Quotables

Howard Dean, outgoing chairman of the Democratic National Committee

It's not enough to simply vote for Democrats -- in order to win, every one of us must deliver our message and values into our own communities. We must organize.

(Huffington)

No union rights for charter school teachers, says conservative charter group

“A union contract is actually at odds with a charter school,” said Jeanne Allen, executive director of the Center for Education Reform, a Washington group that supports charter schools.

(NYT)

UIC prof Kevin Kumashiro in Edweek, on… (you guessed it)

Duncan’s record is clear. Less court intervention to desegregate schools. Less parental and community involvement in school governance. Less support for teachers’ unions. Less breadth and depth in what and how students learn, as schools place more emphasis on narrow high-stakes testing. More opportunities to certify teachers without adequate preparation and training. More penalties for schools, but without adequate resources for those in high-poverty areas. And more profit for businesses, as school systems become increasingly privatized.

Reformers vs. reform

Mike Rose doesn’t think much of the whole way the Duncan appointment discussion or the current policy debate about who’s a reformer and who’s status quo, is taking place. Rose’s book Possible Lives, is a must-read for educators.

And Darling-Hammond as a champion of the status quo? She has pushed from the beginning of her career on issues of equity, the education of underserved populations, the structure of schooling, teacher development, and reform of the teaching profession itself. Her work is certainly open to scrutiny, and one can take issue with particular studies or initiatives, but to label her a traditionalist is a distortion of her record and of language.