A few days ago I noticed a new pop-up ad that I hadn’t seen before. It read: “Don’t balance the budget on my back,” featuring a sad boy, bogged down by an enormous backpack. Here’s what the ad looked like: Clicking on the link sent me to the Connecticut Education Association’s (CEA) web page. That’s where… Continue reading Who Gets To Speak For Parents? Hint: It’s Not The Teachers Union
I wanted to share with my readers a recent blog post published by parent advocate Gwen Samuel. (If you haven’t already, you should check out her other blog posts too – she writes at RealTalkGwenSamuels.com) In her most recent post, she reflects on Fredrick Douglas’ famous July Fourth speech, “What To The Slave Is The… Continue reading A Parent Reflects On Fredrick Douglas’ Fourth of July Speech: Gwen Samuel Calls Out Status Quo For Their Silence
Last Monday, Bridgeport’s Parent Center quietly announced that they’ll be discontinuing all adult education programs due to budget cuts. The week before, Norwalk’s Board of Education voted on a budget that put music lessons, intramural sports and kindergarten paraprofessionals on the chopping block. Hartford’s school board voted for a budget earlier this month that cuts… Continue reading Do School Districts Have Time For A Cost Study? Gov. Malloy’s Not Buying it
Gwen Samuel, a Meriden mom and the founder of the Connecticut Parents Union, shares her story, explaining why she can’t be brought by either side of the education debate: Shirley Chisholm said “There is little place in the political scheme of things for an independent, creative personality, for a fighter. Anyone who takes that role must… Continue reading Parent Warrior Gwen Samuel Shares Why She Can’t Be Bought: “Our Children Really Need Us To Step Up And Protect Them”
Last month, Nivea L. Torres resigned in disgrace from her post as the Technical High School System’s (CTHSS) superintendent following a state investigation that found she had inappropriately awarded nearly $5 million in contracts to marketing agencies — millions spent improperly that could have aided the struggling school system. Luckily, Connecticut legislators learned from this experience… Continue reading Can You Say Double Standard? CT Can’t Get A Budget Passed, But Vo-Tech Schools Become Their Own Agency Amidst Scandal
“I said not my city, not my son, not my children, not these children” — these are the words of Bridgeport parent Jessica Martinez, who, last Tuesday morning retold the story of how she became active in the fight for educational equity to a room of over 300 onlookers. Jessica is the lead plaintiff in Martinez… Continue reading One Parent Says On Connecticut’s Broken Education Funding System: “Not My City, Not My Son, Not My Children”
In the face of investigations into the chronic failure of school employees to report child abuse, it appears the state’s largest teachers union has been working behind the scenes to scrub records that could aid in tracking patterns of abuse. Back in 2016, around the same time that Hartford’s Mayor insisted the Office of the… Continue reading The Connecticut Education Association’s Long Quest To Scrub Public Information On Alleged Child Abuse
Thursday afternoon while researching information on the state school board’s recent decision to permanently remove annual mastery exam data from teacher evaluations, I stumbled upon a Channel 12 News segment entitled: “State teachers to no longer be rated on test scores.” *Spoiler Alert:* That’s not a factual statement. State teachers have never been rated based… Continue reading And We Wonder Why We Can’t Have Nice Things? Fact Check On News Surrounding The Removal On Teacher Evaluations
Ah, the Land of Steady Habits has done it again! The state’s Performance Evaluation Advisory Committee (PEAC), tasked with advising the state on annual testing policy, once again, ignored Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher’s ruling in CCJEF v. Rell, in favor of shielding adults from consequences. On Wednesday morning, the committee, made up almost entirely… Continue reading While All Eyes Are On The Budget Debate, PEAC Quietly Votes To Chip Away At Accountability
Can we please have a real discussion on charter school demographics? I say this because the misrepresentation of facts on the subject has gotten seriously out of hand. Last week, former state legislator-turned-blogger Jonathan Pelto attacked Bridgeport charter schools, claiming that they refuse to educate their fair share English Language Learners and other students that require additional services (He… Continue reading If Charter Schools Are “Discriminating” Against English Language Learners, Then So Are Magnet Schools
