With vouchers stalled in the Texas legislature, the privatizers turned to another strategy to create new opportunities for entrepreneurs.
They want a state district for schools with low test scores, where the state can hand the schools over to private organizations.
There is not a shred of evidence that this improves education for the children in those schools.
The models are Michigan, where the state authority turned over to segregated, impoverished black districts to for-profit charter corporations, and Tennessee, where the schools are being turned into charters.
Neither effort has studies or results; they just got started. Both represent the privatization of public education and the decimation of community schools.
I learned about this from the following comment on the blog:
From your home state:
I don’t know if you are aware of this, but it could spell disaster.
The worst schools in Texas could be placed in a special statewide school district to help turn those campuses around under legislation approved by the Senate on Wednesday. The measure by Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, would establish the Texas Achievement School District to operate schools that have been rated low-performing for two consecutive years. The campuses would be removed from the jurisdiction of their regular school districts and placed in the new ASD by the state education commissioner, who would also appoint the superintendent for the statewide district.
West emphasized that low-performing schools would not have to be placed in the Achievement School District, calling it one of multiple options that could be used to handle the campuses. Asked how many campuses could be in the ASD if it were now in existence, West said as many as 15 from across the state could be under the management of the district. The ASD superintendent would be empowered with a range of options to improve achievement at the schools, including replacing staff or contracting with an alternative management group. The campus would return to its regular school district once student performance was back on track.
“Studies in other states have shown promise with this approach,” West explained. “This is the right thing to do for children that are trapped in low-performing schools.” Senate Education Committee Chairman Dan Patrick said the state must find new ways to address schools that are “perennial failures,” and he asserted that the legislation would support that goal. One senator questioned whether moving failing schools to the new Achievement School District would artificially inflate the performance ratings of their regular school districts, who would no longer have the low-achievement campuses. But West responded that the small number of schools involved would not have much impact on district ratings. Passed on a 26-5 vote, the Senate measure now goes to the House. And also, The Johns Hopkins University (of which I am an alum), is now offering an online MFA for TFA Corps members.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I dunno, I have mixed feelings about this. I am certainly no fan of privatization, as I am well on record saying. But if the privateers take over all the “lowest performing” schools, what happens when there is no improvement (as there won’t be)? The idea that this sort of school district “works” is based on test score improvements in the Recovery School District New Orleans. The thing is, those improvements were made possible by the fact that the poorest of the poor never returned to New Orleans. So how will Texas achieve the same results? Deport the poorest of the poor? (It being Texas, that would entirely surprise me.)
I think the privateers could just find themselves caught with their pants down.
“Studies in other states have shown promise with this approach,” West explained. “
Dienne: Any idea what other states he thinks this has been successful?
I was wondering that too. New Orleans is the only place I know that’s been “successful”, even by test score measures, and that was for the reason I mentioned. The “approach” sure isn’t showing any “promise” in Michigan.
What does Diane Ravitch, or anyone else, KNOW about LEE??? Leadership for Education Equity is a 501c4 that lobbies for education reform. Sort of a union for anti-union folks. 501c4 organizations apparently don’t have the financial sharing requirements of 501c3’s, and the website is members only.
“One senator questioned whether moving failing schools to the new Achievement School District would artificially inflate the performance ratings of their regular school districts, who would no longer have the low-achievement campuses. But West responded that the small number of schools involved would not have much impact on district ratings.”
Then why do it?
Why “rate” districts to begin with???
I think they are trying to do something similar in CA. There is a group called CORE (California Office to Reform Education) made up of several districts that are together applying for an NCLB waiver. The group acts like its own school district.
The group has its own unelected staff with positions like Chief Academic Officer, Manager of Curriculm Integeration, and Director of Standards, Assessment and Instruction. It’s like a shadow government.
http://coredistricts.org/
Where is the proof they are talking about? They do not have any is the point. This is all another move for corporatization and privatization. Remember this is Texas where they are totally crazy in their state as we have just seen with the explosion and total lack of accountability of any kind. Just do whatever is the state motto. Go look at the videos of their head of textbooks and you will see that they are crazy allowing what is going on there. Football is more important than school in Texas as high school is about almost nothing there but football. CORE is a right wing privatizer corporatizer group even if many of them say they are democrats just like DFER. Just to set the record straight I am the Director of Policy for the Congress of Racial Equality of California (CORE-CA) and we have nothing to do with DFER or CORE. We are a real civil and human rights group with the founding King Family of L.A. having over 114 years of continuous involvement in civil and human rights. We believe in public schools and accountability. Today there is no accountability.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education and commented:
The State of Texas just needs to save time and money and just approve the complete shutting down of all public schools and begin taking bids to education 5 million students.