I earlier posted about the decision by Governor Christie to take control of the public schools of Camden, New Jersey. The state has controlled three other districts without “fixing” them. What will be different now? Or in those three other districts still under state control.
This teacher in Florida knows what should be done:
“I did my student teaching at woodrow wilson high school in camden, nj. those kids don’t need “a government” to run their schools. they need support. i had a boy in my class who was 17 and still in 9th grade, but b/c i took in under my wing and so did the rest of his teachers (all student teachers), he passed each class (mine with a solid C). children need to have someone who cares about teaching them, not someone who is fearful each day about losing his/her job b/c they state may come in and close the school. and schools need money, not bureaucrats who know nothing about education.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
My Gosh… Yes!!! I see this every day. Kids who have failed for years and when I tell them I am their advocate and that I believe in them, they often turn it around. They just need someone to believe in them.
One of my friends who was a teacher at LAUSD and taught high school was receiving students at the 5th grade level and lower. How can you hold a high school teacher accountable when they receive students at a grade level in which they cannot do or understand the subject matter as a result of “Social Promotion.” For this he was falsely accused of child abuse. I had this subject audited by the California State Auditor in 1997. This California State Auditors Audit is Oct. 1997, 96121. Today it is worse than then. All they know to do is lie and break the law. Many administrators, including the phony PHD Deasy, would be in jail if the child abuse laws were to be uniformly applied. Administrators are the largest problem and they are bought and sold by Gates and Broad et al.
The high school where I last taught typically had students performing well below grade level. I believe the average reading level was 6th grade. They had three tracks: college, regular, and special ed. My special ed readers ranged in grade level from K-5 when they entered my program. A minority were students who should have been in ESL classes. Most had learning disabilities and a few had mild cognitive disabilities. A majority had been in the school system for most of their education. The regular ed track contained many students who would have been placed in special ed programs in other better resourced districts. It was sad.
The anecdotal stories of teachers who are able to reach struggling students abound. But, since there is no data-driven, quantifiable number attached to these episodes, they are irrelevant I suppose – Except to the students who lived through them.
It is not just sad but betrayal!! In fact, we are now seeing a return to back before
the laws that gave some hope and protections to those students who have a
learning disability or are struggling learners. They are not even being identified, except for the profound and severe. Inclusion helped to put the nail in the coffin for the LD student who is now being pushed through mainstream classes without trained teachers who can identify their learning styles or having the education tool kit or time to teach them. They arrive in the high school teachers classrooms ill prepared for the classes or the mandatory tests. Pushed through and dropped out, school to jail pipeline, gangs
and death on the streets, helpless and hopeless. America can’t do better than this!!??
We see an ignoring of the research which identifies the reasons why some children are slow learners like the ravages of poverty such as nutritional deficiencies, abuse, constantly being moved from one school and home to another, class sizes that are too big and resources siphoned away from student needs and the teachers. On and on. This while we ask teachers to teach to the test and then test the brains and patience out of these kids. You wonder why kids go to the streets and the gangs?! Their homes are in chaos and their school life is a formula for failure!
So now we close their neighborhood schools and the familiarity of others and we deny
many of them entry into the charter school that is supposedly going to be their life net to a better education. The charter is really a sorting mechanism for business and government and the public school will be left without enough money or resources to educate the most challenged of our students. They are being abandoned by education,
government, business and yes, the public. It is not sad but betrayal!!!!
I have known Ronee for many years and relied on her knowledge and expertise which goes back many years. She especially knows special education in extraordinary detail both the law and history of what has happened and what is needed. There is a real problem with those who call themselves civil rights groups that are well financed that they do not throw down on some real lawsuits. We have many ready for them right now. I am sure that Ronee and her long time friends nationwide have a stack ready to go. The documentation and law breaking is astounding. We want students to be more able to effect legislation in real time as they are the ones paying the price for this foolishness and adult disregard for the future as these students now are the future. What future do we really want is the question so as my friends grandfather taught him “I hear real good, but I see a whole lot better.” Students are not stupid. They know who and how they are getting ripped off. They just have a few representing them right now or this would not be going on.
ronee, one of the Chicago parents whose special ed. child attends a closing school said that she thought it would take her child–& his sp.ed. classmates–up to/beyond 9 months to just get used to the new school, the new classroom &, most likely, new classmates, as he’d be attending a receiving school (my comment: also, the sp.ed. class would probably be larger in number and–if the ISBE has its way–there will be no limits on sp.ed. class size anywhere in the state of IL). It’s really time for the ACLU.
my sister works with the aclu and i am desperately trying to get them involved in school closing issues and particularly, with camden schools. (my sister graduated from woodrow wilson where i did my student teaching.)
unfortunately, this is about money and the aclu does not tread there. can’t someone spin it in such a way to note that this is REALLY about race, poverty, and the loss of the american dream?
ps…thank you for using my post on your blog. i read your blog each and every day and have turned a lot of teachers on to your words!
It would be wonderful if there could be a class action lawsuit across each of the cities in every state directly impacted by this over the
top reform movement. When you take something away what you put in place is supposed to be better or have some sort of reasonable track record…that is not the truth of this movement. The ACLU could find itself in the most important case or cases of their history. We are
talking about the entire public education system of this country being dismantled without the approval of the electorate. This is being done through the back door and without the will of the people or at least the people it is being done to. The lethargy of the public is deafening
and scary!!! The same could be said of media to date! This really is a dime short and a day late!!!!! For the children and their futures.
I believe the education and intellectually elite and the wealthy are believing that they know what is best for the rest….arrogant and audacious!
For the past year I have been wondering if a class action lawsuit might be in order. Perhaps Chicago would be a place to start.
As usual Ronee is ahead of the pack. The commenter is also correct Chicago would be a great place to start especially because of CTU and Karen Lewis and her supporters. They have the political will and capability to keep the issue front page by actions like they do now. Great Idea, it needs to be done. The lawsuit should be solid also.
florida: In terms of special education students, I would think this WOULD be a case for the ACLU. It appears that the states involved in these shenanigans are in violation of IDEA. Federal law ALWAYS supercedes state law in this case.
Whever you hear stories from people about their teachers, you seldon hear about what content they taught them. It’s always about how they believed in me, how they turned me around, how they turned me on to science,etc., how they believed in me. You can put a book in front of anyone, but a teachers helps one to focus, stay on task, motivate to do better, be a shoulder from problems. As a special ed teacher, we saw ourselves as a crutch until the student was able to go on their own.
beautifully said! and so true!!!
I can’t believe all of these people want to live in a society that doesn’t do right by all its kids. Do they not see the future when they are making these plans?