New York State Commissioner John King’s office issued a statement, explaining that the parents who booed and ridiculed him were being “manipulated” by “special interests.”
Who are these “special interests” that have the power to befuddle parents about what is in the best interest of their children?
Presumably, he meant the teachers’ union. Maybe he forgot that the AFT and NEA are big supporters of the Common Core.
So, dear reader, who or what are the “special interests” that “dominated” the discussion and caused parents to speak out against Commissioner King?
Does he think that parents are so easily manipulated? Does he think they admire the state for creating a Common Core test so long and so rigorous that most of their children failed?
Earth to John King: You have a real problem, and it was not created by “special interests.”
In the future, please explain who these “special interests” are, who is funding them, and exactly how they manage to manipulate the parents of New York state.
Please, sir, continue with your meetings. Next time, listen to the parents, don’t lecture them.
Try it.
Below is a statement from Commissioner John B. King, Jr.:
“I was looking forward to engaging in a dialogue with parents across the state. I was eagerly anticipating answering questions from parents about the Common Core and other reforms we’re moving ahead with in New York State. Unfortunately, the forums sponsored by the New York State PTA have been co-opted by special interests whose stated goal is to “dominate” the questions and manipulate the forum.
“The disruptions caused by the special interests have deprived parents of the opportunity to listen, ask questions and offer comments. Essentially, dialogue has been denied.
“In light of the clear intention of these special interest groups to continue to manipulate the forum, the PTA-sponsored events scheduled have been suspended. My office will continue to work with PTA to find the appropriate opportunities to engage in a real, productive dialogue with parents about our students and their education.
“Parents don’t deserve to be dominated and manipulated.”
State education chief suspends LI Town Hall meeting
Published: October 12, 2013 10:48 PM
By JOAN GRALLA joan.gralla@newsday.com
Photo credit: Newsday / Audrey C. Tiernan | Dr. John B. King, Jr., State education commissioner, speaks at an event at Hofstra University. (Feb. 2, 2012)
New York’s education commissioner said Saturday he had called off Long Island’s only Town Hall meeting on the Common Core curriculum and state testing after “special interests” hijacked the first such forum.
The meeting had been scheduled for Tuesday in Garden City and was sponsored by the state PTA.
Commissioner John B. King Jr. also put on hold the other three Town Hall meetings planned across the state, which for the first time would have let parents and teachers ask him about testing and the Common Core.
Hundreds of people attended a pair of at times adversarial and boisterous forums earlier this month — a debut Town Hall in Poughkeepsie in the Hudson Valley and an event in Whitesboro, near Utica.
King, in a statement, said he had been looking forward to speaking with parents.
“The disruptions caused by the ‘special interests’ have deprived parents of the opportunity to listen, ask questions and offer comments,” he said. “Essentially, dialogue has been denied.”
Dennis Tompkins, a King spokesman, declined to identify the special interests.
Carl Korn, the spokesman for New York State United Teachers, said, “Parents and teachers are not special interests.”
Noting that a recent Common Core forum in Buffalo was heavily attended, Korn said: “The fact that thousands of parents have shown up about testing in different corners of the state suggests a great deal of frustration that testing has come in front of instruction and the focus, the parents and teachers agree, should be on teaching and learning, not testing.”
King and the state PTA, which said the Poughkeepsie forum failed to “serve the intended purpose,” pledged to find other ways to allow parents to express their views.
Port Jefferson resident Ali Gordon, 41, a trustee on the Comsewogue Board of Education, criticized King, saying he was ducking a town hall she and “many, many others” planned to attend.
“It’s very disappointing to see the leader of our state Education Department essentially hide from parents and teachers who are so directly affected by the decisions that he makes and the rushed implementation of the Common Core in New York State,” she said.
National and state education leaders predict the phase-in of Common Core standards will enhance quality of classroom lessons by encouraging deeper analysis. But many parents and students say the state’s increased emphasis on testing has meant more classroom time devoted to filling in bubble sheets and other test drills.
The Education Department released data Aug. 7 showing that more than 60 percent of students in grades 3-8 in Nassau and Suffolk scored below proficiency on the tests, nearly double from the previous year.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
As with all reformers, the understanding of “dialog” is that they tell you what they think is best and you listen and accept it. It’s the same way they treat teachers and students. They are the experts — we are the followers. King should’ve used some of the KIPP barking/gesture tricks to control those independent thinking parents so that they would comply, LOL. The reform movement is in big, big trouble now, thank goodness. It’s about time!
Yes, so true…everyone SLANT, feet on the floor, eyes up here, track the speaker, only speak if you are spoken to. This is our show..follow the rules or you will be removed. Now, any questions?
Yes,
How hot do you, Mr. King, think hell is going to be?
A little humor to lighten things…
What occurred backstage with John
King and his advisors after King fled
the stage:
Deformer logic: Parents are way smart enough to exercise “choice” when we deformers predetermine the choices but way too stupid to realize that examining the facts and thinking for themselves is not what we want them to do. Hence, they are far too easily influenced by special interests that ain’t us. As a result, those damn parents have decided that they are better able to determine what the best interests of their kids are than we are and what’s more, that they have any vote in that. “Run away, run away!” “Quick, deploy a new straw man!”
There were several town halls
scheduled to sell Common Core to
the parents of New York state
schoolchildren. N.Y. State Education
Commissioner King was the presenter,
with the events organized and
presented by the N.Y. State PTA.
