For John Dewey, the ultimate challenge of American democracy was to achieve the...
Recent News
A Blog by Special Guest Contributor Yvonna Lincoln
The Corporatization of Shared Governance The most recent AAUP Online Member Newsletter reports on “The Near-Death Experience of Antioch College: A Cautionary Tale”, and queries “What happens when a university’s corporate management betrays the institutions core educational mission; when it abandons its key constituencies; when it hides intentions and plans; and when it manipulated or [...]
Yes we can, maybe!
It’s time to be honest: I am nonpartisan. I don’t affiliate with any political party. To my mother’s chagrin, I’m not a democrat. I grew up in a Catholic household; my grandmother lived with us. She had three pictures on the wall: Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and John Kennedy. If, during the next presidential [...]
Life history as a movie
A few days ago I called my friend, a graduate student in screenwriting. He happened to be on location, shooting video for a movie. They were driving around Los Angeles, getting the best of the best, a pretty building here, a nice park there. Afterwards they cobbled all the shots into one scene. This is [...]
TECHNOtes: A Guest Blog by Zoё Corwin
I enjoy pencil and paper. Last year our six-year-old daughter learned how to write – a process that included her sharpening countless pencils and strategically storing them throughout the house. After jotting down a few grocery lists, I started using pencils at work. I was quickly reminded of the freedom and sense of satisfaction that [...]
Budget cuts and overcrowded classrooms
A recent article in the LA Times discusses the impact of budget cuts on LA Unified schools. The article includes all the standard players, a disgruntled teacher, a “no excuses” principal, and a concerned student. We also get appearances from a researcher at Rand and the superintendent of LAUSD. It is always difficult for me [...]
Epilogue: What’s wrong with this picture
By Bill Tierney
Last week I wrote a five part fictional series on the takeover of the CSU system by a for-profit company. Fiction is frequently the creation of the possible. Gatsby may not have lived, but he could have. Huck Finn may have been the creation of Mark Twain, but many of us grew up with boys [...]
Part V: The response of the UC – a new wrinkle
Governor Whitman, CSU-P Executive Director Arthur Levine, and Secretary Duncan held a news conference on the UC Merced campus exactly one week after the acquisition by the University of Phoenix of the CSU system . “I did not want to overwhelm you with good news last week, but I have an announcement today that is equally remarkable. [...]
Part IV: The response of the students
By Bill Tierney
The Huffington Post held a roundtable with current CSU student leaders on the Los Angeles campus and found their reaction to the Phoenix takeover mostly positive. “Who cares,” said Carlos Torres, a 19 year old sophomore. “They say they’ll offer more courses, some on-line, that I can get my degree faster, and it won’t cost [...]
Part III: The response of the unions
By Bill Tierney
In a rare show of unity, the heads of the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the Teamsters, and the American Association of University Professors held a joint news conference a few days after the announcement. Gary Rhoades, General Secretary, of the AAUP spoke for the group. Echoing Churchill, he said: “Even though [...]
Part II: The response of the federal government
By Bill Tierney
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan attended Governor Whitman’s press conference. When asked for his reaction he said, “The Obama administration knows that actions speak louder than words. I could applaud what the Governor and the Apollo Group has done here today, but you will believe that the President supports this agreement with the following announcement: [...]
