The wonders of education reform never end in Louisiana.
Reformers Bobby Jindal and John White want to take money dedicated to public schools and give it to religious schools that teach creationism. That’s reform.
Even though a judge said this plan was unconstitutional, that doesn’t stop them. You know, the fierce urgency of now, sending kids off to school where they will learn that the Loch Ness monster lives. That’s reform too.
They want lots of for-profit entrepreneurs to scoop up public education dollars. That’s reform.
They want to cut funding for students with disabilities and gifted students. That’s reform.
Way to go.
Right back to the 19th century.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It is a violation of federal law for states or local school districts to fail to maintain the same level of special education funding. It will be interesting to see if the US Dept. of Ed. enforces this rule on Louisiana.
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Obama & Arne have signaled a hands-off approach re: IDEA violations. They’ve signaled to states they aren’t going to enforce violations by emphasizing monitoring (e.g., from DC) rather than state level (e.g. face-to-face) enforcement. Further, they’re permitting states to reserve a greater portion of their SPED funds for “other state purposes”. They’ve expanded the list of the permitted activities to include consultation services, technical assistance, professional development, “on the sole basis of the assessment results.” A third-party profiteer’s dream reg.
Worse yet, Arne is reviewing all past IDEA regs WITHOUT public input. I don’t trust this administration on anything re: education, least of all, SPED. IDEA should have been reauthorized in 2008 but it is still floundering somewhere in lobbyist-heaven. Obama & Arne are gunning for IDEA that serves the interests of profiteers. Rahm and Jamie Woodson (TN appointed ‘independent’ reformer-in-chief) said they aren’t going to spend money on “those” kids.
“That was a state decision” is Arne’s standard response to complaints about IDEA violations that deflects accountability away from DoEd. As if HE and his minions are unable to override state discrimination violations. Has there ever been a more morally bankrupt and deceptive DoEd than’ Arne’s? In 40 years of working in SPED I don’t recall any.
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But his OSEP Director, Melody Musgrove has aggressively pursued IDEA violations issuing strong enforcement letters including on IDEA community based transition, so I think the outcome on MOE is less than clear.
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Can you go into more specifics about the transition enforcement? I’m not familiar with what they are doing. Thanks.
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Here is a link to the letter I was talking about.
Click to access 062212workplacelre2q2012.pdf
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As I stated earlier in this Orwellian world of doublespeak “Reform” means “DESTRUCTION.” It is just that simple.
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As it was likewise the dark term of art for Clinton and Gingrich eliminating AFDC – and thus the social wage floor – in 1996.
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George is absolutely right!!! The Federal Mandates for Spec. Ed. were never fully funded(woefully underfunded) and the dollars now are left for manipulation into other needs (as has always been the case). There are no rules, policies and procedures, mandates, etc. left, because they are simply ignored. There is no public “ownership” over “our” country and we are being shredded and rended by the hands of the those that used to be the unseen puppet masters but their arrogance has now exposed them to us without concern for repect, dignity, or even care of the children or elderly. Follow the money!!!! And weep! Fight the good fight but
do not be taken off the field on a shield! Look to fight another day…for the sake of personal integrity and dignity and to mentor the young!!! Like George, Diane, Fran, Judy, Buffy (they know who they)! are)
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Didn’t Jindal get a science degree from Brown? This would be material for satire, if it were funnier.
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The fox is watching the hen house. I don’t believe IDEA is going to be defended. Look at the banks and Holder. Too big to prosecute. It’s bad.
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We may find out at a micro level at my small Nevada school. Our fearless leaders want to get rid of our resource rooms claiming the learning disabled students are missing out by not being in the regular classroom forced to attempt to read grade level content that they can not currently comprehend. Our 30 year veteran teacher finishing a Ph.D in special education, and the mother of successful learning disabled children is being told that her carefully designed IEP plans are not going to help her students pass the state mandate Criterion Reference Tests. I am guilty of reform treason, I have contacted lawyers and am helping the parents of her students assert their due process rights to oppose this move. If I am connected with this I am sure I may be out of a job, but then perhaps I too will have a legal cause. A hearing should ensue with my principal next month. He may become reasonable. Our superintendent just resigned, anything is possible.
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We fought for years to get resource programs for these kids because they were too far behind in the regular classrooms. Now that we have discovered the magic of differentiation, we are pushing them all back in. Hogwash!
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It’s all about saving money
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Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) uses the term “disrurptive innovation” to justify corporate reform destruction.
Perhaps we should just call reformer actions “disruptive education.”
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I feel like “disruptive education” is what I do now when I shut the classroom door and try to do intellectually nourishing things. Or maybe “subversive education.”