However, after yesterday’s first
such town hall, N.Y. State
Education Commissioner King
strong-armed the N.Y, State PTA
into cancelling the remaining town
halls with the following statement:
https://www.facebook.com/nyspta
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“While our goal was to provide
an opportunity to learn and share,
based on review of the initial
October 10 meeting, the
Commissioner concluded the
outcome was not constructive
for those taking the time to
attend.
“Please know that NYS PTA
will continue to work with all
education and child advocacy
partners to keep our members
updated andinformed on
education, health, safety and
welfare issues affecting children
and families.
“We apologize for any
inconvenience this may cause
and express our sincere
appreciation to those who have
given their time to assist with
organizing this initiative.”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Well, you can “review” for yourself
the crucial final 20 minutes of
yesterday’s town hall here—
the colorfully titled YouTube video
“Commissioner King Gets Spanked”:
This meeting was a Rhee-like
farce where King spoke for 1 hour
and 40 minutes straight, and was
scheduled to to be followed by 1
hour of public comments and
questions.
Note that… ***was scheduled to
be followed…***
The best laid plans…
Indeed, 20 minutes in, neither
King nor the NYS PTA
moderator “could stand the
heat, so they got outta the
kitchen.”
They were totally unprepared by
how well-informed and
confrontational these parents were.
At about the 10 minute mark, one
parent brought up the fact that King
sends his own kids to a Montessori
School which has a curriculum that
is the antithesis of Common Core
as a Montessori school is…
(to quote its wikipedia entry)
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
“… characterized by an emphasis on
independence, freedom within limits,
and respect for a child’s natural
psychological, physical, and social
development….
“… and has these elements
as essential:[1][2]
” — Mixed age classrooms, with
classrooms for children aged
2½ or 3 to 6 years old by far the
most common
“— Student choice of activity
from within a prescribed range of
options
“— Uninterrupted blocks of work
time, ideally three hours
“— A Constructivist or ‘discovery’
model, where students learn
concepts from working with
materials, rather than by direct
instruction.
“Specialized educational materials
developed by Montessori and her
collaborators
“— Freedom of movement within
the classroom
” — A trained Montessori teacher
“In addition, many Montessori
schools design their programs
with reference to Montessori’s
model of human development
from her published works, and
use pedagogy, lessons, and
materials introduced in teacher
training derived from courses
presented by Montessori
during her lifetime… ”
– – – – – – – – – – – –
This disclosure and implied attack
on King pretty much ended things.
King made the dubious claim that
his Montessori school scrupulously
follows “Common Core”
“This totally enraged the audience
of parents as it was and is a
ludicrous and demonstrably false
claim that was rightly met with
skepticism and loud booing,
enraging the crowd… if for
no other reason that folks
don’t like to be lied to or have
their intelligences insulted.
The flustered moderator then
quickly wrapped it up, “We’re going
to allow two more people to speak.”
At which point people began
screaming even louder:
“WHAT HAPPENED TO ‘ONE
HOUR’ ?!!!”
This is absolutely riveting video.
Again, you can see that crucial
final 20 minutes at:
Everyone is part if some sort of “special interest group”. The real rub here is that many are not part of his special interest group.
Common Core also dictates that evryone is at the same place at the same time, thereby elominating any “special interests” of the masses.
John King has given us a glimpse of the real agenda here….Think our way or else.
Scary stuff.
one of the all-time greatest Teachers Letter To Bill Gates on this very subject:
http://bit.ly/1aBr6RA
King is a total fraud. First, as I heard at the end he was supposed to only speak for one hour and then one hour of the public comment for 2 minutes each. This is normal to go from 3 to 2 minutes when there are a lot of people who wish to speak. The problem is that the blowhard spoke for 1:40 and interrupted the speakers for their time, just like at LAUSD when Monica Garcia was board president, and the speakers had no more than 12 minutes not one hour. This is just what Arne Duncan did last year in Pico Rivera. And just like the audience with King I blew Duncan out of the water accusing him of just what he was doing. I said “He does not care about you, he’s leaving to go get MONEY.” And that is just what he was doing is going to a fund raiser planned to interrupt the meeting in Pico Rivera all the time and we bagged him and embarrassed him to no end as the did in N.Y. with King. It was BEAUTIFUL. THANK YOU CITIZENS FOR TAKING ON CORRUPTION AND LIES.
Aren’t ‘special interests’ behind much of the creation, funding, and spread of the Common Core?
Turnabout is fair play? Pot calling the kettle black? Hoist on their own petard? [insert your cliche here]
This is becoming a pattern among reformers. Remember Philadelphia, where the employees of the billionaire donor shut it down rather than continue to meet with parents?
http://thenotebook.org/blog/136244/parents-angered-and-frustrated-new-school-report-card
Good luck shutting down parents, Mr. King. They live there and they own the schools. They aren’t going anywhere. You’ll be gone long before they are.
When did America decide its public officials must be protected from criticism at all costs?
Try criticizing your local school board or administration if your a teacher/employee. It’s been going on for quite awhile.
You’re not your
This is embarrassing to read and watch.
I hurt for everyone right now involved in this.
This reminds me of when I had to lead a rehearsal with the Charlotte Oratorio at age 24 because I was taking lessons with the conductor. I had no idea what to say, really, and so I just made my way through but good Lord, I was so glad when it was over and I am so glad my teacher (only 31 himself) had the good sense to tell me the things I had said that were dumb and to agree that I would not be in front of them anymore in that capacity. I was not ready. And that was OK. But of course I had not been propped up by higher ups with ulterior motives.
Where are the adults?
If you don’t mind my ignorance but what is the Charlotte Oratorio? Speech and debate club?
