Education Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Education

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  • Puerto-rico

    Defiant Student Protesters Force Withdrawal of Puerto Rican Police from Restive Campus

    Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño has begun withdrawing the police occupation of the main University of Puerto Rico campus in San Juan after two months. SWAT teams and riot squads took over the campus in December following a massive student strike against fee hikes and privatization. Hundreds of students have been arrested, and some have reported being beaten, including sexually harassed and tortured, in the ensuing crackdown. Democracy Now!...
    Feb 17, 2011 | Story
  • Nichols_lutes_play

    Wisconsin Governor Launches Attack on Public Sector Employees and Unions; Threatens to Deploy National Guard to Quell Labor Protests

    Recently elected Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker has proposed a bill that would eliminate almost all collective bargaining rights for most public workers and slash their pay and benefits. Walker has also notified the state’s National Guard to be on alert for actions taken by unsatisfied state, county and municipal employees. On Monday, hundreds of protesters marched on the State Capitol in Madison, with more protests being planned....
    Feb 15, 2011 | Story
  • Ukprotests

    Over 50,000 Students Protest in London over Planned Cuts to Education Funding

    An estimated 52,000 students took to the streets of London on Tuesday to protest government plans to increase university tuition fees while cutting higher education funding by 40 percent. The demonstration was one of the biggest student protests in decades and the largest turnout against the British government’s austerity measures that were announced last month. We speak with Johann Hari, a columnist for the London Independent. [includes...
    Nov 11, 2010 | Story
  • Klein-black

    Bloomberg Taps Wealthy Media Exec to Replace Joel Klein as NYC School Chief

    New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg shocked many in the city by tapping Cathleen Black, a wealthy media executive with no background in education, to run the city’s school system—the largest in the country. Black will replace Joel Klein, who announced he is resigning to take a job at Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. [includes rush transcript]
    Nov 11, 2010 | Story

  • Juan Gonzalez: NYC Schools chancellor Joel Klein won't be missed

    You could tell the Joel Klein era was ending long before Mayor Bloomberg made it official on Tuesday.
    Nov 10, 2010 | News
  • _america_schools_juan

    Juan Gonzalez: Controversial Evaluations System Will Unfairly Target New York Teachers

    In his latest column, Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez says New York Schools Chancellor Joel Klein’s plan to release 12,000 teacher data reports will unfairly tarnish city teachers. Klein’s ratings system, Gonzalez writes, "is one dimensional, the raw data is unverified, and even the people who designed it warned against using it as a sole barometer of teacher performance." [includes rush transcript]
    Oct 22, 2010 | Story
  • Whittier

    Chicago Parents Occupy Elementary School Building to Prevent Demolition

    A preliminary deal has been reached between Chicago Public Schools and a group of parents who have occupied a field house at Whittier Elementary School for thirty-seven days to prevent its demolition. The Chicago Public Schools have agreed to build a library and scrap plans to demolish the field house and lease it to the local parents’ association instead. We get a report from Democracy Now!’s Jaisal Noor and speak to Chicago community...
    Oct 21, 2010 | Story
  • Waiting-for-superman

    "Waiting for Superman": Critics Say Much-Hyped Education Documentary Unfairly Targets Teachers Unions and Promotes Charter Schools

    Waiting for Superman, a new documentary by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, has caused a stir in the education world for its sweeping endorsement of the charter school movement and attack on teachers unions. President Obama has endorsed the film, describing it as "heartbreaking" and "powerful," but some teachers have called for a boycott of the film for its portrayal of teachers and the teachers union. We speak to Rick Ayers, founder...
    Oct 01, 2010 | Story
  • Education

    Educators Push Back Against Obama's "Business Model" for School Reforms

    It’s back-to-school season. As millions of children around the country begin a new school year, the Obama administration is aggressively moving forward on a number of education initiatives, from expanding charter schools to implementing new national academic standards. We talk to Karen Lewis, the president of the Chicago Teachers Union, and Lois Weiner, a professor of education at New Jersey City University. [includes rush transcript]
    Sep 03, 2010 | Story
  • Obama-education

    Obama Defends Sweeping Education Reforms in Face of Criticism from Minority and Teachers' Groups

    President Obama took on critics of his administration’s sweeping education reform plan on Thursday in a nearly hour-long speech at the National Urban League’s 100th anniversary convention. His address came on the heels of news that New York public school students are not performing nearly as well as prior state tests had revealed. We speak with Diane Ravitch, the former Assistant Secretary of Education under George H.W. Bush, and Leonie...
    Jul 30, 2010 | Story