Archives for the month of: September, 2012
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Do Testing and Accountability Promote Critical Thinking?

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2012 //
29

Jan Carr, an author of children’s books, is a dedicated public school parent. She wrote a post wondering why the powerful elites in our society are so obsessed with testing and data. She wondered why they care so little for developing critical thinking.

Jan wrote: “I’ve been a scrappy public school mom for 12 years and counting, and I’ve watched the increasing encroachment of the data and accountability business, which would have our kids prepping for and taking deadening tests at every turn, and our teachers endlessly graded and derided for test results that are a meaningless distraction from real learning. A rich and full education digs deeper; it’s inextricably entwined with books, literature, writing, and the life of the mind; it develops critical thinking.”

I read her latest post and asked Mike Petrilli of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute to respond to it. I have known Mike for many years, and I hold out hope that someday he too will evolve and renounce the reforms he now champions. I think this will happen when his own children encounter them, as Jan Carr’s did.

I invite readers to comment on this discussion.

This is Mike’s commentary:

Dear Ms. Carr,

I enjoyed reading your post about critical thinking; it sounds like you and your son have been lucky to have had some very talented teachers.

l’ve never met Bill Gates, or Eli Broad, or Michael Bloomberg, or Rupert Murdoch; I can’t speak for what lies in their hearts. But I find it very unlikely that they don’t want children to “think critically” because they want to produce a generation of drones. I know that sort of rhetoric is common on the left (including from the late Howard Zinn) but to believe it you have to also believe that Barack Obama, the late Ted Kennedy, the liberal icon George Miller, and countless other liberal supporters of education reform are also out to unplug our children’s minds. That doesn’t pass the “critical thinking” test.

What motivates these folks, as I understand it, is an earnest belief that in today’s knowledge economy, the only way poor kids are going to have a shot at escaping inter-generational poverty is to gain the knowledge, skills, and character strengths that will prepare them to enter and complete some sort of post-secondary education–the pathway to the middle class. And that while reading and math scores don’t come close to measuring everything that counts, they do measure skills that have been linked to later success in college, the workplace, and life.

I suspect that all of these men would like to see students engaged in more of the kind of critical thinking that you describe, and that’s one reason many support the move to the more rigorous “Common Core” standards for English Language Arts and math. The ELA standards, in particular, are designed to push students toward this sort of complex thinking.

The testing movement has caused a lot of harm, I agree, in terms of narrowing the curriculum and encouraging bad teaching. Moving to better standards and tests is one way to address that. But by throwing out the baby with the bathwater we risk going back to the days when poor and minority kids were held to very low expectations–and their achievement plateaued as a result.

In the last two decades, poor and minority kids have made two grade levels of progress in reading and math, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The hope–and it’s really only a hypothesis at this point–is that those greater math and reading skills will help a generation of kids do much better in college and the real world than they otherwise would have. The question for educators and reformers is: How do we keep the good that’s come from testing and accountability while eliminating the bad?

Mike Petrilli

Categories Accountability, Broad Foundation, Common Core, Corporate Reformers, Education Reform, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, NCLB (No Child Left Behind), Parents, Poverty, Students, Testing

Reverse Robin Hood Reforms in New Jersey

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2012 //
0

Bruce Baker provides clear and convincing evidence that school reform in New Jersey is heading in the wrong direction, aided by NCLB waivers.

The schools that have been identified as the “priority” schools will be targeted for aggressive interventions, including mass firing and closings. The overwhelming majority of these schools enroll poor black and Hispanic students.

The schools that are identified as “reward” schools serve few needy students. To them them hath, more shall be given.

As Baker shows, the funding formula will take from the neediest and give to those who are already doing just fine.

Reverse Robin Hood: Stealing from the poor to give to the rich.

Categories Federal Waiver, NCLB (No Child Left Behind), New Jersey

Good News from the Heritage Foundation

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2012 //
24

The Heritage Foundation has released a study showing that the poor are really pretty well-off in America. Lots of them own their own home, have a car and air-conditioning.

Message: Stop whining about the poor. They should thank their lucky stars they are living in America! They should not expect a handout as they are doing just fine. Forget about the vast income inequality that exists in our society. Who cares?

