Enrollment triples, location expands for Jackson Public Schools virtual school

By Brianne Twiddy January 15, 2019   JACKSON, MI – South Central Michigan Virtual isn’t an alternative school, but it is an alternative to traditional schools. Traditional classes can be too fast, too slow or not challenging enough to some students, SCMV director Fred Parker said. SCMV is part of Jackson Public Schools. Its full-time virtual classes allow…

L.A. teachers’ strike: Tens of thousands walk off job in Los Angeles

Leo Rittner Solomon, 6, a student, and Hilda Rodriguez Guzman, right, a parent, react as union president Alex Caputo-Pearl announces that about 30,000 teachers in the nation’s second-largest school district were going on strike Monday.  Damian Dovarganes / AP Jan. 14, 2019 By Daniella Silva Tens of thousands of Los Angeles teachers went on strike Monday…

LA’s Teachers Strike Will Be the Toughest Yet

The Los Angeles teachers’ strike begins today. It’s going to be the most difficult struggle so far in the educators’ revolt sweeping the country. By Eric Blanc January 14, 2019   After 20 months of fruitless contract negotiations, Los Angeles teachers are walking out today. Their strike will be the most bitter battle yet in the…

Chicago Teachers Union Weighs in on Race for Mayor

Andrea Guthmann | January 10, 2019 https://player.pbs.org/partnerplayer/T6vSQ6klqVByZCM-3JmD8g==/?topbar=true&end=0&endscreen=false&start=0&autoplay=true Last month, the powerful Chicago Teachers Union endorsed mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle. But some CTU members are calling for the union to rescind that endorsement because Preckwinkle has ties to Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, who’s facing a federal corruption charge. Below, an edited Q&A with Stacy Davis Gates, vice president of…

Can charter schools be reformed? Should they be?

By Valerie Strauss December 16, 2018 In 2013, I published a post with this headline: “Why charter schools need better oversight.” The author of the piece, Jeff Bryant, wrote: There are undoubtedly wonderful charter schools in existence, and Americans generally have a favorable opinion of charters, but hardly a week goes by without news of a scandal or…

Audit: Many Problems At PPS, Oregon Department Of Education

by Rob Manning Follow OPB Jan. 9, 2019 Portland, Ore. UPDATE (11:24 a.m. PT) — State auditors released a blistering review of Oregon’s education department and its largest school district Wednesday, recommending that legislators take a hard look at how administrators spend existing money as they consider significant new educational investments sought by Gov. Kate Brown. Auditors working for Secretary of…

Harsh critic turned public education advocate to speak at CenturyLink Center

Jan 7, 2019 BOSSIER PARISH, LA) – What do blueberries have to do with public education? Everything, as respected businessman and attorney Jamie Vollmer learned after being taken to task by a teacher after he vocally condemned public schools. Once a harsh critic, Vollmer is now an award-winning champion of public education and author of…