Archives for the month of: March, 2013
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How the Gates Foundation Undermines Teachers’ Rights

By dianeravitch
March 29, 2013 //
40

I often re-read this amazing article in the New York Times to remind me of the agenda of the Gates Foundation.

It has a double agenda, like all the corporate reform groups it supports. It publicly speaks of support and collaboration with teachers, but it funds organizations that actively campaign against any job protections for teachers.

Gates himself has said that class size is unimportant and that he would rather see larger classes with higher-quality teachers (but not, we can be certain, for his own children). The same sentiment is often echoed by Michael Bloomberg, who said that if he had his way (which he already does), he would fire half the city’s teachers, double class size, and have only high quality teachers. What makes him think that a high quality teacher with a class of 24 would be equally effective with a class of 48?

Gates’ anti-union, pro-testing groups are made up of young teachers–with names like TeachPlus and Educators for Excellence–who are paid handsomely to advocate against due process rights and in favor of tying teacher evaluations to test scores. Since few intend to make a career of teaching, why should they care?

Categories Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Teacher Evaluations, Teacher Tenure, Teachers and Teaching

Occupy the DOE: See You There!

By dianeravitch
March 29, 2013 //
3

Contact: United Opt Out National FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Email: unitedoptoutnational@gmail.com
Website: http://unitedoptout.com

OCCUPY THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2.0

The Battle for Public Schools

Administrators of the public education advocacy group UNITED OPT OUT NATIONAL are hosting the second annual event on the grounds of the US Department of Education in Washington, DC on April 4-7, 2013. We ask all of those in support of teachers, students and public schools to attend. The third day will include an organized march to the White House.

The event is a four-day gathering of progressive education activists endeavoring to resist the destructive influences of corporate and for-profit education reforms, which began in previous administrations and persist with the current one. We cannot and will not stand silent as the threats to dismantle our system of public education continue. These threats include the erosion of the teaching profession, excessive use of standardized testing, mandated scripted curriculum, the absolute disregard of child poverty, and reforms which disproportionately impact minority communities.

We ask that you join us, stand tall, and meet your responsibility as citizens to be heard above the din corporate influence.

You will have the opportunity to hear speakers and converse with public school advocates from across the country, including Diane Ravitch, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, Stephen Krashen, Brian Jones, Deborah Meier, and many other students, teachers, and community members (visit the link below for full schedule details).

Do not miss this free and unique opportunity to connect with like-minded public school advocates. Come gather information and strategies that can be used to fight corporate education reform in your own community. Join us and make your voice heard.

If you require more information about the event, or to schedule interviews with the Administrators of United Opt Out National, please contact Peggy Robertson at (720)810- 5593 or via email writepeg@juno.com.

Categories Support for public schools, Teachers and Teaching, Testing

Does New York State Care About Education?

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
33

Jere Hochman, superintendent of the Bedford Central School District, describes the outrageous pressure on schools. Governor Cuomo put a 2% cap on new taxes, and it requires a super-majority of 60% to lift the tax cap. Many schools are cutting the budget, cutting programs, laying off librarians. More mandates keep coming from the state and federal government.

Do “reformers” protest the budget cuts? Do they protest when class sizes go up or librarians are laid off?

As long as they get more testing, Common Core, and value-added assessment, the reformers are satisfied.

Categories Budget Cuts, Class size, New York, Teacher Evaluations

The Mystery of the $18,000 in Alabama Solved

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
14

A reader did some sleuthing when presented earlier with the question of who was paying for an ad buy of at least $18,000 to support the Alabama Accountability Act:

He writes:

Oh, what a tangled web we weave…

So, alabamaaccountability.com/ is owned by Domains by Proxy LLC, a company that has already been identified as engaging in troubling activities (in particular in the political domain, seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domains_by_Proxy)

The organizations featured on Alabama Accountability’s website as “supporters” are Heritage Foundation, the Alabama Policy Institute, and The Business Council of Alabama. We already know enough about Hertitage – and hope someone around here from Alabama might chime in. The Alabama Policy Institute is lead by Gary Palmer, who is a self-described founding director of the State Policy Network – a subsidiary of ALEC. Their policy director, Cameron Smith, most recently worked for Rep. Jeff Sessions (R-AL). Alabama Policy Network likes charters, vouchers, anti-union, and public funding for religious school.

In the article, two board members of Alabama Accountablity are mentioned, Kate Anderson and Ashley Newman. Is this the same Ashley Newman who is on the Board of Directors of Reform Alabama (http://reformalabama.org/about-us/board-of-directors/)? This org supports charter schools, merit pay for teachers, and teacher ed accountability based on teacher “performance.” And is Kate Anderson the same one profiled here http://yellowhammerpolitics.com/blog/power-influence-whos-next/ as someone who raised $5.7M for GOP candidates?

Inquiring minds want to know….

