The ascent to power of anyone connected to Teach for America continues.
Governor Cuomo just appointed De’Shawn Wright as Deputy Secretary of Education for the state of New York.
Wright spent two or four years (it’s not clear) teaching in New York City as a member of TFA. Then he quickly ascended to big jobs in the Mayor’s office and the New York City Department of Education. From there he became a senior advisor to Mayor Corey Booker in Newark, then on to an even bigger job in Washington, D.C.
Now–without any experience as a principal or a superintendent, without any direct knowledge of curriculum or school administration–he will advise the government on some of the most important issues facing the state. He joins Commissioner John King, another charter booster in Albany. Perhaps he will tell the governor how to evaluate teachers, though he has never done it himself.
Only in America could rank amateurs rise to the top of a crucial profession.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Governor Cuomo has just very clearly told every teacher what he thinks of them.
I believe that his other was a teacher. If so , shame on him. I’m glad I didn’t vote for him. It was easy to tell what kind of leader he would be.I voted for the green party candidate.
Me too. And for good reason, given his record. Such a large body of the old faithful (teachers, unions) thrown under the bus under Obama’s/Democrats sprawling right wing ed reform. How in the world does this not at least give pause to any teacher before voting for another Democrat?
Just to be clear, I was echoing your sentiment re Cuomo, who I didnt vote for. But his behavior around education is so clearly of a piece with the Obama admin’s agenda (and modern Dem party’s), that I also ask the question about voting for Obama.
After repeatedly flattening teachers and their unions by throwing them under the (deform agenda) bus for 4 years, am I supposed to allow myself to get pumped back up to go vote for him, like it never happened? Any teachers who do so on Nov 6th, on Nov 7th I advise just lying down on the road in anticipation of the inevitable Obama Deform flattening. That way, one at least avoids the whole throwing thing that precedes it. Inevitably.
Washington DC did this too when they put Rhee in her position with all of 3 uneventful years of teaching in Baltimore.
P A T H E T I C !
The irony, once again, is that “highly effective super teachers” are just too damn good to waste in a mere classroom.
Honestly, is any education professional with integrity going to listen to this clown?
They will be forced to obey. Unless NY teachers finally revolt.
They may be rank, but they are not amateurs. They know the interests of the Twin parties of war and plunder and are professionals at taking public education private. The sooner you stop complaining about them and helping to build a true social movement for funding public education and not wars or banker bailouts, the sooner your very “popular” voice will become a meaningful one.
Amen.
I hope teachers nationally remember where Cuomo is on education when he runs for president in 2016.
At the very least, I hope teachers in NYS keep Cuomo’s education agenda in mind if he seeks re-election as Governor.
Of course he’ll be re-elected Governor if that’s his desire. He has the Republican senators’ support. No way the public will know the real Andrew. I doubt a Republican politician would speak a word against him. They like the money too much.
Cuomo will do what he needs to do to stay in power even when it hurts children.
Teachers dont even speak up en masse against the current president who has been throwing them under the bus for the last 4 years, ie, Obama. If they dont speak up against Cuomo by 2016, after the ravaging of this profession/public education under 4 more years of “reform,” then put a fork in us, we are DONE.
We often elect rank amateurs to political office. We have several times elected Presidents when that has been their first elected office – Grant, Hoover and Eisenhower immediately come to mind. We have elected Congressmen and Senators who previously were pro athletes (Jim Bunning, J. C. Watts, Steve Largent, Jim Ryun), movie stars (George Murphy), and so on. We apparently don’t think many of the important offices in the land require expertise, which is often why some in Congress become so dependent upon staff.
Being a politician, running for elective office does not require professional training. Being an educator does. There is–or should be–a difference.
It is very sad. Young, idealistic people, pushed too fast before they had a time to gain the experiences and knowledge that could make them successful. used by DFERS….same story over and over again.
