I discovered Stephanie Rivera on Twitter. Ah, the power of social media. Stephanie took issue with Students for Education Reform, which is a mini-version of the Wall Street hedge fund managers group called Democrats for Education Reform. DFER thinks that charter schools will close the achievement gap, but sadly there is no evidence==other than an anecdote about a handful of charters–that this remotely possible on any scale. It hasn’t happened in Washington, D.C., which is awash in TFA and charters, nor in New Orleans, nor in New York City. Where is the evidence that they can close the achievement gap other than by skimming top students and kicking out low-performing students?
Stephanie met with the leaders of SFER in her part of New Jersey, and they tried to convince her she was wrong to be devoted to the public schools. Stephanie can’t understand why they would turn their backs on the schools where 90% of American students are. I think this is called “lifeboat” strategy, where you pluck a few kids and pat yourself on the back instead of trying to save the ship.
Well, as it happens, the ship is under attack from the likes of DFER and SFER and SFC and a long list of well-funded alphabet groups, but it is definitely not going down.
And the charters, we now know, are extremely varied. Some are excellent, some are dreadful, most are no different from public schools. And some are run by profiteers, who use tax dollars to pay off investors.
Lurking between the lines are class issues; the SFERs are at Princeton, Stephanie is at Rutgers. ‘Nuff said.
Be strong, Stephanie!
Many experienced and expert teachers are waiting to give you a hand when you join them.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I interviewed her, along with Zak Malamed. Great conversation. Smart folks, these 2.
http://my.blogtalkradio.com/tfteacher/2012/08/09/tft-interviews-stephanie-rivera-and-zak-malamed
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Yes, and please read her post carefully which includes their spin and check out comments. Their new concern is NOT test scoffers but the number of drop outs in public schools.
From my research there are an overwhelming number of charter school drops outs or push outs or counsel outs and guess where they go?
So if the charter chums are so concerned with the drop out rate, maybe they should start working on their retention plans before they attempt to teach the traditional public schools how to improve graduation rates.
Don’t you love how sometimes theynare public schools and sometimes they are not public schools?
They also seem to believe they have nothing to learn from us and we have plenty to learn from them.
What is also laughable is they state they do not get money from Gates, but they do accept monetary support from TFA, 50Can, Students First, etc. I guess it is okay when the money trickles down.
Do they actually believe this malarkey?
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Based on my experience and interaction with twenty-somethings, yes.
Troubling. Some, but not all lack that cynicism we grew up with. Additionally, many grew up in the NCLB era and therefore lack that critical analysis/bs detector skill that we learned. In addition, this generation has been protected and sad to say molly coddled. They also believe in instant results and gratification. Combine that with the hubris and arrogance of youth and that’s what we get.
Before I get bombed with comments. I said some-not all.
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I agree with you all of the above and some not all. Stephanie is unique and her parents should be very proud.
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There are thousands of us teachers out here to back her! We are also fighting a daily battle wherever the “talking heads” of privatization are turned on! As a retired teacher, our group is a voice to be heard and reckoned with as well, as we speak up for all the bright and well educated people who have done well in our public schools for many years. Now is the time for all teachers to take the bully pulpit in their local districts whether they are under immediate threat or not, to educate their “public” as to what is going on. Because, as we know, sometimes when it is not in your own community, we do not pay close attention until it is, and that can be a bit too late!
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It’s encouraging to see people so young and so smart.
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This was posted on Stephanie’s blog. A must read and it has to be posted here. I hope this writer doesn’t mind. From Davis:
This has happened multiple times out in Los Angeles—in public meetings or in basic conversation. 1) astroturf organizations claim they do not get funding from Bill Gates or Eli Broad. 2) Someone points out that they do get money from D-FER (Democrats for Education Reform)’ 3) They concede that yes, D-FER does fund them; 4) Someone points out that D-FER is funded and controlled by Gates and Broad… so what’s the difference? 5) Astroturfers respond with silent rage at having been busted. Another of the supporters listed is Whitney Tilson. Go to his wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Tilson Now jog down to the subheading: “Education Reform Activities” The third sentence in the first paragraph states: “He (Whitney Tilson) is also one of the founders of Democrats for Education Reform, which aims to move the Democratic Party to embrace genuine school reform… ” Again, here’s the connection. Whether it’s fake astroturf parent groups… or fake astroturf teacher groups… or fake astroturf student groups… rest assured that, whatever the people within those groups say to the contrary, the true agenda is being dicated from above and outside these groups… and that agenda is the demolition of public education as we know it… when they’re done, public education will no longer be accountable to the public, no longer be transparent to the public, no longer have any oversight by the public via democratically elected school boards… it’s will be the education done on the cheap, with an unqualified, de-professionalized workforce being paid peanuts, and the corporate masters raking in huge salaries, and responsible to their shareholders, not the parents or students. Beware… when you’re dealing with SFER, you’re dealing with people who will tell whatever lie they want to tell, whenever they want to tell it, to advance the sinister agenda described above.
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Huge irony. Rutgers, a state university, is only 30% publicly funded. The other 70% is indeed under the patronage of the private sector. Thank goodness Rutgers still has a strong GSE faculty.
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Stephanie Rivera is the antidote to TFA, SFER, etc. Her writing and advocacy is a breath of fresh air from the smog of corporate education reforms.
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