John White, the State Commissioner of Education in Louisiana, has low regard for experience. After all, he became a state commissioner despite never having been a principal or a superintendent or having any other notable administrative experience. He did, however, teach for two years as part of Teach for America.
Acting on his convictions that experience doesn’t matter, he appointed Molly Horstman, a 27-year-old with two years of TFA teaching in New Orleans to take charge of teacher evaluations for the state of Louisiana. Horstman graduated from college in 2007 and now she will be in charge of deciding how to evaluate teachers who have been in the classroom as long as she has been alive. The fact that she has no experience evaluating teachers is irrelevant.
Critics note that Horstman allowed her teaching certificate to lapse. Experienced teachers are outraged. This is just one more insult–although some call it the ultimate insult– hurled by state bureaucrats at people who have made a career in the classroom. What more can the Jindal administration think up to discourage and insult the state’s teachers?
Jersey Jazzman, one of the best bloggers in the universe, read this story and he was incensed. Read his take, which is as usual spot on.
If you ever want to know what is happening in Louisiana, this is the blog that gives the inside scoop, written by Michael Deshotels.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Speaking of experience, wanna hear something funny (and not the ha-ha kind of funny)? Illinois Governor Pat Quinn wants to put his crony in charge of the state agency that runs U.S. Cellular Field (where the White Sox play). Rahm Emanuel is saying no because he wants someonoe with proven managerial experience. I guess it takes experience to run a ball park, not so much to run a classroom.
Tennessee and Louisiana appear to be locked in a contest to see which can field the most inexperienced Department of Education. Kevin Huffman, the State Commissioner of Ed, logged two years in a classroom teaching 1st grade in Houston for TFA in the early ’90s before taking an executive job with TFA. His chief of staff taught a couple years with TFA in the mid-2000s, and the assistant director of curriculum and instruction finished her TFA gig in 2004.
Maybe teaching hospitals should appoint their residents as chiefs of staff. It’s nice to know that anyone literally walking in from the street could tell me how my teaching is. In Connecticut we veteran teachers just found out that we will need to take the Praxis exam to prove we know how to teach reading to young children. This is after more than 25 years teaching said children. I would like to propose that all state legislators need to pass an exam on the United States Constitution as well as U.S. history. I’d like to see their pay hinge on whether or not their bills pass into law. I would like to see freshman legislators be heads of the various committees. How do we get this legislative reform through?
I teach in Connecticut and had not heard this. Details? Is it part of the new teacher evaluation procedure? Any info you have would be appreciated.
The insult is putting a 27-year-old teacher with two years of teaching experience (TFA) in charge of teacher evaluation for the state.
Diane
The details are sketchy, despite the fact that I will need to pay for and prepare to take the Praxis this year. From what I have gathered, teachers who teach reading in the primary grades must take it. I have been told that if I fail I will not be allowed to teach k-3. Luckily I am certified preK-8, although I have not taught above in the elementary level in my entire career. Because you teach middle school, I believe you may not need to do this. This is all part of the
“reform” of “DINO Dan” Malloy.
The governor’s assumption is that taking and passing a test will prove you are a good teacher. It won’t, but it will enrich ETS.
Diane
Why is it that public education in our nation has been allowed to be taken over by private interests? Lehrer’s points give us pause to wonder why teachers and education are so disrespected in this country. We are professionals with college degrees, most of us with many years experience and many with additional credentials. How is it that we have allowed those with no education credentials to take over the decision making for our profession? This has happened from national level down to states. Many in education have had enough and are leaving. They are the ones with the most experience. I guess that is the plan. Eventually our country will be overtaken by billionaire businessmen and wall street financiers. You know, the same people who brought down our country back in 2008. Everyone claims no one could have predicted that crash. But I disagree. I think they should have known that their greed and disregard for the best interests of our country would eventually implode. They didn’t care bc they were raking in the big bucks. This same greed is what is driving this ALEC agenda to privatize education. We never seem to learn. We have allowed our country to be taken over. Moyers clearly explains it. It is out there on plain sight. Why is it that our elected officials allow this. It is because our country has been bought and paid for. It is the citizens who will pay the price for allowing their greed. What kind of country are we creating for the next generation? It does not look like democracy to me.
And it doesn’t end with Horstman. Check this out:
MEET JESSICA MARIE TUCKER BAGHIAN, the deputy chief of staff for the state Department of Education.
Degree(s):
2007 COMPLETED ALTERNATIVE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM, NEW TEACHER PROJECT
2006 B.A., LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
LEVEL 1 467298 Issued:8/15/2007
Valid For: 8/15/2007 – 8/15/2010, Not Valid
(Y) TEACHER ASSESSMENT REQUIRED FOR HIGHER CERTIFICATE, 8/15/2007
PL 1 457365 Issued:8/28/2006
Valid For: 8/1/2006 – 5/31/2007, Not Valid
(048) St. John Parish, 8/28/2006
(811) MIDDLE SCHOOL: MATHEMATICS, 8/28/2006
I’ve decided to switch careers and become a dentist. With my degrees in history and education, I should get a placement some time this week.
Horstman’s BA degree is in political science from Barnard college. You forgot that qualification.
I call this the TFA invasion. This invasion began to really advance when John White came on board as the Superintendent of Education. Neither John White nor his TFA alum friends and recent hires have enough education experience to fit into the tiniest bag of penny candy or a small grain of rice. They have no knowledge of the culture of the Bayou State. Gov. Jindal has no education experience. He should have more knowledge of the culture but is not here long enough to listen and observe. He was here long enough to appoint John White and he continues to be here long enough to make proposals that continue to destroy all that is good, manipulate favorable votes for his proposals, appoint his people to policy boards like the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) and LSU, and privatize, privatize, privatize. As we say, “Follow the money.”
Neither face the public’s questions well. Both need their “chiefs of PR” to spread the word at salaries that are outrageous.
To hire a 27 year old to supervise the flawed evaluation system passed by the legislature should be the last straw for educators. I hope it is! Revolt, I say! Louisiana students, educators, parents and every other taxpayer is being screwed.
Thanks, Diane, for keeping vigil to Louisiana’s state of education. It is truly a sad state of affairs. Thanks, too, for referring your readers to Michael Deshotel’s blog. He does a superb job.
This letter to John White by former state teacher of the year Deborah Tonguis appears to have hit a nerve. I posted her conversation with White about his new hire on my Favebook page and here on my blogs It is going viral. Note that White actually denies Ms. Horstman is the director of the teacher eval program.
http://www.geauxteacher.net/2012/10/geaux-teacher-tonguis.html
Is it possible that John White and CT’s governor, “DINO” Dan Malloy, are twins separated at birth?