I earlier posted about the 21 teachers who resigned their positions at Weigand Elementary School to protest the ouster of their principal Irma Cobian. That was 21 out of a teaching staff of 22.
Not one of them knows if he or she will have a job next year. Theirs was an act of courage and integrity. They demonstrated the meaning of valor and principle.
A parent who supported Parent Revolution’s efforts to turn his school into a charter says the organization promised to pay him. He says he and other parent activists were sent around the country to promote the movie “Won’t Back Down,” which flopped at the box office. One parent leader in Adelanto was hired to work for the billionaire-funded faux-grassroots group.
Be sure to read the comments.
Earlier today, I posted an article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times about Parent Revolution forcing the ouster of an excellent principal, Irma Cobian.
I keep thinking about it. I think about the way her staff admired and respected her, how 21 of 22 teachers requested a transfer when she was targeted by the phony Parent Revolution.
Ben Austin is loathsome. He ruined the life and career of a dedicated educator. She was devoted to the children, he is devoted to the equally culpable foundations that fund his Frankenstein organization–Walton, Gates, and Broad. His biggest funder is the reactionary Walton Family Foundation, which spends $160 million every year to advance privatization.
Ben Austin is Walton’s useful idiot. He prattles on about his liberal credentials, but actions speak louder than words.
Here is my lifelong wish for him.
Ben, every day when you wake up, you should think of Irma Cobian. When you look in the mirror, think Irma Cobian. Your last thought every night should be Irma Cobian.
Ben, you ruined the life of a good person for filthy lucre. Never forget her. She should be on your conscience–if you have one–forever.
No? Neither was I.
This was a soirée for the super-rich who support Eva Moskowitz’s charter schools. Those are the miracle schools that claim their students outperform the students in affluent Scarsdale.
Hedge fund manager Daniel S. Loeb was the honoree. He was surrounded by other hedge fund managers. They think they are Robin Hoods. They forget that the real Robin Hood stole from people like them.
Jeb Bush, Florida’s own Robin Hood was there. So was Merryl Tisch, chancellor of the New York Board of Regents. Chris Christie gave the keynote speech.
All celebrating Eva’s Success Academies. They are the very epitome of no-excuses, nonunion charters.
Loeb said:
“Success is a completely disruptive business model,” Loeb said in the ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental. “Not only does your money go to changing kids’ lives, but if we really succeed, we’ll set a higher bar for all schools to meet.”
The Success model includes teachers whose intensity is a mix of Internet startup and trading desk, and a vast amount of training, maniacal attention to data and replicable processes, Loeb said.
“It’s the Google of charter schools. We’re growing faster, it’s logarithmic,” he added, saying that 11,500 students will be enrolled in two years, up from 7,000 in August.”
Americans love to rank, rate, and grade everything.
A reader suggested this ranking of America’s private schools.
It doesn’t consider how many students took AP courses, how many got a certain score on the SAT, or how many graduated. Very likely, none of these schools would release that data.
Instead, they are ranked from 1-50 based solely on how much they cost.
Now that is comprehensible.
The billionaire-funded Parent Revolution flexed its muscle and got enough parent signatures to force the resignation of a highly effective principal.
Please read the story.
This is the principal who was ousted by Parent Revolution:
“Third-grade teacher Kate Lewis said Irma Cobian is the best principal she’s had in nine years at Weigand Avenue Elementary School in Watts.
“Joseph Shamel called Cobian a “godsend” who has used her mastery of special education to show him how to craft effective learning plans for his students.
“Los Angeles Unified Supt. John Deasy praised a plan developed by Cobian and her team to turn around the struggling campus — where most students test below grade level in reading and math — calling it a “well-organized program for accelerated student achievement.” He thanked Cobian for her commitment and hard work.”
21of the school’s 22 teachers have requested transfers because of Cobian’s ouster.
Parent Revolution is a malevolent organization funded by Walton, Gates, and Broad.
There is a special place in hell reserved for everyone who administers and funds this revolting organization that destroys schools and fine educators like Irma Cobian.
This journalist found himself in the men’s room with Mayor Emanuel, then listened to him give a speech about how his policies are improving the lives of Chicago’s poorest children.
