A reader from Los Angeles raises questions about Dr. Deasy’s credentials and his backers. I cannot verify all his claims but could verify this and thisand this:
The reader writes:
“In Los Angeles, “Dr.” (a term L.A. teachers sneer at) John Deasy got his PhD from the University of Louisville after six months attendance and nine units of coursework from a “Professor” (another loose term) Felner whom Deasy had previously awarded $375,000 in consulting contracts while Superintendent of Santa Monica. Felner later received a vote of no confidence first from the University and then the U.S. Justice Department which sentenced him to five years in federal prison for defrauding the US Government and urban school districts of $2.3 million. Deasy lied on his resume, claiming to have taught at Loyola and was “installed” by Eli Broad (he’s a Broad Graduate), Bill Gates, and Mayor Villariagosa. Not only did LAUSD not conduct a national search, they didn’t even interview him. When I say “installed,” I mean, “INSTALLED!” He is now busy wrecking the careers of hundreds, soon to be thousands of dedicated teaching professionals using false allegations, many related to child abuse. Does anyone truly believe we suddenly have thousands of child-abusing teachers in L.A., or has an unqualified, vindictive, malicious Superintendent launched an unprecedented McCarthyistic witch hunt against primarily senior teachers to cover his own behind for mishandling other legitimate sex scandals (including a previous Superintendent’s) and solve his budget problems by riding himself of highly skilled (relatively expensive) veteran teachers while simultaneously robbing them of district-paid lifetime retirement health benefits –a quarter of a million dollars or more these veterans have spent decades earning while serving to LAUSD students?”
Six months and nine units got Deasy a PhD. Oh and by the way, his dissertation is dated months before he even enrolled at Louisville. How many ways can you spell “Quid Pro Quo?” What is the plural? Is it “Quids,” “Pros,” or “Quos”? All three? It can’t be “Pros.” Deasy is anything but a “pro.”
Deasy is literally skinning teachers alive with false allegations. And after paying accused child molester Mark Brendt $40,000 to resign, he did not notify the State’s Teacher Credential Commission for more than a year, the penalty for which is the revocation of your (meaning Deasy’s) administrative credential. Why does a man who admittedly broke the law still have an administrative credential? Why is he still an administrator? Why is his butchering of teachers being allowed to continue? Two reasons. The first is “Eli” and the second is “Broad.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
LA needs a Carmen Lopez, the retired CT judge who filed the case against Vallas.
If even half of these allegations are true, this guy should be removed from his position and banned from working in education.
And go to jail. Disgusting. Repulsive. Why isn’t there accountability and transparency for the big boys?
They may need to build a new prison just for these sociopathic edufrauds.
Oh these are just the tip of an iceberg
Okay, I have not followed all of Diane’s links, but let me provide a little context. Deasy had started his dissertation under Felner at another university, and when Felner went to Louisville he took his prize pupil along with him. That by itself is not unusual – when my wife’s mentor was exploring a job at another university he told them of two doctoral students he wanted to bring along. He did not, as it happens, get that job.
But it is unusual, and usually a violation of university rules, to grant a graduate degree in which a majority of the work has not been done at the degree-granting institution. There can be waivers for good reason, but usually not to the degree that Deasy received.
When the issue came to public notice, I believe when Felner was indicted, Deasy did make public remarks that he had followed what he had been instructed to do, and if the university felt he had violated any rules, he was open to surrendering his degree. As far as I know, nothing ever came of that – and surely the University should have known what Deasy did or did not do.
Whether there was a quid pro quo would require one to look far further than Deasy’s brief time at Lousville, and to the rest of his degree.
It is worth noting that Deasy in less than a decade moved from Santa Monica with about 13,000 students through Prince George’s County (around 130,000 students) to #2 at Gates Foundation, to #2 at LAUSD (because his predecessor refused to be pushed out immediately) to #1 in a district with over 660,000 students and 45,000 teachers, the 2nd largest school district in the nation.
