Archives for the year of: 2014
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Was John Covington Fired from Michigan EAA?

By dianeravitch
June 27, 2014 //
19

Jack Lessenberry, columnist for the MetroTimes in Michigan, says that John Covington was fired from his $325,000 a year job running Governor Rick Snyder’s Education Achievement Authority. EAA was created to run Detroit’s lowest performing schools, and it has been a huge disappointment, although Governor Snyder won’t say so and wants to expand it.

What went wrong? Almost everything. Students and teachers complained. EAA tried to put the kids on computers instead of reducing class size and enriching the curriculum. Test scores were lackluster. And the final straw: EAA racked up big expenses for travel, a chauffeur-driven car for Covington, gas, and other non-essentials.

Categories Education Reform

Susan J. Demas: Will Michigan’s Governor Snyder Admit He Was Wrong About Free Market Schools?

By dianeravitch
June 27, 2014 //
18

Susan J. Demas, publisher and editor of Inside Michigan Politics, writes that the exposé of charter school scandals by the Detroit Free Press should cause Governor Snyder and his allies to admit they were wrong about schools run without supervision by entrepreneurs.

She writes:

“Education should be about children, not adults.

“For the past three years, Republicans wielded this powerful soundbite as a weapon while they reshaped public education in Michigan to fit their free-market ideology.

“If you cared about kids, you backed their plan to help open dozens more online and charter schools run by good-hearted private businesses.

“If you didn’t, you were determined to damn students to failing public schools so you could deviously enrich fat-cat union teachers.

“The fact that outright falsehoods and gross oversimplifications passed for high-minded debate in the Legislature should make us all weep.”

Michelle Rhee helped. To write the law and spent $1 million to help it get passed. Now charlatans and grifters are using their charter schools as their personal piggy banks and cashing in on kids. Taxpayers are defrauded. Scams, self-dealing, and fraud are commonplace.

Demas calls on the governor and the legislature to correct their mistakes. That will take courage. Sadly, in many states where school money is handed out to greedy and unscrupulous entrepreneurs, they give generously to key politicians to protect their domain. Yes, it will take courage to protect the children from those who are using them as profit centers.

Categories Charter Schools, Michigan

Tom Scarice: The Greatest Crime Against Education, Educators, and Students Is….

By dianeravitch
June 27, 2014 //
40

Tom Scarice, superintendent of schools in Madison, Connecticut, here speaks out and names the criminal corruption of education into a test-taking industry that has no goal other than test scores. He knows that as the stakes go higher, people succumb to the pressure to teach to the test or even to cheat. Campbell’s Law is relentless. The same things happen in other fields, when the goal of profit becomes more important than the endeavor itself.

Scarice compares present practices to those that destroyed Enron. He writes:

“Without question, measures, qualitative and quantitative, representing a variety of indicators that mark the values of an organization, are necessary fuel for the engine of continuous improvement. High-quality tests, specifically used for the purposes for which they were designed, can and should play a productive role in this process. But, measures are not goals. Regrettably, just as Lay and Skilling did in bringing a multibillion dollar corporation to its knees, in this era, the shallowest of thinkers have passively accepted the paradigm that measures are goals.

“And finally, we are left with the greatest crime committed against the professional practice of education as a result of the corrosive effect of the high-stakes testing era. In an effort to thrive, and perhaps, just to survive, in a redefined world of quality education, a soft, though sometimes harsh, distortion of pedagogy, has perniciously spread to classrooms, just as the Enron executives distorted sound accounting practices to meet high-stakes targets. This will indeed be our greatest regret.”

When test scores on standardized tests take precedence over the larger humanistic and aesthetic goals of education, over the needs of children, over creativity and ingenuity, then education itself becomes a cheapened enterprise.

Categories Accountability, Standardized Testing, Testing

Florida: Weak Charter Laws Permit Self-Dealing, Waste of Public Dollars

By dianeravitch
June 27, 2014 //
14

The Sun-Sentinel in Florida published a scathing series about charter school scandals, made possible by lax laws and almost no supervision.

“Unchecked charter-school operators are exploiting South Florida’s public school system, collecting taxpayer dollars for schools that quickly shut down.

“A recent spate of charter-school closings illustrates weaknesses in state law: virtually anyone can open or run a charter school and spend public education money with near impunity, a Sun Sentinel investigation found.

“Florida requires local school districts to oversee charter schools but gives them limited power to intervene when cash is mismanaged or students are deprived of basic supplies — even classrooms.

“Once schools close, the newspaper found, districts struggle to retrieve public money not spent on students.

“Among the cases the newspaper reviewed:

• An Oakland Park man received $450,000 in tax dollars to open two new charter schools just months after his first collapsed. The schools shuttled students among more than four locations in Broward County, including a park, an event hall and two churches. The schools closed in seven weeks.

