Saturday, February 07, 2015

It is Time for Civic Education for All

Choosing Democracy: It is Time for Civic Education for All: The Sacramento Bee editorial board was correct in their Friday Feb.6, 2015,   piece, “Civic Education is Essential to Democracy.”   I ...

Monday, February 02, 2015

Sen.Rand Paul Criticizes Common Core History Stand...huh?

Choosing Democracy: Sen.Rand Paul Criticizes Common Core History Stand...: Cailin Macneal. Talking Points Memo. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) tore into Common Core in a fundraising email on Thursday, lambasting the way t...

Monday, January 19, 2015

Choosing Democracy: Democracy and social justice teachers' unions

Choosing Democracy: Democracy and social justice teachers' unions: If we don’t transform teacher unions now, our schools, our profession, and our democracy—what’s left of it—will likely be destroyed. I kn...

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Choosing Democracy: More testing from renewed NCLB

Choosing Democracy: More testing from renewed NCLB: AFT’s Weingarten on Secretary Duncan’s ESEA Reauthorization Remarks I n discussing priorities for a revision of No Child Left Behi...

Monday, January 12, 2015

Choosing Democracy: The role of teachers and their unions

Choosing Democracy: The role of teachers and their unions: Building power beyond elections: The unique role of educators and their unions By Joshua Pechthalt, President, California ...

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Democracy, Schools, and Teachers' Unions

Choosing Democracy: Democracy, Schools, and Teachers' Unions: Leo Casey  Over the course of the last 12 weeks, I have been thinking about  our conversations here  on democracy, schools, and teache...

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Ethnic Studies to be required in San Francisco Unified

antiracismdsa: Ethnic Studies to be required in San Francisco: Ethnic Studies Victory! San Francisco Unified, 3rd District in CA Making it a Graduation Requirement T he San Francisco Unified School ...

Sunday, December 07, 2014

The great uninformed- When policy wonks and editor...

Choosing Democracy: The great uninformed- When policy wonks and editor...: Headlines and articles in recent press reports raise an alarm about low voter turnout while ignoring some of the most obvious causes. ...

Thursday, December 04, 2014

Bill Bigelow:  In November  in Boston, thousands ...

Choosing Democracy: Bill Bigelow: 
In November  in Boston, thousands ...
: Bill Bigelow:  In November  in Boston, thousands of teachers will gather for the annual National Council for the Social Studies (N...

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Dr. Martin Luther King- Race Riots and The Other ...

antiracismdsa: Dr. Martin Luther King- Race Riots and The Other ...: " The Other America " - Speech by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Grosse Pointe High School - March 14, 1968 ] Rev. Dr. Har...

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Choosing Democracy: Thanksgiving- a troubled legacy

Choosing Democracy: Thanksgiving- a troubled legacy: by Tim Weed, In 1620, searching for a place to practice their dissident religion in peace, a small group of English separatists sai...

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Ethnic Studies in SFUSD Schools.


BE A PART OF HISTORY & SUPPORT THE RESOLUTION OF ETHNIC STUDIES IN ALL SFUSD SCHOOLS!!!


Ethnic Studies in ALL San Francisco Unified School District Schools!
Time to pack the building folks!

WHERE555 Franklin Street San Francisco
WHENTuesday, December 9, 2014
TIME5:00pm (Rally), 6:00pm (Meeting)

PLEASE WEAR RED! Bring your best signs/banners of support!

We urge the Board of Education to support the resolution for Institutionalizing Ethnic Studies in SFUSD when they come to a vote on Tuesday, December 9, 2014.

In 2010, SFUSD passed a resolution to support the development of a 9th grade Ethnic Studies course, which was implemented in 5 schools throughout the district. Only 5 of the 18 high schools in the district offer students the opportunity to take an A-G approved Ethnic Studies course. Today, students, teachers, parents, and community organizations are coming together once again to institutionalize Ethnic Studies in ALL SFUSD Schools. Through the examination of counterstories and often times neglected narratives of all people, students learn to humanize and respect themselves, their families, and their communities.  Students will think critically about race, ethnicity, and culture in the context of their own identities and their lived experiences. With a curricular content and pedagogy informed by the need for social justice and equity, the Ethnic Studies course provides students with the critical lens necessary to analyze oppression and engage in transformational resistance through learning service projects.  These projects require students to collectively address issues in their own lives and make positive change in their communities.


In solidarity,
San Francisco Ethnic Studies Collective


OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT:

1) Sign our  online Petition!

2) Write a letter of support to the School Board and email it to them and us by December 5, 2014 (Friday)

Thursday, November 13, 2014

CURMUDGUCATION: Green Dot Offers View of Alternate Universe

CURMUDGUCATION: Green Dot Offers View of Alternate Universe: Say hello to Marco Petruzzi, CEO of Green Dot Public Schools. Today he made his first blog entry at Green Dot's Website of Bloggy Goodne...

Thursday, November 06, 2014

Democracy and school reform win

Choosing Democracy: Democracy and school reform win: Torlakson victory  Ed. This of us who fought this fight for Torlakson and against the neoliberals, know this.  But, here is a national ...

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Choosing Democracy: Big Money Taking Over Education Politics

Choosing Democracy: Big Money Taking Over Education Politics: By Jeff Bryant, Education Opportunity Network. Big Money Floods A California Superintendent Race Education historian and public scho...

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Hedge Fund Robber Baron funding Marshall Tuck

SACRAMENTO PROGRESSIVE ALLIANCE: Hedge Fund Robber Baron funding Marshall Tuck: Funder.   $300,000 from John D. Arnold, a former Enron trader and funder of efforts to persuade governments to  cut public employee pensi...



Meet the guy who steals workers pensions and is one of the Millionaires  funding   Marshall Tuck's campaign.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Why I Support Tom Torlakson for School Superintendent


I, and the Sacramento Progressive Alliance supports the re-election of Tom Torlakson for  California Superintendent of Public Instruction.
If you believe in public education, if you think preparing students to live and work in a democracy is an important role for state government- then this election is important.  The election will set the direction of school improvement for the next four years.
You and I have a choice.  It is not a perfect choice, but the options are stark. We can continue with the current improvements in k-12 education (Torlakson), or we can move the state down the road of test driven, corporate neoliberal model of schooling (Tuck).  Wisconsin, Indiana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kansas, Louisiana, Texas, are following this route- and their schools are failing.
Current scores on achievement tests for California students are too low.  This is primarily a result of California’s underinvestment in children, its lack of support for children in poverty, and California’s low investment in  k-12 schools for the last thirty years.
We can not improve the schools without improving funding for schools and support for children living in poverty.  That argument being made by Marshall Tuck is a fraud.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

We Need the Representative Democracies of Unions i...

Choosing Democracy: We Need the Representative Democracies of Unions i...:  October 16, 2014 Leo Casey of the Albert Shanker Institute replies to Deborah Meier again today. Deb:  To practice genuine democ...

Monday, October 13, 2014

]Corporate Titans throw Millions into Tuck Campaign...

Choosing Democracy: Corporate Titans throw Millions into Tuck Campaign...: Corporate school   “reformers” have raised over $4 million from the very rich during the last week to contribute to the campaign to elec...