Category Archives: Education

Making seed bombs with the awesome kids of Ypsi Middle School, and plotting to bring Billy Bragg to our May Day celebration

By Mark | April 29, 2013

I skipped breakfast this morning and headed over with Jeff Clark to make seed bombs with 7th and 8th graders at Ypsi Middle School. It was an incredible experience. The kids were enthusiastic, inquisitive, and just all-around awesome. And, thanks to their hard work, we now have over 500 seed bombs prepared for Wednesday’s big [...]

Also posted in Agriculture, Environment, Special Projects, Ypsilanti | Tagged Billy Bragg, buses, child labor, colony collapse, commons, David Chapman, dismantling of public education, food forests, free skool, Jeff Clark, Jesse Tack, labor history, May Day, Phil Patterson, potluck, public education, seed bombing, threats to public education, Tonia Porterfield, Water Street, West Middle School, Ypsi Middle School, Ypsilanti Free Skool, zines | 10 Comments

Governor Snyder’s office and corporate interests conspire in “secret work group” to bring voucher system to Michigan K-12 education

By Mark | April 20, 2013

In November, I told you about an attempt on the part of the Michigan Republicans to create a parallel, for-profit education system, right alongside the Michigan public school system, unanswerable to anyone, save for an appointee of the Governor. Well, according to a report in yesterday’s Detroit News, things are progressing quickly thanks to the [...]

Also posted in Michigan, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged Bay Mills Community College, Bhushan Kulkarni, charter schools, David Behen, dismantling of public education, distance education, EduCard, edutainment, keeping the poor from education, Mackinac Center for Public Policy, MEA, Michigan Education Association, Michigan Education Card, Mike Huckabee, Oxford Foundation, public education, public school teachers, Rick Snyder, school vouchers, Steve Cook, teachers, threats to public education, top secret, trends in American education, value school | 37 Comments

Bill Ayers: “The road to the massive cheating scandal in Atlanta runs right through the White House”

By Mark | April 3, 2013

Continuing our recent conversation on the misguided work of education reform advocate Michelle “we can test our way to better schools” Rhee, I thought that I’d share this comment, which was sent out yesterday by our friend Bill Ayers in response to news that 27 former educators in the Atlanta public school system had reported [...]

Also posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abortion, abstinence-only sex education, Arne Duncan, Atlanta, Beverly L. Hall, Bill Ayers, Bush, cheating, Chicago, Chicago Laboratory Schools, condoms, Department of Education, dismantling of public education, education reform, EOS, FairTest, Finland, Michelle Rhee, National Center for Fair & Open Testing, no child left behind, Obama, Planned Parenthood, public education, Race to the Top, Rahm Emanuel, teach to the test, testing | 41 Comments

Vindictive Michigan Republicans seek retribution against U-M and Wayne State for renegotiating union contracts prior to the March 28 roll-out of right-to-work legislation

By Mark | March 19, 2013

A bill passed this morning by the House Higher Education Subcommittee, in a 4-3 vote along party lines, would cut an additional $41 million in state funding from the University of Michigan, and $27.5 million in funding from Wayne State University. According to a report in today’s Detroit Free Press, this is being done to [...]

Also posted in Michigan, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged Al Pscholka, anti-science, domestic partner benefits, higher education, Higher Education Subcommittee, lame duck, Michigan House of Representatives, Randy Richardville, Rick Snyder, right-to-work, those anti-science Republicans, union busting, unions, University of Michigan, Wayne State University | 20 Comments

As we contemplate a brighter future for Ypsi public schools, an anonymous letter alleges financial impropriety at YPSD under Martin tenure

By Mark | February 24, 2013

As you probably know, Ypsilanti’s new Board of Education will be meeting on Monday evening to decide whether or not our recently-consolidated district can possibly move forward and be successful under the leadership of either Dedrick Martin, the superintendent of the Ypsilanti Public School District, or Laura Lisiscki, the superintendent of the Willow Run School [...]