Category Archives: Education

Back to the Future in the Bay State: Brockton’s New School-Funding Lawsuit May Be Imminent

Posted on March 19, 2018 by

Twenty-five years ago, the Brockton school district prevailed in a lawsuit that served as a key catalyst for the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993, which radically changed the state’s approach to school funding and turned the Bay State into … Continue reading →

Posted in Brockton, MA, Charter Schools, Education, Massachusetts Education Reform, public schools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More Breathless Praise for Success Academy; And Why We Should Be “Terrified”

Posted on December 9, 2017 by

This week both The New Yorker and The Atlantic, among several other publications, ran prominent stories on Success Academy, the controversial New York City charter-school network. In particular, Elizabeth Green’s piece about Success Academy and its founder, Eva Moskowitz, aims … Continue reading →

Posted in Charter Schools, citizenship, democracy, Education, public schools, Trump | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Record Fine for Campaign-Finance Violation Sheds Light on Dark Money Donors to Bay State Charter Referendum

Posted on September 26, 2017 by

When the biggest backer of Massachusetts’s recent ballot initiative, which would have effectively eliminated the cap on charter schools, was slapped, this month, with a $426,466 fine for violating campaign finance laws—the biggest such violation in state history—the legal settlement … Continue reading →

Posted in Brockton, MA, Business, Charter Schools, Education, Massachusetts Education Reform | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Why Vote? Midwifing the Youth Vote in the Age of Trump

Posted on August 25, 2017 by

Last week, Brad Lander, a New York City councilman from Brooklyn, and founder of the City Council’s progressive caucus, stood before 50-or-so young people and talked about the push to close Rikers Island, the city’s dysfunctional jail; the challenges of … Continue reading →

Posted in citizenship, democracy, Education, public schools, Trump | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Are New Orleans’ Veteran Teachers Unappreciated?

Posted on May 10, 2017 by

  Veteran New Orleans teachers say there is much that has improved in the city’s schools since Hurricane Katrina, including academics and strong school cultures. One thing that has decidedly not improved is job satisfaction among the city’s most experienced … Continue reading →

Posted in Charter Schools, CREDO, Education, New Orleans Charter Schools | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

An Evening With Joel Klein: Former Schools Chancellor Reflects On His Legacy

Posted on March 11, 2017 by

Recently, I joined about 50 New York City reform-minded educators who had gathered at Teach for America’s headquarters in downtown Manhattan to hear Joel Klein reflect on his years as New York City schools and his thoughts on education. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Charter Schools, Education, public schools, small-schools movement | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

UPDATE: How Long-Time Charter Funders Are Upping the Ante in Their Bid to Blow the Bay State’s Charter School Cap

Posted on November 7, 2016 by

On October 24, I posted the story below about dark money–much of it from out-of-state–flowing into Massachusetts to support a “yes” vote on a pro-charter-school ballot question known as Question 2. In the days just before the election, those funds … Continue reading →

Posted in Charter Schools, Education, Massachusetts Education Reform | 4 Comments