The Troubling Trend of State Takeovers of Public Schools
Despite aiming to close achievement gaps, state takeovers of school districts worsen education inequality for low-income and minority students.
Blogging Our Great Divide
August 06, 2024
The state takeover of Houston Independent School District, the eighth-largest public school system in the United States, is entering its second year.
State-appointed superintendent Mike Miles is celebrating the occasion by touting state test score results that show preliminary improvement in student achievement. Other leaders in education across the country are paying close attention to Miles’ tactics to see if they’re effective enough to implement in their own schools.
Since 1989, over 100 school districts across the U.S. have been subjected to state takeovers, in which the state seizes control of low-performing or financially struggling school districts, replacing their locally elected school boards. This is done with the goal of dramatically improving the district’s academic or financial performance. State takeovers are difficult to neatly describe because they vary from place to place depending on the policies that the state-appointed board and superintendent decide to implement. But they are overwhelmingly ineffective.
A 2021 study done by researchers from Brown University and the University of Virginia analyzed over 100 state takeovers between 1989 and 2016. It found “no evidence that takeover generates academic benefits.” In fact, it can take years for schools to return to their previous levels of academic achievement after a takeover.
Texas State Takeovers.
https://inequality.org/great-divide/the-troubling-trend-of-state-takeovers-of-public-schools/
As we celebrate Labor Day, 2024, there is some very good news.
Bernie Sanders
Public approval of labor unions, at 70%, is higher today than it has been in decades. Over the last year major unions like the UAW have won some highly publicized strikes, while many other unions have negotiated trail-blazing contracts for their members. Young people at Starbucks and on college campuses are now more involved in labor organizing than ever before. And, for the first time in American history, a president of the United States, Joe Biden, walked a picket line with striking workers.
It is not an accident as to why we are now seeing more militancy and growth in the labor movement. The working people of our country are increasingly aware of the unprecedented level of corporate greed and power we are now experiencing, and the outrageous level of income and wealth inequality that exists. They understand that never before in American history have so few had so much, while so many continue to struggle. And they are fighting back. They know that workers in unions can negotiate contracts that give them better wages, working conditions and benefits than non-union workers. They appreciate that when you’re in a union you have some power against the arbitrary decisions corporate bosses.
Working people today are more than aware that, over the last 50 years, there has been a massive transfer of wealth from the bottom 90% to the top 1%. They are disgusted that, despite huge increases in worker productivity, real inflation-accounted for wages for the average American worker are lower now than they were over 50 years ago as 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. They are insulted that CEOs of major corporations make almost 350 times as much as their average employee. They are concerned that the American dream is ending and that their kids may have an even lower standard of living than they do. And they worry that with the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence and robotics, they have no power as to what will happen to their jobs as the economy undergoes major transformations.
The average American worker also understands that his/her political power has been significantly diminished as billionaires pour huge amounts of money into both political parties as they undermine our democracy. It is no great secret as to who now has the clout in Congress. It is the billionaires, the corporate CEOs, the campaign donors and their well-connected lobbyists.
Georgia is back in play. Just over a month ago, Democrats had all but written it off. It’s now one of six major states that could go either way.
Yesterday, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz kicked off their first post-convention campaign swing with a bus tour through rural southeast Georgia, culminating in a rally today in Savannah.
Conventional wisdom holds that Democrats only win elections in the South with the help of voters in places like metropolitan Atlanta, who tend to be better-educated and more liberal.
So why are Harris and Walz spending time in rural southeast Georgia? Because they need rural voters — especially Black voters who comprise about a quarter of the state’s rural population, to offset Trump’s potential win of white rural voters.
It’s similar in North Carolina, whose urban-suburban “research triangle” has generated most Democratic voters over the last several election cycles but whose rural Black population could offset white rural Trumpers. Black voters comprise more than a third of the population in 17 North Carolina counties.
Trump continues to have a slight edge in recent Georgia state polling but that edge may be waning quickly. His antics in 2020 and 2022 cost Republicans a Senate seat or two, and he has only recently stopped feuding with the state’s popular governor, Brian Kemp.
Harris and Walz’s rural bus tour signals they have several paths to winning 270 electoral votes, compared to the limited number that had been open to Biden, and compared to Trump-Vance.
Since Harris and Walz are easily packing rallies in places like Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Milwaukee — big, blue swing-state cities — it makes sense for them to gather votes in the rural South. It also signals to the Trump campaign — and to America — that Harris-Walz is a “unity” ticket appealing to a diverse America.
Trump and Vance haven’t given up on Georgia. But if Vance’s awkward visit to a rural Georgia donut shop earlier this week is any indication (see clip, below), they don’t know what they’re doing there.
Georgia may still be treacherous for Harris-Walz because of election rules recently green-lighted by three Trump-approved members of the Republican-controlled Georgia state election board.