Full disclosure – I worked in Prince George’s County for the entirety of Deasy’s tenure. I have spoken with him briefly once – at one of our graduations – and he was present for part of a presentation I did to a task force on which he was a member. He did some good things during his tenure – he funded AP training for teachers for all the AP courses he was insisting that each high school have, he raised the amount of the stipend for National Board Certification from 3,000 to 5,000 and persuaded the board to consider it as part of base pay which meant that it counted towards retirement. He came in in May, not waiting until July 1, to get his feet wet (which is when I met him for the first time). He however did not address a lot of the issues that needed addressing (although the board can also be blamed for that) and he left for Gates Foundation before his contract was up, also not at the end of a school year.
I wrote this not because I am a Deasy fan – believe me, I am not – but because I would need to see far more before I would be floating charges like quid pro quo.
And any details on the trumped up sexual abuse allegations vs. overlooking those close to the top?
The University of Louisville investigated ITSELF, concluded there was “no wrong doing” (big surprise) despite the fact a year of study AT THE UNIVERSITY is the minimum requirement for awarding a degree. Louisville then promptly changed its policies so nothing like what Felner did would ever happen again. Nothing like, you know, “wrong doing.” As for the quid pro quo, if you hand someone $340,000 and get a PhD for six months and nine units of coursework, you have to ask yourself, “If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, is it a duck?
Quack quack.
Deasy suddenly bailed (and I mean suddenly) the week before the phony PhD scandal hit the papers in Prince George’s County. One week! That is why, Teacher Ken, he left before his contract was up. He completely left Prince George’s County in the lurch! His career would still be in ashes if not pulled from the depths by the Gates Foundation which in hiring him announced the fact with a glossy press release that included his full biography, but made no mention of a PhD. Coincidence? A careless omission? Need “further investigation”? I think not.
As for A.P. teacher “training”, he took a program designed to provide rich, rigorous, in-depth study into various subjects by our brightest students and best teachers, and denigrated them into a system where the sole focus was teaching the answers to the AP Exam’s test questions. He gave unqualified teachers a “script” for teaching AP classes. “Give them a script and anyone can teach AP,” was Deasys view. That was Deasy’s teacher training. Reducing rich, rigorous and rewarding AP classes to test prep can hardly be called a “step forward.”
My charges do not just float, Sir Ken. They fly.
Joseph, in fact you are wrong about the AP. His predecessor, the disgrace Andre Hornsby, had expanded the AP program, but provided no money for training. When Deasy took over and expanded AP to what was called the Apple 8 courses each high school was supposed to provide (although some had insufficient enrollment), he provided funds for 1 teacher for each course at each HS to go to a one-week AP training. Further, there were a variety of additional supports within the County, including at one point those of us who were recognized as good teachers providing additional support on Saturdays to students whose teachers were inexperienced. There were also workshops where experienced and successful teachers offered assistance to new and struggling teachers.
The program was never all focused on test scores, although for a while at least the School System paid for exams to encourage students to take them – the rationale for that was quite frankly largely the challenge index of Jay Mathews – #AP tests / #graduating seniors gave a score – if better than 1.0 you were considered a good high school.
Except not all the teachers were up to the task, and too many of the students in some high schools were simply unprepared to do the necessary work at the appropriate level. Thus one year when 78% of my 9th graders got 3 (out of 5) or better – a passing score – in AP US Government and Politics, one high school had NONE of its 20 some odd students score higher than a 2.
There were a lot of things Deasy did wrong. You are mischaracterizing what happened with AP.
and as far as his leaving, my understanding from multiple sources independent of Deasy is that the job offer had been floated well before the story broke, and from what I know of the Board Members at the time a majority were satisfied with Deasy’s offer to Memphis that if the University found he had not met their requirements he would surrender his degree. Of course, then he would have needed a waiver from the State Superintendent, but based on precedent, he would have had no trouble getting that.
one additional point, not made in my first comment: I believe Deasy was responsible for bringing in Bill Hite as his #2. They were both products of the Broad Institute, but unlike many such, both at least in theory had doctorates in education. Hite succeeded Deasy. The comments about Hite during his tenure in PG was that he was Deasy, but with better people skills. He is a warm individual. When I won my Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award, he made a point of coming down to the ceremony and speaking with me before the formal goings on, even though he had several other commitments. I had several other encounters with him, he was always personally warm. That said, his tenure at PG was no great shakes, and I am not surprised by his actions in Philadelphia, because he knew why he was being brought in. It is also worth contrasting his track record – like that of Deasy – of moving to ever larger school systems, with that of Vallas, moving to ever smaller systems.
