Michael Dunn's Blog – November 2010 Archive (7)

Charter Envy in Boston

Boston, long suffering from charter envy, now plans to convert several of its district public schools into charter schools. On November 3, the Boston School Committee unanimously voted to

convert a middle school and a high school into charter schools. This is

part of their…

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Added by Michael Dunn on November 23, 2010 at 6:39pm — No Comments

Blue Ribbon Panel Comes Up With Innovative New Ways to Destroy Public Education

Blue Ribbon Panel Comes Up With Innovative New Ways to Destroy Public Education…

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Added by Michael Dunn on November 23, 2010 at 6:39pm — No Comments

Let Them Eat Government Cheese!

While the ruling elite and their lackeys in the Republican and

Democratic parties negotiate further tax cats for the richest 1% of

Americans, a new report from the USDA indicates that 15% of U.S.

households (50 million people) lacked enough money to buy adequate food

last year.… Continue

Added by Michael Dunn on November 23, 2010 at 6:37pm — No Comments

Parent Triggers: People Power or Corporate Financed Witch Hunts?

Parents are understandably frustrated with low test scores, low graduation rates and a persistent achievement gap. Many are demanding change and believe the…

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Added by Michael Dunn on November 23, 2010 at 6:35pm — No Comments

KIPP Reform Schools--Teacher Sweat Shops

KIPP schools are often touted as an example of how a well-designed school full of dedicated true-believer educators can trump race and class and

get low income students to succeed. This is,…

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Added by Michael Dunn on November 23, 2010 at 6:33pm — No Comments

Value-Added Adds Value for Corporate Vultures

The first problem with the Value Added model for teacher accountability

is that it commodifies children. In economics, value-added is the

difference between the sales price and the cost of a product. The higher

the sales price relative to the cost of production,… Continue

Added by Michael Dunn on November 23, 2010 at 6:32pm — No Comments

Jocks Vs Cheerleaders: Who’s Rights are Right?

40 years ago the Supreme Court declared that neither students nor teachers lose their free speech rights on a public school campus, ruling that students could wear armbands in protest of

the Viet Nam war. The ruling was in marked contrast to the…

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Added by Michael Dunn on November 8, 2010 at 4:00pm — No Comments