Christie’s people won’t honor OPRA request about conditions in 4 schools

bad school conditions in NJThe Schools Development Authority (SDA) is denying the public information on the facility conditions at Camden High School, Thomas G. Connors Elementary School (Hoboken), Cleveland Elementary School (Orange), and Orange High School.

The Education Law Center made an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request to obtain the SDA’s reports on the facility conditions at these four schools which are badly in need of repair. The SDA said no. This is unacceptable! Communities have a right to know what the facility conditions are at their schools. This is another example of the SDA stalling on urgent repairs. read more

Poverty creates poor school performance. Time to stop it.

Kennedy with kids

Kennedy with kidsBobby Kennedy made hunger and poverty relief a top priority with his Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, but 50 years later the United States has the 2nd highest rate of poverty among industrialized nations. And Dale Hansen of the Detroit News is asking, if poverty is the biggest problem education faces, why aren’t we more focused on relieving it? Dale supplies his own answer: Republicans are way too committed to their war on public education to allow positive change to get in their way. read more

New report shows ed reform is failing our kids

Market-oriented reform report cover

Market-oriented reform report coverThe report Market-oriented education reforms’ rhetoric trumps reality issued this month (April 2013) by the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education concludes that so-called education reforms have led to bigger gaps and lost ground, “for the students they were supposed to support” – low-income, low achieving and Abbot District students. Outcomes were measured in Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C. Market-driven education is a concept introduced by Milton Friedman in his 1962 book Capitalism and Freedom. read more