NY Update

Discussion of education issues in New York including charter schools, standardized tests, school funding, yeshiva standards and more. Elijah Reichlin-Melnick is a Nyack Village Trustee and senior aide to neighboring NYS Sen. James Skoufis.  Originally aired Jan. 21, 2020.

A discussion about standardized testing, charter schools and more with Clarkstown Town Clerk Justin Sweet, running for NY State Senate in Rockland County and Westchester. Original air date Jan. 14, 2020.

Interview with Erica Vladimer, running in NY's 12th congressional district to unseat 30-year incumbent Carolyn Maloney. We discuss education funding, privatization, campaign finance and much more.

Are we headed for a "brokered" convention in the 2020 Democratic primary? What happened when Elizabeth Warren was protested by charter school supporters? Why is Cory Booker writing pro-charter editorials again? How much charter school PAC money is NYS Senator Kevin Parker taking and why? What's the latest with the NY yeshiva controversy and more. Original air date Nov. 25, 2019.

Conflicted charter school supporters attack Elizabeth Warren, NYS Senator David Carlucci on PAC money, Senate Republicans unveil new bill to reduce school shootings, Zephyr Teachout endorses Jamaal Bowman and more education news.  Also - we try to debate with Trump supporters out on 7th Avenue during a Trump protest!

News on Trump impeachment proceedings, education headlines and more: Mayor de Blasio gets PAC money and is also selling student data to charter school marketers. Randi Weingarten reacts to a Jacobin article on Bernie Sanders, another yeshiva parent speaks out, Erica Vladimer launches run for NY-12  and much more. Originally aired 09-24-19.

How NY state's definition of "proficiency" was farmed out to a corporation, plus the latest NY and national headlines in education - standardized testing, opt out updates, charter schools, data privacy and a special tweet from Valerie Bertinelli!

Following news headlines, we speak to Andom Ghebreghiorgis ("Geh-bruh-gee-or-jiss"), former special education teacher, running for House District NY-16 in the Bronx and Westchester, a seat held for over 30 years by Democrat Eliot Engel. Discussion includes education policy, charter schools, standardized testing, teaching in both public and charter schools, campaign finance and more.

Following a week of mass shootings, we discuss education stories showing the effect of the super-wealthy. In California, the NAACP says the dissent against its 2016 charter school moratorium is being led by members who work for the Koch brothers, ALEC and the California charter schools association. We also expose the efforts of billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs to recruit and groom school board candidates through a new TV ad campaign. Also discussed is an eye-opening story about the segregation caused by NYC's gifted and talented program, a new law banning teachers from having weapons in NYS classrooms, and a recap of an interview with Congressional candidate Erica Vladimer, running on a pro-public education platform which makes her our choice for NY-12. Originally aired 08-06-2019.

Lying Trump enflames racial tensions telling The Squad to leave the country,  calling Ilhan Omar anti-Semitic, while NY yeshivas fight to continue their education funding fraud during a public comment period on the new enforcement of the substantial equivalency law. Meanwhile charter billionaires score a coup in California, planting Hillary's favorite school privatizer Ann O'Leary in the governor's office. The governor of Puerto Rico is on the way out and also the SCOTUS case that might break the wall separating church and state in the First Amendment.

Originally aired 07-23-19