Starting in 2002, the unaccredited Broad Superintendents “Academy” has produced graduates who supposedly learned the management techniques to turn the nation’s schools around. The Academy consists of six weekends over a ten-month session, where aspiring leaders are immersed in Billionaire Eli Broad’s management philosophy, which apparently means top-down mandates, high-stakes testing, close schools with low test scores, and never give evidence of compassion lest it be interpreted as weakness.
While Broad’s destructive ideas were embraced by Arne Duncan and became the cold, hard spirit of Race to the Top, his superintendents have a spotty record. A few, like Chris Cerf in New Jersey and John White in Louisiana, are state superintendents. Some are leading urban districts. None has a record of success, and some have been kicked out by the local citizenry. So dubious is the record that the Broad Foundation stopped printing the annual list of its graduates and their current assignments after the class of 2011. Sharon Higgins, an Oakland parent activist, has been keeping track, however, and here is the list that ends in 2011.
Once again, a Broadie is in hot water. Jersey Jazzman has the story. This one, Penny MacCormack, was chosen by Broadie Chris Cerf to run the excellent Montclair public schools in New Jersey. This was not a failing district by any measure. Every one of its seniors passed the state tests, 90% go to college, and 20% enroll in the nation’s most elite colleges. Yet MacCormack cracked the whip as she learned to at the Broad Academy, demanded more testing, and displayed the art of never listening to staff. Before long, some of the school’s best teachers ran for the exits, and staff morale plummeted.
Montclair parents don’t like what is happening to their high school. They created a Facebook page to register their protests and gathered signatures.
Jersey Jazzman writes:
“I really don’t think I’m overstating the importance of this moment when I say the resistance in Montclair is a turning point in the national story of the breakdown of corporate reform.”
The underlying story here is that the corporate reformers are free to experiment on urban children. After all, they are poor, black, and brown, and no one in a position of authority cares if their parents complain. They are powerless. But the reformers haven’t yet learned that they are supposed to stay out of the suburbs. Suburban parents don’t like all that testing. They like their schools and their teachers. And unlike urban parents, they have political power.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is a really important story. I have thought that the reason our country has made so much progress during my lifetime in rights for the disabled, and in gay rights, is because the people affected come from all strata of society, and some can use their social, political, and economic capital in support of their beliefs. My question is, can these parents’ cause be united with the broader picture of educational equity and good public schools for all?
I just wonder. What is the end game for the students and teachers who don’t meet the criteria on the tests? I don’t see a real plan to assist those who fall through or “fail”?
I have always believed that the purpose of teaching was noble and that the goal was to help all students become productive citizens. How is tossing people aside, degrading them, and punishing them part of any noble calling? It feels more like an effort to serve only the compliant or the fortunate. That doesn’t define education for me.
“. . . that the goal was to help all students become productive citizens.”
NO, Deb, that is not the fundamental purpose/goal of public education at least here in the Show Me State: “A general diffusion of knowledge
and intelligence being essential to the preservation of the rights and liberties of the people, the general assembly shall establish and maintain free public schools for the gratuitous instruction of all persons in this state within ages not in excess of twenty-one years as prescribed by law.” (MO Constitution)
A good explanation of the “public” goal (vs just an individual right)) of public education, see Resseger’s:
Click to access Message-13-web-version.pdf
Is that the same Dr Hite on the list who is the current Superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia?????
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Yes, Dr. Hite is a graduate of the billionaire Broad academy
@Rosenfeldt: yes and teachers of PG County suffered through his “regime” for too long before he took a sharp salary increase and left MD early.
Broadie: rhymes with Toady.
Arne Duncan was on the board of the Broad Foundation until he became head of the U.S. Education Department. In its 2009/2010 Annual report, the Broad Foundation said,
“The election of President Barack Obama and his appointment of Arne Duncan, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools, as the U.S. secretary of education, marked the pinnacle of hope for our work in education reform. In many ways, we feel the stars have finally aligned.
With an agenda that echoes our decade of investments—charter schools, performance pay for teachers, accountability, expanded learning time and national standards—the Obama administration is poised to cultivate and bring to fruition the seeds we and other reformers have planted.”
Who is Eli Broad and why is he trying to destroy public education?
http://www.defendpubliceducation.net/
“The underlying story here is that the corporate reformers are free to experiment on urban children. After all, they are poor, black, and brown, and no one in a position of authority cares if their parents complain. They are powerless. But the reformers haven’t yet learned that they are supposed to stay out of the suburbs. Suburban parents don’t like all that testing. They like their schools and their teachers. And unlike urban parents, they have political power.”
