In what should be the biggest story of the week, the city of Philadelphias school system announced Tuesday that it expects to close 40 public schools next year and 64 by 2017. The school district expects to lose 40% of current enrollment to charter schools, the streets or wherever, and put thousands of experienced, well…
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The French Electorate rejects austerity?
While the language of austerity isn’t widely used to talk about the U.S., the New York Times has framed the political developments in Europe around the debate between stimulus and austerity: PARIS — Hours after voters in France and Greece delivered sharp rebuttals to advocates of austerity as the antidote to Europe’s financial crisis, Chancellor…
How schools end up broke when states need money
School administrators tell business leaders about budget cuts (Riverside, California), part of the Riverside Chamber of Commerce Business Education Partnership. As California governor Jerry Brown’s efforts to put tax increases on the ballot winds its way through the state’s political process, school districts continue to struggle. Teachers, administrators, and parents are trying to bring attention…
Death of a Fairy Tale – NYTimes.com
Paul Krugman’s take on the news from Europe over the past weeks: However, something has changed in the past few weeks. Several events — the collapse of the Dutch government over proposed austerity measures, the strong showing of the vaguely anti-austerity François Hollande in the first round of France’s presidential election, and an economic report…
Saving a bankrupt city in Japan
Interesting piece on “Japan’s youngest mayor,” trying to “save” the bankrupt city of Yubari, Japan. Most young people have already fled this city of empty streets and shuttered schools, whose bankrupt local government collapsed under the twin burdens of debt and demographics that are slowly afflicting the rest of Japan. Now, Yubari, a former coal-mining…