From last Sunday's interview with Betsy DeVos by Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes: Betsy DeVos: We have invested billions and billions and billions of dollars from the federal level And we have seen zero results. Lesley Stahl: But that really isn't true. Test scores have gone up over the last 25 years. So why do … Continue reading When Our Secretary of Education Chooses to Remain Uneducated About Public Education
Public Education
The Fear, Ignorance, and Unwillingness of Betsy DeVos
“I have not-- I have not-- I have not intentionally visited schools that are underperforming.” – Betsy DeVos, March 11, 2018 on 60 Minutes. In one part of the disastrous interview that Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos did with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes, DeVos revealed what many public school advocates have been screaming about … Continue reading The Fear, Ignorance, and Unwillingness of Betsy DeVos
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A Big Can of Canned Answers – That Betsy DeVos Interview on 60 Minutes
Leslie Stahl presented a segment on Betsy DeVos. Stahl's overview of DeVos, her questions, and the canned answers that DeVos gave in response are worth viewing even if it makes you cringe a little. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/secretary-of-education-betsy-devos-on-guns-school-choice-and-why-people-dont-like-her/ The link also has a transcript.
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Dear State Supt. Johnson, $200 Per Teacher? How About Fight For More Per Student? Much More.
News last week that DPI is allocating almost $5 million to early grade literacy seems most welcome. As reported by Liz Bell of EdNC.org: The Department of Public Instruction is distributing a total of $4.8 million from funds allocated by the state in 2016 as part of its Read to Achieve initiative for “literacy support” in early … Continue reading Dear State Supt. Johnson, $200 Per Teacher? How About Fight For More Per Student? Much More.
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The Ignorant Arrogance of Betsy DeVos and Her Bad Seating Charts
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos tweeted the following on the afternoon of March 6th around three o'clock. It is simply ignorance and arrogance. Two photographs of a what she calls a "typical" classroom and she makes numerous claims that she thinks are stereotypical of American schools. Desks in rows Teacher in front of room lecturing … Continue reading The Ignorant Arrogance of Betsy DeVos and Her Bad Seating Charts
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Why Betsy DeVos Necessitates a “Defense Against the Dark Arts”
When you teach a number of years coupled with the fact that social media has become such a mainstay in our culture, you have the opportunity to stay connected with former students much more easily. It is rather a humbling that these younger people (younger than I) would want to tell you about how their … Continue reading Why Betsy DeVos Necessitates a “Defense Against the Dark Arts”
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The “Ignoramasaurus Rex” – How The Average Teacher Pay Increase in NC is Not Really Real
T. Keung Hui’s report for McClatchy Regional News entitled “N.C. teachers are now averaging more than $50,000 a year” is really not what it appears to be simply because that average salary is being bolstered by the very people that the NC General Assembly wants to rid the state of: veteran teachers with due-process rights. … Continue reading The “Ignoramasaurus Rex” – How The Average Teacher Pay Increase in NC is Not Really Real
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There Are No “Silver Bullets” or “Magic Pills” in Changing Schools – It’s About School Culture
There are no “silver bullets” or “magic pills” when it comes to changing a school. There is no one thing that can be done, no standard blueprint, no Harry Potter spell that can be executed that will make a struggling school turn its fortune around overnight. Rather, transforming schools is a process – one that … Continue reading There Are No “Silver Bullets” or “Magic Pills” in Changing Schools – It’s About School Culture
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Public Schools Aren’t Businesses – Don’t Believe Me? Try Running a Business as a Public School
Receiving constructive and "unconstructive" criticism is an inescapable reality when one writes a blog or puts out opinion pieces about public education in various media. But whether that feedback is presented as an argument to inquire, assert, or demean, it does further the conversation. In many instances it exposes the many myths concerning public education. … Continue reading Public Schools Aren’t Businesses – Don’t Believe Me? Try Running a Business as a Public School
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I Agree With the State Superintendent on This, But…
In the wake of the Douglas High School shootings last week, those in the position to affect changes in our public schools and how those schools can be more prepared to combat potential problems need to show leadership and take a stand - for public schools. It is heartening to see State Supt. Mark Johnson … Continue reading I Agree With the State Superintendent on This, But…
caffeinated rage 