Diane,
Brooklyn Castle opened today in a few NYC locations. Great reviews on rotten tomatoes..it beat WBD by far. See here:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brooklyn_castle_2012/
Also, here is the trailer….great public school story with REAL students and REAL teachers. I wish Viola and Maggie would go see this movie.
Maybe one of the billionaires will donate to suppor their program. They have a website. I will link that, too.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=tFzUYRC3_H8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtFzUYRC3_H8
Phil A, Mark Z, Rupert, Mike B. and Bill G:
You can donate here. Go to take action:
http://www.brooklyncastle.com/
Thanks for the great catch, Linda. Don’t forget to mention ROSIE PEREZ. She joined Maggie and Viola as yet another star of Wont Back Down (like Waiting for Superman) of yet another phony, anti teacher, anti union movie funded by education deform con artists with deep pockets. Shame on her for buying into education deform. And she is active in education issues.
Check this out: http://www.dailykos.com/comments/1144699/47936257#c44
It’s a telling comment attached to a Daily Kos post/thread that is otherwise lauding Rosie to the high heavens for her anti Romney ad. Blah blah blah.
“She’s [Rosie Perez – Sandrine] the chair of the “artistic board of directors” (whatever that means) of Urban Arts Partnership. I worked there for seven years, as a teaching artist, teaching after-school programs. It was great at first, but headed south when the executive director started buying in to the school reform movement. They made everyone watch “Waiting for Superman” at the annual retreat. I sent out an email to other teaching artists slamming the movie, it got leaked to admin, and I got let go.”
A colleague of mine told me the other day that eventually–twenty years from now or so–he aspires to be a superintendent somewhere or get involved in education policy. I told him he’d never get a gig in ed policy because he’d have far too much experience as an educator.
Kozol asserts that poverty is the shame of the nation but I’m beginning to think we should add education privatization and all of it’s enablers to that ignoble list.
oops edit:
Kozol asserts that poverty is the shame of the nation but I’m beginning to think we should add education privatization and all of its enablers to that ignoble list.
Outrageous. Education is only important to these pols as a political and financial tool. I’m consistently disappointed by Cuomo who is making many poor moves (viz..hydrofracking) in order to garner big donors for his 2016 Presidental bid. With this appointment, he joins the ranks of the educational de-formers who continue to perpetrate educational abuse on an entire generation of our children. His father has been a man of great integrity, but I’m afraid the apple fell a couple of acres from the tree.
Dont forget to mention that CUOMO had to be dragged kicking and screaming to reinstate a partial, watered down version of the millionaires’ tax that he had been stubbornly refusing to do for so long… until OWS pushback finally forced him to relent. Again, only partially, ie, not demanding as much from our poor millionaires as the tax had previously garnered. In fact, his “millionaire’s tax” compromise is a slap in the face to the middle class, while still coddling millionaires and failing to deliver what’s needed to our state’s coffers.
These folks at New Deal for New York explain it better than I can, below:
http://www.newdealfornewyork.org/2011/12/bitter-sweet-albany-deal-is-3-billion.html (The entire piece is worth a look – succinct, with charts that show disparity of tax relief for middle class and wealthy, the latter obviously favored by Cuomo.)
“This amounts to a $3 billion tax rebate for the wealthiest New Yorkers.
Giving a $3 billion tax break to the wealthiest New Yorkers while leaving a $2 billion revenue shortfall, and calling it “fairness” is nonsense.
To give a $3 billion tax break to the richest 1% — to hand back $3 billion of the existing $5 billion surcharge – it is clear the glass is more than half empty. In fact, a joint filer making one million dollars will receive a windfall under this plan, with a rate plummeting from 8.97% to just 6.85% — a 25% decrease in rate paid. Those in New York’s 99% will be forced to shoulder this massive tax cut for millionaires.”
Someone needs to corner the self proclaimed sole student advocate, Gov Cuomo, and ask him how appointing someone with little real education experience is in the best interest of the children of New York State.
Seems to me it is more in the best interest of maintaining some political connection. Or to put it more simply, screw the kids I need to promote my allies interests.
