If there is a watch list at the U.S. Department of Education, surely Anthony Cody must be on it, along with me.
Anthony has been one of the most articulate critics of Arne Duncan and Bill Gates and the whole corporate reform agenda.
Just when I think he can’t outdo his last column, he proves me wrong.
This time, he explains his efforts to engage with Arne Duncan and how Duncan brushed him off.
He writes:
I actively sought a dialogue with the Arne Duncan and the Department of Education way back in November of 2009, when I wrote an open letter to President Obama, and started a Facebook group called Teachers’ Letters to Obama. In December of that same year I sent a packet of more than 100 letters to Secretary Duncan and the White House. In return I got a short note from a staffer at the DoEd, and no response at all from the White House. Eventually, the Teachers’ Letters group got a short phone conference with Secretary Duncan, and he followed up with a short personal call as well. But that was a very frustrating and aborted sort of dialogue, where the main emphasis on the part of Department of Education was to convince us all that we were somehow incapable of accurately perceiving their policies and their real-world consequences. Widespread frustration with this sort of response, and with administration policies, led to more than 6000 of us gathering in front of the White House at the Save Our Schools March in the summer of 2011.
Anthony never gave up trying, and was unable to break through the administration’s stony insistence that they know what they are doing, and their minds are closed.
Anthony is a teacher, and he believes in education, so he keeps reaching out. I think even Anthony now realizes that this administration has no intention of changing course, no matter what the evidence.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
What we have to remember is that getting “booo”ed off the stage, which is sort of what is happening here, is hard for a performer to handle (I would imagine–never had it happen. 🙂 ) I would imagine it requires some therapy to accept. I think they probably don’t know what to do because engaging in dialogue to them admits a lack of having all the answers and can be perceived as weakness. Also, as we know from teaching, too many experts diverts progress (as the Fugees put it, “too many DJs, not enough mics”). This is where some wisdom that the dialogue must happen for the sake of the children–it needs to happen! This is where a pro-public school person who plays basketball well calls up Arne and says let’s go shoot some hoops and talk about a few things. Keep it real. Don’t take the humanity out of their job either (no matter the ills they have done).
Again, the ratio of 4:1. Four things their intentions had right; one thing that needs to be changed (baby steps).
I do believe, even though many readers on this blog probably don’t, that they are well-intentioned. We can’t afford (our children can’t afford) to fight arrogance with arrogance.
I know you’re an incurable optimist, but you only have to read George Schmidt’s excellent comment* on the Rhee/Bennett thread below to understand that nothing about this is “well-intentioned”. It’s outright theft. Your assumption of Duncan et al’s intentions is like finding an intruder in your home and assuming he just stopped in to use the bathroom.
* Diane – that comment would be worth a post of its own, in my opinion.
Will do.
Dienne, my friend–
I read it. It is more about method, to me, than intent. Even if they intend to destroy public education (as we know it, at least) they think they are solving a problem (increase the middle class, get all children to be above average, whatever). I equate it more like my three year old son thinking, as he told me, if he cuts off the top of my station wagon, he will have a Jeep. Nevermind the method, he wants a Jeep and will use (in his mind) what he has at his fingertips to get it (even though at the end of the day all we would have is a topless station wagon and no Jeep). It’s charming, but of course he is 3.
I don’t think what Duncan is doing is charming at all. But I do think that all of those under the Reformer umbrella (whether motivated by money, ideology, think they will fix things by doing what they are doing. So the question is: what is their station wagon, what is the action, and what is the Jeep?
station wagon= public schools as we know them
action= break them up and open charters instead
Jeep = peace, love and happiness?? (I don’t know)
Because we drive the station wagon (teach in public school) we don’t want this to happen and see clearly that we won’t get a Jeep out of it.
So we have to show them. Cutting off the top of the station wagon will not get you a Jeep.
or something like that.
Truly, if I give in to thinking reformers are sinister I become overwhelmed with melancholy. I refuse to think that. I want to understand what their Jeep is.
By that logic, there is no such thing as bad intent. People just use different methods to get their individual view of something good. Hitler didn’t have bad intentions, he just wanted to racially “purify” Germany. Stalin just wanted to perfect the revolution. Etc. Since we all have different views of what “good” is, there is no such thing as evil.
