This is a fascinating
exchange between John Merrow and Mercedes Schneider.
Merrow, a PBS correspondent, explains his independence from his
funders.
Here are my two cents. Merrow is the only mainstream journalist to pursue the cheating scandal in D.C., and he took a lot of criticism from rightwing bloggers and other admirers of Rhee’s slash-and-burn tactics. I admire him for his courage and integrity. How many other journalists were willing to admit they were misled?
Schneider, a Louisiana teacher with a Ph.D. In research
methods, challenges Merrow’s positive coverage of the “rebirth” of
the schools on Néw Orleans. She also takes issue with his decision
to abandon his search for what happened in DC on Michelle Rhee’s
watch.
The old Lion vs. the young Tiger.
Merrow writes that the mainstream media has ignored the Rhee story, and Rhee’s admirers have
disparaged him for reporting it at all: “And as for covering
Michelle Rhee, I think my critics ought to be writing Nick
Kristoff, Charles Blow, Bill Moyers, Tom Friedman, Diane Sawyer,
Katie Couric, the editors of the Washington Post and the Atlantic,
Diane Rehm, Jon Stewart and all the other folks who have far more
influence than I. Why aren’t they on this story? The data could not
be clearer: her ‘scorched earth’ approach has been tried, and it is
an abject failure. And why isn’t the failure of the mainstream
media to cover this story a story of its own? “You know that I have
exposed Rhee’s failure to act when confronted with evidence of
cheating; have shown how her basic approach to ‘reform’ all but
guaranteed cheating; have documented the hollow and fatally flawed
nature of every one of the so-called investigations; have given
chapter and verse of the Washington Post’s editorial page shameful
cheerleading (especially when contrasted with the courage of the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution); and have called out the national
media for its failure to report the story. “I went to Dartmouth,
where “vox clamantis in deserto” is a college motto, but being a
voice crying in the wilderness in this case is actually
counter-productive. Right-leaning bloggers dismiss the evidence by
painting this as personal, a vendetta, calling me Ahab or a high
school senior whose prom date stood him up. That would be laughable
if it were not effective–some people want to cling to Rhee’s
narrative, which they have adopted.”
It is odd that both Time and Newsweek put Rhee on their covers, but then refused to follow the story as John Merrow did.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I don’t blame Merrow for wanting more support and for suggesting that folks reach out to the many media people he mentions. I do blame him for: 1) doing it in such a mewling tone – he’d be more effective to suggest not complain with that “Why aren’t people . . . ” intro that just sounds like nails on chalkboards to me; and 2) for seeming to be willing to let street bully tactics that he should have been able to predict serve as an excuse for dropping the story. Did someone threaten him with a roll of Michelle Rhee Duct Tape? Kinda doubt it. And if so, that would be a story in itself.
This can’t have been Mr. Merrow’s first rodeo, and he had to know that riding the Brahma bull is dangerous and requires courage and endurance, along with enormous skill. As Diane’s work has shown, it’s not hard to get the blogosphere behind you when you’re doing something worthwhile. And Merrow already had support from the likes of Guy Brandenburg. Fact is, he should get back up there and ride this story to its end.
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Ms. Ravitch,
I am presenting at the TASB/TASA conference is Dallas next week and I am in need of specific data on the amounts of money the “reformers” are putting into their efforts across the country. Specific ampunt s in Texas would be great as well. Can you plesae steer me in the right disrction.
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Mercedes Schneider, Deutsch 29, is an educational statistician and has published some of this on this, and her own, site.
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Ben Carson,
You might start by asking why the Texas legislature gave Pearson a five-year contract for $500 million to test in Texas, while New York got a five-year contract with Pearson for only $32 million.
Then you might ask why Texas has more Gulen charter schools than any other state.
And you might ask why the state slashed $5 billion from the public schools while they were awarding that $500 million to Pearson.
And ask why the legislature didn’t restore the $5 billion in cuts when it became obvious it was not necessary
And ask why the state allows athletes with no education experience to open charter schools instead of sports camps?
And ask why Texas allows people to teach because they got a teaching degree online instead of having a year of professional study and practice teaching?
That’s a start.