This is what he thinks he is doing by closing dozens of neighborhood schools. Against the will of their parents, he is tearing apart their lives and communities.
Just doing what Duncan did, and it catapulted him to national office.
Will Rahm’s reforms work for him too?
Whenever an article appears about schools or teaching, the comments that follow are often rants against both. Whence comes this rage? Why do so many people blame their teachers for whatever ails them? It doesn’t help that Race to the Top pushes the idea that teachers–not students–are the sole source of students’ test scores. If you don’t like the quality of schools, blame the teachers, not those in charge who control the resources.
This teacher says, as should we all, Enough! She is responding to Lisa Myer’s “A Teacher’s Letter to America.” By the way, that post went viral. It has been read by more than 30,000 people on this site alone and posted on Facebook more than 10,000 times.
“Lisa, I thought your post was very well written and certainly expressed how I’ve been feeling after 29 years of teaching. After reading many of the comments responding to your post, I find it very interesting that people who have never taught a day in their life seem to know everything there is to know about teaching. I would invite any one of them to spend a day with me in the classroom.
“For those of you who think teachers are overpaid, I am a professional. I have my master’s degree and have taught for 29 years. I serve on many committees at my school and in my district for which I am not given a stipend. We had 10 furlough days for which I was not paid. I spend hour upon hour outside of the classroom preparing materials and curriculum for my students, for which I am not paid. I do not get paid over the summer. I pay for part of my insurance and I have been contributing to my retirement since I began teaching.
“I would never presume to know enough about another profession since I have never walked in their shoes. Some of the comments I see here are straight from the 6:00 news or from the pages of newspapers, neither of which seem to be a friend to education these days. Please, before you throw out comments about the teaching profession and teachers, know the facts. I would invite any one of you who seem to know so much about being a teacher to walk one day in my shoes.”
Norm Scott, retired NYC teacher posted this on his website, Ed Notes Online:
We have Al Qaeda on the run but right now the biggest threat to our agenda is Karen Lewis and the Chicago Teachers Union,” said an Obama spokesperson.
“Our pal Rahm Emanuel has been forced to close 50 schools in retaliation for the strike led by Lewis and now suffers poll numbers so low they are getting close to the interest rate. He is actually being criticized for using money he saves by closing schools to put $100 million into building a new basketball arena where our president and Arne Duncan will be able to shoot hoops once their term in office is over. For that Rahm is being called the most loathsome politician in America? How dare they?”
“And some in the media have started ganging up on some of our allies like Michelle Rhee. And Arne Duncan’s poor record in running the Chicago schools for so many years has been re-examined due to the work of Karen Lewis’ union.
“And then to top it all our hand-picked crew to beat her in the election got only 20% of the vote despite being supported by our press pals at the Chicago Tribune, thus showing Chicago teachers will not go to the woodshed like the lambs being led by Randi Weingarten, our most important asset, who by the way we have supplied a military escort to protect, but let me point out that we are not using public money for Randi’s escort since Bill Gates is paying.”
“Getting Bin Laden was so much easier.”
Commissioner John King asked business leaders to help push Common Core implementation, despite the fact that teachers say they are not prepared. This is a flat-out rejection of Randi Weingarten’s request for a moratorium on linking test results to consequences. Randi told city and state leaders that curriculum and professional development should precede testing.
This is John King’s answer. If it’s John King’s answer, it is also Merryl Tisch’s answer. She is John King’s boss.
King thoughtfully wrote a pledge for business leaders to sign, agreeing to demand the Common Core, whether teachers are ready or not.
Robert Corcoran, president of the GE Foundation, agreed with King that delay is not an option:
“Some of those at Thursday’s talk downplayed the lack of prep time.
Corcoran, for example, maintained that there’s never enough time to fully prepare for a lot of endeavors, and that can become a trap leading to endless planning but no action.
Businesses, he said, frequently begin new initiatives before they are totally perfect.
“You launch it and you learn,” Corcoran said. “You can’t afford to wait.”
As Merryl Tisch memorably said, “It is time to jump into the deep end,” referring to the Common Core tests. Even the kids who can’t swim should jump into deep end.