Ding!
I see your point, but I also see that nobody in this country can claim that they are collectively good, while others are collectively evil considering Europeans took the land we live on from Native Americans and then brought slaves over to work it. I have to believe that we are in this struggle to define the best America together. All of us, including reformers.
To me it is better to look at what laws are enabling people to “loot” (as another reader called it) public school and address those when they prove themselves problematic in such a way that the majority speaks out about it with their votes and can then achieve that vision of good.
“We can’t afford (our children can’t afford) to fight arrogance with arrogance.” and in a later post “I have to believe that we are in this struggle to define the best America together.”
I don’t fight the edudeformers’ arrogance with arrogance but with ire and intellectual vigor (or the edudeformers’ own “rigor” (sic).) Having logical and rational rationales backing up ones thoughts and forcefully presenting them is not arrogance but strength in correctness of thought and action. And although you may believe “we are all in this together, the arrogant edudeformers believe only their perceptions and solutions have value. They are true know it alls. As far as they’re concerned we’re all schmucks.
Joanna,
Where are these goodhearted reformers? Wouldn’t they be interested in engaging Diane? Wouldn’t they be talking to teachers and parents?
Speaking of monitoring, Duncan’s Twitter feed is absolutely amazing. 90% of his links promote some commercial aspect of education reform. Here’s today’s prominent product placement:
“School models that don’t fit within traditional definitions are largely excluded from receiving E-Rate support. Florida Virtual School, the largest virtual school in the United States serving more than 148,000 students, uses a model built entirely around connected learning resulting in
a broadband tab of $53 million, yet the E-Rate only reimburses $5,237. Schools using blended learning approaches that “flip the classroom,” where students watch lectures online at home and use class time for interactive discussion, also do not receive full E-Rate support.”
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/education/317329-new-education-models-need-a-new-e-rate#ixzz2cbzyzhXm
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
I don’t even think he has to go thru the revolving door from government work to the private sector, like so many of his staffers have. He’s promoting private sector education schemes while in his government job. It’s just shameless.
Mr.Duncan and others who only ‘play an educator on TV’ suffer from the IMPOSTER SYNDROME! They know they don’t have the knowledge or skills, they know that we know, too. They spend much energy avoiding experts in our field. They rather play basketball, shake hands and kiss babies. Schmooooozing is a highly developed skill. And, guess what, it works extremely well for them. Why should they change? Having a meaningful dialogue with education experts strips them bare. Naked!!! They don’t have to…protected by Pres.Obama & megaBillionair$.
As the world churns!
You nailed it.
The “imposter syndrome” is taking over and duping America with his inability and incompetence by feigning knowledge and understanding of the public school issues.
Duncan has taken the title away from Ferdinand Waldo Demara, who was once know as the Great Impostor. Way to go Duncan!
Duncan hires trolls who monitor us while at the same time using his Twitter feed to do PR for his failed programs.
Twitter is suppose to work both ways, but Arnie thinks that means PR and monitoring us. He outright refuses to engage in conversation, that’s a sign of weakness that we all should take advantage of.
They want to monitor us? Well, let’s double our efforts.
Duncan brushes off the Gulen Movement’s involvement in the largest charter school network, too. However, he did accept two *awards* from them over the years. And President Obama has accepted enormous campaign contributions from Gulenists. These are the ones that are known:
http://turkishinvitations.weebly.com/bayrock-group-and-35800-a-plate.html
And this is the response I finally received from ED’s regional office in Dec. 2011, absolving the Department of Education from any responsibility for the funneling of >$400M/yr. in US taxpayers’ dollars into the pockets of this secretive and highly controversial religious group . Getting ED to respond to me took some prodding. For all I know, Peter Cunningham crafted the response:
Dear Ms. Higgins:
This is in reply to your November 21 letter, in which you raise your concern about the Gulen movement’s role in charter schools.
In reference to what you wrote is your primary concern – your statement that taxpayers, schoolchildren’s parents and sponsoring organizations do not know about the Gulen movement or its motives – you are raising issues that are beyond the scope of U.S. Department of Education (ED) programs, policy and jurisdiction.