Are the kids homeless and hungry? Blame their parents or their absent father. Are they sick because the parents don’t have health insurance and can’t afford a doctor? Their fault.

What would you call this report? “Compassion is for the weak”? “The poor will always be with us”? “Poverty is your problem, not mine?”?

Categories Poverty

The Diane Rehm Show: Me Vs. Three

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2012 //
35

Diane Rehm is one of the best interviewers on national radio (WAMU in DC).

I always enjoy being on her show.

This morning, I was invited to discuss the Chicago teacher strike, and discovered to my chagrin, that the lineup was three against one.

I defended the teachers and discussed their aims and the conditions in the Chicago public schools.

On the other side was Rick Hess of the conservative American Enterprise Institute; Andrew Rotherham of Bellwether Partners; and former Mayor Adrian Fenty of D.C.

The three of them versus me. Mayor Fenty would like to see tenure abolished. He blames the unions for all the ills of the schools. He
loves standardized testing. Andy Rotherham says that unions are too powerful even in right to work states. Hess warned that the CTU would make the union movement as irrelevant as the referendum in Wisconsin. All three are rooting for Mayor Rahm to beat back the CTU.

I hope you find time to listen.

Categories Chicago, Education Reform, Testing, Unions

Should Schools Be Run Like Businesses?

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2012 //
5

Listen to an excellent panel discussion, featuring the brilliant Dissent writer Joanne Barkan. She is the author of “Got Dough: How Billionaires Rule Our Schools,” which you should read.

Categories Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, Privatization

How Some African American Leaders Went Wrong on Reform

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2012 //
2

Karran Harper Royal is a leader of Parents Across America.

She lives in New Orleans, where she went to public schools. Her child attends a charter school.

She spoke at the SOS 2012 meeting in Washington, where she analyzed why some African American leaders and civil rights figures got on the wrong side of education reform.

The video was made by Norm Scott, retired NYC teacher, leader of the Grassroots Education Movement, and producer of the celebrated film “The Inconvenient Truth Behind ‘Waiting for Superman.'”

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Reform, New Orleans, Parents

Nashville School Board Turns Down Charter for Third Time

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2012 //
10

The Metro Nashville school board turned down a charter proposal for the third time, even though the state education department ordered the board to endorse the charter.

The local board feared that the charter would appeal mainly to affluent white families, both because of the curriculum and the expectation that families would make a large up-front “voluntary” contribution.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120911/NEWS04/309110094/Metro-defies-state-denies-Great-Hearts
 
