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Fighting for it with all he has got

Where is the Governor on the day when a bill to give 27,000 inner city kids access to charter schools is being debated? 9:00…..Volunteers at the Greater Boston Food Bank…..Greater Boston Food Bank, 70 South Bay Avenue, Boston 11:30…..Attends MIRA’s Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon and discusses the release of the New Americans Agenda Report…..Great Hall 6:30…..Offers remarks at the 10th Annual History and Innovation Awards…..InterContinental Hotel, 510 Atlantic Avenue, Boston All great issues. But, isn’t he awol? Doesn’t anyone remember the casino debate and his book signing in NY?

Not the time you want this to come out…

From Jamie Vaznis of the Globe’s Metro Desk comes one of those stories that just makes you shake your head. State Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan made an unusual appearance before the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education today to inform members that his office had launched an investigation of the process that led to the approval of a controversial charter school in Gloucester. Seems Sullivan notified Secretary Reville of a formal investigation Friday and was troubled because the board had not discussed the inquiry last night during a meeting on the Gloucester charter, which is at the center of the controversy. Vaznis reports that It is unclear to what extent, if any, other board members knew of the […]

Ford (Foundation) drives off the road

From the Wall Street Journal comes an incredible story: “The Edsel of Education Reform. The Ford Foundation finds a needy cause: teachers unions.” Ugh. We hate to say it, but don’t be misled by headlines. The biggest headline in education circles last week was that the Ford Foundation is making a whopping $100 million grant “to transform secondary education in the nation’s most disadvantaged schools.” Our eyes raced to see which piece of the vibrant school-reform movement Ford was going to support. Would it be America’s 4,600 charters schools, many outperforming their traditional school peers and some even closing the race gap? Maybe it would be Teach for America, busting at the seams and turning down Ivy League applicants by […]

I am in favor of job training

I can’t be sure, but I’m almost positive that the four Democratic candidates for Senate have said the above phrase at some point during the campaign. So, my question for them is: what kind of job training? Pagliuca seems to favor job training related to math, science, and life sciences, but he never gets too specific. Capuano talks about emphasizing community colleges but again, never gets too specific. Coakley supports some type of voke-tech, but its all pretty hazy. Khazei is a bit more specific — supporting community colleges linking with businesses and the Workforce Investment Act. Job training is one of those motherhood and apple pie issues — everyone supports it. But almost no one can explain what really […]

The fate of 27,000 kids

The bill that we saw last week looked very good. By the weekend we found that the Senate President had tasked the Senate Ways and Means Chair with redrafting portions of it. We have four major issues with the bill. There is an additional major issue that the Charter School Association has, which is related to language requiring three charter approvals in urban areas before other charters would be considered. A lot of theatrics yesterday, with an unexpected amendment by Senators Pacheco and Buoniconti, who want each charter application to be voted on in a local referendum. It was approved and then un-approved by almost identical votes. I tell you this because it points to three things: (1) It is […]