• A Boca Raton woman convicted of taking kickbacks when she ran a federal meal program was hired to manage a start-up charter school in Lauderdale Lakes.

• A Coral Springs man with a history of foreclosures, court-ordered payments, and bankruptcy received $100,000 to start a charter school in Margate. It closed in two months.

• A Hollywood company that founded three short-lived charters in Palm Beach and Collier counties will open a new school this fall. The two Palm Beach County schools did not return nearly $200,000 they owe the district.”

Categories Charter Schools, Florida

EduShyster: Barbara Madeloni, New President of MTA, Says It is Time to Fight Back

By dianeravitch
June 27, 2014 //
24

EduShyster interviews Barbara Madeloni, the recently elected president of the 110,000 member Massachusetts Teachers Association, and she warns that we either fight for public education or we will lose it.

A former high school teacher, Madeloni was teaching teachers at the University of Massachusetts-Amerst, and she and her students refused to participate in edTPA. As she puts it, “The students with whom I was working didn’t want to submit videos of themselves teaching to Pearson. They didn’t want their work as student teachers to be reduced to a number on a rubric by people who didn’t know them, and 67 of 68 students ultimately refused to send their work.” Madeloni told the story to Michael Winerip of the New York Times; ten days after his story appeared, she was fired. (Winerip, a superb education writer, was later reassigned to cover “Boomers,” and the Times eliminated its weekly education column. Winerip rattled cages every Monday.)

Edushyster asks Madeloni what we can do to fight back against the reformers attacking teachers and public education.

Madeloni responds:

“I think fighting is winning. In a union where members are truly engaged and active, we’re talking to one another about what’s happening, informing each other and making decisions about how we can fight back. The degree to which we’ve been told that our members are unwilling to be active is astonishing to me. If you alienate the membership by continually telling them that things are bad but they could be worse, so we’re going to get behind the bad thing, of course people aren’t going to be active. If we say to members—*We can be powerful. We can use our power. It’s going to be scary. It’s going to be hard. But history shows that we can do this,*—the reaction is completely different because you’re talking about things that really matter to them. And by the way, our members understand that the attacks on them and on public education are coming from both political parties.”

There’s lots more to enjoy. This is a scintillating interview. Keep your eye on Barbara Madeloni. Just think: Massachusetts is the most successful state in the nation by conventional measures like test scores, but even there, teachers, their unions, and public schools are under attack by the usual crowd.

Categories Massachusetts, Resistance, Teachers and Teaching, Unions

Connecticut: Charter Organization, Under Scrutiny Refuses to Release Information to Press

By dianeravitch
June 26, 2014 //
10

The FUSE (Family Urban Schools of Excellence) charter organization was shaken by two high-level resignations, following the departure of its CEO Michael Sharpe. Sharpe quit after the press revealed that he had served time in prison and had used the title “Dr.” Though he had never earned a doctorate.

The Hartford Courant asked for information about FUSE’s finances, but got no response. FUSE runs three Jumoke charter schools and in April received permission to open a new charter in New Haven. It has also been authorized to open one or more charters in Louisiana. The Jumoke charter schools have received $53 million in public funds since 1998.

The Courant said:

“Charter schools are classified as public agencies under the state’s Freedom of Information Act. Public agencies are obligated by law to supply information and documents upon request in the same way that town and city school systems must do.

“Information that FUSE has declined to provide to The Courant this week includes:

•Whether Sharpe will receive a pension or other retirement benefits after leaving the top job that he said paid him $180,000 a year.

•A list of its employees and their salaries, which a public relations representative for the group said was “private information.”

•Any resume that Sharpe might have submitted, which could show what FUSE’s board of directors knew about his background and academic credentials when he was hired as CEO.

•Terms of a lease that Sharpe said he has for an apartment he’s been living in for “about $1,000″ a month at 852 Asylum Ave. in Hartford, a building owned by the Jumoke Academy charter schools organization in Hartford. Those schools are managed by FUSE.”

FUSE declined to provide any of this information. “FUSE has been saying this week that it is a private organization, distinct from the actual Jumoke charter schools.”

Categories Charter Schools, Connecticut

Pennsylvania: Activists Holding a Sit-In in Governor Corbett’s Office to Protest Budget Cuts

By dianeravitch
June 26, 2014 //
16

A small group of activists is conducting a sit-in in Governor Tom Corbett’s office in Harrisburg to demand a restoration of $1 billion in budget cuts to public schools.

Those of us who remember the 1960s recall that this tactic was frequently used by civil rights groups and anti-war activists to draw attention to their cause. It was effective in encouraging others to become involved and active.