My goodness. Well, there you have it, powerless city dwellers. Your home is useful to suburbanites for two things: to provide the economic engine that powers your metropolitan region and allows the suburbs to exist, and to make a handy warehouse for penning in most of the region’s poor minorities. On everything else, you can drop dead. Fix your schools if you must, but leave our segregated suburbs the hell out of it. And no choice for you, either, because enrollment losses can leave city teachers who live in the suburbs out of a job.
Throw us a bone here, suburbs. Something. Anything!
Wow- solid point.
In the wealthier suburbs the parents have their lawyers on speed dial. Parents don’t want their schools turned into crazy and chaotic teacher mills. The Republicans are afraid to destabilize the suburban schools because it angers their base. People from both parties don’t seem to care if urban families have no power within their own schools. I’m amazed that urban children are being brought up in these autocratic schools and all of these celebrities and politicians have bought into the sham.
In discussing the powerlessness of urban areas ( in particular in NY), a friend of mine pointed out, and quite rightly too, I think, that we in the cities don’t have a leg to stand on, according to the reformers. Our scores are lower, there are more problems. Of course, that all ignores the issues of poverty, concentration of students with special needs, and children who are not native English speakers. She then said, that we in the cities would have to wait until the explosion of anger came from Long Island. When those parents begin to understand what is happening, there will be hell to pay in Albany. Then we could ride in on their coattails. Thank you John King, for pissing off the parents of Long Island and the other New York suburbs. Hopefully, the tide swelling we save us in the cities as well.
Thank you, Diane, for the focus on the school war in Montclair. We are a district with good schools misrepresented by new Broadie Supt. as failing. Montclair is an “old suburb” based on 19thC railroad to NYC, small leafy town with many NYC-expats here b/c of runaway housing prices in NYC. Professional families here are all colors, races, bicultural, gay, lesbian, interfaith, etc.; an old and established lower-income population of mostly African-American families makes this a town with an urban mix of races and incomes. Lower-income kids do less well like lower-income students of any color anywhere else. Poverty is a national disgrace. Montclair struggled for school desegregation 30+ yrs ago, invented a magnet school choice system with programs for lower-achieving kids; a child from any part of town can attend any school to insure desegregated schoolhouses. The Board of Ed here has rejected my repeated proposals to spend its large annual surpluses on the needs of lower-achieving kids. Privatizer-dominated Board hired a Broadie last yr who brought disruption, more testing, personnel changes, admin mismanagement, spending heavily for outside consultants. The new Supt. lacks the required State certification but was hired anyway. Supt. has been receiving a stipend from Broad while here, unclear how much for what services. Our busy parents’ group opposes her and the Board, testifies at every Board meeting, does letters to editor of local newspaper, posts on local blogs, held first public forum on the crisis 2 weeks ago with SRO crowd, makes alliances with other groups, researching all angles. Board is now divided, its meetings undermine its own credibility, inept, losing control of the situation. Parents are getting the message despite media barrages from the Supt. We’re still working at this.
In my 22 years in a large urban HS helping seniors move on, I have seen so many “upwardly mobile” programs come & go. I dealt with colleges, trades & military reps trying to give our kids every option. No program changed the ones who should go to college V trades, etc. We’ve wasted billions in my time NOT seeing more success in college or even graduation rates from HS!
One “size” does not fit ALL! Societal needs are being ignored & college prep is the name of the game! Rediculous since there are so many that would be successful in trade & service industries. My own 2 children went in opposite directions & they are BOTH successful, tax paying citizens!
We are under siege of a Broad Academy grad who has systematically destroyed our district in the 2+ years & it’s getting worse this year. The public needs to FIGHT to have the state & federal $$ spent better as we cannot afford to waste it anymore!
Fight for our children…Fight for our future…before it’s too late!
Rhode Island is run by a Broadie. The big thing you have to fight is the media blitz these people are keen on. They know how to sell themselves. I swear, the RI Commissioner of Ed must have a press corps working for her.
They are certainly turning our school system around or desperately trying to. Nice that they are destroying EDUCATION in the process.
………..That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed,–That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Rigfht of the People to alter or to abolish it, …………….. Read these words in the Declaration of Independence. If we keep abousing the inner cities, providing no jobs, distroying education systems, providing no hope to improve, then what happens is those people revolting against the present Government. God Help Us!!!
Black and brown people as was stated in the article are some of the most intelligent people. Why is it that the”suburban” white people don’t want testing, is it that their children are not as smart as ours? Think about it!!!!!!
Come take a look at Union City, NJ, where the Broadies are most definitely NOT in charge.