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Moving Beyond Ravitch’s Reformism
[Diane Ravitch is speaking at Illinois State University this evening (see Corey Mattson’s post below for details about Ravitch and her talk). What follows is my critique of the arguments Ravitch puts forth in her latest book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education.] Diane … Continue reading
Education Policymaker Critiques Business Model of Education Reform
Diane Ravitch, education professor and policy-maker, will speak on education reform in the United States, drawing from her recent book The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. She will speak at the Braden Auditorium on Tuesday, March 27th, 7 – 8 pm. Ms. Ravitch is … Continue reading
Community Members Support Verizon Workers
Over 30 community members gathered Thursday afternoon to help communication workers secure their first union contract with Verizon, holding a protest outside the Verizon office on IAA Drive. The workers are members of a recently organized local of the Communication Workers of America (CWA). The local is facing anti-union tactics in negotiations, typical in today’s … Continue reading
Municipal Electricity Aggregation Voted Down in Bloomington and Normal
Over 280 cities, towns and counties in Illinois – out of a total of 300 – voted in favor of municipal electricity aggregation. But Bloomington and Normal decided against the proposal – 59% against in Bloomington and 55% against in Normal. Municipal electricity aggregation allows a local government to bid for an electricity supplier, and … Continue reading
Municipal Electricity Choice (Resources)
— Compiled by Bill Rau and Corey Mattson — On March 20th, residents of Bloomington and Normal will be voting on a referendum that would result in lower electricity bills and could eventually lead to the municipal adoption of clean energy. The proposal is called municipal electricity aggregation, and below can be found resources to … Continue reading
Local Food Movement Comes Out Strong for a Cooperative Grocery Store
Over 60 people attended a community meeting at Heartland Community College to learn more about cooperative grocery stores and explore the possibility of opening one in Bloomington-Normal. The meeting was led by Mercy Davidson, Christina Schultz and Elaine Sebald, and included numerous presentations and sessions for audience participation. Mercy Davidson said in an introductory presentation … Continue reading
Local Band Directory
Just BloNo 