Ken, I must say your naivete is truly stunning. Do you really think a teacher can become qualified to teach AP in a week? Not without leaving with a script. Even if a Gates Foundation job had been “floated”, how reprehensible, to say nothing of irresponsible to leave a school district in the lurch prior to the end of the year. Making the decision to abandon ship the week before a major scandal breaks is a coincidence? Naivete hardly describes your view. And here’s a great idea you mention that I love. Let’s take students who suffer five days a week as you admit from the incompetence of inexperienced teachers by giving them to you for a couple of hours on Saturday. What did you do, kiss and make it better? Five days a week and your pure brilliance solves the problem on a Saturday? Are you kidding me?
As for your views on Deasy: How do you spell “apologist”?
You know Joseph, you are so full of nonsense I am going to ignore you after this. You seem to think that an AP Institute takes someone who does not already know the content of their subject and turns them into an AP teacher. Apparently you have never been to an Institute nor taught AP or you would not be so off base. An AP Institute is taught by someone who is quite experienced. in my case a woman who was a Question Leader in AP Government (and if you don’t know what that is, you are probably not qualified to be in this discussion). Over the course of the week you explore how the course is constructed – that is, exploring in detail the percentages on topics. In the case of the course I taught, AP US Government & Politics, you learn how the constructed responses which make up 50% of the test are scored. You learn how to score, using real papers and real rubrics. You go into the kinds of things one’s students need to learn about the various subtopics. You develop unit plans and lesson plans with other teachers and share them.
It is the equivalent of doing a 3-credit college course in an intensive 5 day period.
If one does not already know the subject area, it would be a waste of tim.e
If one does know the subject area, it gives a very good foundation of how to teach the material at something approaching the level of a college introductory course.
One gets exposed to a lot of resources one can explore further on one’s own.
One gets connected with other teachers, both at the institute, but also around the country.
It may be the most important thing an experienced teacher of the subject can do to prepare to successfully teach AP.
Oh, and one other thing Joseph? If you think I am naive about educational matters, you (a) have no idea of my background, (b) no idea of how I think and operate, and (c) are demonstrating how you try to dismiss anyone who doesn’t agree with you by engaging in inappropriate personal denigration.
I know AP prep PD as well as Joseph K. And you are right on both counts. I taught AP English Language and I was an adjunct college instructor for years before that ( don’t get me started on that! Migrant workers may more per hour!) and Mr. K and I are bound by an ugly ordeal as LAUSD casuaties. He is an absolute a” hole. But you have to understand why. He spent his whole life as a teacher. A good one, at that. There is more than his say so to prove it.
There is little to nothing that proves he did what the EducRAT$ say he did. The admin just turned on him. They’ve turned on 1000s of us in an effort Karen Horwitz calls ‘teacher cleansing”in her book about white chalk crime. It began before Gates Broad, Wasserman and the gang caught on to the scam.LAUSD, at leat. Has been corrupt to its core for decades.
If they weren’t , the Trojan Horse woukd not have gotten in to serve us the kool-aid. This is why poor Joe is so acrimonious and arrogant. When you are ruined after giving as much as he has, it does something to you. You sit up late at night, well into the morning, brooding over blogs and writing a passionate speech for the school board. To ignore when you deliver it. He lost much more than a job. As did I. You don’t just get over that. Especially not after a lifetime.
So forgive him. He doesn’t know what he is doing.
Godspeed
Look, I hold no brief for Deasy – or for Hite, whom I actually knew personally (being the school system’s choice for the Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award does get one noticed). I have been very critical of what he did and continues to do in LA.
That one is bitter does not give one the right to attack the way he was attacking, nor to distort information.
I have been critical of the expansion of AP, which I think occurred in large part because of the Challenge Index of my friend Jay Mathews. I happen to think I could challenge students without the framework of AP and the pressure of preparing for the test. On the other hand, I have enjoyed getting kids who were motivated to take on the challenge and in my last school it was the one way students could guarantee getting me as a teacher since for 7 of my 8 years teaching AP I was the only one. That lead in some cases to my teaching 3 children from the same family.