My comment below was supposed to be to the video (not sure how that got in this spot).
Here I wanted to ask what you mean by your comment, Duane, about criticizing locally.
What I mean is that if I, as a teacher and/or other district employee, logically critique, show the serious flaws in or otherwise challenge the implementation of policies, I will be singled out for “destruction”. I know, I’ve been there. And it doesn’t matter if what I say is correct.
It’s basically the attitude of “I’m in charge (whether administrator or board) so you peons need to sit down, shut up and do what you are told to do” (even after you show them it’s educational malpractice). I’ve seen many a teacher/district employee be put through the wringer for challenging the local “powers that be”.
It’s a very fine line to walk, and I’d like to think I’ve learned it but even some of the Walenzas have fallen. It’ll get ugly next year when I take a black permanent marker to my first “evaluation” meeting and cross out the section that has student test scores as part of my evaluation. Maybe they’ll postpone it again as it was supposed to start this year, but at least at that point I will have had enough years in to retire if they decide to get really stupid.
Duane, the Charlotte Oratorio is the chorus for the Charlotte Symphony (albeit they were started just for the purpose of singing choral masterworks, but were then blended with the Symphony for business reasons). My choral conductor from college started the group. She gave me solos as a freshman; but she died my sophomore year from a brain tumor. I digress.
Thanks!
As I’ve said before and tell my students, I’m dirt stupid when it comes to music and dance.
Here is an excellent forum with Commissioner King, leading educators, and my local Senator Jack Martins, who is proving to be a leader in State Education.
Had to admit that Commissioner King was adept, but some hard questions were asked. http://www.nysenate.gov/video/2012/oct/10/senator-martins-brings-state-ed-commissioner-great-neck-forum-school-superintenden
Jack Martins is not a leader in education. leader get things done. They do not just issue promises
Thoughtful commentary,
Martins has been assembling all of the superintendents in his district. I had a 90 minute meeting over coffee with him. He is taking the bull by the horns. We both agreed that achievement at all levels is overstated. He is very active with parents who have children with serious handicaps.
We did have some disagreement with the new baseline from the testing from the Common Core. I do have a high regard for the NAEP tests (being criterion referenced) where Diana has begun to cut some slack, as a measuring tool, and am curious how thay were used to determine the current achievement levels.
Republicans across the country are showing concerns about the Common Core and are naturally opposed to the Federalization of our educational system under Duncan. Going to follow the progress of these new leaders in the field and begin looking for Common ground.
So did I. Here is my take on my meeting with Jack Martins. http://rlratto.wordpress.com/2013/09/24/all-politics-is-local/
Don’t know anything about Jack Martins but do know that with the Common Core there is no compromising. When you use the NAEP and compare apples to apples you will see that our schools are not broken therefore they do not need the Common Core Fix.
Joseph,
“We both agreed that achievement at all levels is overstated.”
Proof for that edudeformer talking point, if you have some, please!
Duane
“I do have a high regard for the NAEP tests (being criterion referenced) where Diana has begun to cut some slack, as a measuring tool, and am curious how thay were used to determine the current achievement levels.”
And this is one area where Diane still needs to examine and adjust her beliefs (I can be just as demanding as any other, eh!!). Just too hard when one is that close to it I guess. And I’m willing to cut her some slack on that one.
The NAEP tests have all the inherent errors, flaws, etc. . . that render the results invalid and “vain and illusory” as Wilson states. NAEP is not a “measuring tool” as it is impossible to measure the inmeasurable that is the teaching and learning process.
*
Joseph, I see that you are channeling the late Kurt Vonnegut, who is in heaven now. (Kurt asked that after his death, people would say that when his name was mentioned.)
I think that you just about summed it up.
Met Kurt Vonnegut at a party in Manhattan at the home of my cousin James Brady, a deceased media mogul. This was after my college days when I was reading all of his stuff. What do you say to a Kurt Vonnegut?
I was tongue tied.
Lucky you, Joseph! I would dearly have loved to have met this man.
Who are those slipping King cash and perks? It’s about ARROGANCE and GREED…pure and simple. Not hard to see if one looks.
I’m a little amused how Arne Duncan has apparently been pulled off the Common Core sales team. I notice Common Core began and Duncan moved smoothly to reform of college and reform of pre-k.
Real profiles in courage, these reformers. They’re going to shove this work off on the local elected boards and principals and teachers, aren’t they? The much-maligned public school employees and school boards will be dealing with the outraged parents.
The national reformers are DOWN THE ROAD- on to testing three year olds!
Way to go King. Nothing like stomping all over grass roots and then lying about it. Parents know better.
No problem. King just gave parents even more reason to opt out their kids from testing AND from test prep.
Since when did the people–citizens–become a “special interest”?
This statement from King shows what a bizarre alternate reality he inhabits.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/10/12/education/report-in-raciallydiverse-suburbs-charter-schools-getting-whiter
This is just devastating.
Charter schools in the twin cities suburbs aren’t better than public schools, they’re worse, but they ARE 40% whiter.
The charter school salespeople have dropped the “civil rights” argument and the “great schools” argument and are now relying WHOLLY on “parental choice” as a reason for their existence.
We are all Milton Friedman now!
How do liberals continue to support this, given the undeniable facts on the ground?
“We are all Milton Friedman now!”
Don’t defame me like that, Chiara. I may have to sic KrazyTA on you to have you cease and desist!!!
There are plenty of liberals who don’t support this and plenty of conservatives who do. This movement has no political hard line drawn. Kindly take that back.