Metro defies state, denies Great Hearts
8:07 PM, Sep 11, 2012 |
 
Written by  Lisa Fingeroot   The Tennessean
In a surprise move, the Metro Nashville school board defied the state’s education power structure Tuesday and denied a controversial charter school for Nashville’s West Side over concerns that it would cater mainly to wealthy, white families.
The vote marked the third time Metro board members denied a charter to Great Hearts Academies, a firm that operates a system of 12 charter schools in Arizona. But the vote also marks the first time a local school board has defied the State Board of Education, which ordered Metro to approve the charter school and hinted at funding penalties if they didn’t.
State officials could not be reached for comment late Tuesday, and Great Hearts officials also were unavailable. That left questions about what happens next largely unanswered for the moment.
During the meeting, an attorney for Great Hearts made a last-minute appeal to the board for its approval, but he left soon after the vote.
The vote was 5-4 against Great Hearts, with Amy Frogge, Jo Ann Brannon, Sharon Gentry, Anna Shepherd and new Chairman Cheryl Mayes opposing the school. Jill Speering, Elissa Kim, Will Pinkston, and Michael Hayes voted in favor of Great Hearts.
Frogge, a new board member, said she and others were concerned about the threat of litigation against them, both as board members and personally, but said she felt they had a moral obligation to Nashville’s schoolchildren to vote without fear.
Pinkston, also a new board member, appeared to be leaning against Great Hearts during the board’s discussion, but voted to approve it in the end.
He voted in favor because of the legal threats, Pinkston said. After discussions with the board’s lawyers, he is satisfied the state has the legal authority to demand Metro approve the school and is also concerned about the threats that have been made by state officials.
The repercussions are “the great unknown,” Pinkston said.
Tennessee Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman accused the Metro board of breaking the law when it delayed a vote on Great Hearts and a State Board of Education attorney said consequences for not following a state directive could include the loss of funding for Metro schools.
In explaining her opposition to Great Hearts, Frogge echoed a concern that has been a sticking point for others who have voted against the school in the past.
The main issue for Metro board members has been whether the school would cater to an affluent, largely white population or work to create a more diverse student body by providing transportation to students from other areas of the city.
If the board sets a precedent that allows charter schools to serve only those who can afford an affluent neighborhood or the transportation there, then the board will leave behind the very kids it must protect, Frogge said.
New member Pinkston suggested the board create a committee to develop a comprehensive diversity plan that could be shown to potential charter school applicants in the future. Metro’s diversity plan is currently spread through many different documents, he added.
Great Hearts has chosen a location between Charlotte Pike and White Bridge Road, which is in the majority white and wealthy 37205 zip code, but also borders the more diverse and less affluent 37218 zip code.
Black community leaders opposed the school because they worried it would become an exclusive charter school catering to wealthy white parents in the area. Parents in favor of the school, however, said they wanted the rigorous curriculum provided by Great Hearts, whose Arizona schools have much higher standards and a faster learning pace than those set by Metro public schools.
The school board has twice denied the charter application and even provoked the ire of state education officials by refusing to vote on the charter school a third time after Great Hearts won a state appeal.
The State Board of Education directed the Metro board to approve the school, but the board delayed a decision, which caused state officials to speculate on the possible consequences that worry Pinkston.
Lisa Fingeroot can be reached at 259-8892 or LFingeroot@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter @LisaFingeroot.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012309110022
School board denies Great Hearts charter again

6:25 PM, Sep 11, 2012 |
6 Comments Updated at 6:20 p.m.

The Metro school board denied the Great Hearts Academy charter school again tonight in a vote of 5-4.
Previously reported: Leader says $1,200 donation from parents ‘optional’

A controversial charter school expected to be approved tonight by the Metro Nashville school board asks families in its Arizona schools to ante up a $1,200 gift, a separate $200 tax credit contribution, and a few hundred dollars in book and classroom fees.
However, a Great Hearts Academies official says the schools are free and that even the book fees will be waived if necessary.
“It is 100 percent clear to everyone in our schools that those are optional contributions,” said Peter Bezanson, president of Great Hearts Tennessee, the nonprofit management company set up for the five schools Great Hearts hopes to open in Nashville.
Great Hearts’ requests for parent donations in Arizona are larger than those typically seen in Nashville public or charter schools.
For example, Julia Green Elementary PTO asks for a $300 donation and J.T. Moore Middle asks for $250, parent volunteers said. Meigs Middle, which is conducting a technology campaign, asks for $5 to $500, depending on what parents feel they can afford.
LEAD Academy, a charter school with a campus near Great Hearts’ target area in West Nashville, notes on its website that “we must raise an additional $1,500 per student” to supplement the public funding the school receives, but LEAD doesn’t explicitly request that amount from parents as Great Hearts does.
LEAD is always on the lookout for donors and constantly applies for grants, said Shaka Mitchell, director of external affairs. The school also has an annual breakfast to raise money for students to visit colleges.
Charter schools in Tennessee don’t usually ask for donations from attending families because the population has been traditionally from lower socioeconomic groups, said Rebecca A. Lieberman, chief talent strategy officer at the Tennessee Charter School Incubator. But they do ask for donations from others and participate in fundraising, she added.
The proposed Great Hearts charter became controversial mostly because of the wealth associated with its supporters and the affluence of the mostly white West Nashville area where it plans to locate.
The Metro school board has twice denied the proposed school and even refused to bow to state pressure last month, postponing a vote on Great Hearts because members were not convinced the charter was dedicated to diversity. The board had been ordered by the state to approve the charter after Great Hearts appealed its denial.
Great Hearts officials have promised to market to families in other areas of the city and to supply some transportation for poor children.
Books loaned if students can’t pay

