A reader has done research on the new Undersecretary of Education. The “no-excuses” charters are known for their emphasis on strict discipline, conformity, and obedience to all rules. They typically have high rates of suspension and attrition.
Public school parents should know who Arne Duncan and President Obama chose to run the nation’s public school system.
This is an interview with Ted Mitchell. Like all ed reformers, he makes no mention of the actual, existing public schools 90% of your kids attend. Instead, he tells of us his dream to turn all public schools into no excuses charter chains:
FORBES: What is your best idea for K-12 education reform?
“Ted Mitchell: Well, we think of education reform in two parts. There’s education reform—that is who has maximized the current production function of education–who is doing schooling as well as it can be done given the constraints we have today. And then there’s what schools should look like in the not too distant future. What are we really aiming at? We call those education 1.0 and education 2.0.
Let’s start with education 1.0 then. Which teachers or schools would you say are doing the best job of reforming the current system? I would highlight not all charter schools but the high performing, no excuses charter schools like KIPP and Aspire. Then there are a
few that are doing the very hardest work of all, which is turning around existing schools. Those are Mastery in Philadelphia and Unlocking Potential in Boston.
They have very high expectations for everyone in the building, kids and adults. They have a culture that supports achievement and they understand that traditionally under-served kids come to school with a set of issues that aren’t their fault—they come to school hungry, they come from broken homes—and these schools take them in whatever circumstances and characteristics they arrive and say: ‘Those are things we can deal with, but they’re not excuses for underachieving.’ The results are that these schools have pretty much eliminated the drop out rate, doubled the graduation rate and doubled the college-going rate of traditionally under-served kids.”
There’s no mention of existing public schools in the entire piece. Mr. Mitchell can’t find a single US public school that merits praise or meets his requirements.
These are not the words of an “agnostic”.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I trief to call Markey and Elizabeth Warren; no one answering phones
I called the White House and someone took notes; I could hear her typing.
I am furious at what they are doing to public education.
I don’t care at all “who has maximized the current production function of education.”
I care about the 7-year-old in my class who has been suffering for three days with a severe UTI, who has a mother with no phone service and who won’t come to pick her up even when we ARE able to reach her through a grandmother.
These are children, many of whom are suffering. You can’t see them from a desk in DC but they’re out here and we are trying to teach them, and “high expectations” and “no excuses” isn’t what’s going to get that done.
quote: “In October 2012, Zynga.org’s Executive Director, Ken Weber, reached out to NewSchools Venture Fund to explore how the two could collaborate to build games for learning. NewSchools CEO Ted Mitchell saw a fit: “A lot of learning research we’ve seen point to the importance of grit and persistence. And we thought the gaming industry is ripe to tackle this problem.” This past May, the two officially announced a partnership for a learning games accelerator, now formally called co.lab.”
this is from Democratic underground. quote: “Small Worldl: Interlocks of Boards and senior staff of the big 16 ed think tanks & advocacy orgs
Edited on Tue Jan-19-10 12:49 AM by Hannah Bell
* Achieve
* Alliance for Excellent Education (Alliance)
* Broad Prize
* Center on Education Policy (CEP)
* Citizens’ Commission on Civil Rights (CCCR)
* Ed Next
* Ed Sector
* Ed Trust
* Fordham
* KIPP
* National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS)
* National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ)
* New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS)
* New Schools Venture Fund (NSVF)
* New Teacher Project (NTP)
* Teach for America (TFA)
The education policy/advocacy world represented here looks a lot like a tangled spiderweb. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) shares members with 10 of these organizations. Their board includes
Jonathan Williams (Accelerated Charter School of Los Angeles), who also sits on the Education Sector board;
Bruno Manno (Vice Chair, Annie E. Casey Foundation), who also sits on the Ed Sector board as well as the Fordham board;
Mashea Ashton (of New Leaders for New Schools);
Mike Feinberg (KIPP);
Checker Finn, who also sits on the boards of Fordham and the National Council for Teacher Quality, and serves as the Senior Editor of Education Next;
Ted Mitchell of the New Schools Venture Fund (NSVF is also represented on the Ed Sector board);
Chris Nelson of the Don and Doris Fisher Fund, which is also represented on the Teach for America and KIPP boards;
Andy Rotherham, who sits on the boards of Education Sector, the National Council for Teacher Quality, and served on the Broad Prize Selection Committee.