Liberals don’t support this. But many liberals don’t understand why Democrats do. That’s because they don’t realize that the “New Democrats” who are leading the Democratic party have not been comprised of liberals ever since Bill Clinton became president. Both Clinton and Obama have described themselves as “centrist.” This means they think they are moderates and, as very evident, they believe very strongly in free-market neo-liberal economic policies.
Most liberals would characterize that as conservative and, in this pro-corporate climate, even “moderate” conservative sounds inaccurate. A lot of lifelong Democrats like me see them as right of center, not “centrist”, and much more like old school Republicans than traditional Democrats.
We so need to unite around a new national party for liberals and progressives. Anyone have any input they can provide about the Working Families Party –which is not in every state yet– including how sensitive they are to the needs of families that are poor and not working because they can’t find jobs? http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/
“Most parents choose charter schools for academic programs that may not be available in their district schools,” said Brian Sweeney of Charter School Partners, a nonprofit charter startup group. He characterizes the U’s report as “anti-charter.”
So it wasn’t civil rights and it wasn’t “great schools.” It was “choice”
Oh, and these pesky facts that keep coming up that defeat the slogans?
“anti-charter” 🙂
“The report says that since 2008 there’s been a 40 percent increase in charters that serve mostly white students in first and second ring suburbs. It also shows charters overall continue to under-perform other public schools and are becoming increasingly segregated by race. Similar results were found in the U’s 2008 and 2012 research on charters.”
Good afternoon, Diane ~
We discussed who the REAL “special interests” are in our blog today. Parents? No. Bill Gates. Yes. There is a great video from a 15 year old in our blog. Not only do parents understand the truth, but so do students. Are Bill Gates, Commish King, and the reformers thinking they have us fooled? They need to think again.
http://wp.me/p3CDkl-kX
Teachers’ Letters to Bill Gates
Thos is one of the most moving and cogent protests teachers have facilitated thus far. Too bad Gates is such an elitest he will never read these heartfelt and poetic appeals for him to rethink his misquided disruption of our schools.
So, all those parents who were forced to march across the Brooklyn Bridge last week, taking a day from work, weren’t manipulated? Charter schools all over NYC were closed so the children, staff and parents could march to have their “voices heard”. Seriously? John King should be ashamed of himself. Does he really think canceling town hall meetings will silence us? What a fool!
Go back and hide in your little spider hole John King. The light of democracy is too bright for your kind.
The fear felt by State Commissioner John King and other edufrauds is palpable. They profoundly feel that this is not how the Corporate States of America [acronym intentional] should be run.
The same thing happened when people began organizing teach-ins about the war in Vietnam. There were a few pro-war supporters who spoke at them but they found the raucous, wide open, democratic nature of the events to be a bad fit for [using current terminology] “product placement” and “brand renaming” and “damage control.” They very quickly abandoned such forums to hide behind every and any dais they could find that insulated them from all but the tiniest hint of democratic give and take.
And don’t think it was all ‘one side against another’—the arguments between and among the different anti-war factions were the most heated and…well, occasionally more than that.
But overall, just about everybody, every POV, got itself heard: at microphones, through one-on-one discussions, passing out leaflets and selling underground newspapers, etc.
It is disdain for democracy that motivates the edubullies. They are bent on doing TO us, not WITH us. Hence, such mindless assertions as Montessori schools are Common Core incarnate and that “special interests” have turned eduproduct launchings into events full of “disruptions.”
Parents and communities: freedom is not free. If your democratically elected officials and those appointed by them won’t provide the appropriate forums for your concerns, organize your own.
And, if you can, attend the events set up around the country for a recent book, REIGN OF ERROR…
🙂
Who says Montessori schools are common core incarnate? Whaa??
As truly rogressive schools Montessori schools are not likely to embrace any standardized pedagogy, much less the ugly political ramifications of common core. Scripted is not likely to stain their lessons.
Right, Rene. So why would anyone be arguing that Montessori schools are common core incarnate? I can’t conceive how any plausible argument could be made. To say such a thing you’d have to know nothing about the Montessori method and have a pretty romantic view of common core. Or, you’d just have to be mendacious. So, who is saying this Krazy TA?
Emmy,
Ask J. King that as he was the one who spoke the words KTA are referencing.
Thanks, Duane.
I guess I will have to go with mendacity. Apparently his children are enrolled in a Montessori school.
Emmy,
I prefer the more mundane lying to mendacity-ha ha!
Is there anyone out there who is
a current/former teacher or parent
at the Montessori school where
King sends his kids who can
shed light on the accuracy of King’s
claim that his kids’ Montessori
school strictly adheres to
Common Core?
I was hoping that someone had
actual information about the Montessori
school where King sends his kids.
So far, I’ve yet to find out exactly
what occurs during a typical
school day at that specific Montessori
school—schedule, curriculum,
activities, subjects taught, etc.
Thankfully, both Montessori’s
official site and its Wikipedia
page details what happens at
almost all Montessori
schools—i.e. the ones that are
functioning in a way consistent
with the Montessori educational
philosophy and methods. If
the Montessori to which King
sends his children does not
operate this way, they are an
exception, and not a true
Montessori school—sort of like
a restaurant purporting be a
McDonald’s and uses the name
McDonald’s, but instead that
sells hot dogs instead of
hamburgers.
