Archives for the year of: 2013
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Outrage! School Closings in Chicago

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
27

Guess whose schools were closed? The poorest, the neediest, the children of color. Now the charter operators will decide which ones they want. They will take the “strivers.” Who will take the others?

Which children will be left behind in the era of No Child Left Behind?

Which children come in last in Arne Duncan’s Race to the Top?

How will the PR folks spin the mass closure of 50 public schools as a victory in “the civil rights issue of our time?”

It is historic. Never in our history have 50 public schools been shuttered at one time. Rahm Emanuel and Barbara Byrd-Bennett will enter the history books, undoubtedly in a chapter about the corporate assault on the very principle of public education. No doubt, the hedge fund managers and equity investors are clicking their champagne glasses tonight. Quite a victory for them and Stand for Children and Democrats for Education Reform, and yes, for ALEC.

The great social movements of the past 60 years advanced through the mechanism of public education: racial desegregation; gender equity; the inclusion of children with disabilities. And what began in the public schools radiated out into the society as a whole.

The page on which Rahm Emanuel’s name is inscribed in the history books will record this day of infamy, this betrayal of children, this abandonment of an institution that has been so essential to our democracy.
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Categories ALEC, Chicago, Closing schools, Democrats for Education Reform, Emanuel, Rahm, Privatization, Stand for Children

Kirp vs. Rhee on L.A. Election

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
17

In this pairing of opposites, David Kirp takes on the mythology of corporate reformers and says we should fix the schools we have, rather than close them. He boldly challenges the claims of Michelle Rhee and disparages the hapless Race to the Top

On the same page, Michelle Rhee displays her inability to speak truth. She reviews the Los Angeles school board election and makes the bizarre claim that school board president Monica Garcia won even though she was “strongly targeted” by the United Teachers of Los Angeles.

She neglects to mention that Garcia had the help of the $4 million fund raised by Rhee and friends, while the UTLA endorsed several candidates opposing her. The second place contender had a bulging war chest of less than $20,000, raised in small amounts.

She skips over the triumph of Steve Zimmer, who beat Rhee’s candidate despite being outspent 4-1. Rhee and her buddies got beaten in the race they targeted, and now she tries to spin it into a victory. Amazing

Rhee would have readers believe that she, Eli Broad, Michael Bloomberg, and Rupert Murdoch are fighting for the kids, and those evil teachers don’t care about them.

Really, this grows stale as well as ridiculous

Categories Los Angeles, Rhee, Michelle

Who Decided to Close 50 Public Schools in Chicago?

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
6

The mass closure of 50 public schools is unprecedented.

Who decided?

This from a reader:

I am appalled at the lack of objectivity, fairness and independence that was brought to the table by the Commission on School Utilization, which conducted the study of school utilization and found, of course, that schools were underutilized. The Chicago Teachers Union has reported that this commission is staffed with those who have close ties to charter schools, including being housed in the same office space as the Civic Consulting Alliance, New Schools for Chicago and the Renaissance Schools Fund (all stalwarts for charter proliferation). Why has this not been investigated further?

Furthermore, the CTU reports (on their blog) the following ties between members of the commission and charter schools:

Frank Clark (chairman of the Commission): Noble Street’s Rowe-Clark campus is named for John Rowe and Frank Clark. Rowe is the chief executive officer of Exelon; Clark is the retired chief executive officer of Exelon subsidiary ComEd. (Rahm Emanuel was an advisor to the merger of Unicom and ComEd that created Exelon.) Rowe is the chairman of New Schools Chicago. Clark chairs the School Utilization Commission.

Phyllis Lockett is the president of New Schools for Chicago and a spokesperson for charter proliferation in Chicago. She is also on the board of the Civic Consulting Alliance.