I have also written about how poorly some students around the country are prepared. I have twice served as a reader of the constructed responses, am still in the pool to do so, and would have in 2012 except since I knew was a retiring I freed up my slot for someone else. I could well have been a table leader, except since I can read and score so quickly the folks decided they really could not give up my production. In my last year of scoring, I was on a question with a 6 point rubric. The average score was a 1. I scored over 3,000 students on that question. I gave a total of 7 scores of 6. Many simply did not accurately read the question, and thus got no credit, even though they demonstrating they had the underlying knowledge, because they did not follow instructions.
I have been very critical of Deasy. But I also believe in fairness and accuracy.
That goes to the issue of his doctorate.
That certainly goes to the resources he supplied to ensure that those teaching AP had the chance at district expense for the appropriate training. That includes the additional resources provided for ongoing professional development for AP teachers.
That someone does not like Deasy does not justify distorting things. Should he have receive a doctorate from Memphis? Well, he did not meet their rules, yet they knew that at the time he received his degree. Is his approach on many things wrong? Absolutely, but to his credit if you are going to expand AP offerings, do your best to ensure that teachers receiving the appropriate training and support.
Take him apart on other things – his reliance upon Value-Added; his wanting to spend money on hardward; his willingness to follow the Broad agenda. But also remember he was hired by a school board, and if you do not think he should have been hired, go after them. The voters in LA did, and he now has a board that is attempting to exercise some control and supervision, and I supported those who were opposing his agenda.
If I do not know what I am doing, then why is this the second time Ms. Ravitch has seen fit to publish my writing. Look at the top, Miss Fiance. (And again congratulations).
Diane wrote: “A reader from Los Angeles raises questions about Dr. Deasy’s credentials and his backers. I cannot verify all his claims but could verify this and this and this:
“The reader (Joseph K) writes…”
Are you accusing Diane Ravitch of publishing the work of someone who doesn’t know what he is doing? I give her more credit. And I say Exhibit A is her choosing to publish my work as “A reader from Los Angeles”.
” Over the course of the week you explore how the course is constructed – that is, exploring in detail the percentages on topics. In the case of the course I taught, AP US Government & Politics, you learn how the constructed responses which make up 50% of the test are scored. You learn how to score, using real papers and real rubrics.”
In other words, over the course of the week you focus on test prep. You did a very nice job of proving the very point of someone “full of nonsense.”
“If one does not already know the subject area, it would be a waste of time.
“If one does know the subject area, it gives a very good foundation of how to teach the material at something approaching the level of a college introductory course.”
Who is full of nonsense? If you do not know the subject it is “a waste of time,” but for those who don’t, “it, gives a very good foundation at something approaching a college introductory course.” Which is it, a waste of time or “something approaching a college introductory course?” Do we want someone who only “has something approaching a college introductory course” teaching AP? I sure don’t. I want someone with a deep understanding of the subject matter. What are the students doing while the teacher “explores further on his own”?
Do you give them one of those “real rubrics” and tell them to rewrite them in their own words while the teacher does some exploring on his own in order to at least have some clue as to what he is talking about? The subject he is teaching?
I only call you naive on education matters in that you boast about being friends with Jay Mathews. No one is more naive about educational matters than Jay Mathews. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas of any man I have ever met.”
Of course I have never met you. But I was not criticizing you or your abilities as a teacher. I was criticizing what AP had devolved to. I am criticizing the people who now all too often are put in front of these classes, teachers who could neither pass the test, nor have mastery of the material. I was not putting you in that category, but the legions who are across all the subject areas.
You seem to think it a good idea to “explore in detail the percentages on each topic.” In other words, you want the test to drive instruction. That is not the purpose of education and should not be the purpose of a true educator. A true educator provides his (and she can be women, too, you know) students a deep, profound, well-rounded understanding of the subject. Then you throw the test at them to see how deep and well rounded they are. You do not try to “game the system”, or let the “percentages on each topic” drive your instruction.
That is test prep pure and simple.
Ms. Rene, you are aware that Joseph K wrote the piece at the top of these mini-rants, the piece Ms. Ravitch so kindly featured here?
SIGH – wrong again. In the prep courses for AP US Government and Politics you also learn how to infuse data related issues into the course, you draft a variety of lesson plans to address different parts of the curriculum outline. So you have a hostility towards Deasy, and you don’t like AP. Sorry, but your experience on these points is not universal to the point that justifies your misstatements.