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While you are at it Ben could you ask why Pearson has the rightto create an EOC exam this year for 9th grade, that forces them to spend a HUGE amount of the five hours of the test on field questions? They have filled it with 1/4th (yes not hyperbole, sadly, actual fact) field questions. 1 essay out of 2 counts, 2 short question responses out of three count, and 1/4 of the reading questions are field. This is ——-!!!
Why does Pearson not count as a monopoly? Seriously. The only contender and omnipotent with no oversight.
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See page 19 TAMSA presentation: $1,178,723,689.00 funneled to Pearson in Texas for high-stakes testing nonsense since 2000.
Source: Center for Education, Rice University
Click to access 2013-01-13-tamsa_overview.pdf
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/headlines/20130616-after-3-decades-texas-legislature-rolls-back-high-stakes-school-testing.ece
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I agree with Diane.
In this twisted complicated world where you are doing one thing one second and the game changes the next second like in politics you have to accept “Non Perfection” as the “Outcome” is what matters. Positions can change 10 times in a day in the real game as it is coming down.
No matter what you think of Merrow personally, he did do the story when no one else did. What if he didn’t do the story? Would that make anyone happy except the thieves? No, be happy he did the story and then it is OK to be unhappy there is no follow up but still the story is now out there and look what has happened as a result.
It is everywhere and would not have been if he did not go through what it takes internally to do a story like that. There is huge pressure to not do these stories. I have had powerful journalists tell us they cannot do those stories if they want to continue in this business and we have seen one walked out of the building without documents because of a story. This is reality. There is no perfection. If you go for perfection you will never get anywhere.
Politics is the “Art of the Possible.” Merrow made it possible. Let us praise and thank him for that. This is a process, it is incremental not all at once. It took a long time to get this bad and it will take some time to fix.
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I agree. I’m not sure why we should expect Merrow to throw himself on his sword. He got the story noticed. It is our job to keep up the pressure. There will be other stories that will need a reporter who is willing to actually act like a journalist. I want him around for the next one and not marginalized.
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Well said, George.
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I’m sorry, Diane, but you have more courage and integrity in your pinky toe than Merrow has head to foot. He has had a major platform, which he’s used to promote Rhee from the beginning. Now that he’s realized the error of his ways, he’s trying to scamper off with his tail between his legs “mewling” (thanks Michael Paul Goldenberg) about how we should talk to the bigger players. He’s done only the tiniest bit to “expose” her, and that as quietly as he can.
When you realized your error, you took it upon yourself to speak out anyway you could. As you say, you are just a woman with a blog (and a few books). Sure, you’d be a lot more effective if the mainstream media would pick up your message. But that doesn’t stop you from doing everything you can yourself to get the message out there.
And anyway, even though Merrow has realized the truth about Rhee, I don’t think he really gets the truth about corporate “rheeform”.
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The USA Today published an article that indicated there may have been cheating in DC in 2011.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2011-03-28-1Aschooltesting28_CV_N.htm
Is the USA Today not considered a mainstream newspaper?
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concernedmom–I think that’s almost exactly what I said in an earlier post on the subject. Not only in the case of D.C., but U.S.A. Today also reported extensively (in fact, they may have been the publication to break the story) on the Atlanta cheating scandal (as well as one in Philly, I seem to recall–someone please correct me if I’m wrong).
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retired – I wasn’t aware that the US Today wrote abut Atlanta and Philly also – thanks for the info.
I haven’t traveled in about 4 years, but when I did, the USA today was also delivered to my hotel room. I guess the traveling elite don’t have time to read the papers, but surely some people must have been aware of these articles.
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Dienne: none of us can fully know the pressure that John Merrow is under. Others have mentioned his positive contributions and I praise him for the good he has done.
Nonetheless, I think you have hit on two critical points.
First, publicly surrendering his personal honor and professional reputation to Michelle Rhee is a choice. He has chosen to put masking tape on his own mouth. Diane Ravitch could have done the same. She chose a different path. I respect John Merrow’s right to make his own choices in such matters, but between the two individuals, my feelings of respect and admiration are for the owner of this blog.