The new rules allow county election officials to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” into the accuracy of results before certifying them, and allow individual members of county election boards to “examine” election related documentation created during the conduct of elections.
“Reasonable inquiries” and “examinations” won’t necessarily cause certifications to run past the legal deadline — thereby allowing Republicans in Congress to question their legality and help push the election into the House. But Georgia’s new rules give officials license to hunt for election irregularities, and move certification past the deadlines. Since 2020, many Georgia county election officials have objected to certifying elections, including one county official as recently as March of this year.
On August 3, at a rally in Georgia, Trump congratulated the three Republican state election board members who came up with the new rules, calling them“pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency and victory.”
Fortunately, Democrats aren’t passively accepting this. On Monday, several Georgia election officials and the Democratic Party sued the Georgia State Election Board, claiming the new rules violate state and federal election laws. They’re asking the Fulton County Superior Court “to prevent chaos in November” by making clear — through a “declaratory judgment” — that the state deadlines for certifying the results are mandatory and the new rules don’t change that.
Remember: Winning on November 5 is necessary but not sufficient.
We must also maintain vigilance over who will be running the election machinery. Notify state and national levels of the Democratic Party of any serious potential irregularities so they can focus their small army of lawyers on them, as they’re doing in Georgia.
Robert Reich,State Margins Low income not voting
Arizona 10,000 votes 840,000. Did not vote.
Georgia 12,000 746,000 did not vote
Wisconsin 20,000 1 million did not vote.
4 Talking Points Used to Smear DNC Protesters—And Why They’re Bogus
https://inthesetimes.com/article/democratic-national-convention-dnc-protest-gaza-harris-walz
How to make sure your disruptive protest helps your cause
Five key factors determine whether controversial protests are more likely to spark backlash or create positive outcomes.
Mark Engler and Paul Engler August 9, 2024
https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/08/how-to-make-sure-disruptive-protest-helps-cause/
Will Tim Walz Make Democrats the Education Party Again?
Harris’s decision to choose a teacher as her running mate creates an opportunity to remake the Democratic Party’s image for public schools.
In choosing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate, Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has not only picked a progressive governor and a Midwestern populist to lead the party’s national ticket but she also may have signaled that the Democratic Party is ready to take back its reputation as the education party.
Walz, a former public school teacher and football coach in Mankato, Minnesota, draws on his experience as an educator to inform his political persona and policy beliefs, saying in a 2007 interview with Education Week—after he was elected to Congress—that teachers are “more grounded in what people really care about.”
As governor of Minnesota, he acted on that philosophy of caring by pushing for and signing into law a $72 billion state budget in May 2023 that significantly increased funding for the state’s public schools, provided for a new $1,750-per-child tax credit, free college tuition for families earning less than $80,000 per year, funding for free school meals for K-12 students statewide, and paid sick leave for workers, as well as a paid family and medical leave.
https://www.laprogressive.com/education-reform/democrats-the-education-party
https://newrepublic.com/article/184236/american-left-problem-antisemitism
The American Left’s Problem With Antisemitism
Anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hate are just as pernicious, of course. But there is no segment of the left that denies the existence of those. Why do some ignore antisemitism?
Marc Cooper , from his substack.
I HAVE to say something about Venezuela. Too much of the American Left along with a few groupuscles in Latin America are the only people in the world still believing that the Maduro Dictatorship in Venezuela is actually an anti-imperialist beacon of socialist solidarity and prosperity.
In fact, it is a hell hole from which a full quarter of the population — some 8 million— have fled. And having run into some of the 700,000 who are now in Chile, these are poor people who were plain hungry and tired of the Chavista-Maduro bullshit.
Maduro has created a new class of wealthy government lackeys, parasites, and favored loyalists who are swimming in money — and not exactly short on cocaine (google Maduro’s wife and family for that one). As Chavez dubbed his regime Bolivarian, the new rich are called the Boliburgueses.
Since the election a week ago Sunday, hundreds of thousands of protesters have come into the streets denouncing the obvious fraud perpetrated. Around 20 have been shot dead. Among the various election observers, many from progressive Latin American organizations, the Carter center, the international press, and the opposition itself, it appears that Maduro actually lost by a margin as big as 2 to 1 but simply declared victory. The AP has concluded he really lost. Duh. So has everybody else. Well, almost everybody. There are still American progressives like acrobats in pain, contorting themselves to justify one of the most fixed elections in recent history.
Much of the American Left cannot articulate a strong critique of regimes like Venezuela or Cuba for that matter, and currently not even Russia, because there is a large percentage of American lefties who are wittingly or otherwise, are what we Old Leftists call “campists.”
