Common Core: Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will sign an executive order “eliminating Common Core and the vestiges of Common Core” in Florida schools. DeSantis made that promise during his 2018 campaign, saying he had heard complaints from many people about the national academic standards for math and language arts that were adopted in 2010. The state adapted the standards with about 100 changes in 2014 and renamed them the Florida Standards. DeSantis says he's instructed Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran to develop new state curriculum standards over the next year that will then be presented to the 2020 Legislature. News Service of Florida. Associated Press. Orlando Sentinel. Tampa Bay Times. GateHouse. Florida Politics. Politico Florida. Fort Myers News-Press. Orlando Weekly. WFTX. WKMG. Some reaction from parents and educators around the state. WPTV. WCTV. WEAR.
Parents, Runcie meet: Parents of students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School unload on Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie at their first face-to-face meeting Thursday. Parents wanted to know why there were no metal detectors at the school, who would respond in the next emergency, how district officials can assure them no student with a gun will get on campus again, and more. Several called on Runcie to resign. Runcie spoke little, and apologized for not meeting with them earlier. The next meeting, with 10th-grade parents, is Monday, followed by meetings with parents of juniors Tuesday and seniors Feb. 11. Sun Sentinel. A Broward County task force reviewing the shootings at Stoneman Douglas reviews a report that urges an upgrade to the county's radio communication system. Sun Sentinel. (more…)
Rebecca Friedrichs is the author of 'Standing Up To Goalith' and joins us for an interview on the latest episode of podcastED.
Rebecca Friedrichs is the fearless California public school teacher best known for being lead plaintiff in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, the high-profile lawsuit that – until the unexpected death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016 – was destined to end the union practice of forcibly collecting “agency fees” from non-union members. (Subsequently, last June, Janus v. AFSCME did end the practice.)
But what people may not know about Friedrichs is how much her support for educational choice fueled that crusade.
In her just-released autobiography, “Standing Up To Goliath,” Friedrichs details her rise from rank-and-file teacher to anti-union activist, including the role that choice played. In an interview with redefinED, she offers more insight into the teachers-and-choice piece, including why more teachers aren’t clamoring to expand options that, she says, would benefit them as much as students and parents.
“We will see widespread school choice when we can educate teachers on the truth,” Friedrichs said in the interview. Once teachers see “that these choice schools really are not bad, that charter schools really do have to close down within a few years if they don’t get the job done, that public schools go on and on and on and on for years even though they’re failing … once teachers know the truth, they’ll be on our side.”
Friedrichs describes herself as conservative. But “school choice” isn’t conservative, she said, no matter how often it’s often portrayed that way by critics and the press.
“That’s just another lie promoted by the unions,” she said. “I don’t care if you’re apolitical, you’re a Democrat, you’re a Republican, you’re a libertarian, you don’t vote. Everybody I know, once they understand school choice, and they realize it’s just what’s best for the child, they’re all for school choice.”
Friedrichs’s support is personal. At different points in her life, she said, she needed educational options for each of her sons. For Ben, her youngest, no option materialized, which left Ben in vulnerable situations and Friedrichs, then a single mom, crying all the way to work. For Kyle, an option did come through, just as drugs and other issues had him spiraling down.
Said Friedrichs, “School. Choice. Saved. His. Life.”
Friedrichs shares more details in the podcast, with a bonus for Major League Baseball fans. Kyle, now thriving as a pitcher in the minor leagues (in the Oakland A’s system), recently got a chance to face future Hall of Famer Mike Trout …
You’ll either have to buy Friedrichs' book or listen to the podcast to find out what happened. ????
