I (Clare) was watching Chris Hayes’ show (MSNBC – All in with Chris Hayes) the other night. He had a really interesting segment on charter schools in NYC. His two guests (Brian Jones, NYC teacher, and James Merriman, NYC Charter School Center) had a “lively” discussion on the battle in NYC between the city and the charter school supporters. The teacher, Brian Jones, who argued passionately and articulately for public schools was outstanding. He laid out the reasons why we need to fully support public schools and the dangers of charter schools. Chris Hayes started the segment with a slick ad that is being used to support charter schools; this was cringe-worthy but it showed how all of us who support public education, need to stand up and make our voices heard. There are powerful (business) interests supporting charter schools which in itself raises a red flag for me.

Here is a link to the segment from Chris Hayes’ show: http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/battle-wages-on-over-nyc-charter-schools-190737987700

If you want to know more about Brian Jones check out:

·      The video The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman which he co-narrated http://vimeo.com/41994760

·      You Tube clip on the dangers of testing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A73_keoCWo8

·      Or this Tumblr feed: http://brianpjones.tumblr.com/BrianJones