If this sounds personal, well, for me it is. I remember my first full time job out of high school. The people I worked with were about evenly split between WWII & Korea War vets and Vietnam vets (with only a few exceptions the former being white and the latter black). I was one of the few non-veterans working there. While it might seem difficult for others to understand, the generational and age and racial differences were [thankfully] not a big source of problems. As was my wont, I very occasionally wore my anti-war in Vietnam buttons to work; everyone there know how I felt about this burning political issue, but whether people agreed with me or not I was generally accepted and it wasn’t a big issue.
One day one of the top supervisors called me in for a one-to-one chat about something minor. It was one of the infrequent days I was wearing an anti-war button. He was a WWII vet, having lost the use of his “good” hand in combat. *While I can’t be sure, I think he didn’t agree with me about US policies in Vietnam.* He made the comment that he had had close friends killed in combat so that people like me had the freedom to disagree with their government. He said this in a matter-of-fact tone, though with some obvious pride. I was a little surprised to hear him say this but I could think of nothing else to say but a heartfelt “Thank you.” He seemed pleased by the response and we concluded our business.
That is what citizenship and patriotism and honoring the best of our country meant to so many of the older workers I met on that job. Whatever the sacrifice—of friends, health, sanity—there were certain principles worth any risk, including losing one’s own life.
John Merrow wasn’t asked to do even a fraction of what those brave men did. I hope he reconsiders. He is not doing right by himself or this country.
Second, I think you have scored a KO in the first round with your comment that he has “realized the truth about Rhee” the individual, yet he still “really doesn’t get the truth about corporate ‘rheeform.’”
Touché! That is why this blog and Diane’s book—and those of so many others—are important.
“Truth is powerful and it prevails.” [Sojurner Truth]
🙂
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John Merrow has viewed a corporate reform Potemkin Village during his time in New Orleans. I have offered to show him the rest of Russia.
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Until you know people who have lost their jobs in this situation, not much to say. How about all the teachers and administrators who kept their mouths shut even in child abuse cases. We are soon going to the D.A. with a bunch of them. Years ago there was a story on my previous non profit The Association for Accountability and Equitable Education in the L.A. Times. It was a 1/2 page with a picture. First, there were different versions for different editions because of a friend of mine in the picture and what was said in the article because of the billions of fraud in facilities. Later and not long later that reporter disappeared and to this day we do not know where they are. Then there is the recent case of a reporter friend who had warned us of this in private that they could not do those stories as they were too dangerous. So they are doing a story on a large corporation dumping toxic waste illegally into a waterway and guess what happens. Security comes with no warning and walks him out of the building without his files.
Do you really think Merrow is not facing some of this? Look at who funds them. Diane is not facing this. It is not the same. She is retired and they cannot touch her. She has independent income for sure from books and such. You really cannot compare the two situations. Talk to a teacher who has been falsely charged with child abuse. Talk to a parent with an abused child and no one will listen until you do. I have 20 new ones just last week by the way and good for LAUSD they are dealing with it in a professional manner as I just checked. We have also lined them up with the proper lawyer to call who does this work. Children first, Parents second, Teachers third and the rest get in line.
Another thing I know from reporters and that is that you have no idea of how much comes their way and the maze of lawyers they have to go through on top of the editorial and owners of that media. Just think about it.
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I’m sorry, but if I can write about reform and follow through, so can Merrow. There are issues of conscience at stake here. Merrow insists he hasn’t been bought, but if he has the public’s attention in righting reformer wrongs and drops the ball because of “what we have no idea of,” is that not yielding to some “pricetag”? If Merrow has any doubts about the reform-favoring documentary he plans to release regarding New Orleans as “reborn” and he releases it anyway, is that not yielding to some “pricetag,” as well?
Diane might not draw a paycheck from her pursuers, but she does “pay” for standing up against the reform machine. One obvious cost to her is in the public bashing they level at her.
Choosing to do what is right in the face of what is wrong will always cost. Choosing to bail has an even greater cost to the human conscience. Either way, you pay. It might as well be payment for doing what is noble and good.
