The race for Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction took a negative turn about two weeks ago after having been a pretty classy campaign until then. Continue reading Campaign Attack Blog Reveals Ugly Attitudes Toward Educating the Poor
Category Archives: Issues Blogs (2011-2014)
They Still Don’t Get It — Teachers Can’t be Bought
Eleven days out from the election and the all-Republican, Fallin-hand-picked Oklahoma State Board of Education is a model of affability. Continue reading They Still Don’t Get It — Teachers Can’t be Bought
Front Page Editorial on Reading Tests Disguised as a News Report
Descending to the level of propaganda, a front page story in today’s edition of The Oklahoman and the 3:00 update of the story on NewsOK.com reported this about students in Oklahoma City Public Schools who failed the controversial 3rd grade reading tests in April: Continue reading Front Page Editorial on Reading Tests Disguised as a News Report
Success Still Hinges on the Student’s Life Outside of School
How many failures will it take before we allow ourselves to know that societal problems impede education just as a lack of education impedes progress in society? It’s not either/or. It’s both/and.
Continue reading Success Still Hinges on the Student’s Life Outside of School
It Is Easier to Tear Down than to Build Up
It is far easier to tear something down than it is to build and maintain it in the first place. It’s true with physical things and it’s true of government, too.
Training Our Way to a New Oligarchy? Not Yet!
In Texas and now in Colorado conservatives on the far right have been in a panic about history students actually learning history. Whether being earnest in their own beliefs or being duped by corporate propaganda efforts, these conservatives want desperately to put a lid on history study at the high school level that might explore all of American history.
Continue reading Training Our Way to a New Oligarchy? Not Yet!
High School Student Protests Create Headaches for Some, Hope for Others
Recent spontaneous and unprecedented high school student protest movements are causing a growing panic among the wealthy investor class who want to convert much of American education from public, democratic control to corporate investor control for their profits. It is showing that high school students are finding their own voice distinct from just joining in with adult protests.
Continue reading High School Student Protests Create Headaches for Some, Hope for Others
Barresi Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving for Anti-reform Education Activists
Activism becomes easier if there is a big figure who is openly defiant and antagonistic toward the position of the activists. Think Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War or Richard Nixon during the end of the anti-war protests and the Watergate hearings.
State Superintendent for Public Instruction Janet Barresi has been that bigger-than-life, openly hostile, antagonistic figure for anti-reform education activists in Oklahoma. Rather than coming from some experience of education in her background, she is a dentist who suspended her practice to run for the position.
Continue reading Barresi Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving for Anti-reform Education Activists
Hofmeister Answers Questions About Contributors-Charter Schools-ALEC
In June, as the primary was getting closer, I suggested a series of questions that anyone should ask our Oklahoma State Superintendent candidates.
The questions were raised across two posts, one on June 16th and the other on June 25th, and represented issues about campaign finance, the influence of ALEC, and charter schools.
Continue reading Hofmeister Answers Questions About Contributors-Charter Schools-ALEC
Hofmeister’s “Have-to”s Leave Even More Questions
First, let’s acknowledge that those school A-F rankings that came out this week are bogus, and both candidates clearly say so.
Second, let’s also acknowledge that the drastic drop in rankings for so many schools after Barresi’s primary loss shows just how the Barresi-led OKSDE has been jiggering the grades all along. Leading up the election? The scores keep improving. Barresi’s point is, well, we are doing great! These reforms are kicking in and we can see it, even though there is room for improvement.
But now, the point she’s making is: These public school leaders who didn’t support me? What do they know? Look how dumb they are! They are doing just awful, aren’t they? They should have listened to me.
So now those bogus grades are out, and the two candidates for State Superintendent were expected to make statements, which they did in print, but also on camera for Tulsa TV station KTUL.
A closer look at those videos, one after the other, show some interesting contrasts.
Continue reading Hofmeister’s “Have-to”s Leave Even More Questions