This Cuomo apple fell from the tree, rolled down the hill and turned rotten. I have been saying for the past year, Andrew Cuomo could be the country’s first Democratic Tea Party Governor.
Teachers all across NYS must ensure this Cuomo serves only 1 term
And do everything to ensure that he doesn’t get the idea to run in 2016 for a room and office at 1600 PA Ave.
Look like the “tree” uprooted itself and went down the hill to join the rotten “apple.”
I’m no Cuomo fan either, but what was the option? Paladino? Do you think you’d be any better off?
We need to start working on our state Democratic leaders so we don’t wind up with a Cuomo- Paladino choice. Public sector workers in NYS were lied to during Cuomo’s campaign. As soon as he was elected he targeted us, extended tax breaks to millionaires, slashed school aid, and placed a 2% tax cap obstacle on school budgets.
That’s about as far as you can get from true Democratic party principals. Fool us once…
So does this relegate uncertified, unqualified, Katie Campos another former DFERMFer and Buffalo charter shill to the back seat with Commissioner King driving the ed privatization car sitting atop a phonebook as the new guy picks out the music so they can sail New York State Public Education off a cliff?
Ivy League hubris – predicated on belief that teachers-weren’t they education majors at mediocre colleges? – are incompetent and uncaring. TFA’ers are so much smarter of course and caring. Jeez after what a month of training they can walking I any classroom and show these inferiors who can really get the job done. And we are surprised by the deference shown to them?
Been at this for 39 years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent – and still learning. But, a Teach For Awhile facilitator of scripts, NYC operations, head of corporate partnerships, and Newark and DC c.o. heading up policy and no doubt writing next law for APPR 3.0? Handwriting is on the wall.
I am sure he’s dedicated, idealistic, and motivated just like the Fellows et al – but they’ve drunk the kool aid (or read Atlas Shrugged too many times like …) so we’ll see more Charters – Vouchers – even more testing – privatization – and major consolidation of districts under the guise of efficiency and reduced administration and local boards – – – so we’ll be just like… wait for it… Newark and D.C. and Atlanta and… all on the road to SCLB (some children…)
Or – benefit of the doubt – – – maybe with all that corporate connection he’ll do the cost-benefit analysis on $700 million RTTT$. The testing and VAMs will probably come out to about $100 million per 1% score increase. Just think how much quality professoinal development and summer school everywhere that could have bought and realized much, much more authentic achievement.
New York teachers need to remember and come out in full force on Election Day when it’s Cuomo’s turn! Bye Bye!
And what will teachers do about Obama?
What have they done about he who called MIchelle Rhee a “wonderful superintendent;” he who is the proud leader of the Democrats’ steroid-infused and highly successful 4 year race to blanket the nation in these egregious reforms, like with his signature Race to the Top? What have they done about this president who has been the prime example for Cuomo appointment of a corporate-friendly, non-educator to a powerful education position in NY, just as Obama did for the entire nation by appointing Arne Duncan as US Education Secretary?
President Obama is Commander in Chief of the armed forces, only in the case of Education, he’s Commander in Chief of the Reform Army. This latest Cuomo move is of a piece with the larger picture, and in this picture, as the saying goes, it most definitely starts at the top.
Again, Sandrine, what is your option? What do you think education policy would look like under President Romney?
The point that some comments have made here that need to be stressed and “critically” looked at, is the issue of Gov. Cuomo and his agenda. I’m sure people will support his reelection but we need to look at his anti-teacher agenda & union dismantlement under the guise of I’m working with unions for the betterment of the kids.
Besides Cuomo’s latest appointment of a novice as a depty secty. we also need to look at his recent endorsement of republican NYS state senator Steven Saland for re-election over the democratic nominee Terry Gipson in NY’s 41 senate district in Dutchess County(poughkeepsie area) this is notable since earlier this year Saland met with NYC mayor for life Bloomberg to publicize the introduction of a bill to the NYS Congress that will enable the chancellor or superintendent of a school district to overule the findings of an arbitrator in cases of alleged sexual misconduct. In other words teachers who have been found not guilty by an independent arbitrator can still be terminated if the chancellor or school district superintendent thinks you’re guilty.
