Washington State Democrats' Platform on Education has Changed (in a big way)
I have been made aware that the Washington State Democratic
platform for 2014 - at least in the education section - has seen some major
changes.
The last platform's education area is quite different from 2012's platform. There is no mention of ELL students, class size, full inclusion of all students, counselors/nurses/librarians, career training, music and fine arts, foreign language, civics, parent engagement, or a stable funding source for public schools.
In fact, the Education section is one of the shorter sections in the platform.
Omitted is past opposition to:
I have a call in to ask why some things - a lot of things - have been dropped/omitted.
The last platform's education area is quite different from 2012's platform. There is no mention of ELL students, class size, full inclusion of all students, counselors/nurses/librarians, career training, music and fine arts, foreign language, civics, parent engagement, or a stable funding source for public schools.
In fact, the Education section is one of the shorter sections in the platform.
Omitted is past opposition to:
- public funding for charters and vouchers
- commercial exploitation of students
- linking military recruitment to educational funding
- organized prayer in schools
- No Child Left Behind
- basing teacher pay solely on student test scores
- all "so-called reforms that are not based upon sound and objective information, that are disguised attempts to blame teachers for the problems in public education, to weaken teachers unions, or to privatize our public education system for profit
- escalation of tuition at institutions of higher education
- that the WA state Legislature fully fund education
- McCleary and I-732
- some very nice but vague wording on "public education"
- gifted and Special Education to be fully funded
- keep control of education at state and district levels
- moving towards universal preschool
- support for teachers in Washington State
- reducing the interest on student loans
- encouraging locally grown food in schools
I have a call in to ask why some things - a lot of things - have been dropped/omitted.
Comments
Thus, I suspect we'll see pre-k-12and charter funding streams that work their way around the court.
I 728 was passed 14 years ago and was intended to run through 2005. This initiative was intended to lower class sizes, provide additional supports etc. I see individuals collecting signatures to lower class sizes and I feel sorry for them. What makes them think the legislature will respect the will of the voters.
Many states starve educational funding, declare schools failures and promote charter schools i.e. Florida. Washington State is no different.
That so much has been dropped is worrying (I see the fine hand of Nick Hanauer and DFER).
Charters . . . being against them doesn't seem to make much difference. I guess I'm no longer totally against charters as long as strict oversight is maintain. That may be a laugh but it is the best I can hope for since charters seems to be a reality. We to have to learn the hard way.
given that every election cycle hordes of citizens break their tails drafting and crafting these platforms and never hold accountable pols for sell outs, cuz, ya know, Lessor Of Two Evil!!
WhoCares
From the article: "A new working paper ... from Northwestern University and the University of California-Berkeley ... examining the effects of court orders that attempt to equalize funding for poor and wealthy school districts ... the gains from a 20 percent boost in funding at all levels of education were enough to entirely erase the gap between poor students and students from wealthier families ... High school graduation rates increased 23 percentage points for poor students ... poor students' family incomes were on average about 50 percent higher than they would have been ... students from wealthier families were unaffected."
I think the platform DOES matter because it gives traction to people who are Dems in name only and are pushing ed reform. THat's why it matters.
http://dianeravitch.net/2014/05/28/breaking-news-florida-league-of-women-voters-releases-bombshell-charter-study/
Given how horribly 1240 is written, we could easily exceed other states in the charter BS pretty soon.
As for not being against charters: I am even MORE against them than I was before, particularly given the egregious accounts of fraud and waste from charter schools and their CEOs & management companies,, and the research on segregation, and the nasty co-location tactics of Success Academy in NYC, and the crap in Arizona with Basis charter schools. And charters are a step towards the libertarian wet dream of vouchers.
Ironic, then, that Chile - the U of Chicago economists' playground where vouchers failed unless you were rich or had connections - is dumping vouchers and will be returning to a public education system just as our politicians try to jettison ours.
CT
not particularly applicable since spending was so low back then, but confirmation of desegregation.
B
Thanks for this post.