What does it mean? Some would contend that a small group of people are running the education policy show. Others would argue this type of coordination is no different than in Fortune 500 companies, where board interlocks are common. ” end of quote
I have been writing to Education Next for a year asking why thy have to send out headlines through UPI stating “teachers are pricey.” I have written to 3 board members of Fordham; one wrote back that board members don’t get involved in these lower level decisions
Oh it’s only tangled looking to those not in it. And the sticky web part is only on the inside.
As the old saying goes, “With friends like that…”
Just 2 questions:
1. Does he have children?
2. If so, where do or did his children go to school?
i think we can guess what type of school any chlidren of Mr. Mitchell would attend-small, private schools with great teacher to pupil ratios, a broad curriculum, no standardized testing and experienced teachers. It’s a very sad state of affairs.
“…pretty much eliminated the drop out rate….”
Guess there’s a difference between “attrition” and “dropping out”.
The difference is kicked out.
Not necessarily. A lot of kids voluntarily leave charter schools.
“No Excuses” is code for “lazy teachers making excuses for not doing their jobs”.
It makes you wonder if any of these people ever had to pull a late night and then perform at a demanding job the next day – many of our students come from homes that leave them hungry and tired when they come to school.
Did they consider it an excuse if they suffered from a major medical problem and took time off till they recovered? Many of our students come to school every day with a variety of physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities and require medication, eyeglasses, physical therapy, and other therapy and don’t receive it. How can anyone doubt that without those, it would diminish anyone’s ability to learn?
What about learning under high stress situations? We see a number of students who are growing up in a number of high stress situations – bad family situations – high crime areas – families full of drugs.
Are these excuses that teachers are making? I wouldn’t be so broad as to say that children can’t learn – but to go to the other extreme and declare that these are never barriers is equally absurd and to totally discount their impact on student performance.
We KNOW they’re a factor – we have loads of research to confirm that. It sounds to me like “No excuses” is an excuse itself for refusing to deal with real problems. If it’s also no-factor as No Excuses seems to imply, we shouldn’t need these absurd VAM formulas – aren’t they mathematical excuses?
What kind of country are we where this kind of double-speak passes for intelligent democratic discourse? Where is the proof that education without necessary social supports can break poverty on a large level instead of a pretty small % succeeding in spite of it?
It seems that the President has punted education to Arne Duncan and his henchmen. Does president Obama even have an opinion any more? Does he even know what is happening at the local levels? i had such high hopes for him as he entered office. We need to do better with the next president. Is education now just a breeding ground for corrupt politicians and greedy businessmen? It is all very sad…very sad indeed…
Does anyone have a sense where Hillary Clinton, our likely next president, lands on these issues?
“Who has maximized the current production function of education?”
If only Rousseau had started with this question we might not find ourselves in the dire, dire straits we are in today! /snark
Do these people even hear themselves?
Isn’t that business-speak for somthing like ‘brought to scale and increased returns on investment’?
One would never know that man was talking about living, breathing children.
That’s because kids are just investments to those who don’t have tied to them. Little future minions that will serve the corporate koolade.
Unbelievable
Is it just me or is the man’s command of the English language almost incomprehensible? This is who is being picked as 2nd in command of the DOE for the entire US. I was taught in college that if one could not articulate an idea and be understood, than one did not know how to think. Is this doublespeak a deliberate smokescreen to hide real intentions or is it just that these guys really haven’t a clue.
This is about money and control. Once the public sector pensions are lost there will be no one around to remind folks that most working Americans had pensions and were proud workers who felt they had a stake in this society. Well, no more. We are all being turned into wage slaves who are dispensable as used tissue.
We will just have to start the fight all over again.
“-and these schools take them in whatever circumstances and characteristics they arrive and say: ‘Those are things we can deal with, but they’re not excuses for underachieving.”
I teach in Philly and all those charters (ESPECIALLY Mastery) cherry pick the best students and “pressure” out the non performers. I know, because we get the students that aren’t accepted or kicked out.
avan,
Your are probably right, but how do you know that they cherry pick? I have heard, but not confirmed, that Mastery-Picket takes every student in the neighborhood. I have also heard that they have high teacher turnover, and teach vigorously to the test. I would like to get some real stats and anecdotes from people who have worked or still work at one of their schools. I wonder what their attrition and suspension rates are like. What is their application process like?
