Category Archives: Uncategorized

“The process of taking on the corporate-state power nexus that underpins the extractive economy is leading a great many people to face up to the underlying democratic crisis that has allowed multinationals to be the authors of the laws under which they operate …. What is a democracy if it doesn’t encompass the capacity toContinue reading “PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION: THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING”

A FEW PROBLEMS TO CONSIDER WITH 21st CENTURY LEARNING and PRES OBAMA’S TESTING ACTION PLAN 21st Century Education glossary: “While the term is widely used in education, it is not always defined consistently, which can lead to confusion and divergent interpretations. In addition, a number of related terms—including applied skills, cross-curricular skills, cross-disciplinary skills, interdisciplinary skills,transferableContinue reading “A FEW PROBLEMS TO CONSIDER WITH 21st CENTURY LEARNING  and PRES OBAMA’S TESTING ACTION PLAN”

Lying and twisting facts seems to be s staple among corporate reformers. The problem is that too few  of us can see it when it’s happening. Maryland citizens must become savvy to when they are being “marketed to” under the guise of “expertise”, and when our children are being sold up the river for corporateContinue reading “Charter Proponents: Another Event of “Bait and Switch””

(https://www.tni.org/sites/www.tni.org/files/every-morning-i-wake-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-capitalism.jpg) If you’ve ever lived with small children then you know this feeling: You have just cleaned the house. All clutter is put way. Table tops and floors have no dirt or food. Clothes are folded. And then, they come home. Next thing you know there’s a trail of chocolate chips on the floor from theContinue reading “Power, Labor, and Compliance in Education Reform: Why We Must Refuse”

I said it over three years ago and I’ll say it again. Common Core was, and is, an agenda crafted by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). It was never about “communism,” or “socialism.” It was the state and federal governments serving as the delivery boys for the privatization of public education at the handsContinue reading “Common Core and Corporate Colonization: The Big Picture”

    Is Obama’s Testing Action Plan, like Fruit Loops, part of a nutritious breakfast? Don’t believe the hype. This has been over a decade in the making. In 2000 Business Week  listed the companies benefiting from the new boon in online education stating, “Dozens of new companies are springing up to serve the emergingContinue reading “Reading Between The Lines: Obama’s “Testing Action Plan””

Was Someone Mean to You Today?  THE IMPACT OF STANDARDIZATION, CORPORATIZATION, AND HIGH STAKES TESTING ON STUDENTS, TEACHERS, COMMUNITIES, SCHOOLS, AND DEMOCRACY by T. Poetter and J. Googins (Eds) A book review I need to begin with full disclosure: I have known and been friends with the co-author Tom Poetter for fifteen years. I amContinue reading “Was Someone Mean to You Today? The Bullying Policies of Ed Reform”

(A special thanks to Allison McDowell for provoking me to this research and to an amazing blog by Emily Talmage  that had mad amounts of information on this subject) This has been over a decade on the making. In 2000 Business Week  listed the companies benefiting from the new boon in online education stating, “DozensContinue reading “Competency Based Learning, Online Education and Lamar Alexander’s ESEA Revisions”

Let’s Start with a Few Recent Headlines: Teacher Prep Colleges Are Failing the Teachers Study Delivers Failing Grades For Many Programs Training Teachers  States Slow to Close Faltering Teacher Ed. Programs (also see more recently: http://edexcellence.net/articles/reforming-ed-schools-from-within and https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/teacher-prep-programs-need-to-be-accountable-too/2015/02/20/ed140f44-b8fc-11e4-aa05-1ce812b3fdd2_story.html ) Traditional colleges of education (aka 4 year undergraduate teacher preparation with state certification usually conferred in tandem) are underContinue reading “PEDAGOGY OF “DOUBT” AND THE ATTACK ON COLLEGES OF EDUCATION (Part I)”