However, I was able to discover
a blog post from Carol Burris
who DOES have information about
the Montessori school to which
King sends his kids. It’s at the
top of the COMMENTS section:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2013/06/when_the_ny_state_education_dept_complained_about_this_blog.html
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
CAROL BURRIS (regarding the
Montessori school where King
sends his kids):
“A friend whose employee attends
the Montessori School (and
therefore knows that the children
attend it) informed me that the
school does not give all of the
tests at all of the grade levels.
“Teachers are not evaluated by
the scores, nor is the school
evaluated by the scores.
“That has been confirmed.”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
In the video, King described
his children’s Montessori school
being part of NY state’s
“community of schools”.
Apparently, not all of NYS’s
educational institutions
are in sync with the policies that
King demands that the public
schools follow—i.e. the
non-public school where he
sends his own children.
The article that this COMMENT
is responding to is pretty
incendiary as well. It’s from
the “FINDING COMMON
GROUND” blog, written by
elementary school principal
Peter DeWitt.
According to the webpage,
DeWitt “writes about students’
social and emotional health,
and how educators can help
young people find common
ground. He was selected as
the 2013 New York State
Outstanding Educator of the
Year by the School
Administrators Association
of New York State.”
The story is about how
officials from the N.Y. State
Education Dept. harassed
him at his school office in
response to comments he
wrote about… you guessed it…
the subject of King’s sending
his children to a Montessori
school.
The attempts to intimidate,
censor, and implicitly threaten
DeWitt are as creepy as
anything to do with the recent
Town Hall fiasco.
For example, Tom Dunn,
King’s Director of Communications,
volunteered to DeWitt…
“It’s not like I’m going to call your
superintendent … ”
… to complain about DeWitt,
should DeWitt refuse to cooperate
and do what he says—i.e. edit out
the stuff about King’s kids
attending a Montessori school.
That remark has a very mafioso-ish
type ring to it—along the lines of…
“It’s not like we’re going to go
and harm your wife and kids if
you don’t play ball with us. We
wouldn’t want anything to happen
to them, now. Would we?”
C’mon. If you’re not going to
do something, and you’re not
actually threatening to do so,
then why even bring it up?
These are the final paragraphs
of DeWitt’s article in their entirety:
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
PETER DEWITT:
“(Ed. Commissioner King’s)
communications director should
spend less time trying to coerce
and intimidate educational
bloggers who are trying to get
out the truth, and spend more
time listening to the voices of
teachers, parents, students and
principals.
“Collectively, there were thousands
of them who converged on Albany,
NY yesterday for the June 8th Rally.
I hope some leaders from State
Ed were in the crowd because
one thing is for sure…our voices
won’t be stifled. ”
“My concern over the phone call
is ‘what’s next?’ One phone call
for an error. A second one
because I used strong language
or criticized the commissioner?
“What will be the next thing I
write that State Ed does not like?
If there is something untrue about
my blog, post a comment at the
end or send an e-mail like everyone
else.
“My secretary is too busy to take
calls about my blog, nor should
she have to. I don’t post blogs at
school, and my students and staff
are my first priority. We are trying
to meet the deadline of getting
through our End of the Year SLO’s.
“Unfortunately, Mr. Dunn’s phone
call seemed less about correcting
an error (which may or may not be
true) and more about flexing his
NY State Education muscles. We
have about as much time for State
Ed phone calls as they do for
ours.”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Again, you can read the whole
thing at:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2013/06/when_the_ny_state_education_dept_complained_about_this_blog.html
Anyone know the status of this petition?
Petitioning New York State Board of Regents
New York State Board of Regents: Terminate the Employment of State Education Commissioner, John King
Petition by
Coalition for Justice in Education
PETITION TO TERMINATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF NYS EDUCATION COMMISSIONER, JOHN KING
(references substantiating each charge available at http://www.coalitionforjusticeineducation.com)
John King has served as New York State Commissioner of Education since 2011. During his tenure, the quality of education in NY has continued to decline; particularly in poor and rural districts.1 The Commissioner’s solutions rely upon blindly accepting NCLB, RTTT and Common Core policies and implementing more high-stakes, standardized testing for evaluation of students and teachers,2 implementation of an untested national curriculum,3 undemocratic corporate management strategies for operating schools,4 more privatization of schools5 and insistence that poverty-related conditions are not an excuse for low student achievement.6
Furthermore, Commissioner King:
· Refuses to lend credibility to staff and community-voiced concerns that much of Common Core curriculum and testing is developmentally inappropriate for students, and that NYS teachers received no significant training for the implementation of Common Core,7
· Refuses to allow meaningful dialogue about Common Core tests by imposing a “gag order” on teachers and administrators, preventing them from discussing test questions among themselves or with students,8
· Supports policy to allow private corporate vendors to have access to personal student data, without parental consent, for the purpose of marketing educational services,9 and
· Remains silent on the stress-related suffering by many students taking recent Common Core tests,10
· Promotes the reduction of the reading of fiction in favor of an increase in informational texts (50% informational texts in elementary school, and 70% for 12th grade readings by 2014)11 with the generally predicted impact of a further reduction in the joy of reading and learning for all students especially those with learning challenges,12
· Continues to advocate more high-stakes, standardized testing, despite research concluding that it is ineffective for motivating students and increasing their learning,13 and
· Continues to ignore positive research results for the use of performance-based assessment, such as portfolios, performances, presentations and exhibitions, by more NYS schools,14
· Advocates for more closings and privatization of low-performing schools,15 despite research indicating that charter schools are generally less effective than public schools,16 and promote more racial and class-based segregation,17 and create negative impact on community morale, motivation and development,18
· Advocates the use of poorly designed, ineffective corporate strategies, such as APPR, which de-professionalize teaching,19
We, the undersigned, strongly believe that New York State’s education reform agenda is fundamentally flawed and must be re-directed in a humanistic, research-based manner; directly counter to the direction Commissioner King has taken. New York State children, parents and teachers need an education commissioner who passionately supports and actively works for:
· De-concentrating the impact of poverty in classrooms and schools,
· Institutionalizing performance-based assessments,
· Ending the obsessive use of high-stakes, standardized testing,
· Developing creative, alternative curriculum, assessments and schools,
· Assisting poverty-stricken, low-performing schools through collaboration with teachers, parents community members and students, rather than through closures and privatization,
· Ending corporate reform,
· Using school practitioners and constructivist-oriented consultants for developing and implementing curriculum & assessments,
· Implementing a moratorium on the Common Core Curriculum,
· Transforming the NYSED to serve as helpful consultants to schools and school districts, rather than enforcers of top-down policies that are disrespectful to teachers and harmful to students.
