U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has done the unthinkable: She’s proposed the educational elite consider an alternative to our tired, old, broken-down, one-size-fits-none education system:
“Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos slammed the established ‘education system’ Tuesday, kicking off a ‘Rethink School’ tour to highlight innovative ways educators are meeting the needs of students in K-12 and higher education.
‘It’s time to rethink school,’ DeVos said to students at the Woods Learning Center in Casper, Wyoming, Tuesday morning, where she began the weeklong tour.
“For far too many kids, this year’s first day back to school looks and feels a lot like last year’s first day back to school,’ she said. ‘And the year before that. And the generation before that. And the generation before that.’
She continued: ‘Most students are starting a new school year that is all too familiar – desks lined up in rows, their teacher standing in front of the room framed by a blackboard. They dive into a curriculum written for the average student. They follow the same schedule, the same routine – just waiting to be saved by the bell.
‘It’s a mundane malaise that dampens dreams, dims horizons and denies futures,’ she said.”
Bold words, indeed, and a speech that’s unlikely to be well-received by the educational elitists comprised mainly of teachers unions and their cronies. Luckily for DeVos, it’s not the teachers unions who matter, and it’s fairly certain those who do matter, the parents with kids in the failing government school system will approve whole-heartily.
SOURCE: U.S. News & World Report
IN THIS ISSUE:
- NYC: The Walton Foundation is donating money to increase more diverse charter schools in New York City.
- DeVOS: Betsy DeVos is continuing her tour of schools across the country.
- MISSOURI: Missouri lawmakers consider expanding charter schools.
- CHICAGO: Chicago Public Schools CEO says kids are doing better in school because of increased competition within the city.
Common Core and Curriculum Watch
- NEW YORK: New York is rebranding its Common Core State Standards.
- UTAH: A Utah teacher is on leave after quizzing kids about their use of sex and drugs.
- CLIMATE CHANGE: Nebraska’s new science standards ask kids to evaluate validity of climate change.
- NEWARK: Newark, New Jersey is back in charge of the city’s own schools after 20 years of state control.
- NEW YORK: New York is making the test to become a certified teacher easier to pass.
- MINI HORSES: Kids in Baltimore can now have miniature horses as service animals at school.
- CALIFORNIA: California is making its schools more peaceful by getting rid of obnoxious bells.
- SLEEP: Charter schools are joining in opposition to later school start times in California