I also teach in Philly, and have watched as my public school has become, in effect, a kind of dumping ground for students that charters would rather not deal with. We just absorbed 150 students (due to a school closure), while loosing our guidance councilor!
What kind of resources and personnel does Mastery have for student’s social, emotional, and academic supports? I know gates gave them a million about a year ago. My sense is they are considerably better funded than Philly’s public schools.
Diane,
Do you honestly feel hopeful about the future of public education in the US? Are you still convinced that the tide is turning in our favor?
Each day I become more discouraged. The day-to-day grind is getting to me and news like this is making me feel even worse.
I do not see any way we can dig ourselves out of this hole while those in power continue to shovel dirt on our heads and the heads of the children in our care.
Boycott. All they care about is money.
@kindergeek: If the most progressive administration in forty years is embracing teacher and school evaluations and accountability, then I think that probably indicates that the direction this country is going. If teachers and teacher unions continue to focus on job security above teacher quality, then teachers are likely to have much less influence over the reform process than they otherwise might have. What I would want to see is for teachers to be part of the design of the evaluation matrix AND for teachers to be part of the evaluation process itself (through peer evaluations). And, teachers need to embrace the idea that poor teachers should be jettisoned from the system. Right now, teachers are fighting (1) evaluations and (2) consequences (both positive and negative) for exceeding or falling below standard. Given the political winds (as exemplified by the Obama administration, to say nothing about the GOP), evaluations and accountability are not going away. As such, change is coming. The only question is: Will teachers be part of and help shape that change? If they continue to fight tooth-and-nail against evaluations with consequences, then they will be left on the sidelines, which is not in the best interests of students.
“And, teachers need to embrace the idea that poor teachers should be jettisoned from the system. Right now, teachers are fighting (1) evaluations and (2) consequences (both positive and negative) for exceeding or falling below standard.”
Are you dizzy from that spin yet? No one anywhere is saying that poor teachers should stay for life. Of course poor teachers should go, just like poor doctors, poor lawyers and poor janitors. The issues that people have are (1) there are not nearly as many “poor” teachers as the “reformers” would have you believe – every time they do these evaluations, the vast majority (near or above 95%) of teachers are deemed “effective” or better; and (2) the way that teachers are evaluated should be fair – basing such evaluations on junk tests and junk VAM “science” is worse than useless. It is punitive, humiliating and breeds hostile competition among teachers which interferes with the collaboration necessary for effective teaching. The same is true of so-called “merit pay” because it’s just the flip side of the coin.
I’d suggest you read a bit more on this blog before you jump in – these issues have been covered extensively and the shallowness of your thinking (or perhaps parroting) has been exposed.
Oh good grief. Throw salt on the wounds, lorentjd.
It’s not that I expect Diane to make me feel great about the coming months or years, but I don’t think she’ll be conciliatory either.
Teachers are fighting all of it because they know it is junk. The evaluations are a farce. If a few poor teachers need to be jettisoned then why all of the ridiculous evals. and ideas? The whole system is making good teachers want to leave the profession. Isn’t that the opposite of what the “reform evals” intended?
“If the most progressive administration in forty years is embracing teacher and school evaluations and accountability, then I think that probably indicates that the direction this country is going.”
1. Which part of Obama’s education policy is “progressive”? Be specific.
2. How has the last decade of ed reform improved existing public schools?
Nobody wants to jettison bad teachers more than competent teachers.
Alan: every competent or outstanding teacher I ever worked with—and with whom I developed enough of a rapport to discuss difficult and touchy subjects—said the same thing.
The reason is glaringly obvious to anyone who has worked in a classroom: the good educators have to continually clean up the messes caused by incompetent colleagues. With all due respect to some fine administrators, the most direct ‘solution’ was for the bad apples to go into administration—where sometimes they were placed in a position of authority over good teachers, hence better able to foul things up even more.
The edubullies have always been with us. It is just that nowadays they are more strategically placed to create even bigger messes than they used to.
