A teacher writes to report that the privatization movement plans to take over her school and several others in Memphis.
The schools slated for privatization are not the district’s lowest performing.
She is not pleased and feels sure that the charter operators picked her school because it is doing well, not failing.
Tennessee now has a solid rightwing majority in the state legislature, a rightwing governor, and a TFA state commissioner dedicated to advancing privatization.
Stand for Children is a major presence in the state, assuring that Wall Street money will be available to facilitate privatization and portray it as part of the “civil rights issue” of our day.
The leader of the state’s all-charter Achievement School District, Chris Barbic, who is also TFA, expressed disappointment that the scores in his new district were so low. But it is customary for administrators to low-ball scores when starting new so they have nowhere to go but up. In the new district, teachers will be paid by test scores, not by degrees or experience. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, and it Is never too soon to learn that lesson.
Tennessee was one of the first two Race to the Top states in the nation, and we should soon expect to see Tennessee at the very top. It’s fulfilling all of Secretary Duncan’s expectations. Charters and TFA are flourishing. Collective bargaining rights were eliminated. Teachers are being evaluated by test scores. The Common Core has been installed. Public schools are being handed over to every manner of entrepreneur. What more is needed for success?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
The ultimate would be robo teachers instructing classes of indoctrinated children wearing biometric bracelets and staring mindlessly at computer screens and devices that beep for mistakes, and whistle when choosing the correct bubble while tracking your every thought and movement. After 13 years of mindless test prep you are ready to work for $10 an hour for the rest of your life selling educrap to future generations of worker bees.
And so we have the legacy of American education under Duncan, Obama and Rhee.
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They just don’t get it &mdash
Two days after Michigan voters repealed the Emergency Manager law, the Governor insults the electorate by saying they were simply confused, and then he and his crew in the legislature set to work trying to cast their Educational Achievement Authority into harder stone.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121108/SCHOOLS/211080480
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121109/SCHOOLS/211090369
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This is one of the most depressing blogs I’ve read here. I know it’s what’s happening, but it seems like there’s so little that we can do about it. I’m frankly amazed that my state didn’t get to this first, but I know it’s coming. I’m screaming at the top of my lungs for people to wake up. I’ve talked to legislators and school board members numerous times. Nothing changes.
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Hmmm. The teacher that wrote should have been a little more specific.
The only schools eligible for the “Achievement School District” are the bottom 5% of schools in Tennessee. Of the 83 schools in the bottom 5% in Tennessee, 69 of them are in Memphis City Schools.
The schools for 2013-14 have not yet been picked, but there is a list of 14 from which 10 will be selected. The ASD is not necessarily picking which schools to take over by working from the bottom of the list. The real story is that they’re basically letting the charters pick which schools they want in an opaque, non-public process.
Sounds like the teacher’s real objection (aside from just objecting to the ASD) is that her school saw good improvement last year, but that it is still on the eligible list. That’s what should be another of the criticisms of the ASD – that they seem to be taking eligible schools that are already showing improvement.
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