Therefore, we, the undersigned respectfully urge the NYS Board of Regents to terminate the employment of John King as NYS Education Commissioner, and immediately search for, and hire a candidate who strongly reflects the characteristics described above.
http://www.change.org/petitions/new-york-state-board-of-regents-terminate-the-employment-of-state-education-commissioner-john-king
It is good to see Ravitch take a shot, subtle as it is, at thevteachers’ unions, which have boyrned teachers in NYC and LA, where teachers are uniting in a bicoastal mutiny the reformers are not likely to appreciate or survive.
Burned teachers…iPads do need key boards
Special interests??? This is our special interest: OUR CHILDREN!!!
Yes.
My fellow citizens,
Did you notice what happened in NYC? When “the people” were finally allowed to speak, over Mayor Bloomberg’s multi-million dollar objections, they REJECTED him and his failed education policies overwhelmingly! Bill DeBlasio said he would focus his attention on the 95% of children who go to traditional public schools, and the Moneyed People went bonkers, but THE PEOPLE support DeBlasio overwhelmingly! Polls show him FIFTY points ahead of the corporate-style Republican candidate for NYC Mayor.
PLEASE take the ONLY action that will get the attention of the governor and state legislature which blindly follows the corporate agenda (Cuomo is the #1 beneficiary of the corporate reform groups). Organize a POLITICAL campaign to elect a pro-parent citizen to YOUR assembly or state senate seat. THe fear of losing their job is the ONLY effective way to get the attention of our cowardly and craven NYS politicians who oh-so-quietly take hush money from the Corporate Education Reform lobby. As corrupt as it gets.
Run a pro-parent candidate who talks ONLY about how YOUR legislator is ruining education in YOUR town and making ALL OF YOU pay for it. Organize parents to go door to door to fight the educational tyranny that YOUR legislator is imposing on YOUR town. I guarantee you that a door-to-door campaign will make your legislator decide to heed what parents/voters are saying. And, if he/she doesn’t pay heed, then whoop him good in the primary or general election in 2014. Make him work for his corporate dollars!
BTW, no need to worry about the supine Democrats or the sell-out Repub’s not listening to you. Contact the Working Families Party, line D on the ballot, and work with the WFP to oust the rascals. The WFP (and parents!!) just helped progressives win the Dem race for the mayor’s seat and all citywide offices in NYC, plus a majority on the City Council. A new day is dawning, a progressive day, when corporate overlords won’t be able to shove their agendas down parents’ throats.
Hope the PTA still holds the meetings with a couple of seats with chickens in them for King and his minions. Make it a point to ask the chickens what their opinion is.
Hey King, This Song’s for You (apologies to hometown brewery Anheuser Busch):
I loved the video, Señor Swacker but truth be told, once again my email inbox has been inundated with demands by a special interest group, Los Pollos Unidos de América/United Chickens of America.
They all quoted the famous American humorist, Mark Twain, to the effect that “if John King could be crossed with a chicken, it would improve John King but deteriorate the chicken.” In other words, why be hatin’ on the chickens???
However, as is my wont I did a little background checking…
Upon consulting my friends of the feline persuasion I found out that Los Pollos Unidos made a key unacknowledged editing change, substituting “chicken” where Twain had “cat.” In addition, I had (thanks to the critical thinking skills I learned from absorbing the Common Core standards while attending a Montessori school) become just a bit suspicious of Twain knowing more than a hundred years ago about John King. Sure enough, substitute “man” where Los Pollos Unidos put “John King.”
Yet when all is said and done [or as Dr. Steve Perry, “America’s Most Trusted Educator” puts it, when “Push Has Come To Shove”], the chickens have a point.
Chickens have been served up by humankind, er, served humankind in so many many ways, so perhaps comparing such useful creatures to Homo EduDeformus is a tad unfair.
They do have a catchy slogan, though: Los Pollos Unidos, Jamás Serán Vencidos!/The Chickens, United, Will Never Be Defeated!
I give them this one. What say you?
🙂
Your mention of Perry reminded me of a brilliant comment by my friend Mary, which I must post for you to read.
From the Pelto blog:
Dr. Steve Perry’s “in your face” style includes insulting teachers, abusing unions, and, perhaps worst of all, stigmatizing his students with a long list of “ghetto” and “hood” terminology.
Perry enjoys aggressively promoting the miraculous results in his “hood” school–loudly proclaiming that choice, tough love, “no excuses,” and the marketplace all allow him to remedy the causes of urban school failure. What he neglects to mention is that he does not actually educate the urban, minority, under-served students he claims to be helping–in truth, because Perry is principal/head of a Sheff-settlement magnet school in Hartford, his student body is made up of a large percentage of non-Hartford students. While he travels the country, tweeting all the while, promoting his miracles for urban, “hood” schools (his lingo), he doesn’t say that lengthy court battles and a well-intended effort to integrate schools in Connecticut are the reason he even has a school to run.