What’s so sickening here is that allegations are made about Deasy, allegations that I think have teeth, and this guy gets to keep his job and is promoted. All the false allegations made against L.A. teachers and they get fired, forced resignation or forced retirement. Where is the due process for them? Deasy is getting a political pass based on his relationship with the broadfather, Gates and Bloomberg. He is their entre into the LAUSD money for them and their cronies. This is how money does it. Our students and community get screwed and the money gets the money. We need to continue investigating Deasy because an official like him, with no integrity, only political ties, will do something illegal again if he hasn’t already done it. I know of no other person who can take classes for several months and obtain a Phd. This is rigorous instruction? University of Louisiana must have gotten a hell of an endowment to swallow this.
Just two thoughts.
First, can someone clarify exactly what the sexual abuse accusations are and any other info related to that.
Second, no matter how it is explained, this individual did not earn a doctorate the way everyone else does. That is, with dedication, and very hard work. There should be absolutely no question as to his academic credentials.
At Miramonte Elementary School, there was a case of an allegedly abusive teacher (make that two, apparently), which I believe is still working its way through the legal system. But Deasy removed the ENTIRE STAFF OF 120 PEOPLE of the school from duty, as if to suggest they were all guilty — collective punishment: http://yhoo.it/wbbW7T
Also, Deasy has removed several capable and well-regarded administrators from their positions even though there were apparently several degrees of separation between them and a different case of abuse that occurred in the District.
No one wishes to minimize the horror of sexual abuse of children. But because these charges have the power to destroy careers and lives, they should be levelled judiciously, not in an indiscriminate manner, as Deasy appears to have done.
Here’s a recent LA Daily News article on a peripherally related matter: Deasy’s witch-hunt against board member Dr. Richard Vladovic (http://bit.ly/139IRZJ). Deasy regards Vladovic as being unsympathetic to his slash-and-burn agenda. Perhaps not coincidentally, Vladovic is a candidate for President of the School Board when it meets next week (Vladovic, by the way, has a genuine doctorate, unlike Deasy’s).
Banderson 114 and others, there was a sex scandal in 2012 involving a current LAUSD employee and former superintendent Ramon Cortines. Here’s the link:http://www.dailynews.com/education/ci_20692418/lausd-will-pay-200-000-settlement-over-alleged
The “scandal” involving Ramon Cortines was about a relationship between two consenting adults. Cortines was blackmailed.
With all due respect to my hero above (and it was me who wrote the piece starting all this), the “Cortines Affair” is in dispute and may end up in court. Cortines was the Superintendent of schools and thus had the power to fire or promote Scott Graham. In fact, one might ask how/why Graham got his job in the first place? How/why was he promoted? Did Cortines have an agenda from day one?
A superior (in this case LAUSD’s most powerful superior) who has sexual relations with a subordinate is not the definition of two consenting adults. When saying “no” could mean termination or demotion and “yes” a possible promotion, then “yes” cannot be considered “consent.” This has been clearly established when the boss is a man and the subordinate a woman.
Why, then, does this also not apply to two men?
I carry no water for former Superintendent Ramòn Cortines—and it is my understanding that the owner of this blog doesn’t either—but Diane’s brief comment is why I keep coming back to this blog.
This is what it means to fight hard but fair. As someone who believes in a “better education for all” I don’t think we will achieve a just end with unjust means.
“Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud.” [Sophocles]
Thank you, KrazyHistoryLady.
🙂
Agreed. There is a huge difference between sexual relationships between consenting adults and sexual abuse of children.
In regard to the Miramonte scandal, some of the attorneys are not “settling” because they know that a trial will expose gross negligence on the part of administration, including Deasy, that failed to notify state officials about criminals, as required by law. Deasy has been shamelessly trying to place the blame for the sex scandal on innocent teachers and “the unions” but when the facts come out, we’ll all see that LAUSD is the public school counterpart of Penn State. Hopefully, those who are truly guilty of allowing this abuse to go unabated will pay the price.
Good to know, thanks.