Bruce Rauner is the on the Board of New Schools for Chicago, and a Noble Street campus is named after him. He has also proposed to buy 100 public schools and lease them back to charters and chairs the Education Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

R. Eden Martin and Ty Fahner sit on the boards of both the Civic Consulting Alliance and New Schools for Chicago. Martin and Fahner have also served as president of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. The Civic Committee’s 2003 report “Left Behind” became the blueprint for Renaissance 2010, the massive charter proliferation and school action program started under Mayor Richard M. Daley and continued under Mayor Emanuel. The Civic Consulting Alliance recommended that CPS hire Todd Babbitz as its new “Chief Transformation Officer,” even though Babbitz had never previously worked in education. Babbitz is charged with leading the district’s reconfiguration.

Why is the public not demanding a more independent commission?

Also, I recently saw some photos of the Crispus Attucks elementary school (on another blog-sorry if I shouldn’t have posted the link here!) that was shuttered in 2008 through school closings. It has now become a haven for gangs and other illegal activity. The last thing neighborhoods in crisis need is another abandoned building to harbor criminals. Shame on CPS for allowing this to happen in one of its properties!

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/03/12/1193295/-Closed-Schools-Become-Gang-Hideouts-CPS-wants-up-to-80

Categories Charter Schools, Chicago

TFA: Follow the Money

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
10

To regular readers of this blog, the story is not new.

Teach for America is one of the richest nonprofit organizations in the United States, yet it passes the begging bowl as if it desperately needs cash.

TFA is a brand, a money machine. Its tax reports got out on the Internet, and now everyone who wants to know knows that TFA collected nearly a billion dollars in a five-year period. And that Wendy Kopp, its CEO, pays herself about $400,000 a year. And that other staff members are handsomely paid.

Now this Louisiana blogger wants to know why TFA is pleading for $5 million from poor Louisiana and $6 million from Mississippi.

Why do they put a price on the head of every poorly trained recruit? Do they feel bad about sending in these young kids to replace veteran educators who live in the community? Do they worry about persuading policymakers that teaching is a job for temps, not a profession?

Categories Louisiana, Teach for America TFA

Lancaster, Pa, Rejects Charter to Teach Business to K-4

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
7

The Lancaster school board unanimously rejected a charter for the Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship Charter School.

The school wanted a charter for K-12 but intended to open only with K-4.

The charter pons ores plan to appeal o a state board, which can overturn the local decision.

Earlier articles noted that this charter is part of the Gulen network, the nation’s largest charter chain, which is affiliated with a reclusive Muslim cleric who lives in the Poconos but controls a political movement in Turkey. Typically the boards of Gulen schools are composed entirely of Turkish men, and many of their teachers are Turkish.

Categories Charter Schools, Pennsylvania

British Tech Expert: Thumbs Down to Amplify

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
3

The Brits have reason to be suspicious of Rupert Murdoch’s entry into the education business. They still have fresh memories of the murdered Millie Dowling, whose cell phone was hacked by Murdoch reporters, as well as the larger hacking scandal, which reached into government and Scotland Yard.

This technology expert explains why he does not like Amplify.

Categories Klein, Joel, On-Line Education, Technology, Computers

Are You As Smart as a 5th Grader in Virginia?

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
20

A teacher in Virginia said this about her state’s standards:

“I teach in Virginia where we do not use Common core. Our standards are actually harder than common core.

“Here is the problem with both: these standards are not developmentally appropriate for children. I am teaching my LD (special ed.) students things like: order of operations (PEMDAS) and prime and composite numbers. I have found very few adults who know what composite numbers are, including West Point and Harvard grads. Do you know what a stem and leaf plot is? Do you know what a compression wave is? Do you know the difference between an expression and an equation? Do you know what an open sentence is (in math)? Can you name different rhyme schemes in poetry? Can you do MLA citations and computer powerpoints? These are 5th grade skills. I am teaching middle and high school skills to 10 year olds. Then when they have difficulties, it is my fault. Really?”

Categories Common Core

Louisiana Proposes Pay for Performance for Gifted Students

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
36

State commissioner of Education John White has outdone himself this time.

He puts forward one goofy plan after another, like sending children to schools that teach creationism and calling it “reform.”