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So Diane has had some bashing. Yes, and she was paid a lot of money to do it. Now, how would you like to not be paid but spend all you made for more than 20 years and have worse than has happened to her happen to not only you but many you know? When Diane was working for the other side I was busting fraud, fighting every organization in this state and my own party just to speak at a State Board of Ed. meeting and they even told one of the top First amendment attorneys in the U.S. where to go. Without income and protection we have fought and many have fallen. My personal friends have been melted into a shadow of themselves after spending almost all of their life savings. I helped him as he had to defend himself against 15 of the largest construction management companies in the world and 9 of the largest law firms in the world. He is 6’4″ and went down to 120 and I had to literally carry him into court and they erased some of the most important parts of the transcript. This is what we deal with daily not they called me a name. Merrow is still working. You people do not have a clue to the real world. This is a problem. would you give up your life and future? Many talk, not many do.
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George, some of us have lost jobs for speaking out. You’re not the only one who has faced that sort of thing. The horse you’re riding here appears precipitously elevated. I think more than a few people commenting are quite familiar with the ways of the real world, and you haven’t quite cornered the market on it.
You do recall that notion of a fourth estate, the implicit contract between the press and the people (with great freedom – see Amendment, First – comes great responsibility).
I’m not demanding that anyone fall on any swords. There is a rather wide range of options between suicide and quitting on a story because the heat is being turned up higher than you’d prefer.
I don’t know Mr. Merrow. I do know that for a very long time he got the education story badly wrong. In my book, that means he has things to atone for. But of course, it’s his conscience, not mine, that must be satisfied. He sounds rather weak in how he seems to be wanting OTHER people to be involved (or perhaps just for his critics to go bother other people), but I don’t get the sense that he approached all those folks himself. If he did and received nothing but rejections, my apologies. But still, he could have written, “Folks, I’ve tried, but I need support. Please reach out to . . . . and ask him/her to add his/her voice.” Then you don’t sound like a whiny little child.
You figure someone threatened to break some of his favorite bones, blackball him, or something of that sort? So he does the self-protective thing and drops the story like a hot potato. That’s his decision, but it doesn’t mean he is automatically absolved of blame or complaint or criticism because someone tightened some screws.
Again, that implied contract between the news media and the public is a trust that cannot be lightly ignored. Did he really have no idea when he started criticizing Rhee that there would be blow-back? But then again, as has been pointed out, USA TODAY and the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, to name but two major media outlets, did manage to do some good investigative journalism. Have they given up the fight? That’s a serious question.
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I leave John Merrow to his decision—it is his life, he has to face the consequences of his decision. I give him credit for going public with it.
But there is an extra dimension to this. Few people were as instrumental in creating the public figure called Michelle Rhee than John Merrow. He played a starring role in her elevation to exalted status—and that of the movement she serves.
He holds himself accountable. That is good. If he held himself responsible, that would be even better.
Just my dos centavitos worth…
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Merrow has not touched the surface on how the reformers receive kickbacks from the corporations and foundations pushing reform with related high-stakes testing (Pearson, Wireless Generation/Amplify, etc.). It’s beyond Merrow’s value system. If he decides to continue, a starting place would feature open records requests in Texas. He could follow the money starting with Sandy Kress, Akin and Gump (NCLB architect). It’s important to include Beth Ann Bryan (Wireless Generation lobbyist), Margaret LaMontagne Spellings (BFF of Bryan), Sharon Vaughn and the UT-System as he continues his research. It’s exhausting, but the facts will prevail.
http://www.bushcenter.org/education-reform/education-reform-team
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“The old Lion vs. the young Tiger”
My money is on the young Tiger!
But all teachers know how dangerous it is to break up a “cat fight”.
