, not standardized
assessments. The people want money
devoted to our schools and not to other interests. Yet, we face the all to real prospect of
seeing a governor elected in Wisconsin
who has been a vocal supporter of educational policies that do the exact
opposite. While education isn't the only
issue in the campaign, it certainly is one of the high profile ones. It is troubling that the rhetoric around
education can drown out the real impact of policies like Educator
Effectiveness, voucher schools, and standardized testing.
All of these pressures on
educators create an environment that limits creativity and perpetuates a system
that has not fulfilled its potential. We
blame educators and call public education a failure, all while ignoring the
fact that, as a society, we've never given careful thought to what we are
really expecting from our schools. While
everyone can agree that we want our students to be prepared for success as
citizens and individuals by our schools, we really haven't considered what that
really means. We end up asking our
schools to do everything for everyone and create the most responsible citizens,
the best possible employees and to meet the needs of every possible individual
circumstance. At the same time we
restrict educator voice and freedom, and complain that it all costs too much
money.
HAVERHILL,
MA—Conveying their eagerness to
dodge the possibility of any classroom role-playing exercises or featured guest
speakers, 10th-grade...
theonion.com
There are many voices
calling for reform of our public education system. In many cases the word reform has become
synonymous with the privatization and standardization of our schools. The so called experts and the other voices of
reform have been heard loud and clear.
They have shaped the dialog about education and moved us in directions
that threaten the very heart of our democratic ideals. Education for profit, and a system that
serves only a small segment of the population isn't really public education. True public education should serve all
students and be available no matter where a person lives, how much a person
makes and what demographic a person comes from.
This is what so many public educators and supporters of true public
education are fighting for.
On Monday a grassroots coalition calling itself...
Blogging Blue
UOO Calls on Unions to Support Teacher Refusals to
Administer Tests - UNITED OPT OUT: The...
United Opt Out National serves as a focused point of
unyielding resistance to corporate ed. reform. We...
unitedoptout.com
What kind of support remains unclear.
washingtonpost.com
On Monday a grassroots coalition calling itself...
Blogging Blue
Homework: An unnecessary evil? … Surprising findings from
new research
A new study on the academic effects of homework offers not
only some intriguing results but also a lesson on how to read a study -- and a
reminder of the...
washingtonpost.com
So, while the issues may be complex,
there are a few places we can look to for answers. One of the best sources for solutions should
be educators themselves. It is time that
we listen to those who work in school buildings all around our state and
nation. The next time you hear an idea
for "fixing" public education, look at who is offering the solution
and what their interests are. What real
experience do they have in working with students? What connections do they have to the
communities being affected? Our public
educators have chosen their profession because they truly care about their
students and want public schools to be the best possible place to learn and
work in. If we can combine the voices of
educators, families, students and community members we can create a powerful
force that can begin to work towards truly fixing our public education system.
The Good, The Bad and
The Ugly. . .
The Good . . . The simple truth is that we can't
afford to have a society where only a few people profit from the work that all
of us do. The American Dream shouldn't
be based on personal achievement at the expense of our fellow citizens.
In Germany,
auto workers get paid well and their companies still profit. Author Thom
Hartmann on...
yesmagazine.org
The Bad . . . It is troubling that we live in a
nation where this type of action isn't just possible, but is even supported by
some. Here in Wisconsin there are too many who don't
understand that if we can take power and voice from our public employees, then
we can just as easily take power and voice from anyone.
There's only one thing worse than the Philadelphia School
Reform Commission's early morning assault on unionized teachers -- and that's
the underhanded way they did it, in a fog of near secrecy, with a determination
to squelch public...
philly.com
The Ugly . . . Get ready for a long October
Wisconsin!!
Sixty-two percent of the ads in the governor's race so far
were negative and just under 4 percent were positive
news8000.com|By WKBT
Should people who have achieved their
positions through the support of campaign efforts like those under
investigation really have the right to decide how we proceed with the John Doe
probe?
Challengers to the investigation have spent millions to
boost the campaigns of the four-member conservative majority.
host.madison.com|By Dee J. Hall |
Wisconsin State Journal
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