One of those brilliant PR spinmeisters invented the term “turnaround” to disguise the brutality and ugliness of firing the entire staff of a school with low scores and pretending that mass firing is a method of “reform.”
“Turnaround” sounds like a game or a dance, something delightful.
The reality is that everyone who works in the school is fired–or in lesser forms of the punishment, the principal and half the staff is fired–as though they caused the low scores of children who have difficult lives.
This reader describes the false “reforms” imposed on English High School in Boston, which has been turned around so often that whoever remains in the building must be spinning constantly.
Why don’t these false reformers recognize that turmoil is not reform? That “disruption” is unhealthy for children and learning? That children and schools need steadiness of purpose?
The reader writes:
Here in Boston, The English High School, the oldest high school in the United States, was taken over by the state as a turnaround school three years ago, on the cutting edge of NCLB. That the school was not “highly successful” is indisputable – but it should be noted that the school department had programmed English High with huge numbers of ELL students, including many who were refugees from Somalia and had never attended school. Nearly all students met the federal definition of poverty; many were parenting while attending school.
The school had been moved from a badly designed building (students were supposed to move from class to class on escalators!) to a “repurposed” building across the city which had once housed offices for a gas utility. The rotation of Headmasters was a rogues’ gallery of people who might be associated with disfunctional leaders of third world nations – idiosyncratic, capricious, dictatorial. Many staff who could escape to better teaching positions did so, but there remained a core of excellent teachers struggling against long odds. Meeting AYP under NCLB was impossible.
The Boston Globe, generally supportive of any Broadish reform, published the following story, in 2012, critiquing the school department’s “turn-around” – pretty much they took any and all trendy solutions and threw them at the staff and kids.
“At 33, Narcisse became headmaster of one of Boston’s 11 state-designated underperforming schools, giving him far broader authority than a typical principal. He was freed from strict union rules in hiring and firing and had the power to experiment boldly. Though he was supposed to consult with teachers and parents, both groups complained that, in practice, Narcisse launched major initiatives without involving them.”
After the disaster of the district “turnaround” the state took over English High. Under state receivership, not much has improved. So, the logical conclusion is that the state – which has not be able to “turnaround” English High – can remake New Bedford High school (see:http://edushyster.com/?p=4067) as well as the Dever and the Holland into schools of excellence by doing what has already failed – turn them over to inexperienced “operators” instead of career teachers with proper supports.
Though Massachusetts may lead the nation in scores, schools in the cities suffer from the same deforms as other systems serving poor, non-English speaking kids and the “remedies” are just as deleterious.
If students “work” in the school are they “fired” too?
Don’t mind me…I keep thinking of student work.
Will
Sent from my iPad
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The Hokey Pokey comes to mind.
What if that really is what it’s all about?
(Yeah, I know, I stole that from a movie. Can’t remember which one, though.)
I imagine you have seen this before. It is really funny.
I had not seen that before. Thanks for sharing – I needed a laugh.
I Did not even take the time to read the entire article before deciding — I must comment! Let me tell you from experience–THERE ARE FEW–DAMN FEW–working at the DEPT of ED. (in any state) that are qualified to “take over” ANYTHING! Let me tell you directly that our public school administrators (and teachers) are more qualified to take-over our schools (than …)!
(AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I SUGGEST THEY DO!)
Read books on how to go about it (if your interested)! @ http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/kennethfetterman
“IF” YOU WANT TO FIGHT (like me?) P.S. KEEP fighting Diane! KF
Turnaround: a euphemism for union busting and looting.
“Narcisse, who is departing to become director of school performance in Montgomery County, Md”
Unbelievable. I thought Joshua Starr was brighter than that.
That was in 2012. Rheeformers don’t stay in one place very long.
Guess not. Now he’s assistant superintendent.
In jazz, a turnaround is a nifty progression that one takes to arrive back at the beginning of an A section of a tune, as in A A B (turnaround) A. In other words, it’s what you do to get right back where you started.
So, I would say that this is an apt name.
Good use of a music analogy. 🙂
Mayor Menino appointed his own hand picked school committee who have sat on their hands and done nothing for years, why because the special children go to the exam schools and the rest of the population goes to schools that per the school committee are doing well. Now, the question is where were the parents, teachers and the union when this insanity was going on plus the Boston City Council. Where were the newspapers who were suppose to investigate what was going on in the school district. Read the New Republic, Governor Christie created his own marketing action alter ego figure and not one corporate journalist investigated him because they already had the story written no matter what the real facts were. From reading this piece, Boston is a success story on education and those annoying facts have no place in the hero worshipping stories that need to be written to affirm our so called political heroes. They of course can turn around anything as long as no one asks the hard questions. Bravo to Mayor Menino he fooled everyone for over twenty years his outstanding school committee. They should create a sign that states the following. Sign up no classroom Education/ policy understanding needed for any position, all are welcome.