Don’t believe me? Just come to Los Angeles—iPads anyone?
😦
This has nothing to do with evaluation. You start off with the assumption that teachers are all about job security at all costs and that we can’t maintain that anymore – except that it was never the status quo. People who had tenure but frankly sucked, would frequently get run out of schools by harassing administrators and the like.
The problem with evaluation reform is not the evaluations per se, it’s that when it’s presented to us as a compromise, it sounds eerily like the recent stand-off in the Congress.
“Defund Obamacare or else we’ll tank the economy”
“No”
“Weaken or delay Obamacare or we’ll tank the economy”
“No”
“Why won’t you compromise?”
When the assertions of the group doing the reform are frankly absurd and disproven by evidence, but they want to bargain for some version of it that guarantees their ability to fire teachers above all else (and again, this is despite evidence that the measures are inaccurate, highly volatile, and that there are very few ineffective teachers) – you cannot bargain in good faith an evaluation deal when they’re looking at how easily they can fire teachers and we’re interested in finding support for students – who’s on the side of the students in this case?
Do we really compromise and agree to something that’s still really messed up because we didn’t want the most messed up system possible (on the presumption that they won’t find other ways to demoralize, overload, and distract teachers from their primary responsibility). On principle we need to fight back because once we agree to the injustice, it leaves no room for it to be questioned anymore – and this system is not some better dependable system – it’s one that is built solely to fire unionized teachers based on factors that they can’t control for like test difficulty, scoring bands, political agendas, and that’s not counting what they’re calling “no excuses”.
M said: “People who had tenure but frankly sucked, would frequently get run out of schools by harassing administrators and the like.”
If poor teachers are “frequently” fired for poor performance, then how many of the 95,000 teachers in Illinois, for example, are fired each year?
According to an investigative report conducted by a newspaper in Springfield, based on 1,500 freedom of information requests, the answer is about seven per year: Five for misconduct (sexual or otherwise) and two for incompetence. I don’t know how anyone could claim that there are really only two incompetent teachers in the entire state of Illinois who deserve to be fired each year or that firing two teachers for incompetence constitutes “frequently” firing poor teachers. If 99% of teachers are competent and merely 1% are incompetent (which would be highly satisfactory ratio), then that would mean there are 950 incompetent teachers in Illinois. Now, I have no idea what the real number is in Illinois but TWO out of 95,000 is 0.002% (meaning that 99.998% of teachers in Illinois are presumably “competent” and protected from being fired). It strains the bounds of credibility to claim that any profession has so few incompetent practitioners. I suspect you could fire at least the bottom 2% to 3% of Illinois teachers (1,900 to 2,850 of them) and not be in danger of losing a single competent teacher among them.
The truth is, it is exceedingly difficult to fire an incompetent tenured teacher.
Or, am I wrong and, statewide, states routinely weed out the bottom 2% or 3% of teachers each year?
“Or, am I wrong….”
Yes.
First of all, you conveniently neglect what it takes to get tenure in the first place. In most states it takes at least three if not five years of damn hard work to get there. Most “bad” teachers either self-select out or are fired before they get there. Yes, I suppose a few who make tenure are still “bad” (probably the ones who are personally connected to the ones making the decision, so they’re not going to be fired in any case), and I’m sure there are another few who burn out after earning tenure and become “bad” teachers, but, again, we’re talking very small numbers.
Second, the number of teachers fired is a very small percentage of the number of teachers forced out, as in any business/profession. Employers hate to fire people because of liability reasons. They usually make life miserable first and then offer the employee the chance to “resign”. To the employee, this feels an awful lot like being fired, but it won’t show up as such in the records.
Alan,
I once thought that as you did that “no one wanted to jettison bad teachers more than competent teachers” until I saw the opposition to peer evaluation here on this blog and the emission end argument given by one frequent poster here that reporting poor teaching by another teacher to an administrator was unethical.
TE,
‘the emission end argument given by one frequent poster here that reporting poor teaching by another teacher to an administrator was unethical.”
I’m not sure what you mean with the statement “emission end”. Can you please clarify. And can you post a link to the statement you have referenced?