So remember that Cuomo endorsed Saland, a republican over the dem nominee Gipson, think he values educators?
He is a disgrace to his father and to the Democratic Party. A sickening neoliberal.
You got that right. The last sentence. Regarding the first, I cant echo that he’s a “disgrace to his father” given that his Mario Cuomo now supports his son’s neoliberal agenda and his rise to higher political office, ie, the presidency.
“One recent Saturday, Mr. Cuomo, the former governor, showed up at his former residence, the Executive Mansion, and broached the unbroachable: before a crowd of about 100 relatives, friends and advisers gathered to mark his 80th birthday, he called his son, Andrew M. Cuomo, “the best governor in modern times,” and, according to several of those present, mused at length that the younger Mr. Cuomo might someday “have an opportunity to serve at a higher level, to serve the people of the United States.”
I am a graduate student studying Special Education at SUNY Albany, and this is really disappointing news, but the move does not surprise me. Cuomo is in the pocket of the pearson corporation, and I feel sorry for the children of New York State who will suffer from all of this. With everything going on here, I feel a bit discouraged to teach in this state. I can guarantee you the next order of business by the Cuomo administration will be to pass a law that requires all school districts to make the test scores of our students and teacher’s names public. As much as I want to stay and teach here, I plan to transfer my licenses to one of the few states left that are boycotting this corporate ed. reform. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO KEEP TEACHERS IN YOUR STATE CUOMO!
Andre wrote:
[I can guarantee you the next order of business by the Cuomo administration will be to pass a law that requires all school districts to make the test scores of our students and teacher’s names public.]
Warehousing student/teacher data in SLDS, allowing vendors access to student data & a federal law (FERPA) that does not sanction breaches is all that is needed for the information to public.
[THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO KEEP TEACHERS IN YOUR STATE CUOMO!]
Perhaps getting rid of teachers IS his goal.
and speaking of elections… …. despite dissatisfaction with Mr. Duncan et al stuck on testing, charters, and scores-r-us evaluations… need to focus on this vote. Ask anyone in Massachusetts (worked there: testing up, funding down and diverted to charters not to mention rampant Gov. absenteeism). Think Supreme Court. Read Atlas Shrugged. Follow the money. Fixation on security and won’t answer on humanitarian anything. Ask any educator in Florida (debate #3).
Then push on Duncan and Govs on Wednesday, November 7.
If you don’t know what you are doing, then it is real easy to be told what to do.
I would add that it is time to start a party for educators. Let’s start running educators who have retired against ALEC and DFER legislators. Start local. Their isn’t enough corporate money to protect all of the privatizers.
Yes, the public is often swayed by celebrity. It unfortunately happens all too often.
But this egregious action was done by a governor! One who is supposed to know better and base decisions on good, sound facts and judgment.
I’ve read about this character named De’Shawn Wright. He’s a joke. And so is the Cuomo administration, particularly regarding their repulsive sellout/puppet “education” policies.
Just like Indianapolis where a TFA alum, Jason Kloth, was appointed as the first ever Deputy Mayor of Education.
At some level, in some location, in some way…there has to be a facilitator making this connection. Inexperienced educators with no real dedication to schools or children aren’t just magically placed in power. Someone MAKES that happen. Someone introduces Rhee into the inner circle, same as Wright, Kloth and other short-timers who end up in positions of influence and power. Is that path laid out before the perfunctory 2 or 3 years teaching? The connection between the politicians and this path needs to be revealed. The droppings are just the evidence that rodents are around. Find the rodents.
[The connection between the politicians and this path needs to be revealed. ]
Isn’t the connection money? Campaign $, ridiculous tail wagging grants for schools in their district, vendor contracts…
Would like to see the portfolios of politicians, education heads & states to determine their investments in education innovation & college readiness.
