From Mike Hukabee’s “Learn Our History” series. This is so wrong and so scary.
Thomas J. Mertz
Category Archives: National News
Two EdTweaks for the Price of One (free)
Click on image for pdf.
Click on image for pdf.
I am easing back into blogging and what better way to start than with not one, but two new issues from our friends at EdTweak.
Thomas J. Mertz
Quotes of the — Martin Luther King Jr. — Day
“It is precisely because education is the road to equality and citizenship, that it has been made more elusive for Negroes than many other rights. The walling off of Negroes from equal education is part of the historical design to submerge him in second class status. Therefore, as Negroes have struggled to be free they have had to fight for the opportunity for a decent education.”
“The Negro has no room to make any substantial compromises because his store of advantages is too small. He must press unrelentingly for quality, integrated education or his whole drive for freedom will be undermined by the absence of a most vital and indispensable element — learning.”
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically… Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”
“Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it politic?’ But conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but because conscience tells one it is right.”
Thomas J. Mertz
Keep Russ Feingold in the Senate!
There are thousands of reasons to keep Russ Feingold in the Senate. Hundreds of these have to do with him being one of the few voices of sanity who has gone against the Washington consensus on top down Education Policy based on underfunded sham accountability and “market forces.”
Read what he had to say about NCLB reauthorization (excerpt):
“NCLB has hamstrung state and local decision-making by establishing a federal accountability system that measures and punishes our students and our schools based on, among other things, annual high-stakes standardized testing,” Feingold said. “This is the wrong approach, and the groundswell of opposition to the NCLB – from parents, educators, and administrators alike – shows just how flawed it is.”
Check the rest of his positions and actions on his Education page.
Then go to his campaign site and sign on to help help re-elect Russ. If you can’t fit volunteering into your schedule, hit the phone and email and Facebook and whatever else to contact everyone you know in Wisconsin and remind them how important it is to keep Russ Feingold in the Senate.
For inspiration, here is one more commercial from 1992 (amazing how little the issues have changed).
Thomas J. Mertz
Quotes of the Day (and some links on “Pathways”)
- Click on image for GoogleBooks page.
While debates over purposes and programs in education continue unabated, a conservationist perspective can help citizens to be more deliberate about what to preserve and what to change in their schools. It will not be easy. The work of the educational conservationist, like that of the defender of wild animals, is a challenging one. It takes energy and smarts and political savvy to preserve Mongolian gazelles or good schools.
David Tyack, “The Conservationist ethic in Education.”
Juggling the varied democratic, meritocratic, and practical purposes embedded in high schools along with intense parental aspirations for their children — all within the framework of the comprehensive high school — has produced severe strains among reformers and confusion among parents, especially since World War II. Writers have often reduced these conflicting purposes to labels of “conservative” and “progressive.” While what happens in schools is far more complex and nuanced than these labels allow, these words appeared constantly in public discussions of school reform among policy makers, media, and elected officials.
Larry Cuban ” High School Reform Again, Again, and Again: Some History Lessons” part 1, part 2, part 3.
Some deep background from two of my favorite historians of education. Note that the “Multiple Pathways” reform mentioned in part 3 of Cuban’s post is not the same as the Dual Pathways proposal under consideration in the Madison Metropolitan School District, but shares some inspirations and characteristics.
For more on Multiple Pathways see this from EdSource and here from NCEP, The Multiple Perspectives on Multiple Pathways: Preparing California’s Youth for College, Career, and Civic Responsibility series, introduction and overview by Jeannie Oakes and Marisa Saunders (people who don’t like Jeannie Oaks because of her detracking work should still check this out you might be surprised at points of agreements). Other papers in the series are linked here and here and here and in keeping with the deep background theme ” Reforming the 19th Century High School: “Weak” and “Strong” Approaches to Multiple Pathways,” by W. Norton Grubb.
Pathways seem to be the word of the moment. I found some other “Pathway” papers at the Association for Career and Technical Education site (it isn’t clear how many of these fit under the Multiple Pathways umbrella). These, and many of the other things I read in preparing this post remind me that — at least rhetorically — the Dual Pathways proposal is about preparing all students for college. While that may be a noble goal and “life long education” is a must, I think this bias toward college is unrealistic and shortchanges some very capable students whose talents and inclinations lead them down other “pathways” (the Multiple Pathways approach addresses the needs of these students).
Thomas J. Mertz
Filed under Best Practices, education, Gimme Some Truth, Local News, National News, Uncategorized, We Are Not Alone
October 7, Rally to Defend Public Education
Thursday, October 7 · 12:30pm – 1:30pm in Library Mall on the UW Campus there will be a rally to defend public education. This is part of a national effort to combat reduced governmental investments in education at all levels, from pre-kindergarten through grad school.