Categories Accountability, Alabama, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Privatization

Which Entrepreneur Will Get Camden’s Kids?

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
4

Jersey Jazzman has done his usual spectacular research job and discovered that a new charter operator is poised to enter the Camden “market” of school choice.

It happens to be the same for-profit charter operator who runs the Chester Community Charter School, who happens to be the single biggest campaign contributor to Pennsylvania governor Tom Corbett. Since he opened his charter, the Chester public schools have gone bankrupt and been taken over by a state fiscal manager.

For good measure, Jersey Jazzman uncovers the buying of Democratic politicians who agreed to turn their city’s children over to the privatizers.

Privatization is not just a Republican thing. Amazing what campaign contributions can do.

Even more amazing is that it costs less to buy politicians in New Jersey than in Pennsylvania.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Industry, For-Profit, New Jersey, Privatization

Who Are These Ideologues? Fill in the Blanks

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
30

Ed Berger has written a wise blog about the damage that ideologues do.

In this post, he describes two people but does not identify them by name.

He writes about how their narrow experience, their arrogance, their certainty, and their inability to learn from their mistakes do serious damage to other people.

Who are they?

Categories Education Reform

Response to Absurd N.C. Charter Proposal

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
14

A reader comments on the post this morning about a Republican proposal to give a new state charter board authority over charter schools, to low charters to hire as many uncertified teachers as they wish, to eliminate criminal background checks for charter staff and operators, etc.:

He writes:

So let’s get this straight…the same GOP who wants tougher standards, tougher evaluation systems for public school teachers, a school grading (rating) system using an A-F model based on standardized test scores, etc…now want to circumvent state law requiring that at least half of the staff at a charter school hold teaching licenses, as well as remove background checks as a requirement for school personnel. Oh, and only be accountable to a “board” made up of members who are handpicked by the owner of the charter school. UNBELIEVABLE!!! Folks, you can’t make this stuff up! I don’t know who is more stupid…the guys making the laws to fix education, or the citizens who believe their solutions will work. I solved our public education woes well over a decade ago. Want something that will actually work? Just ask me.

“Republican state Sen. Jerry Tillman, the sponsor and committee co-chairman, gave a gruff assessment of the state board’s view on charters since lawmakers eliminated a cap on the number of schools in 2011. He said charter schools are too restrained to be successful.”

“Tillman cited an example of a pharmacist who wasn’t able to teach chemistry because he wasn’t a licensed teacher, saying the pharmacist had more experience than most teachers. “Any time you’ve got a piece of bologna that has two sides to it, I don’t care how thin you slice it, you’ve got to look beyond what might appear on the paper,” he said.

*Laughs* Oh Tillman, you foolish, foolish little man. Just because someone is an expert in a field does not make them a good teacher. Case in point: Some years ago, in a Charlotte high school, a former Duke University professor decided she wanted to “make a difference” and work with minority, at-risk kids and “share her vast knowledge of the field in which she was an expert.” She lasted one year. The kids ate her up and spit her out. Duke. One of the most prestigious Universities on the planet. Expert in her field. Lasted ONE year.

Am I the only one tired of the lawmakers, educrats, and faux-reformers who write the laws and make decisions on education, while not having a degree in the field? It would be like me telling a physician how to treat his patients, and I don’t have a background in the medical field.

I think some of these guys think just because they went to school makes them knowledgable on how to fix a school. Remember, just because you know how to drive a car does not make you a mechanic.

Categories Charter Schools, North Carolina

An Insider Reveals What Happens in Cyber Charter Schools

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
72

I have written many posts about the scam and sham of cyber charters. They are highly profitable for their owners and investors, but study after study shows that they provide a poor education. Whatever their value for adults, whatever the value of an online course for a rural student, the cyber charters are a pitiful substitute for a real school with real teachers and real students and real human interaction.

Now comes the inside scoop from a teacher in a cyber charter school. It is very thing it’s critics feared and worse. It is all about making money for the corporation. It is bad education. That is, if you care about children or education or the future of our society.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, K12 Inc., On-Line Education, Privatization

Hype, Spin, and Deception: The Reform Narrative

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
7

Have you heard about the latest miracle school? Have you heard about the school that graduate all students regardless of zip codes? Want to learn more about their success?

EduShyster explains it here.

Categories Charter Schools, Massachusetts

Camden, NJ, School Board Member: I Quit

By dianeravitch
March 28, 2013 //
4

After Governor Christie announced his intention to take control of the public schools of Camden, this school board member resigned in protest.

The state has controlled three other impoverished urban districts, some for more than 20 years, without improving them. Paterson, for 24 years; Jersey City for 22 years; and Newark for 18 years.

Based solely on performance, one must say that state control in New Jersey is a total abject failure.

If performance matters, then some other state should take over Camden’s public schools, because the NJ Department of Education has an unbroken record of poor performance. It deserves an F.

Categories New Jersey, Privatization
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