If one is going to tout one’s success with minority students from the failing school system of Hartford Connecticut, then one should present the stats on those students. I believe that all schools in Connecticut must be fully integrated and well-funded, but I disagree with privatization, charters, and de-skilling teachers as means to that end. Perry is manipulating numbers and playing to people’s prejudices with his overblown rhetoric.
http://jonathanpelto.com/2013/10/11/steve-perry-excuses-except/
De acuerdo.
I just thought we could raise the level of discourse by having chickens there instead of The King of NY MISEducation and his minions.
On my way to the locally owned grocery store, yeah it’s even open on Sunday, just now to get some cheep, cheep firewater I almost ran over a bold rooster in the middle of the road who seemed to be trying to tell me something-something to the effect of “Ya sabemos donde vives. Now I know that Los Pollos Unidos tienen un sistema de comunicación buena.
Did I forget to mention that I have a whole one (well properly gutted and plucked-and no not King, he can’t be plucked, well I guess he could but he’d be one tough chunk of meat) on the smoker (apple wood) basted with a honey/brown mustard sauce. I think the one that stopped me was an advanced scout as the rest were on patrol down at my neighbor’s place.
The Commissioner King is a cool customer, if anyone has seen him.
He knows his stuff. His comments to elected leaders on Long Island that he wants equity in funding, not just based on real estate taxes, has raised some eye brows and may have him back tracking now. Check out my hearings video. Any shortfall in funding to the school districts should come from the State!
There were many posts about my meeting with Jack Martins which are excellent.
I was overwhelmed with how good they were. The idea that student learning is not that good,
I attribute it to the manufactured testing program which has been manipulated for political purposes.Literacy and math have surely taken a hit with the NCLB agenda. We no longer hear of Shared Reading, Cooperative Learning, Learning Styles, but only “instruction”, no process learning from field trips any longer. The advent of “Smart Boards” has the teachers focused on desk tops, where only one math problem can be performed on a Smart Board, while ten can be done on a blackboard. Smart Boards prevent the use of natural lighting in a classroom, where it has been proven that white light color temperatures or 4,000 Kelvin encourage high performance, rather than the closed shades of the Smart Board “theatre”.
Schools actually were doing well with the advent of the “Whole Language” movement, which was crushed by the publishers, who realized that they would become obsolete. The Whole Language movement relied on “authentic literature” rather than the nonsense materials and handouts of the publishers.
.Even the new Common Core Standards recognize the nonsense of text books and the need for “authentic non fiction texts”
“Schools actually were doing well with the advent of the “Whole Language” movement,”
Tell that to my two older children who can’t spell worth shit.
By the time my youngest went through the same school they had started using a phonics based program along with word recognition and he can actually spell a lot better than the other two and is proud of it.
“. . . recognize the nonsense of text books. . .”
Please explain what you mean by “the nonsense of text books”.
I base my classes on the text. It has a logical layout, tools, exercises, culture, reading, listening exercises etc. . . and enough grammar and vocabulary to expose the students to a lot of Spanish.
Duane
I love you and the conversation.
You might look into the work of Paolo Friere in Brazil.
All literacy is social.
Literacy is developed through writing.
Your program may be very effective.
I honor that.
Correct spelling is a result of reading.
Create projects that require students to obtain
real books from the library and have them be shared.
This is what I did in my own classsroom..
Then they write what they have learned as a group.
All literacy is “social”!
Joseph,
Thanks for the kind words.
I have read Freire and agree that all learning (not just literacy) is social.
I have a more regimented program for my levels one and two because somewhere somehow one has to get from having no vocabulary in a learning a second language (beginning at the high school level) to having at least a minimal one. I find if the texts that the students read are too hard then they will have a tendency to give up rather than do what is necessary, i.e., have a dictionary there with you when you read in a second language.
Considering the sheer complexities of learning one language, much less a second after many brain capabilities have been “turned off” and that is not quite it but there are times, especially in very early life that introducing a second language, as in a natural bilingual upbringing when the brain seems more “capable”/”wired”-and I don’t like that term either/”geared” toward certain structures, phonemes, syntax etc. . . . And considering that being in a high school foreign language classroom is the equivalent of being in a foreign country for ten days, I try to have a more programmed approach which at the same time is a “discovery” approach along with a Socratic questioning approach and a student self monitoring, meta cognitive approach.
Levels 3&4, which are the same hour in my school are a more reading based self study approach, with more writing and talking (not as much as I’d like) activities. I’m still working through having two levels the same hour.
Ultimately, one really needs to go live where the language is spoken for a minimum six months with very little contact with his/her native language to cement it all together.
Having seen footage of the Town Hall meetings with King that did occur, I raised with several educator friends and colleagues in New York the question of whether the meetings that were scheduled and now cancelled should be held instead as vehicles for further testimony and organizing. Reading your analysis, Diane, I would further suggest that the featured speakers at some of these meetings be yourself.
EXACTLY Who cancelled the
remaining meetings?
King or the PTA leaders? Gates?
If it’s a PTA event, can’t they carry
on without King participating?
Everything’s booked and paid for,
and people have set aside time
to attend.
Since the PTA took a boatload
of Gates money, does the
cancellation of the town halls mean
the PTA is not an independent voice
and representative of the parents, and
instead just puppets of Gates? Or
King? Or whomever?