Thanks,
Duane
Duane,
“the emission end argument:” is another artifact of auto complete and posting before coffee. It should be the impassioned argument given…
The poster was LG, the link to the beginning of the conversation is here: https://dianeravitch.net/2012/08/15/is-this-a-failing-school-with-great-graduates/comment-page-1/#comment-24161
The important quote from LG’s post that started the discussion was
“One must be very careful in speaking up about one’s colleagues. It is unprofessional to do so unless there is evidence that the colleague’s actions are bringing immediate harm to students.”
Thanks, TE!
Don’t thank me, thank Google site search.
I don’t know if LG’s opinion of professionalism is widely shared among teachers, but no poster raised their voice disagreeing with LG.
It’s similar to the Postmaster General (or Asst.
Postmaster) saying, “You know. The U.S.
Postal system really sucks. I’m begging you.
Stop using it. Use Fed Ex instead. They’re
so much better.”
Well, Jack, in that case the Postmaster General would be right…and refreshingly so. The bloated, inefficient, money-losing USPS needs radical reform (and mail delivery down to two or three days a week would be a good start).
Talk to me when FedEx or UPS can deliver a letter from Nowhere, New Mexico to Somewhere, South Carolina in two to three days for 46 cents.
If it COSTS more than 46 cents to deliver a letter to Nowhere, NM, then the USPS should be CHARGING more than 46 cents to delivery a letter to Nowhere, NM.
The USPS is an anachronistic and ossified organization. Going to the mailbox, back in the day, used to be somewhat exciting. One never knew if there would be a personal letter or postcard waiting in the box to be read. Now, it’s essentially nothing but junk mail, sprinkled with a few bills. People use email (less so for young people), text messaging, or other e-means of communicating. Letter writing is about as dead as the telegram (which finally died with the last telegram in history being delivered sometime in the last twelve months).
Yet, the USPS is essentially structured the same way it was structured fifty years ago. And, to me, that is not surprising for a quasi-governmental entity that is governed by political and bureaucratic forces, not market forces. Political forces insist, for example, that a letter to Nowhere, NM from Trenton, NJ should cost the same as a letter from Trenton to NYC). Yet, what other product or service is handled in such a matter?
So, the USPS continues to charge a flat rate for a letter, regardless of how much it costs to send a particular letter. The price should be cost-specific. If it costs the USPS 15 cents to deliver a particular letter to a particular location, then the USPS should charge a bit more than 15 cent to deliver that letter. If it costs the USPS $2.50 to deliver a particular letter to a particular location, then the USPS should charge a bit more than $2.50 to deliver that letter. If people don’t want to pay that, then they will be inclined to push even more of their communication to e-communication.
And, why are we stuck with the same six-day-per-week delivery schedule that has been around for 100 years? It’s simply not needed anymore. Three days’ of delivery per week would be sufficient. Then, if a person really, really, REALLY needs to send a letter that HAD to be delivered according to a different schedule, then the person could use FedEx or UPS. But, the number of letters that would meet that “emergency” standard, I suspect, would be somewhere around 0.000001% of all letters delivered. So, why structure an entire system to handle exceedingly rare exceptions and not the rule?
TAGO, Dienne, TAGO!
The appointment of an unqualified “#2” as Duncan’s sidekick is more evidence of how the government undermines neighborhood schools. The US DOE must be abolished. Return federal education funds to states and local communities, and corporate reform will end.
Anna and the King of Siam.
Your servant, your servant
Indeed, I’m not you servant
Although you give me less than servants pay
I’m a free and independent
“Employay”, employee
Because I’m a woman
You think, like every woman
I have to be a slave or Concubine
You conceited, self indulgent
Libertine, “Liberteen”
How I wish I called him that
Right to his face, Libertine
And while we’re on the subject, Sire
There are certain goings on around this place
That I wish to tell you I do not admire
I do not like Polygamy or even moderate Bigamy
I realize,that in your eyes
That clearly makes a prig o’ me
But I am from a civilized land called Wales
Where men like you are kept in County Jails
In your pursuit of pleasure
You have mistresses who treasure you
They have no ken of other men
Beside whom they can measure you
A flock of sheep and you’re the only Ram
No wonder you’re the wonder of Siam
I’m rather glad I didn’t say that
Not with the women right there
And the children
The children, the children
I’ll not forget the children
No matter where I go, I’ll always see
Those little faces looking up at me
At first, when I started to teach
They were shy and remained out of reach
But lately I’ve thought
One or two have been caught
By a word I have said or a sentence I’ve read
And I’ve heard an occasional question
That implied, at least a suggestion
That the work I was trying to do
Was beginning to show with a few
That Prince Chululongkorn
Is very like his father
He’s stubborn but inquisitive and smart
I must leave this place before they break my heart
I must leave this place before they break my heart
Goodness gracious
Well I had no idea it was so late
Shall I tell you what I think of you?