The Great Hearts schools in Arizona ask every parent to participate in two fundraising campaigns. Parents are asked to make a one-time, $1,200 donation — which can be paid in monthly installments during a school year — and a $200 gift that allows the donor to receive a dollar-for-dollar Arizona tax credit. One Great Hearts school requests a $1,500 contribution.
The only mandatory fee is a refundable deposit of $35 per textbook, Bezanson said. If a parent cannot afford it, the fee can be waived without a lot of paperwork, he added.
The websites show different requirements, though. They say parents must submit a $25 application to an outside party along with tax documents. That company will determine whether parents are eligible for a waiver.
The schools also ask students to purchase other books for reading the classics of the Western canon that are so much a part of the curriculum, but Bezanson said schools will loan those books to students if needed.
Class fees of $120 are required for workbooks, student planners, assemblies, field days and ceremonies, according to at least one of the school’s websites, but again Bezanson said the fees are not required.
Great Hearts, like any other school, wants everyone to participate, he added.
“We never send anyone away,” he said. “We have never turned anyone away for not paying.”
Lisa Fingeroot can be reached at 615-259-8892 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 615-259-8892 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or lfingeroot@tennessean.com.

Categories Charter Schools, Democrats for Education Reform, Education Reform, Tennessee

What Price for High-Performing Charters?

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2012 //
5

Here is an alarming story about a chain of high-performing charter schools in Minnesota.

These are truly no-excuses charter schools.

They focus relentlessly on getting those highly prized test scores.

And they do it.

They boast of “drill and kill.”

The children study the tests, get ready for the questions, and they get high scores.

The problem is that they get low scores on tests that they have not prepped for.

Is this good education?

And there are some pesky financial problems.

I report, you decide.

Categories Charter Schools, Minnesota

He Will Vote For Obama

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2012 //
21

This reader will vote for Obama because Romney would be a catastrophe on many levels:

I am just the opposite of many here.  I will be abandoning the Green party for the first time in years because, while I did not vote for Obama, the difference between Democrat and Republican is, for the first time I can remember, significant enough to warrant my voting for a less than ideal candidate to avoid electing a truly awful one by default.  Even if ed. policy is your only issue, I don’t see how anyone thinks the strong ALEC-driven push to privatize the entire system is the same thing as RTTT.  And if you look at all the other issues, the prospect of a Republican in the White House becomes scary enough to vote against Romney, at all costs.
Diane, you have spent the last several years pointing out that it is poverty that creates failing schools, rather than failing educational personnel.  I applaud you for being nearly the only strong public voice challenging the prevailing deform movement.  However, I cannot believe you are suggesting anyone vote in such a way as to create what will almost certainly be widespread increases in poverty (and therefore worse education for many more kids) through the regressive policies proposed by Paul Ryan and hs running mate.  Please, swing state folks–hold your noses and vote for the far lesser of two evils.

Categories Education Reform, Obama, Romney, Mitt

K12 Cyber Schools in Trouble Again

By dianeravitch
September 12, 2012 //
3

K12, the giant cyber corporation that sells for-profit schooling, is in trouble in Seminole County, Florida, because the state insists that teachers must be certified. But having certified teachers is more expensive than having uncertified teachers, which cuts into K12’s profit margins.

The Florida Department of Education has opened an investigation into K12.

So, you can see, this is a big problem for regulators, who have this quaint attachment to the idea that teachers should meet a standard of some sort, but also for K12, whose profit margins are at risk.

You will note in the first article that K12 has another problem: The NCAA refuses to accept the credits of K12’s online program Aventa Learning, because of low standards. So student athletes hoping to get a quick and easy degree by point-and-click will have to enroll elsewhere, perhaps in a real school.

Former Governor Jeb Bush has been selling online schooling all over the country, as a win-win (cut costs, make money), and he wields influence in Florida. The investigation should be interesting.

 

 

 

Categories Bush, Jeb, Charter Schools, Education Industry, Education Reform, Florida, For-Profit, On-Line Education, Privatization
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