Pinkberry Fundraiser for my Daughter’s Elementary School
Bring this flyer to Pinkberry in Garden City on March 24 and the Eden Park Elementary School will get 20% for its PTP group.
Some Historical Context on the Prayer Banner Controversy
My overall analysis is that the real problem we have right now in Rhode Island is not that the Cranston Schools had a banner hanging in an auditorium that had a prayer on it. The real problem is that our economy is sagging big time, and we need to figure out how to turn that [...]
Reading My Tea Leaves About Achievement First
If I had to call it, my call at this point would be that the Board of Regents will vote to approve one, and only one, Achievement First School to start up in Providence. I have followed this issue closely for the past year, though I am by no means an insider to the process. [...]
Petition Chafee to Say No to Achievement First
There are many reasons why I believe Achievement First is not the answer to our social and educational problems in Rhode Island. I’ll let the petition speak for itself: Go here to read and sign.
Steve Stycos Year End Report: Ending Wasteful Spending, Opening Community Gardens, and Opposing Charter Schools
Ward 1 Council Member Steve Stycos reports on his excellent contributions to the city: YEAR END REPORT December 21, 2011 As 2011 comes to a close, I want to update you on my first year on the Cranston City Council and my goals for 2012. For the most part, the council works well. Debates are [...]
Interviews with Parents from Achievement First New York
There are two of these. This first one is very good. There is some unfortunate noise in the background for the first 10 minutes or so, but you can still hear the parent, and what she has to say confirms a lot of my suspicions about the way corporate-run charter schools with extreme disciplinary policies [...]
Cranston Community Protects Education from Corporate Take-Over
And it wasn’t even close. The Board of Regents voted 7-1 to reject the proposed Achievement First Mayoral Academies proposal. Projo blog has the details here. The politicians lined up one after another to consent to this proposal: Allan Fung, House Speaker Gordon Fox, various members of the Providence City Council and members of the [...]
This I Believe — Public Education Needs to be Public
We are facing a bit of a “do or die” situation here in Cranston. On September 1, The Board of Regents will vote on a plan submitted by our Mayor to start a new district of schools that will be run by an out-of-state corporation called Achievement First. Why am I concerned? Why have I [...]
The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman — Showing in RI June 21
This film will be showing at the Providence Teachers Union Office at 6 pm on June 21. More information is available at the Facebook page for the event.
Siphoning off Education Funding for Cranston One Student at a Time
I have been concerned and will continue to be concerned about the proposal submitted by Cranston’s Mayor Allan Fung to start a group of charter “Mayoral Academies” in Cranston. For some background on charter schools in the US, I recommend this article by Joanne Barkin in Dissent magazine which deftly summarizes some of the salient [...]
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