{"id":22885,"date":"2019-03-16T23:09:12","date_gmt":"2019-03-17T07:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=22885"},"modified":"2019-03-16T23:15:33","modified_gmt":"2019-03-17T07:15:33","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-press-discovers-capitalist-schooling-for-the-empire-momentarily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-press-discovers-capitalist-schooling-for-the-empire-momentarily\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: Press Discovers Capitalist Schooling for the Empire–momentarily"},"content":{"rendered":"

We Say Fight Back!<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Photos: Youth Climate Change Demonstrations Across The World<\/h1>\n

www.npr.org\/2019\/03\/16\/704050431\/photos-youth-climate-change-demonstrations-across-the-world<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Teachers union votes to authorize strike against Sacramento City Unified<\/h3>\n

The teachers union at Sacramento City Unified School District announced Friday that its members have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.<\/p>\n

The Sacramento City Teachers Association spent three weeks collecting votes<\/a>, and said turnout was 70 percent of its 2,500 members. According to the union, 92 percent voted to approve the strike.<\/p>\n

The move adds to the challenges faced by the district, which is under the threat of state takeover<\/a> as it wrestles with a $35 million budget gap.<\/p>\n

\n

The teachers union said it will call for a strike if Sacramento City Superintendent Jorge Aguilar, board President Jessie Ryan and the district \u201cpersist in their unlawful behavior and avoid taking measure to correct their unlawful behavior,\u201d according to a statement.<\/p>\n

www.sacbee.com\/news\/local\/education\/article227884654.html?fbclid=IwAR3Ge7BWdbNhaQ7q7OK2vHWXUN72cwMuIVYOxWPVGzjHqmlNtpdbq6p38kY#storylink=cpy<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

‘You made us use our teacher voice.’ Teachers pack Statehouse to rally for better pay<\/h1>\n

\"Thousands<\/p>\n

The streets around the Indiana State Capitol Building flowed red Saturday as hundreds\u00a0of teachers \u2013 donning the color of the public school movement \u2013 descended upon it to push for better pay.<\/p>\n

Organized by the Indiana State Teachers Association, the rally drew more than 1,000 teachers and public school advocates from around the state into the Statehouse. The event was originally scheduled to be held outdoors, but rain moved it into the Statehouse rotunda, where teachers wearing\u00a0red t-shirts filled the floor and two floors of balconies overlooking it.<\/p>\n

And as Teresa Meredith, president of the ISTA,\u00a0used her “teacher voice” to call\u00a0on elected officials to make significant investments in teacher pay this legislative session, her voice echoed off the walls of the chambers where those\u00a0lawmakers will return on Monday. Only a handful of Democratic legislators were on hand for the event, but Meredith said they didn’t need to be there to hear the teachers’ message.<\/p>\n

“This is our day,” she said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 www.indystar.com\/story\/news\/education\/2019\/03\/09\/teachers-pack-indiana-statehouse-rally-better-pay\/3113610002\/?fbclid=IwAR2y_a-LXf0TAW2dseg__POv1lVzlTtoJly90khf_89Dtx2ab9S5ivkxP1Q<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Oregon teachers plan for walkout if budget deal isn’t reached<\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After years of negotiations and disappointment with the Oregon State Legislature’s proposed budgets, Oregon educators are saying enough is enough. And if a deal can’t be reached soon, teachers say they plan to hold a walkout.<\/p>\n

Tad Shannon, who has been president of the Eugene Education Association for seven years, said they’ve kept steady pressure on lawmakers to get the resources teachers need to best serve students.<\/p>\n

In a letter sent out to teachers, Shannon wrote: “No one can do this for us. The time is now. We can’t wait any longer.”<\/p>\n

The letter claims Oregon has one of the lowest graduation rates in the nation as well as the third highest class size.<\/p>\n

Now, teachers are speaking out about the importance of smaller class sizes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe education is about relationships, and in general when we have these mega class sizes — when you\u2019re seeing 34 students come in in a 45-minute class period and then another 34 to 35 — you just don\u2019t have time to build those relationships,\u201d said Paul Neiffer, a teacher in the Ione School District in Morrow County.<\/p>\n

“We can’t continually cut education and expect the results to continually improve,” Shannon said.<\/p>\n

Administrators and teachers alike said students thrive in smaller classrooms and in larger ones they suffer.<\/p>\n

Diana Wallace, a learning consultant, said larger classrooms have the ability to create learning gaps.\u00a0 www.kezi.com\/content\/news\/Teachers-plan-walkout-507174851.html?fbclid=IwAR2ju16cRs97S0wcr85zjlxllGryAmjhFTMjAOeIub_kFv4GQXjD5xPFplE<\/a><\/p>\n