When the NGA & CCSSO own the CCSS copyright & states must invest in CCSS aligned education products it makes me wonder, a lot, about the situation.
I am still interested in seeing how much federal money goes into the classroom v data collection, sharing & retention.
FOLLOW THE MONEY.
I contend that these are people who care about kids and are dedicated – sometimes “Peace Corps” like. And, they want to buck the system.
What they don’t realize is that by bucking the system, they’ve drunk the kool-aid of another system led by those behind curtains with a microphone exploiting teacher and kids with a quick fix mentality.
At some point they wake up – quit or get fired – because they realize they’ve sold out. It’s like the bona-fide ticked off Tea Partier finding out their “party” is being funded by billionaires who will turn on them in a heartbeat.
“The droppings are just the evidence that rodents are around. Find the rodents.”
Aptly put. If we try to dissect what is happening from our own point of view, their actions seem contrary to the natural order.
Saddest and most depressing truth? Cuomo is the only protection we have right now against the absolute monsters on the right who really want to dismantle public education.
That’s like saying he only beats me on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, whereas the other one beats me on Saturday and Sunday too.
I have a hard time seeing him as “protection.”
Take a look at Rhee, Democrats for Ed reform Mayors Emanuel, Booker and Johnson and Obama’s RTtT if you need proof this is a bi-partisan hit squad. Arne isn’t doing us any favors either.
Is this a bad dream or what?
Omg
Try to imagine if they ran the military this way …
Soldier For America?
Two years I couldn’t even spell “brigadier general” and today I are one!
Edit —
Two years ago I couldn’t even spell “brigadier general” and today I are one!
Further proof we elected a Republican as our governor. Can we sue for false advertising? Almost makes me wish we had Eliot back.
Wonder if the ALEC ties are strong here? Hmmmm
The departure of DC Deputy Mayor for Education De’Shawn Wright (Washington Post report by columnist Emma Brown & Comments: http://tinyurl.com/9ctpm5f )
I’m a retired DCPS high school teacher. For the past 6 months, I have been working with community groups to try to stop De’Shawn Wright’s recommendations for dismantling up to 37 DC public schools (out of 120). He “commissioned” a study by the IFF (Illinois Facilities Fund) to evaluate DCPS and DC Charter schools. It was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. The IFF itself is a major recipient of Walton funds (over $6 million in 2009 & 2011) and is brazenly pro-charter.
The IFF “study” used five years of student proficiency data (2007-2011) ranked by each school’s average percentage of students proficient. Three of the years were under investigation for suspicious rates of wrong to right erasures. The report recommended that 37 DCPS schools be closed, “turned around” or transferred to charter operators.
If you want to get an idea as to what Cuomo, King and Wright have in mind, I suggest you look at these two links:
1) The strategy his staff used to divert community meetings away from the IFF recommendations by claiming that the meetings were not about the IFF, but about their “quality schools wish list.” Next, they divided participants up into isolated, little groups to make wish lists of “quality schools” (flip charts, lots of recommendations, then everybody gets colored stickie dots to vote on their top choices, etc. – pretend community engagement).
I also explain how to oppose this process: http://tinyurl.com/9stw9dt
2) I wrote an open letter to Wright with 19 questions. It lists many of the improper procedures Wright employed.
See open letter and reply: http://tinyurl.com/9zak8jy
It is safe to say that Gov. Cuomo selected him in order to promote charter schools and to expand the influence of the Broad, Walton and other foundations in developing public school policy.
Here are the two links in a twitter-ready tweet (134 characters), ready to send:
Cuomo’sNewDepSecEd-frWashDC:AgentOfFndns&ChSchls-His strategy: http://tinyurl.com/9zak8jy ManipulatesParentshttp://tinyurl.com/9stw9dt
Erich Martel
ehmartel@starpower.net
…And more history to be made if Cuomo is elected to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue…We’ll have a first First Mistress…
I tend to doubt that it would be a first …