Regardless of his lack of credentials, his possible role in hiding a “sex deviant” for a year, or whatever else he may be publicly excoriated for, Deasy is a privatizer out to destroy public education. I do not think we need to have charges against him to identify the fact that he should not be in charge of the second largest school district in the country, let alone any school district. Deasy, by the way, acts as a bully does – someone who is basically fearful for his position. He may have been nice to TeacherKen, but he is not a “nice” individual. Don’t forget, we have fortunately elected some pro-public education members to our Board of Education. Deasy’s job may be on the line.
On Tuesday, July2, the new and re-elected LAUSD School Board members with take the Oath of Office. With Monica Ratliff and Steve Zimmer joining forces with other informed members, hopefully reason will prevail in the second largest school district in the Nation.
However, it will not happen without constant public pressure!
All LA readers of this blog certainly should show up, join up, and keep writing letters to the editor about Deasy and BroadRheeform, and as the taxpayers who foot the bills for public education, shout out loudly and continually until we achieve actual public school change based on proven and studied academics, but not privatization to enrich the free marketers who see public schools as a vast opportunity for profit..
There are now many splinter groups springing up in opposition to privatization as the truth is spread throughout our County. If you want to unite and be a conduit for truth regarding the danger of parent trigger and Ben Austin’s damaging Parent Revolution, please join with us at
Joining Forces for Education
jf4ed@aol.com
We are holding ongoing training classes for Speaker’s Bureau so that retired teachers and others can go into the community and speak on issues of the Broad Academy trainees such as Deasy, Rhee, Byrd-Bennett, whose theme as specified in the Broad manual is to rapidly shut down our public schools and install profit making charters in their stead.
Wonderful to
Wonderful to hear this. I always said this on line educated superintendent needs to go. Great hopes for our district if educators take control. Let’s say no to the broad father, Gates and Bloomberg control of our schools
Diane, do you know what the term “Color of Authority” means? That is what Cortines did. He can get all the boys he wants and if you have seen his boyfriend you would know what he likes. Because I gave the board the law on the illegality of paying off Scott Graham they had to cancel the deal in closed session. Here is the funny part. Illegally, Holmquist, the general counsel, talked Graham out of filing a complaint. Now the district is saying he has no right to sue because he did not file a complaint. This is what I gave the board when they went into closed session and decided they could not make the settlement. So the district talks him out of filing the needed complaint, which is illegal, and then says tough luck as you did not file the complaint we talked you out of filing. George Orwell is alive and well. Scott Graham is a nice guy. I have known him for a long time off and on. Cortines smiles, shakes your hand and then does what he wants with a smile on his face. How is Cortines name still on a school with this scandal?
In 1997 I had the first and only audit of LAUSD for Teachers being Falsely Charged with Child Abuse for Whistle Blowing. Now it is worse than ever. My friend Lenny Isenburg at lenny@perdaily.com has the largest data base there is except for LAUSD’s of teachers falsely charged and illegally fired without “Due Process.” Deasy is in the middle of this as is the General Counsel. Not only that Deasy and Holmquist are at risk under the California Child Abuse Laws for not reporting to the proper authorities and for interfering in investigations. Do you all really want to have some fun with them? How does jail time sound? Loss of job? And much much more. They constantly break these laws. Once again the culprits are the administrators. Remember, people were just removed for not reporting. One a former worker for Vladavick Do not know how this works in with the latest on Vladavick. Can’t be separated in the real world.
Deasy not only has a totally false record, just read the original stories on this and talk with the reporters as I have, both on his PHD and work record. This is not even in question. Before they voted for Deasy I called each board members office and made sure they knew about his phony PHD and where to look at the stories. One chief of staff got on the phone and i asked “Are you in front of a computer? Yes. Enter John Deasy, University of Louisville.” One minute later “I see. I said: Not a rumor anymore is it?” Before they voted for him I brought it up again. Who cares is the response or lack of it. They are sooooooo afraid of the process for Ruben Zacarias to become superintendent when it was 4-5 for the spot and they had to do presentations and question and answer all over the city. Can’t have that anymore as we know what they need more than they do and that was dangerous as anything can happen and we like control.
The Commission on Teacher Credentialing cannot revoke the superintendent’s administrative credential, because he does not have an administrative credential. The superintendent is the only position in a school district that does not have to be credentialed.