Chicago: What Happened to the Kids When 50 Public Schools Were Closed

Posted: May 23, 2018 in Uncategorized
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Diane Ravitch's blog

Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago will go down in American history as the mayor who closed 50 public schools one day.

It was a brutal act. It showed his contempt for public education. While he closed public schools, he continued to open privately managed charter schools. Perhaps he hopes one day he hopes a charter school will be named for him, as one is named for billionaire Governor Bruce Rainer and billionaire Penny Pritzker.

But what about the children? Reformers like Emanuel think that closing schools is great for students. He thinks they thrive on disruption. They don’t.

A new study concludes that the children whose schools were closed suffered academic losses. Duh.

Here is the report in The Chicago Reporter.

Mike Klonsky writes about the report and the school closing disaster here.

Mike writes:

The study concludes:

“Closing schools — even poorly performing ones — does not improve…

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“This Is School in America Now”

Posted: May 19, 2018 in Uncategorized
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Diane Ravitch's blog

This is a powerful article about how schools are responding to the culture of gun violence. Why is this happening? Could it be because we have a Congress and a President whose loyalty has been purchased by the National Rifle Association? Our leaders refuse to enact meaningful control of guns. They send their thoughts and prayers. I’m counting on the younger generation to vote them out of office.

<a href=”https://nyti.ms/2GwHpoy“>This is school in America now.</a>

James Poniewozik, The Chief television critic of the New York Times, wrote it.

“The heartbreaking thing about the images — one heartbreaking thing among many — is the precision. The cooperation. The orderliness.

“Time after time, a report comes of another everyday nightmare at an American school, and with it, a harrowing ritual. We see the children — those who survived — filmed from news helicopters, leaving the building in neat lines. They’re…

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32 Ways to Live a Happier Life (and It Doesn’t Cost a Penny) | Inc.com

Posted: May 18, 2018 in Uncategorized
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You will never fully understand what true wealth is until you have something in your life that money just cannot buy.

By Lolly Daskal President and CEO, Lead From Within

You don’t have to look hard to find a book or article about how to become wealthy and successful. And many of them have some great ideas.

But it’s important to always remember that the truest wealth is not counted in money but in the things that bring us happiness.

If you want to become really wealthy, here are the best tips I can offer:

1. Build a life of integrity. Integrity means choosing courage over comfort, doing what is right instead of what is easy and practicing your values rather than simply professing them. If you can live by integrity you have will have richness beyond your means.

2. Be rich in character. Value your character and integrity so highly that no one can ever buy it out. Success is always temporary and money is fleeting. When all is said and done, the only thing you will have left is your richness of character.

Click on the link for the full article and enjoy.

https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/turns-out-you-dont-need-to-make-money-to-be-wealthy.html

Schools Are Failing to Teach Kids How to Read – by The Atlantic

Posted: May 17, 2018 in Uncategorized
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Why American Students Haven’t Gotten Better at Reading in 20 Years … Schools usually focus on teaching comprehension skills instead of general knowledge—even though education researchers know better.

Every two years, education-policy wonks gear up for what has become a time-honored ritual: the release of the Nation’s Report Card. Officially known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, the data reflect the results of reading and math tests administered to a sample of students across the country. Experts generally consider the tests rigorous and highly reliable—and the scores basically stagnant.

Math scores have been flat since 2009 and reading scores since 1998, with just a third or so of students performing at a level the NAEP defines as “proficient.” Performance gaps between lower-income students and their more affluent peers, among other demographic discrepancies, have remained stubbornly wide.

Read, learn, explore and form your own opinion because … Knowledge IS Power!

Click on the link for the full story.

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/04/-american-students-reading/557915/?utm_source=atlfb

Exclusive: 40% in U.S. can’t afford middle-class basics – Axios

Posted: May 17, 2018 in Uncategorized
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At a time of rock-bottom joblessness, high corporate profits and a booming stock market, more than 40% of U.S. households cannot pay the basics of a middle-class lifestyle — rent, transportation, child care and a cellphone, according to a new study.

Quick take: The study, conducted by United Way, found a wide band of working U.S. households that live above the official poverty line, but below the cost of paying ordinary expenses. Based on 2016 data, there were 34.7 million households in that group — double the 16.1 million that are in actual poverty, project director Stephanie Hoopes tells Axios.

Click on the link for the full story!

https://www.axios.com/americans-who-cant-afford-middle-class-basics-united-way-5da1e2e6-046b-4a53-9a11-1106a77564ef.html

Is This The Beginning Of The End For The U. S. Republic?  Partisan Politics Is Tearing America Apart. Tony Brown’s Journal

Posted: May 6, 2018 in Uncategorized
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May 4, 2018

FBI in Crisis…. Is This The Beginning Of The End For The U. S. Republic? Partisan Politics Is Tearing America Apart by Tony Brown

In a breathtaking cover story, the May 3, 2018 edition of Time Magazine screamed aloud, “The FBI Is In Crisis. It’s Worse Than You Think.” The article is significant also in the sense that it amplifies the preceding week of coverage on “Hannity,” carried by FOX, the number one-rated cable channel. The liberal treatment of this subject by Time is very close to the conservative approach on FOX’s conservative philosophy. This suggests that this FBI peril may be the last straw – the beginning of the end to US global dominance. Perhaps not, it just might be the early stage of rebuilding the American democracy.

Click on the link below for the full story.

https://www.tonybrownsjournal.com/blog/is-this-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-the-u-s-republic-partisan-politics-is-tearing-america-apart

The Teachers’ Strikes Are Just the Beginning

Posted: April 26, 2018 in Uncategorized
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Diane Ravitch's blog

The spring of 2018 may well be remembered as the beginning of a mass movement by working people against the domination of corporations and the 1%.

The leadership in red states and the federal government have tilted the tax system to favor the very wealthy, while demanding sacrifices from the powerless majority.

The teachers in West Virginia were first to say “Enough!”

But they are far from last.

The ALEC-inspired Republican legislatures killed collective bargaining, and the Supreme Court in expected to hobble labor unions with the Janus decision.

But that’s not going to stop working people from organizing and demanding a fair share of the bounty that they produced.

For all of Facebook’s sins and transgressions, it has nonetheless created a way for voiceless people to organize and act. Teachers and others created collectives on Facebook and used them to mobilize for mass actions.

The teachers’ strikes were organized by…

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