They believe in their hearts that only the US has imperialist or military agency and that any country in the world, regardless of its regime, is to be supported if it is “anti-imperialist” which in the end translates as anti-American. So… for these campists, yeah, Iran and China and even Russia and certainly Venezuela, are seen ONLY as victims of US imperialism with absolutely NO regard for the living conditions of the respective populations. Nor is any independent agency ever assigned to these “anti-imperialist” states because whatever they do, whatever evil they perpetrate on their own people or others, is rotuinely justified by these campists as legitimate resistance to.. multiple choice: a)the cia b) the state department c) NATO, D) and generally, US Imperialism.
And while leftists are properly quick to point out all the anti-democratic aspects of American elections they are usually dead silent on these sort of chronic human rights violations imposed by various dictatorships — so long as they call themselves socialist (they are not) or, simply engage in phony anti-Imperialist rhetoric. The case study for the latter is Nicaragua where the dictatorial Ortega family has buried both the Sandinista Revolution and basic democracy and in the name of Sandino has imposed a ruthless pro-capitalist dictatorship with socialist rhetoric. I guess that is the China model. Savage capitalist dictatorship with enormous inequality all in the name of Chinese socialism. I mean, how do these reptiles get through a party convention without cracking up in laughter (but dont ask Code Pink about Chinese democracy because China is a victim of US Imperialism — and also a pretty direct funder of Code Pink!
This chronic inability to liberate themselves from these Stalinist impulses, their ability to apologize for brutally anti-democratic dictatorships so long as they are a thorn in the American side. render this sort of American leftist politically inert at best — radioactive at worst.
--------- ---------------- -----------------
Many of us will remember Marc Cooper from his informed writings on Chile at the time of the coup, and during the dictatorship.
(https://thecoopscoop.substack.com/p/coop-scoop-do-progressives-really(https://thecoopscoop.substack.com/p/coop-scoop-do-progressives-really))
The AP Results.
https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maduro-machado-biden-gonzalez-a625eb01979bc9cf5570d03242f198b1
We have a new category on our Defeat MAGA/Fight for Democracy platform.
The category is Project 2025.
There is an AFL-CIO analysis.
And, an analysis by a group Democracy Forward.
Democracy Forward guide to Project 2025. https://democracyforward.org/the-peoples-guide-to-project-2025/
Our project: Defeat MAGA / Fight for Democracy:
Action Opportunities.
To organize and advance our work, we have created a platform, a google docs site to learn from each other and share activist opportunities including Block and Build, battleground states and districts, left coalition efforts and more. The google site is for the recording of opportunities for political participation; phone banks, canvasing, donations, union contacts, links to important documents (such as Project 2025).
Here is the link to the Google site.
|
Local Congressman Kevin Kiley ( R-California) supports this anti education agenda.
See below.
Project 2025.
Last weekend, Kevin Roberts, the president of The Heritage Foundation, which is behind the Project 2025 plan, went on MSNBC to not just defend the policy proposal but to gloat about it and celebrate it.1
During his interview, he said that the goal of Project 2025 was to "institutionalize Trumpism" as the guiding principles for our government.2 Terrifying.
The vast majority of voters do not agree with plans laid out in Project 2025, and when they hear about it, they abandon Trump and the Republicans in droves. The problem is, not enough voters know that it exists. Which is why MoveOn is dedicating our resources to get the truth out to voters.
There are so many awful, bigoted, and authoritarian elements of Project 2025, but let's focus on one that Roberts discussed at length during his interview and that Trump has parroted on the campaign trail: abolishing the Department of Education.3
On MSNBC, Roberts affirmed that Project 2025 calls for firing "more than 50,000" career civil servants and that thousands of those would come from the Education Department when it is shut down.4
What he refused to discuss, however, were the actual consequences of eliminating the department. In short, they would be catastrophic.
The DOE has wide-ranging responsibilities overseeing education in our nation, but its three largest areas of work are providing student loans, managing the Title I program, and implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).5
So what would happen to these programs if the department suddenly disappeared?
Student Loans
Each year, the federal government provides more than $111 billion in federal student aid to nearly 7 million students.6,7 If Project 2025 is implemented, funding for these loans will be cut by at least half and could be eliminated altogether.8
That means 7 million students who are currently able to access higher education because of federal financial aid will be at risk of losing those opportunities. The impacts will be felt entirely by students from poor, working, and middle-class families and will disproportionately affect students of color.
This would radically reshape the future of our country, which is precisely the goal of Project 2025.
