Jersey Jazzman is really steamed about NY State Commissioner John King.
Is it because he wants to share the personal, confidential data of ll the state’s public school students with a marketing consortium?
Is it because he is pushing the Common Core standards without first determining how they will affect real children?
Is it because he came from the charter sector, from a no-excuses school with military discipline?
Or it because his own kids attend a lovely Montessori school that promotes respect, loving kindness, independence, critical thinking, and other things that most parents want for their children?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
☑ e. All of the above.
nicely executed, Jon.
It’s pretty obvious that he is on all accounts.
Time for a expose on the hypocrisy of “rheeformers.” How about full-page ads listing which private schools the children of “rheeformers” go to? The pvt schls which don’t use standardized tests and boast of educating the whole child; which offer small classes and long-serving professional educators; whose curricula are filled with arts, music, theater, dance, historical projects, science experiments, and field trips? With an asst.teacher in every classroom? Obama’s kids and Duncan’s go to such schools. So do or did the kids of Mayor Emanuel and Commsr. King and Mayor Bloomberg and CEO Joel Klein and former Supt. Rhee. Let’s raise funds for full page ads in major dailies calling out these hypocrites for imposing disgraceful conditions on pub schl kids which they would never tolerate for their kids. I pledge $200 to such a campaign. Diane’s formidable blogging has helped put them on the defensive; let’s turn it up and spread the word to even more parents about what’s being done to their kids.
To be fair & accurate, (believe me, I’m not a fan), I have read that Arne Duncan lives in a suburb near D.C. (in Maryland or Virginia?), and that this suburb has excellent public schools, which his children attend.
I believe you are right. It’s in an extremely affluent community. However, prior to that, Duncan’s kids were in the University of Chicago Laboratory School, along with Obama’s daughters and where Mayor Rahm now sends his kids.
Last year, John King had to hire temps to vet the deluge of APPR (evaluation) plans that were flowing into Albany to be approved. The temps had to be certified teachers with 5 years of teaching experience. Funny thing, though, is that John King would NOT have been able to be hired to vet the APPR’s because he doesn’t have enough teaching experience! Funny that!
Correction. He hired teachers after first hiring law interns.
Also, there are no Standardized tests at Woodland Hills Montessori (the school his children attend).
Let’s lay the blame right where it belongs and that is on the lap of Obama. Is he not the one in charge, sets goals, puts in place the heads of these organizations? #2 is Duncan, is he not the hand picked person for Sec. of Ed.? Was he not with Obama in Chicago destroying that school system? #3 is the legislators as are they not supposed to be the “Correction Factor?” Jokes on us isn’t it. #4 is the public as they have allowed these kind of jokers to be elected. Isn’t there a saying “You get the government you deserve.” I add “and allow.”
And the alternative to Obama was??
Betsy,
It may be tough to swallow but I suggest that if Mittens had won and implemented the EXACT same policies, more than a few of the turn coat Democrats would jump off the Reform bandwagon!
Galton–Many people agreed with your suggestion. The thinking was that, if Romney had been elected, Demopubs would have been shaken up enough to rethink their democratic roots and actually correct their demopub ways.
The reform movement is only for other people’s children.
It’s called REBNIMF.
Reform education, but not in my family.
Exactly Betsy.
I just feel King has a great public school in his town.It probably won’t be story book for long but it’s pretty close; his policies are sure to change things.
Maybe he doesn’t want his kids to under go 6 days of testing in the next 2 weeks.
Or maybe he doesn’t want information about his children shared with third party vendors, bye bye identity for your public school child but not mine????
If the work you’re doing Mr. King is so important and good wouldn’t you want/make sure your own children are part of that ?
John King having his kids in a private school is analogous to living in the Bronx and being a Red Sox fan. The dude should resign.
His hypocrisy, though real, is the least of it. The real issue is that he’s an educational hit man.
Just to be clear the school where King’s kids go does use the state tests sparingly and only as diagnostic tools to gauge where the kids are in comparison to the rest of the state. In other words, the tests are used appropriately. The school is not beholden to these tests, the children’s worth is not measured by these tests and the teachers are not judged by these tests. The theme of this blog remains true, King is still a hypocrite.
If you watched Spakenkill video you must see the following:
King spoke on 10/7 at a meeting hosted by NY Senator John Griffo at which he took questions and comments for over an hour and a half. The special interest group, or parents as we call them, made great points. They were not happy with the Common Core. Also, his wife worked for Scholastic and Is currently an academic who promotes charter schools. If parents don’t protect their children, no one will.