There was a time when journalists dreamed of publishing an expose’ that would catapult them to the top of the profession. I’m not saying that they don’t exist, anymore, but I believe they are rare. There is a disturbing trend in news media that I believe is the direct result of corporate takeover. There are […]
ESSA Advisory Blog
There has been much hoopla in the media about Governor Edwards’ ESSA Advisory Council and how some feel as though its intention is to cause havoc in the department of education, and it appears in direct conflict with the ESSA forums being conducted by Supt. John White. The fact remains that ESSA not only guarantees, […]
Vouchers: Why aren’t private school parents outraged?
There are many things about education reform that public school parents should be angry about; and rightly so. Every aspect of it is designed to destroy the public school system in favor of privatization leaving corporate reformers with the ability to control curriculum and eradicate the free-thinker from our society. One of the facets of […]
The Almighty LABI
In the last five years of his reign of terror over Louisiana, Bobby Jindal masterfully executed the demonizing of professional educators and the destruction of public school education as we know it. Driven by greed, he convinced legislators to facilitate the privatization of public education through the proliferation of predatory charter schools and by creating […]
Hensgens and Geymann score one for the team.
On Wednesday, April 27th, the House and Governmental Affairs committee of the Louisiana Legislature heard HB-473, a bill submitted by Representative Bob Hensgens related to BESE Ethics. The bill has a history in the House. In the 2014 regular session, former representative, Brett Geymann, filed the bill which quickly gained momentum in the House, but […]
Is 2016 a LEAP year?
Parental concerns about federally mandated tests and Common Core State Standards continues to be on the rise. Everyday, my inboxes and social media feeds are clogged with questions about the fast approaching Louisiana state assessment. Let me set the record straight. 2016 is, indeed, a LEAP year. February, in fact, had twenty-nine days this year; […]
Opt-Out 2016: Parents, Know Your Rights
It is Springtime in Louisiana, and for teachers, students and parents, that is an indicator that statewide assessment are just around the corner. As many of you know, last year’s assessments were marred by a growing number of parents protesting against the chosen assessment known as PARCC. This movement wasn’t, and still isn’t, limited to […]
Educate to Advocate
On Sunday, February 14th, the Louisiana Legislature commenced the first extraordinary legislative session. It will be over in three weeks. Then, less than a week later, the regular session will begin. With a new governor at the helm, and all of the political posturing taking place, this year’s session is sure to be interesting. I […]
JBE: Broken promises; or not?
Like most of the folks in Louisiana who have fought against Common Core and various forms of education reforms, I have watched and followed newly elected Governor, John Bel Edwards, very closely. Why? Because for 8 years in the legislature he fought against the same reforms that we were fighting, and throughout his campaign, he […]
Act 1: Repair and Recovery
In the previous blog, Act 1: Damage Done, I attempted to illustrate how and why the teacher evaluation plan outlined in Act 1 is invalid and damaging to the teaching profession. The main reasons being: The design of the VAM is not being adhered to. The cost of adminstering VAM as it is designed would […]