As the press release says:
Rally organizers call for making public education a top funding priority in Wisconsin, so that every child has access to a high-quality public education from kindergarten through college. Since an educated population spurs the economy and benefits all state residents, they also call for reforming the tax system so that everyone pays their fair share, including the wealthy and large corporations operating in Wisconsin. Increasing access to higher education for underrepresented groups and ensuring fair and competitive pay for academic workers are also top priorities.
Here is the list of speakers:
- Ben Manski, Coordinator, Democratizing Education Network
- Mike Bell, UW-Madison faculty member (Sociology)
- Thomas J. Mertz, Board Member, Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools
- Mindy Preston, UW-Madison undergraduate student (Computer Sciences; Classical Humanities)
- Kevin Gibbons, UW-Madison graduate student (Environmental Studies); Co-President of the Teaching Assistants’ Association
- Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, UW-Madison graduate student (Sociology); member of the International Socialist Organization
- Mark Thomas, Steward, AFSCME Local #171
I’ll be speaking on K-12 and pushing Penny for Kids. I could use some help collecting signatures on the Penny petition. Contact me if you are willing and able.
Strong public education is the best means we have of moving toward a better future. Join us to make sure that message comes through loud and clear.
Thomas J. Mertz
Quote of the Day — School Turnarounds
“The study suggests that people who say we know how to make failing schools into successful ones but merely lack the will to do so are selling snake oil. In fact, successful turnaround stories are marked by idiosyncratic circumstances. The science of turnarounds is weak and devoid of practical, effective strategies for educators to employ. Examples of largescale, system-wide turnarounds are nonexistent. A lot of work needs to be done before the odds of turning around failing schools begin to tip in a favorable direction.”
Intro to The 2009 Brown Center Report on American Education: How Well Are American Students Learning?
So much of the discussion of a “lack of will” devolves into blaming teachers, unions and “the Education Establishment” and is characterized by false promises of “the market” or unspecified “innovation” that reminders of the reality like those found in the Brown Report are drowned out in the blather. The vast majority of public schools serve their communities well; the vast majority of those employed in education want students to be successful and do their best to make that happen.
Related and timely:
Leigh Dingerson, “”The Proving Grounds: School “Rheeform” in Washington, D.C..”
Rick Ayers, “An Inconvenient Superman: Davis Guggenheim’s New Film Hijacks School Reform.”
Diane Ravitch, “Why Civil Rights Groups Oppose the Obama Agenda.”
Thomas J. Mertz
Filed under Arne Duncan, Best Practices, education, Equity, Gimme Some Truth, National News, Quote of the Day
Labor Day Mega Music Post
I need to find the time to do some serious blogging, but meanwhile some music for Labor Day. Don’t forget to come to LaborFest on Monday (at the Labor Temple, Park & Wingra, Noon to 5:30). Good people, good music, good food. Stop by the CAST table, say hey and sign the Penny for Kids petition.
The Dubliners, The Molly Maguires
Utah Phillips, There is Power In The Union
The Clash, Career Opportunities
Lee Dorsey, Working In The Coal Mine
Roy Orbison, Working For The Man
Dolly Parton, 9 To 5 (Live)
Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band, Pay Me My Money Down
The Gravedigger n the Teacher, Union Maid
Merle Haggard, Workin’ Man’s Blues
Thomas J. Mertz
Filed under AMPS, Best Practices, Gimme Some Truth, Local News, National News, Pennies for Kids
How low can you go? Obama, EduJobs and Food Stamps
Eddie Bo, “Lets Limbo” (click to listen or download)
The latest on the Obama Administration’s ridiculous priorities, from an interview with Rep. David Obey:
We were told we have to offset every damn dime of [new teacher spending]. Well, it ain’t easy to find offsets, and with all due respect to the administration their first suggestion for offsets was to cut food stamps. Now they were careful not to make an official budget request, because they didn’t want to take the political heat for it, but that was the first trial balloon they sent down here. … Their line of argument was, well, the cost of food relative to what we thought it would be has come down, so people on food stamps are getting a pretty good deal in comparison to what we thought they were going to get. Well isn’t that nice. Some poor bastard is going to get a break for a change.
Can’t cut the military, can’t raise taxes on the rich and corporations, need to bail out Wall Street; Race to the Top’s destructive policies are popular with the Newt Gingrich’s we want to apeal to…let’s cut food stamps.
The answer to the titular question is “lower than a pregnant snake’s belly.”
Thomas J. Mertz
Songs for Independence Day
Time for the annual Independence Day AMPS music post (previous years here and here).
Elvis Presley, “American Trilogy”
Prince, “America”
T-Rex, “Children of the Revolution”
Thomas J. Mertz
Filed under AMPS, Gimme Some Truth, Local News, National News
AMPS 