JCPS closed on Wednesday, March 13 due to teacher absences<\/h1>\n
\n
\n
\n
\"View <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n

JCPS<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u2714<\/b><\/span><\/span> @JCPSKY<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n

Due to approximately a third of teachers being absent and the inability to safely cover a large number of classes with substitute teachers, all @<\/span>JCPSKY<\/span><\/a> schools will be closed Wed., March 13, 2019.@<\/span>YMCALouisville<\/span><\/a> CEP \u201cSnow Day\u201d sites will be open: https:\/\/<\/span>goo.gl\/7H9q3o<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 www.14news.com\/2019\/03\/13\/jcps-closed-wednesday-march-due-teacher-absences\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/section>\n
\n

Buoyed by successful strikes in other states, new Tennessee teacher group readies for a fight<\/h1>\n<\/section>\n

A new group aims to unify Tennessee teachers in advocating for public education, following a blueprint that led\u00a0to teacher strikes that rocked states like Arizona, Kentucky\u00a0and West Virginia.<\/p>\n

The three founders of TN Teachers United, who are current and former teachers union leaders, say their state affiliate, the\u00a0Tennessee Education Association, is not fighting hard enough for educators.<\/p>\n

They plan to circumvent the state teachers union’s leadership to advocate\u00a0for increased funding and less testing in schools, while bringing more teachers who don’t belong to unions into the process.<\/p>\n

“They’re not listening to the members, and the members are ready for action,” Memphis Shelby County United Education Association President Tikeila Rucker said,\u00a0 acknowledging\u00a0her part in the new group puts her in a “tough place.\u00a0\u00a0 www.tennessean.com\/story\/news\/education\/2019\/03\/12\/tn-teachers-united-public-education-funding-school-testing-union\/3131729002\/?fbclid=IwAR3WOWyAujuBalVzKR8X60RzZYLspkaSiovou3L-A0Ne8ODdUa9aO6AO_Vc<\/a><\/p>\n

How Teacher Strikes Are Changing<\/h1>\n

\"Protesting<\/p>\n

When West Virginia teachers walked out of their classrooms last month and swarmed the state Capitol in protest, it almost felt like d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu.<\/p>\n

The two-day statewide strike<\/a> was nearly a year to the day after teachers from the Mountain State staged their initial walkout over low pay\u2014and lit the match for what became a wildfire of teacher activism.<\/p>\n

But this time, teachers’ demands were different, a reflection of the changing flavor of strikes nationwide<\/a>. While last year’s teacher walkouts were focused primarily on stagnant wages and crumbling classrooms, the strike demands now are more far-reaching\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2019\/03\/06\/how-teacher-strikes-are-changing.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news1&M=58768983&U=1563936&UUID=46048324bb29698793cb0230d913a743&fbclid=IwAR1BWBnvcuDD98fBaVYQH_2znr0J8UU5yv46RDhwffMAidyxtTS5OG5bLO8<\/a><\/p>\n

Thousands of Maryland teachers to rally in Annapolis Monday for more school funding<\/h1>\n

Thousands of Maryland teachers and education advocates are expected to pour into Annapolis for a march and rally to push for more school funding Monday night.<\/p>\n

The \u201cMarch for Our Schools<\/a>\u201d will lead to road closures and traffic delays.<\/p>\n

The Maryland State Education Association is bussing in thousands of participants. Annapolis officials expect at least 7,500 participants, which would make it one of the largest rallies in the state\u2019s capital city in the past decade.<\/p>\n

Prince George\u2019s County Public Schools are dismissing two hours early to allow teachers and students more time to get to Annapolis.\u00a0 www.baltimoresun.com\/news\/maryland\/education\/k-12\/bs-md-teacher-rally-annapolis-20190310-story.html?fbclid=IwAR386I7f-J9LkJ_luZNcdxIbj4rIFS9s-BRCzNpsM7iOPuO6LkZF-HdQfHM<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n

CSO musicians picket in front of Orchestra Hall after announcing strike<\/h1>\n

\"CSO<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

For the first time since 2012, the musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra went on strike on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been clear from the beginning that we will not accept a contract that diminishes the well-being of members or imperils the future of the orchestra,\u201d said Stephen Lester, CSO bassist and chair of the musicians\u2019 negotiating committee, in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs of today, the musicians of the CSO are on strike. Beginning at 8 a.m. Monday morning, March 11, picket lines will stretch across all of the doors of Orchestra Hall through 8 p.m. daily until a contract that is fair to the musicians is reached. It is requested that no orchestra, performer or patron cross the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

