What’s Going on With Reform

No, Leaving The Smarter Balanced Testing Consortium Would Not Save Connecticut Money
Budgets · Reform · Standards

No, Leaving The Smarter Balanced Testing Consortium Would Not Save Connecticut Money

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I hate to break to everyone, but John Bestor is wrong. Leaving the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) isn’t likely to save Connecticut money — far from it. In his recent Op-Ed for CT Viewpoints Bestor, a former school psychologist and anti-reform activist, makes the extraordinary claim that Connecticut could save money by designing a… Continue reading No, Leaving The Smarter Balanced Testing Consortium Would Not Save Connecticut Money

Let’s Just Blame the Parents! And Other Ways To Write Off Bridgeport Kids
Bridgeport · Reform · Students

Let’s Just Blame the Parents! And Other Ways To Write Off Bridgeport Kids

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On Sunday, the Republican American published editor Chris Powell’s response to a recent article on Bassick High School written by reporter Naomi Nix for the website the74million.com which contained an agrument that was so cringeworthy, I couldn’t believe that someone wrote it in earnest. In his commentary, Powell insists that Connecticut’s persistent achievement gap isn’t… Continue reading Let’s Just Blame the Parents! And Other Ways To Write Off Bridgeport Kids

Baraka Crosses the Line in Her Anti-Charter Rhetoric
Bridgeport · Reform

Baraka Crosses the Line in Her Anti-Charter Rhetoric

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Question: Theoretically, if a board of education chairwoman rallies constituents to lobby the state Board of Education at the state capitol, could that be illegal? Bridgeport Board of Education Chairwoman Sauda Baraka did exactly that last night when she used her position as a bully pulpit against two proposed public charter schools. It’s unethical, sure.… Continue reading Baraka Crosses the Line in Her Anti-Charter Rhetoric

Lecker Spouts Closed-Minded Rhetoric about Bronx Charter School for Excellence
Reform

Lecker Spouts Closed-Minded Rhetoric about Bronx Charter School for Excellence

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Last Friday the Stamford Advocate featured another masterpiece of deception by irate activist lawyer and sometimes irate education columnist Wendy Lecker. In this wonderful example of closed-mindedness, Lecker attacks Bronx Charter School for Excellence (BCSE), a highly successful, award-winning charter school, which has applied to the state Department of Education to open an elementary school… Continue reading Lecker Spouts Closed-Minded Rhetoric about Bronx Charter School for Excellence

CT Post Letter to the Editor: Bridgeport Parent Praises Success of Commissioner’s Network
Bridgeport · Reform

CT Post Letter to the Editor: Bridgeport Parent Praises Success of Commissioner’s Network

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Performance data is certainly important, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to turning around a failing school. The “climate” of a school, or whether or not a child feels safe in their learning environment, can have profound effects on students and academic performance. I wanted to share with my readers… Continue reading CT Post Letter to the Editor: Bridgeport Parent Praises Success of Commissioner’s Network

Hypocrisy at Its Finest: Hecklers at Charter School Hearing Get Their Facts Backwards
Bridgeport · Reform

Hypocrisy at Its Finest: Hecklers at Charter School Hearing Get Their Facts Backwards

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The rabid hecklers at last Tuesday night’s state-led public hearing on Capital Prep Harbor School were extremely confused. That, or they resorted to the same old tactic of lying and misinformation. Inexplicably, the sheep were baa-ing in favor of magnet schools, while voicing opposition to charters, because … well, I’m not sure why. The anti-charter… Continue reading Hypocrisy at Its Finest: Hecklers at Charter School Hearing Get Their Facts Backwards

Maria Pereira Threatens a Charter School Supporter in Public Forum
Reform

Maria Pereira Threatens a Charter School Supporter in Public Forum

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Working Families Party leader Maria Pereira is in control of the Bridgeport Board of Education, and she knows it. That’s right, the leader of a local political faction is in control, not the chairwoman of the board itself, not the duly elected members of the board, not the elected leaders of the city and certainly… Continue reading Maria Pereira Threatens a Charter School Supporter in Public Forum

Manipulation Gets Obvious at Charter School Hearing
Bridgeport · Reform · Students

Manipulation Gets Obvious at Charter School Hearing

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    Among the wild shenanigans at last night’s charter school public hearing, a Working Families Party plant, District PAC president Tammy Boyle, could be seen coaching young students as they testified against Dr. Steve Perry’s application to launch the Capital Prep Harbor School. Really? Feeding students words to support your agenda? This is wrong… Continue reading Manipulation Gets Obvious at Charter School Hearing

Truth Squad! Facts About Connecticut Charter Schools
Bridgeport · Reform

Truth Squad! Facts About Connecticut Charter Schools

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In a recent release, the Northeast Charter Schools Network, a regional advocacy group, included a section with “facts about Connecticut charters,” which I wanted to share with my readers. “Facts about Connecticut charter schools: • Charter schools are tuition-free public schools that admit students via a blind lottery. They accept all students regardless of their… Continue reading Truth Squad! Facts About Connecticut Charter Schools

New London Day: “Any Roll-Back of Common Core is a Step Back for Our Kids”
Reform

New London Day: “Any Roll-Back of Common Core is a Step Back for Our Kids”

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After last week’s public hearing on the Common Core, the New London Day published a fantastic must read editorial which outlines why Connecticut Republicans have come out of the woodwork to oppose the Common Core State Standards. If your guess was for the “children of Connecticut,” unfortunately, you’d be wrong. According to The Day, the… Continue reading New London Day: “Any Roll-Back of Common Core is a Step Back for Our Kids”