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From someone who is very experienced in the day to day fight in the real world I do not hear much here and that is why I said this. Yes, he will be blackballed and is lucky he has not already. this is not before 1996, this is now in fascist Amerika if you are for real with what this is all about now. I have too many instances of people losing their jobs. We do not know of anyone else outside of districts who has talked with and helped since 1995 teachers, parents and students who have been berated or falsely charged with crimes. I do not hear that sensitivity of someone who has actually had to personally deal with this, much less not get paid for it in fact cost them money to do it. I live with someone they melted down. I deal everyday keeping people from losing their minds from what they have done to them. This is what you hear from me not some ivory tower or well paid job but on the ground in the nitty gritty. We also work transportation and criminal justice at a high level and in legislation. We understand how it works as a system not on an individual basis in isolation. There are two kinds: Talkers and Doers. Talkers generally do not do. That is my experience and many of those I know nationwide who have been doing this for 40-50 years. In just one transportation project I found a $10 billion overrun not in the budget but in the EIR and verified by 3 city council people and never countered at MTA when publically stated many times. Say what you want it doesn’t matter to a doer who has done for a long time and is focused on the task at hand.
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I’ll remind the people who got me fired, reprimanded, blackballed, etc. from a number of jobs that I’m just a talker, not a doer, and hence they should have left me alone, George. I don’t claim to have your credentials and clearly was targeted by folks who didn’t understand the rules. Next time, I’ll refer them to you, and no doubt you will get them off my back, explain to my employers that I’m no threat, and all would be well.
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For what it’s worth, Merrow was one of the first national journalists to point out that some charter leaders were mis-using money. He told that accurate and compelling story on national television.
He also has been a huge, long time supporter of the role of arts in education. And he has been a strong supporter of the idea that multiple measures are vital in describing a school and that there is an over-reliance on standardized tests.
He was the first national journalist to question the use of ritalin being prescribed for youngsters classified as attention deficit disorder, and he documented the relationship between the company producing this medicine and a parent advocacy group.
Yes, he’s a friend – but since many don’t know of his work I think it’s important to provide some another perspective. More info here:
http://learningmatters.tv/blog/about-us/about-us-our-president/1325/
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If you went through that you are a doer not just a talker. That is how you got into trouble. We are at about 8-900 like you now since 1995. There were 4-600 in teacher jail then and now. Why is it so much trouble for you to understand the reality of the situation for reporters? This is the reality of the situation and you cannot compare Ravich with Merrow as Ravich is retired and has good outside income obviously. Merrow is working in a dirty ugly lack of reporting retaliatory business and is still working and not retired. Where were the people who should have backed you up, I have to ask? Where was your union? Was it like UTLA and sold out it’s members? Don’t blame me because I spend my money and time to defend people like you. Is this how you were taught to think? Why is it that people like to blame those that help for free and many of them do nothing like I have seen for years. One of my best friends is one of the founders of UTLA and he is disgusted at teachers lack of concern and what UTLA has morphed into.
When teachers complained about no books I found that over 10 years LAUSD budgeted and did not spend $2.5 billion. Is that enough. Not a teacher or union cared enough to look into the budget and do 5th grade math. Why, I ask? And I ask why are you bagging me for defending teachers and students when those paid to do it generally do not?
Then when they came to me at the Chanda Smith Federal Court Decision on special education for being falsely charged with child abuse for whistleblowing no one but me and some friends did anything. Not a democrat would help this “Real Democrat.” Two republicans did. One of whom is now city attorney for San Diego. Do you know what it takes to get a state audit? It has to go through the legislative process in the Joint Audit Committee. Want to try that one one when dems control and they do not want to do this? I got the audit on teachers being falsely accused of child abuse for whistleblowing. Who do you know who did not have to do it cost them money and did it anyway. Don’t know of any teacher or union, not in this state. If you know of others please let me know so I can see what they did to help us with other ideas of how to stop this tragedy. Have you taken the calls from teachers ready to blow their heads off? I have had a lot of them. How about child abuse? I had parents come to me with 20 more last week and they are being acted upon right now. No one ever listed to these mothers before they came to me and I made two phone calls because the first board member was not in their office.
Might I ask “Did anyone help you?” This is a serious question. Were you left on your own as is usual? If so I do not blame you for being angry. You should be angry with your union and if no one helped you at those who did not unless they would also be terminated. I have done this since 1995. Do you know anyone who has done this longer and not been paid for it? When I had my business and I got a call from a teacher ready to go over the edge I had to shut down my shop for at least 2 hours and lose all revenue for that period of time as someones life was on the line. Isn’t that what you see and happened to you? I say to you THINK.
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