The September 2010 Issue of Substance
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Chicago City budget hearings September 9, 10 and 16, just as important as CPS hearings
Budget hearings for the City of Chicago budget take place this week and next week. The largest budget in Chicago is the Chicago Board of Education, followed by the City of Chicago, which is a . . .
Famous building houses office of the Chicago Teachers Union... Merchandise Mart up for sale for more than $1 billion, says Crain's Chicago Business
Crain's Chicago Business reported on line over the Labor Day weekend that Chicago's Merchandise Mart, which houses the offices of the Chicago Teachers Union via a long-term lease, is for sale for the asking price . . .
KIPP is the way the white and powerful want the poor of color to be educated — A Question for Obama: Why Does KIPP Not Look Like Sidwell?
[Editor's Note: We're printing the following as it ran yesterday on New York's Ed Notes. As most readers know, KIPP is the new favorite of the charter school modeling mafia. KIPP is also directly related . . .
Ed Trust West backs teacher bashing release of 'value added' information in Los Angeles
Below is the EdTrust West's statement of support for teacher bashing by the LA Times, written by their latest flak, Arun Ramanathan, recently minted with his EdD by Harvard. Another one of their string of . . .
ANALYSIS: The Education Agenda is a War Agenda: Fight Back on October 7th !
As schools began to open for the 2010-11 year, two lies that need to be connected were kept apart in the for-profit media. On August 30, 2010, ABC News “This week,” chaired by Christiane Amanpour . . .
Huberman's First Amendment violation cost CPS $54,000 in attorney's fees and costs
The failed attempt by Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Rob Huberman to restrict teachers' rights under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution by banning political campaigning for union office in the city's . . .
Chicago finally changes policy on official press credentials... Restrictions have been eased for free lancers, part - timers
Nearly two years after most of the press credentials issued to Chicago reporters (including most of the members of the Substance staff) officially "expired," the Chicago City Council has decided to make the policy more . . .
Vermont surrenders education policy to Bill Gates
[Editor's Note: The following was originally published at the Huffington Post and is here with permission of the author. Readers are encouraged to purchase and read Susan Ohanian's books, which are available through on line . . .
The Bad School Syndrome (1)
As is always the case, the recent Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup poll (PDK, September 2010) found that people rate their local schools much more positively than they do schools in the US in general.
Substance Web traffic was highest in history in most categories in August 2010
Traffic at www.substancenews.net reached the highest levels in history in three of the four main statistical categories covered by the independent "Site Stats" that are compiled as the site is running by our Web host, . . .
Value-added should not be used at all
[Editor's Note: The following letter to the editor was sent to the Seattle Times following the publication of a Seattle Times article on so-called 'Value-added' assessment of teachers. We are publishing it here as part . . .
'Nothing's colder than dead clout...' (classic Chicago political reminder)... Who's Ron Huberman's clout now that Richard M. Daley is dethroning himself?
The abrupt announcement by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley that he was not going to run for re-election next year caught even sophisticated observers by surprise. But by the end of the afternoon on September . . .
MEDIA WATCH: The first Labor Day Video Marathon by Labor Beat features many videos about CTU struggles, CORE campaigns, and the broader struggle to save public education in Chicago and across the USA
Our friend Larry Duncan at Labor Beat has reminded us that the Labor Day Internet video marathon — "On the March for Public Education" is about to happen. That's right. This is just a reminder . . .
Galapagos gets five more years... CPS Renews Another Questionable Charter School
The Chicago Board of Education decided to renew a five-year contract with the Galapagos Charter School at 3815 W. Iowa earlier this year, despite the fact that problems persist. The Board approved Board Report 10-0526-EX8 . . .
MEDIA WATCH: Reader reporter continues to expose Huberman's lies and doubletalk with article on displaced teacher while Chicago's corporate media ignores increasing waste in executive ranks at CPS
[Editor's Note: Ben Joravsky of the Chicago Reader continues this week to expose the doubletalk and lies of the Chicago Board of Education and CPS Chief Executive Officer Ron Huberman with a lengthy story about . . .
'Democracy Now' features Karen Lewis and Lois Weiner in back-to-school show
The radio show 'Democracy Now!' featured Karen Lewis and Lois Weiner in its September 3, 2010 show. 'Democracy Now! is broadcast regularly and features reports now usually given time in the corporate media. Readers can . . .
'Turnaround' job descriptions are straight out of Orwell's 1984... Chicago schools CEO Ron Huberman adds bureaucratic jobs while continuing to eliminate hundreds of veteran teachers
By September 1, 2010, Chicago and its public schools administrators had created an Orwellian masterpiece. Since June 1, 2010, Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Ron Huberman has eliminated the jobs of more than 1,500 . . .
August 17, 2010. Lane Tech Budget hearing transcript shows unprecedented critique of CPS priorities
The transcripts of the annual budget hearings conducted by officials of the Chicago Board of Education on August 17, 18, and 19, 2010 have now become available at the Board of Education's official public website . . .
August 18, 2010. Corliss High School Budget hearing transcript shows continuation of unprecedented critique of CPS priorities
[Editor's Note: What follows is the complete transcript of the hearings on the Chicago Board of Education's Proposed Budget 2010 - 2011 held at Corliss High School on the evening of August 19, 2010. This . . .
MEDIA WATCH: New York Times continues as propagandist for Arne Duncan, joins 'value-added' campaign
Ever since President Barack Obama announced the appointment of former Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan as U.S. Secretary of Education in December 2008, one of Duncan's main cheerleaders has been The New . . .
A Better Way to Assess Students and Evaluate Schools
Most Americans agree: We need a better way to assess students and evaluate schools. The latest Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll found that only one out of four respondents thought the No Child Left Behind law, . . .
