Archives for November 30, 2011

Reporter/researcher Lee Fang wrote a piece for The Nation that’s an in-depth look at billionaire interests who are using campaign donations, philanthropic foundations, and Silicon Valley connections to push states to pass laws mandating that K-12 students take classes from lucrative online learning companies. Has this method of teaching even found to be effective? What exactly is meant by “online learning”?

“Austerity” creates cuts which lead to staff reduction problems, which technology can then solve by shedding more college lecturers. And fewer humans teaching just leads to more austerity now that colleges have shown they can run programs on less money…

Prof. Pedro Nogeura urges the Obama administration to lift the burden of meeting “Adequate Yearly Progress” as dictated by NCLB, *and* lift the burdensome cost of meeting RTTT conditions to escape NCLB. To waive NCLB but let RTTT conditions stay in pla…

Oops, MI Mackinac think tank says its goal is to privatize public ed (thereby destroying it). Ballsy. But not good for kids. Mackinac Center Emails Reveal True Motives Of Their Benefactorscrooksandliars.comBack in June of this year, Governor Rick Snyde…

In TX, alternative (online) teacher certification is booming. Avg GPA for all teaching candidates=2.5. Not exactly confidence inspiring. Wonder if this applies to all teachers — those teaching in TX private & charter schools too? Because that means NO…

9 am PDT/ Noon EDT, Weds Nov 30’s MOMochat — how online learning companies are systematically privatizing public schools — w/@lhfang, author of the investigative piece. Listen online here http://bit.ly/u4CptUHow Online Learning Companies Bought Ameri…