King’s latest statement is that the
truth is the opposite of this. No,
his latest claim is that those
loudmouth parents who spoke out
at the town hall (in the video) were
phony agents of “special interests”
out to disrupt the event, and deny
“the real parents” an opportunity to
learn and dialogue about Common
Core and school reform. (Is King’s
thought process here the kind of
critical thinking he wants taught in
Common Core?)
A MESSAGE TO ANY OF THOSE
WHO SPOKE ON CAMERA:
Were any of you actual parents?
OR
Were you just pretending to be
parents so you could then disrupt
the town hall event on orders from
your “special interest” masters?
OR
Were you perhaps actual parents
as well as “special interest”
provocateurs out to sabotage
the event, and thus deny
the non-special interest parents
the benefits of the town hall?
Inquiring minds want to know.
And to Commissioner King…
exactly WHO are these nefarious
“special interest” puppeteers who
masterminded the destruction
of the Common Core town hall
event?
Whoever they are, they need
to be rooted out at once, and
exposed for these destructive
forces—the enemies of true
school reform—that they are!
Tell the world!
Let’s study the video once again,
so we can start the process
of identifying and exposing them:
Once those speaking on the
video are subjected to a thorough
interrogation, we can get them all
to “flip”—as they say on THE
WIRE—and give up the names of
those “special interest” bastards who
put them up behave and say what
they did at the town hall!
Great questions, Jack!
Diane may be able to choose more qualified candidated with real experience in the classroom.
“Special interests” is now a code word for “concerned stakeholders”.
Agree.
Probably for “concerned shareholders” too!
Parents and teachers are being dominated by John King, Andrew Cuomo and Bill Gates .
On a humorous note, I just found
this over at STUDENTS LAST:
————————————————
THE KING’S DICTIONARY:
New York – The reigning Commissioner of Education for the State of New York, John King, has released the following dictionary of terms that he would like distributed at any other town hall meetings he deigns to attend.
accountability — fireability, what the King is above
child — learning unit available for sale to corporations (notable exceptions include: King’s child(ren))
critical voices — that to which the King is deaf
democracy — a form of government in which people choose their leaders and their leaders choose not to listen to them because it is time-consuming and inconvenient
dissent — that to which the King is impervious
education — marketplace
educators — pawns
experience — overblown requirement for teaching
evidence — that which does not exist to support the use of Common Core Standards
knowledge — facts, information and skills not necessarily required before implementing state-wide learning standards
money — short cut around democratic process
parent — easily manipulated adult unit in charge of child (see above)
Ravitch — she who must not be named
respect — what silent acquiescence shows
rigor — developmentally inappropriate
schooled — what the King got on October 10, 2013 in Poughkeepsie, NY
special interests — those who disagree with the King’s policies
Town Hall meeting — gathering at which the King speaks and you listen
——————————————–
This is at:
http://studentslast.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-kings-dictionary.html
Simple equation here, folks. Not promoting Common Core because too many parents and teachers are pissed off that their kids and students are not learning and we are saying it in public DOES NOT EQUAL using grant funding given by Gates to National PTA and filtered down to state PTAs to promote Common Core. When they can’t document promotion of Common Core, they can’t use the grant money; therefore, the have to cancel their propaganda town hall meetings where the leaders are denying public voices by taking over the mic during public testimony time and reduced the public testimony time from 1 hour to 20 minutes. Great job parents and educators of NY!
Lace to the Top is a “special interest” group. Children are our “special interest”. In fact, children are our ONLY interest.
If the ACLU and Common Cause are not going to take this on this behemoth, then I think parents need to consult lawyers and file law suits themselves across the country. It’s a stretch to swallow the notion that the corporate takeover of our government and children’s education is completely on the up and up and legal. There’s been a lot of conflict of interest, as indicated in David Sirota’s report. People should be advising parents to be sure to document the adverse effects of corporate education “reform,” including the pain and suffering of their children.
Another issue is all of the non-profit organizations that identify themselves as “educational,” like ALEC and StudentsFirst, but which function much more like PACS that lobby and support legislators in order to promote their political agendas. Foundations are doing the same kind of thing. None of them should not be getting tax breaks for that! People need to lodge complaints to their representatives over the misclassification of such lobbying groups, because this really needs to change.
Ugh. Sorry about all the typos. Need to sleep.
This whole Common Core movement has been mismanaged. If there was anything constructive in the content, it has been overshadowed by the inappropriate implementation and incongruent testing. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see the flaws. Ultimately, the backlash is due to the resulting harm done to our children – noted by both educators and parents.
The testing rubrics were purposely skewed so that next years’ scores will show improvement (not due to growth, but because the scoring model will be “updated”.)
The problem that State Ed and King are having is that the assumption that we are all idiots is false. And don’t mess with a mother – we’ll protect our children to the death.
A little humor to lighten things…
What occurred backstage with John
King and his advisors after King fled
the stage:
Best line: all those who teach leave the room (paraphrasing)….almost everyone left. This should go viral.
Jack, you made my day! Here I am on my day off, working on plans, grouping, differentiating, gathering artifacts, creating spread sheets, yada, yada, yada. This made me realize none of this crap is making me a better teacher, nor is it helping my students. I’m going outside on this glorious day for a bike ride along the beach!
In blaming “special interests” for the opposition to the Common Core King is using the old “outside agitators” canard that was used by segregationists during the civil right movement. This is very quaint in the age of the internet!
Special interest groups seem to be everyone!