“This is a Struggle to Save Public Education”

AN INTERVIEW WITH ARLENE INOUYE The teachers strike wave has reached Los Angeles: teachers there recently voted overwhelmingly to strike. They are fighting against school privatization, wage and benefit cuts, and the nationwide project to dismantle public education. he education strike wave initiated by West Virginia’s wildcat has reached the coasts. Teachers in Washington and Pennsylvania have walked off the job…

We Can’t Just Sue Our Way To A Better Education System

Aug 29, 2018, Natalie Wexler Frustrated with a lack of progress—especially for poor and minority students—some education activists are resorting to lawsuits. But courts aren’t equipped to address obstacles that are deeply rooted in the American approach to teaching. A lawsuit filed in 2016 charged that conditions in Detroit schools—including a lack of teachers, books, pencils, and…

California’s missing information about public education

Dan Walters Aug. 16, 2018 Knowledge, it’s been said, is power. It’s especially true in politics, whose insiders joust constantly among themselves and with outsiders, including the media and the voting public, over access to information. One of California’s more important arenas of info-war is public education. We Californians spend at least $100 billion in taxpayer…

The DeVos Hearings: School Choice is Here to Stay

Prepare to hear “school choice” a lot. Here’s what it actually means. EMILY DERUY JAN 12, 2017 The Trump administration could bring to the fore some education terms that have been largely overlooked in recent years as it moves to dramatically change the way students learn in the United States. And officials and advocacy groups…

Public Opinion Shifts in Favor of School Choice

In a new survey, a majority of respondents support the expansion of families’ education options. But specific programs such as vouchers remain polarizing. ALIA WONG AUG 21, 2018 The results of a new poll suggest that a majority of Americans now support the expansion of school choice for all families. With 54 percent of respondents saying they…

This effort is Utah’s chance to improve public education

Less than 50 percent of Utah students are currently proficient in key subjects. That’s not good enough to prepare the workforce of the future. Especially at risk are students who don’t have strong family support or are otherwise disadvantaged. By A. Scott Anderson July 25, 2018 I’ve long been convinced that improving public schools is the…

What is Gov. Matt Bevin doing with Kentucky’s education boards?

Mandy McLaren,  July 22, 2018  Gov. Matt Bevin is doubling down on the use of executive power to expand his authority over the future of Kentucky’s public schools. Bevin quietly altered or abolished several education boards this month through executive order, reasoning that the changes will streamline bureaucracy and enhance student learning. But his main…