But now he has an even nuttier idea: He wants to tie the funding for the state’s gifted high school students to their test scores. Really. No kidding.

It’s merit pay for kids.

What’s next: Tying funding for poor kids to their “performance?” Cutting their funding if they don’t get high enough test scores?

Currently the state has 10,000 students in gifted programs in high schools.

Under the present formula, they get 1.6 times the allotment as is available for those in general education.

The gifted students would take a cut to 1.3 times the regular students unless they hit the following goals:

Under the BESE-approved MFP plan students would qualify for the aid if:

“Eighth-graders score excellent on their Algebra I end of course test.
Ninth-graders score excellent on their geometry end-of-course test or 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement test, which can be used to qualify for college credit.
10th-graders score 3 or higher on an AP exam.
11th-graders score 3 or higher on an AP exam or 4 or higher on an International Bachelorette course, or IB.”

The savings would be small, but the message to students is that John White will cut their funding if they don’t get the scores he wants.

A few more big ideas like this and John White will turn Louisiana into an international laughing stock.

Unless he has already reached that goal.

Categories Louisiana, Merit pay, Students, Testing

Indiana: Who Is Pushing for and against Common Core

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
9

Indiana voters booted out State superintendent Tony Bennett because of a strange coalition: Democrats who disliked his all-out assault on teachers and public education, allied with Republicans who disliked his fierce advocacy for the Common Core.

Now the struggle against the Common Core continues in that state, as advocates like the rightwing Stand for Children run an advertising campaign to support the actionable standards, while locals continue to oppose them.

Categories Indiana

Tennessee Is Abandoning Public Education

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
20

A reader in Tennessee comments on the steady advance of privatization in that state, starting with Memphis, then moving to other urban areas. And when the Legislature passes a voucher bill, the stage will be set to decimate public education and leave it as a remnant of what was once known as the portal to opportunity in America. Thanks to Governor Haslam, his compatriots in the Legislature, and Kevin Huffman, one of TFA’s finest products. Doing it “for the kids,” no doubt. Shameful. Shameful.

The reader writes:

“Memphis and actually the entire state of Tennessee is “all in” as it pertains to turning over our schools to private interests for profit. Memphis schools are being systematically dismantled. They are now run by a lawyer. Everyone with any sense in central administration has already abandoned ship. Non-profits and charter groups are basically being asked “which schools do you want”. Our bargained contract is being trampled in the process. Gates Foundation partner organizations are asking principals “who do you want to get rid of? We will help you.” Principals are being given the green light to surplus (lay off) anyone they want, regardless of their performance.

“Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga are next. They started with Memphis because that was the district with the highest poverty. They bet on the fact that the state and citizens of Memphis would basically give the schools to whoever was willing to take them. In steps the Gates Foundation and with that single agreement the demise of public education in our community was sealed. That bet will pay off to the tune of 1.4 billion education dollars per year in our county alone.

“Within 5 years TEA and all the locals will be relegated to cursory “remember whens” as the major population centers of the state no longer are in the business of educating their own children. Charters, vouchers and non-profits will have no union affiliates. This will bankrupt the state level organization and open the floodgates for private equity and hedge funds to capitalize off of public tax dollars. All the while those making these decisions have their children in elite private schools that would never take on the ridiculous data-obsessed practices brought to us from Bill and Melinda Gates. No, Mr. Gates, data does not hold the answers to the world’s problems.

“I was termed an “Irreplaceable” teacher based on my personal teaching performance last year. What a joke! We are all replaceable. An iPad or virtual classroom should do the trick. I hoped to spend my life’s work teaching children. Instead, halfway through a career, I am marketing myself to other industries and embarking on a total career change. There is no room for career educators in this process. Especially ones who can not compromise their professional ethics to jump through the hoops of fire required. I hope the career path I choose for the future pays well. I am going to need the extra money to pay for private schools. I would not wish this chaos on anyone’s children. I will not accept it for mine.”

It is a sad day.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Tennessee, Vouchers
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