Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos have claimed that charters and vouchers are better options for students than public schools. The research tell us that she is wrong. The year 2017 marked the 4th annual Network for Public Education (NPE) national conference in Oakland, California. We joined with friends and allies to learn, share and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead
Read more
Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions. When there is no sharing of power, no rule of law, no accountability, there is abuse, corruption, subjugation and indignation. Atifete Jahjaga Last evening we held a Cambridge-style debate at California State University Sacramento. The quick back
Read more
The president-elect’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Education has no experience in public education. From all appearances, she seeks to use her philanthropy to destroy public schools. The Senate “HELP” (Health, Education, Labor & Pensions) Committee on examines her (lack of) qualification on January 11. Tens of thousands of citizens, including educators of many backgrounds, have already contacted the Senate
Read more
My entire life I have been inspired by the 1963 March on Washington. If I close my eyes, I can see and hear Martin Luther King Jr. delivering the I Have a Dream speech. Our generation must, we MUST continue the social change that this nation requires. The 2016 SOS Coalition People’s March for Public Education & Social Justice occurred on the
Read more
Today on the B.U.S. Thursday program LIVE on We Act Radio Education Town Hall we discussed the bare inequality facing US children, NPE’s recent national report card which is sparking national discussion and John King’s Secretary of Education confirmation hearing. B= Badass Teachers U= United Opt Out S= Save our Schools The Education Town Hall with Thomas Byrd is the premiere Live Wire show on We
Read more
The wealthy have poured millions of dollars into “school choice” causes over the last decade. Under the mantra of civil rights, billionaires such as Eli Broad, Bill Gates, the Koch Brothers and the powerful corporate-funded lobby group the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are using venture philanthropy and the political process to press for top-down neoliberal school reforms focused on
Read more
What’s the reason why Democrats and Republicans are afraid to discuss education in their stump speeches or debates? Will the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) federal education bill be better than No Child Left Behind? What are some positive attributes of charter schools? In this Teach Thought podcast episode Drew Perkins (Director of Professional Development at TeachThought) and Julian Vasquez Heilig answer
Read more