At issue is orchestra management\u2019s proposal to alter the musicians\u2019 pension from a defined benefit plan to a direct contribution plan, as well as a salary dispute.\u00a0 www.chicagotribune.com\/entertainment\/music\/reich\/ct-ent-cso-musicians-union-0311-story.html?fbclid=IwAR2uLapcra8PQh2TLxZzgbIpzG9QxpQbkmNu4S8XTzqy2MPPA8sQPtaB4LY<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

College Admissions: Vulnerable, Exploitable, and to Many Americans, Broken<\/span><\/h1>\n

Standardized test scores are manufactured. Transcripts are made up. High-stakes admissions decisions are issued based on fabricated extracurricular activities, ghostwritten personal essays and the size of the check written by the parents of the applicant.<\/p>\n

American universities are often cast as the envy of the world, august institutions that select the best and the brightest young people after an objective and rigorous selection process.<\/p>\n

But the bribery scandal<\/a> unveiled by the Justice Department this week \u2014 and a number of other high-profile cases that have captured the headlines in recent months \u2014 has shown the admissions system to be something else entirely: exploitable, arbitrary, broken.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the scandal is a persistent adulation of highly selective universities. \u201cElite colleges have become a status symbol with the legitimacy of meritocracy attached to them, because getting in sanctifies you as meritorious,\u201d said Jerome Karabel, a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley, and a historian of college admissions.\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2019\/03\/15\/us\/college-admissions-problems.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Feducation&action=click&contentCollection=education&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another Admissions Advantage for the Affluent: Just Pay Full Price<\/span><\/h1>\n
\n

We\u2019ve learned a lot this week about some of the advantages that rich people have in the college admissions process.<\/p>\n

A small number of people in the 1 percent have always been able to buy a building for a campus, and with it a spot for their child. And now we know that a few others in the lower rungs of the 1 percent<\/a> might be tempted to break a law or two with a well-placed bribe<\/a> to a coach or a test proctor.<\/p>\n

But there is another admissions edge at many prestigious private colleges and universities that isn\u2019t readily apparent, and it\u2019s open even to those who are merely upper middle class. You may tilt the scales in your favor if you can pay four years of tuition, room and board \u2014 up to $300,000 or so \u2014 without needing financial aid.<\/p>\n

Schools don\u2019t talk about this much. It\u2019s not a great look, at least at first glance, and broadcasting it runs the risk of scaring lower-income applicants away from applying.\u00a0 www.nytimes.com\/2019\/03\/15\/your-money\/college-admissions-wealth.html<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

USC\u2019s central role in college admissions scandal brings anger and dismay<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Professor Homayoun Zadeh was an institution at USC\u2019s dental school, rising over a four-decade academic career from student to lab director to the chair of the periodontology department.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

But when it came time for his own daughter to apply to USC, Zadeh allegedly turned to an off-campus connection to make sure she got in. As laid out in an FBI affidavit filed in court this week<\/a>, the 57-year-old agreed to pay a shady college consultant from Newport Beach $100,000 to bribe a corrupt athletic department administrator. His daughter was admitted as a star recruit in lacrosse, a sport she did not play, according to federal prosecutors.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have not shared anything about our arrangement but she somehow senses it,\u201d he wrote of the teenager in a 2017 text to the counselor quoted in the affidavit. \u201cShe\u2019s concerned that others may view her differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

The largest college admissions scandal in U.S. history stretches from La Jolla to Cape Cod, but its epicenter is Southern California and the private university here coveted by so many children of privilege and their families.\u00a0\u00a0 www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-usc-culture-college-admissions-scandal-20190313-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Capitalism + Identity politics: I am the Michigan teacher removed from teaching African-American history<\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In the past two weeks, Birmingham Public Schools has been embroiled in controversy around the teaching of African-American history and the district\u2019s approach to race relations instruction. Bridge Magazine printed two articles about the removal of a white teacher who was teaching African-American history at Groves High School. New Superintendent Mark Dziatczak sent a message<\/a> to 8,000 members of the community and staff, criticizing the course syllabus and substantially agreeing with the Bridge opinion piece.<\/p>\n

I am that teacher.\u00a0 www.bridgemi.com\/guest-commentary\/i-am-michigan-teacher-removed-teaching-african-american-history<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Plan to force out 16 Lemon Grove teachers approved<\/h1>\n

A plan to essentially force 16 Lemon Grove teachers to resign was approved Tuesday night in a 3-2 vote.<\/p>\n

The Lemon Grove School District informed the teachers that it would move in a different direction at the end of this school year. The teachers were at the district for two years, the end of their probationary period. Any more time and they would become permanent.<\/p>\n

The district says it will replace those positions with new teachers for next year.<\/p>\n