Title I
Each year, the Title I program provides nearly $18 billion in supplemental funding to schools and school districts in poor and underserved communities across the country.9 It is one of the most important pieces of education legislation in U.S. history, and it helps to provide equal access to education for all children in America, no matter where they live or how much money they have.10
Cutting funding would mean even less money for teachers, mental health staff, and interventions at Title I schools. It would mean even less money to pay essential educators. It would mean leaving tens of millions of students behind.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
IDEA ensures that more than 6.5 million infants, toddlers, children, and young adults with disabilities have free access to special education and other resources from birth to age 21.11 It was originally passed in 1975 and since then has helped to provide both funding and legal protection against discrimination for hundreds of millions of people with disabilities.12
Without funding for IDEA, there will be no way to hold schools accountable for not providing adequate services to students, programs that millions of people with disabilities rely on will be cut, and millions of families will be left in the lurch.
Let's get one thing straight: It is not an accident that so many of Project 2025's policies harm poor and marginalized communities and people of color.
This program is a surgical attack on those communities, with the goal of making America a white Christian nationalist nation that is run by and serves only the wealthy.
Duane, the policies laid out in Project 2025 are so extreme, so cartoonishly villainous, that voters have a difficult time believing it is even real.
But it is very real.
1. "Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts: Project 2025 framework will carry on for the next 10 years," Media Matters for America, June 24, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/194204?t=7&akid=395211%2E22927824%2EO_CySw
2. Ibid.
3. "Project 2025: The Trump presidency wish list, explained," BBC, June 11, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/194205?t=9&akid=395211%2E22927824%2EO_CySw
4. "Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts: Project 2025 framework will carry on for the next 10 years," Media Matters for America, June 24, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/194204?t=11&akid=395211%2E22927824%2EO_CySw
 |
Joe Biden is being treated far worse than Donald Trump by the two institutions critical for deciding the outcome of the 2024 election — the political parties and the media.
The Republican Party has closed ranks around Trump -- despite the fact he’s a convicted felon, twice-impeached conman, sexual abuser, fraudulent businessman, self-described aspiring dictator for a day, pathological liar, and ringleader of an attempted coup against the United States.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is in a panic about Biden. Many party insiders are trying to force Biden out now, at the last minute, because he had a bad debate performance.
Democratic leaders in Congress are telling their members they should “feel free to take whatever position about Biden’s candidacy is best for their district,” according to people involved in the conversations. For some, this means blasting Biden’s debate performance and calling on him to withdraw or suggest he seriously consider it.
The media is just as bad. It has normalized Trump's non-stop lies during the debate as “old news.” Rather than treat those lies as further evidence of his proven dishonesty and criminality — and that another term of him at the helm will ruin the country — the media has focused on Biden’s halting speech and vacant gaze as evidence he’s incapable of running the country.
Almost every member of the chattering class says Biden must go. None says Trump must go.
They say Biden has another — perhaps “last” — chance this evening when he’s interviewed by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.
But even if Biden is coherent tonight, I doubt it will stop the uproar because the uproar feeds on itself: Some of it may be responsible for Biden’s waning polls. If Biden decides to stay in the race, the tumult will hurt his chances even more.
All of this demonstrates the discipline of authoritarianism and the messiness of democracy. But that’s the nature of these two systems. Authoritarian fascism, such as Trump and his coterie are now peddling, is even more disciplined.
All over the world (except in the UK), voters are choosing discipline over messiness, authoritarianism over democracy.
To restate the obvious, we are living in dangerous times.
I want to take the time to disagree with the several people writing here saying that Biden should drop out.
For Biden to leave, there must be a viable, organizational response capable of defeating Trump and the MAGA crowd.
Newsletters and posts will not do that. There have to be constituencies engaged.
This is not a skill that the Democratic Party is skilled with.
This week I have been to a civil rights group meeting, and to children’s soccer. Neither were discussion the Biden debate performance. Mostly, we were complaining about the heat.
Too much of the commentary urging Biden to leave is based upon rumor, and anonymous sources.
When you get to actual sources, look at what was actually said. NBC and MSNBC made big issues about what Nany Pelosi said, and what Congressman Clyburn. said. Look at what was actually said. These were not calls for Biden to leave. The press responses are over interpretations. They are seeking to create a story, create news, which also creates an electoral crisis.
There is a valuable poll out today in the NYT.
I don’t think we should make decisions based upon what Democrats can do ( alone). Alone, they can not defeat Trump.
I encourage you to read Kim Atkins Stohr, Boston Globe.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/07/01/opinion/biden-democrats-drop-out-race/
Biden dropping out is a fantasy. Democrats can win — if they fight !
I encourage all to read Rand Wilson, Election 2024: A Chess Move, Not a Valentine. From the Stansbury Forum and Portside.
https://portside.org/2024-06-29/election-2024-chess-move-not-valentine
What we need to be working on is defeating Trump and the MAGAs. That requires unity, and institutional power, among other things. Wilson describes it well.
Now, he may drop out as some are cheering. If that happens, our tasks of defeating the Trump MAGA crowd grow exponentially.