That is, ED has no jurisdiction or authority over school districts or whole categories of schools such as, for example, a group of charter schools. Rather, ED’s responsibility is focused on individual schools that receive U.S. Department of Education money, and this responsibility, in turn, is limited to specific provisions in federal law. For example, ED oversees civil rights law as it pertains to discrimination at a school or in a school program that is receiving ED money.
The charter schools in the 26 states that you mentioned are governed and administered by state and local authorities. Charter schools must meet exacting criteria to receive their original charter to operate, and the charter schools are subject to ongoing accountability. Therefore, you may find it most practical and productive to pursue matters on an individual-school basis, bringing your specific concerns to the attention of the school’s authorizing body at the state, county or city level.
I hope this information is helpful to you.
Sincerely,
Joe Barison
Regional Director
Pacific-Southwest Region – San Francisco Office
Office of Communications and Outreach
U.S. Department of Education
[In other words, blah blah blah blah blah]
Well this brings up interesting points, though.
If public schools stand a chance at being saved, it is necessary to figure out exactly which laws are permitting any sort of questionable activity. So we do have to know where the breakdown is. There is more information here than just being brushed off, I think.
My mentor reminds me:
“It is good to remind ourselves that virtually all public and charter schools are state schools, NOT federal, and that, by law, they must not discriminate on basis of race, creed, etc. (though, in effect, that happens, benefiting gifted students, some minorities, while excluding others, when they are full, despite universal lottery methods of accepting students).”
This is scary. The Gulen movement is using taxpayer money to subsidize schools for a subversive movement and ED’s response is, that’s not our department? But Snowden, Greenwald, and Poirras are being treated like terrorists? Something is rotten in Denmark…I mean the USA.
I just sent the following post to the White House:
Dear David Simas,
I have supported President Obama and the Democratic Party for some time. However, I’m totally fed up and dismayed by Arne Duncan and the US Department of Education’s assault on Public Education in America. There are a lot of subjects I don’t have much in-depth knowledge about. However, I have been a science teacher for the past 27 years and I believe that I do know a little about educating children. I want to tell you that the Race To The Top and it’s predecessor, No Child Left Behind along with the excessive emphasis on Standardized Testing are KILLING PUBLIC EDUCATION. There are a lot of experienced, knowledgeable, and well educated, respected educators who are screaming at you to please stop this nutty policy which includes Pay for Performance and the Common Core Curriculum. It is certainly true that public education in America can be improved, but not with the solutions that are now being implemented (without documentation that they will actually work). These thoughtless policies are destroying communities, families, children and teacher’s lives–all in the name of “improving education”. I now believe that RTTT, NCLB, and the associated standardized testing that now drives instruction throughout the country is doing greater harm to our nation that George Bush’s War in Iraq.
In its simplest terms, children cannot be effectively educated by a top down, force-fed curriculum. They hate it, get bored, and don’t see the relevance of this test driven education to their lives. Teachers are not given the freedom to teach to the kids where they are and build on their knowledge base. Curriculum content is dictated from on high. This is the same concept that Joseph Stalin had in Russia with his 5-year central economic plans. Didn’t work then, won’t work now. Educating children is a complex undertaking. It requires two way, personal interaction between a teacher and student. If class sizes are too large, that just can’t happen. If a teacher cannot get his/her students interested and excited about learning, educating the child is not going to be effective. There are 4 basic ingredients to a good education: 1) Well trained and dedicated teachers, 2) small class sizes, 3) adequate resources and a decent environment to teach in, and 4) giving the teachers freedom to teach.
Some will argue that this will just cost too much money and that there are cheaper ways to educate kids. But it just ain’t so. Education is not about the money, it’s about the kids. It’s not about international competition on standardized tests. Those tests actually measure the wrong things anyway and cost waaaay too much money.
Public education is perhaps the most important bedrock pillar that makes our nation great. Policies now being put in place, including RTTT and Common Core Curriculum are destroying it. Our children and our nation deserve better from you.
I will no longer support this President or the Democratic Party if they continue on this self destructive path.
Al Tate
altate1122@gmail.com