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I came home today to find the followiing advertisement in my mailbox:
“The clock is ticking… March 15 is the deadline to apply for a free scholarship to send your child to a better school.
“Is my child eligible for a scholarship?
“Students must be enrolled in a C, D, or F public school during the 2012-2013 school year or be entering kindergarten for the first time.
“Students must also be a resident of Louisiana and meet income eligibility requirements Family income in 2012 cannot exceed 250% of the federal poverty guidelines (or $58,875 for a family of four).
“Questions? Contact us:
“Visit http://www.LAScholarshipProgram.com or call 1-866-402-9947
“For more information on how to apply and a chance to win a $500 shopping spree visit http://www.LAScholarshipProgram.com
“Paid for by the Alliance for School Choice
1660 L Street NW Ste. 1000
Washington, DC 20036-5634”
Nothing deceptive, manipulative, exploitative, or illegal about this “offer,” eh?
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Beyond bizarre. It sounds like someone trying to get you to buy a timeshare or go on a cruise rather than educate a child.
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Got the same letter, was so mad I shredded it in the driveway and then spent 10 mins picking up all the little pieces! So insulting. So misleading! $500 shopping spree???? Pathetic; but many parents here will believe what is in print….
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The good news is that the ridiculous curricula some of his voucher schools are teaching is getting lots of exposure:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/louisiana-voucher-school-hippies_n_2823510.html
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Yes, and now those rock and rolling, pot-smoking, grundge loving, sexually promiscuous, Satan worshipping hippies are in control of the government, including the droner in chief, who was just confirmed as head of the CIA. Peace, brother. No wonder parents want vouchers to send their kids to schools were some modicum of morality might be still be praised, even if their science is a bit antiquated. Which is worse false 19th century science (creationism) or false 19th century politics(Marx)?
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Hoo boy, here we go again with the Marxism. Harlan, have you stepped foot in a classroom in the last 20 years? 30 years? Trust me, my children have far too much to do than to be coloring pictures of Mao and reading mini biographies about Karl Marx. Or is it that you object to young children learning to treat each other kindly, share classroom materials, and learn how to take care of their bodies and their minds? On the appropriate holidays we read and talk about Martin Luther King (do you have a problem with HIM?) and George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. We are not plotting the overthrow of the government: it’s not on the Connecticut Mastery Test!
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The droner in chief is promoting charters. You must love him.
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Here is NYC, the idea of reform is less money for full time special education programs and more money for part time programs. Also, disabled students are being forced to remain in their own home zone schools even if it does not have the appropriate program. The placement process that existed in NYC for a quarter century has been dismantled by the Bloomberg administration. Schools are told to create programs to meet the needs of all kids–obviously, without any resources (money). I was told anonymously by a DOE lawyer that they expect the few “sophisticated parents” who will win private schools through the impartial hearing process will be offset by the “ignorant parents” who “we will be able to manipulate into accepting anything.” Racist and uncaring is the way to sum up this policy.
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In Louisiana, how can we make our charters and voucher schools look better when it comes to denial of services or disallowing participation of special education students? Their record is publicly abysmal, so to clean it up lets differentiate the amount of money schools get by disability. Hence these schools can take less severe students and get funds and get publicity for providing services. Then lets say that you can get MORE money for inclusion versus resource room students. The meaning of this: fewer staff to serve students and save $$ that can be put into another reform. And finally, provide funds based upon student performance. Those less severely disabled students in charters and voucher schools will surely test better than the more severely disabled students left in the public schools.
Take money from those not performing (severely disabled) and give it to those who are (less severely disabled). And lets phase it in – just give the districts a 10% feel next year of what it is going to be like after next year.
This was a well-thought out plan. Everything here is on record.
How can anyone say that this policy is for children.
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We don’t have enough SPED teachers and para’s now! I rarely have a para to help and will have 5-7 SPED in a class of 33. Most SPED staff are assigned to children with behavior or medical issues that requires 2 para’s to be with them 24/7.
Our SPED staff is wonderful but they are stretched so thin as to be like an endangered species. Each year we add more and more inclusion students and teachers struggle to have lessons that really include them and the time to support their needs.
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Bobby, did you hear that? It’s the sound of checks being written to settle the lawsuits you just set in motion. Trust me, you will be sued, and you will lose. This is against the law.
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Diane,
Did you see this today? http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/hippies-satan-worship-school-history-book-201334876.html
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See Harlan’s comment above. Apparently this is more acceptable than exposing children to unionized, amoral, drugged out teachers. Btw, my own children would laugh hysterically if they heard me described as such.
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