“Our governing board believes that each child deserves the very best,” the district said in a statement. “We will continue to provide that to you in Lemon Grove School District.”<\/p>\n

“Why aren’t we maintaining the teachers that have been here and have built relationships with our children? Built relationships with our parents? With our community,” parent Rosa Carney said.<\/p>\n

Angela Vento, who has four children in the district, said her 9-year-old son Joshua was upset when he found out his teacher would be let go.\u00a0\u00a0 www.10news.com\/news\/local-news\/plan-to-force-out-16-teachers-draws-ire?fbclid=IwAR0WfS8r620ci8Ody-KQPII2HaL_oS2KO1Eh1hoIPMPB6D2OvFvGKZPGHMA<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

Betsy DeVos Eases Rules on Faith-Based Schools Accepting Public Funds<\/h1>\n

The Department of Education said this week it will allow religious organizations to receive public funds for equitable services, reversing an earlier practice.<\/p>\n

The move was in response to a 2017 Supreme Court decision<\/a> that ruled Missouri was wrong to deny a church-funded preschool a grant to purchase recycled tires that would be used for the school’s playground. The court said Missouri’s denial was unconstitutional.<\/p>\n

\n

“The Trinity Lutheran decision reaffirmed the long-understood intent of the First Amendment to not restrict the free exercise of religion,” Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said<\/a>. “Those seeking to provide high-quality educational services to students and teachers should not be discriminated against simply based on the religious character of their organization.” (Newsmax)<\/p>\n

\n

Docs Shed Light on SDSU Mission Valley Spending<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

\n

(After the faculty voted to end the racist Aztec mascot, an interim president established a secret committee. They voted to keep it. Why? Racism and money).<\/em><\/p>\n

Documents released by SDSU show one consultant jumped directly from doing work for the university to doing work for the SDSU West campaign. But SDSU officials won\u2019t clarify where the $1.6 million they spent crafting the Mission Valley plans came from.<\/p>\n

San Diego State University has spent about $1.6 million crafting its vision for the old Qualcomm Stadium site.<\/p>\n

That spending \u2013 on architects, real estate and stadium experts, a public relations firm and a veteran political operative \u2013 helped boost the university\u2019s Mission Valley expansion plans before last fall\u2019s election. After seeing and hearing from the university about what it could do with the stadium site, voters approved a ballot measure that essentially forces the city to sell land to SDSU.<\/p>\n

During the campaign, the university had to dance a fine line. As a general rule, public agencies like SDSU cannot spend public money to urge people to vote for or against a ballot measure, unless the spending is explicitly authorized by law, the California Supreme Court has ruled<\/a>. There\u2019s no hard and fast rule about what is OK, because the court said that depends on the \u201cstyle, tenor and timing\u201d of information coming from a public agency.<\/p>\n

Documents released by the university in response to a public records request by Voice of San Diego drive home just how close to the line SDSU went \u2013 one political consultant did work for SDSU right up until he joined a campaign trying to get land for the university. And though the records shed light on how the university spent $1.6 million creating the plans, officials will not clarify where the money came from.\u00a0 www.voiceofsandiego.org\/topics\/education\/docs-shed-light-on-sdsu-mission-valley-spending\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Students loot Art Institute of Seattle classrooms as school suddenly shuts down<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

Hundreds of students are scrambling as the Art Institute of Seattle shut its doors for good on Friday.<\/p>\n

Now, as other universities in the area try to step up and help, some frustrated students are showing their anger by looting classrooms.<\/p>\n

Art Institute students found out about the closure a couple of days ago — two weeks before the end of the quarter.\u00a0 www.kiro7.com\/news\/local\/students-loot-art-institute-of-seattle-classrooms-as-school-suddenly-shuts-down\/928844678?fbclid=IwAR2jiVx47QjOzZaP91VrGdl-ISPJkK8h286tb67S5eH3UYEC8KtcpC74io0<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuition at USD rises above\u00a0$50K<\/h1>\n

Tuition at the University of San Diego has risen above $50,000 a year for the first time, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.<\/p>\n

The private Catholic university\u00a0 increased tuition by $1,700 for the 2019-2020 academic year, bringing the annual cost of attending the school to $50,450<\/a>, the U-T reported. With the addition of room and board and other related expenses, the cost of a year at USD is now $67,211.<\/p>\n

Only about 100 other private colleges and universities in the country charge $50,000 a year or more. California schools in that category include University of Southern California, Stanford and Pomona College.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 fox5sandiego.com\/2019\/03\/11\/tuition-at-usd-rises-above-50k\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Combat Obscura\u2019 is a brutally honest look at the blurred morality of the war in Afghanistan<\/h1>\n