You’re spoiled
You’re a conscientious worker
But your spoiled
Giving credit where it’s due
There is much I like in you
But it’s also very true
That your spoiled
Everybody’s always bowing to the King
Everybody has to grovel to the King
By your Buddha you are blessed
By your ladies you’re caressed
But the one who loves you best is the King
All that bowing and kow towing
To remind you of your royalty
I find a most disgusting exhibition
I wouldn’t ask a Siamese cat
To demonstrate his loyalty
By taking this ridiculous position
How would you like it if you were a man
Playing the part of a toad
Crawling around on your elbows and knees
Eating the dust of the road?
Toads, Toads, all of your people are toads
Yes, Your Majesty
No, Your Majesty
Tell us how low to go, Your Majesty
Make some more decrees, Your Majesty
Don’t let us up off out knees, Your Majesty
Give us a kick, if you please Your Majesty
Give us a kick, if you would, Your Majesty
Oh, that was good, Your Majesty
EdSource calls Arne Duncan “Heavy handed” and “could not not recall a presidential cabinet officer ever attempting to block state legislation and certainly not in the heavy handed way U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan attempted to do on Monday night. In an extraordinary move, Duncan issued an after-hours statement in an effort to head off a vote by the California Legislature the next day on Assembly Bill 484. The bill calls for administering field tests tied to the Common Core State Standards this spring in place of the California Standards Tests in math and English that have have been a fixture on the California education landscape for 15 years. But lawmakers brushed aside Duncan’s threats to withhold federal funds if they passed the bill, and did so anyway. California won’t “look in the rear view mirror with outdated tests, no matter how it sits with officials in Washington,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.”
quoted from EdSource article (by Louis Freedberg)
re-posting this from previous comment:
“* Ed Next
* Ed Sector
* Ed Trust
* Fordham
————————–
Please note the connection Ed Next (Finn and Peterson) and Fordham. They are one; board members for Fordham push charter. I have a new example: Dave Driscoll from Massachusetts is on Fordham Board; he is on NAEP Board; he is recognized as former commissioner of MA when the curriculum frameworks were put in place. He cannot take credit for that work it started when ETS was involved and Greg Anrig went to ETS and it was sound leadership from Anrig. The fact that Driscoll shows up at all these boards etc. while Sandra Stotsky is at U. Arkansas (in the department supposedly bought out by Walton in) is not a coincidence if you follow the path. As an independent consultant and board member Driscoll has gathered an impressive role for himself. I have been writing to Fordham and Ed Next for a year; they have banned me from the Ed Next site but I still get posts on the Fordham Institute site. With the Gates money behind them buying up and co-opting professional organizations the unions have become immobilized. It is an agenda for the groups to test and sort humanity and relegate the “plebeians” or the “unwashed” to the lowest ranks in poverty and I see it as intentional. If I am off base I hope someone on this blog will correct me. (Please see my earlier comment “Footsteps to Brilliance.”
I called E. Warren’s office; the woman said “I will pass your message along.” They will probably work T. Mitchell in through some job that doesn’t require senate
confirmation and Arne Duncan will be the puppet Charlie McCarthy while T. M> calls the tune. I asked for a call back at E Warren’s office. Local control of ed has always been important in MA and I don’t want to lose that to corporations.
We still have time before Congress comes back to work to tell our senators to NOT confirm Ted Mitchell and balance out Arne with a real educator instead of another Wall Street backed privatization huckster.
This excerpt would be a good bit to include.
I’ll try to put something together.
For now, try http://www.contactingthecongress.org/, find your senator, and tell them to vote NOT to confirm Ted Mitchell.
Were any of the charters he mentioned even non-profits or teacher initiated charters?