 

 

Press Release

For Immediate Release

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Ron Whitehorne, 215-779-2672, ronw292@gmail.com

Jesse Kudler, 617-974-3684, jesse@fightforphilly.org

Happening now: Education activists sitting in at Gov. Corbett’s office until statewide education cuts are reversed through fair revenue plan
Parents, students, teachers, and activists demand full and equal funding for schools and fair revenue from taxing fracking, expanding Medicaid, freezing business tax cuts

Harrisburg, PA – Statewide education advocates escalated their fight for full funding for education Thursday evening, announcing a sit-in at the governor’s office until he supports undoing $1 billion in cuts to education statewide and raising revenue through fair measures. Parents and activists from across the state are staying at the Capitol every day until the governor signs a budget that restores funds for education and human services by making businesses and the gas industry pay their fair share.

Activists from across the state announced their plans at a 4pm press conference in the Capitol Rotunda. “The governor’s priorities are the problem. The budget is not the problem,” said Susan Spicka, a public school parent and Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley community liaison. “Last week, my daughter turned to me and asked me what would be cut next.”

“Our babies are dying because we don’t have enough nurses,” said “Irene Habermann, Gamaliel National Education Chair, Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN) Education Chair.

Kia Hinton, a Philadelphia public school parent and Board Chair of Action United, announced the sit-in at the governor’s office. “I’m joining the sit-in because I want lawmakers to look at our faces and remember the students and parents across the state when they vote on the budget,” she said. “Our education system is on the brink after devastating cuts, and our children deserve better. We’re not going to accept cuts anymore. We’re going to the Capitol to demand better from this governor.”

Protesters are calling for a budget that fully funds education and health and human services. They are demanding the governor and legislature expand Medicaid with earmarked federal dollars, enact a tax on fracking of the Marcellus Shale, and freeze business tax cuts. They are also calling on the governor to drop his demand for cuts to pensions for school employees and state workers before he will proceed on other budget items. Attacking hard-working PA families once again will do nothing to remedy the current budget situation.

Fair measures would raise hundreds of millions of dollars that could be used to restore funds for education, healthcare, and human services. A 5% tax on fracking would bring an estimated $700 million in revenue to the state. Business tax cuts have cost the state billions of dollars in recent years. Medicaid expansion would add $620 million to Pennsylvania’s 2015 budget and add about $3 billion annually to its economy. It would support 35,000 new jobs by 2016 and 40,000 jobs by 2022.

Protesters will stay in the Capitol until the governor commits to a fair budget that works for his state, unlike all of his past budgets. In coming days, they will lobby legislators, hold “teach-ins” around the Capitol, and participate in dramatic actions to call attention to the dire need for more education funding.

###

PCAPS is a coalition of students, parents, and teachers with an unwavering commitment to improving Philadelphia’s school system. Members of the coalition include ACTION United, American Federation of Teachers PA, Fight For Philly, Boat People SOS, Jewish Labor Committee, Jobs With Justice, JUNTOS, Media Mobilizing Project, Neighborhood Networks, Occupy Philadelphia Labor Work Group, Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, Philadelphians Allied for a Responsible Economy(PHARE), Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Philadelphia Home and School Council, Philadelphia Student Union, SEIU 32BJ, UNITE HERE, Youth United for Change.
http://www.wearepcaps.org

Categories Budget Cuts, Pennsylvania, Resistance

Karen Lewis Denounces 1,150 Layoffs of Teachers and Other Staff

By dianeravitch
June 26, 2014 //
39

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Stephanie Gadlin
June 26, 2014 312/329-6250

EMANUEL CONTINUES ASSAULT ON CITY’S TEACHERS

CHICAGO—Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Karen Lewis released the following statement regarding today’s announcement of 1,150 teacher and school support staff layoffs by Chicago Public Schools (CPS):

“The decision by the mayor and his handpicked Board of Education to lay off 1,150 teachers and school support staff today in yet another brutal attack on public education in Chicago is bitterly disappointing and an example of the continued destruction and decimation of neighborhood schools. In a little over a year, CPS student-based budgeting has led to the removal of close to 5,000 teachers, teacher assistants, librarians, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel (PSRPs), technology coordinators and instructional aides from classrooms as severe cuts cause principals to make the difficult decisions that the district cannot. This loss of teachers and staff will directly impact the quality of instruction offered in our schools, and is unnecessary and shameful for a district that claims to provide a high-quality education for its students.

“With this latest round of layoffs— the fourth time in the past five years in which we have seen summer layoffs in excess of 1,000—and the hundreds of positions lost at the three schools slated for turnaround this year, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his Board continue their war on our educators by doing nothing to salvage school budgets other than forcing principals to terminate valued teachers and staff.

“Of the 1,150 layoffs announced today, 550 are teachers and 600 are Educational Support Personnel (ESP). Approximately 250 of these ESPs are Chicago Teachers Union PSRPs. The layoffs stem from the low level of per-pupil funding which CPS Central Office set for schools, meaning that all over the city, principals are being forced, for example, to choose between keeping a veteran teacher and keeping a program library. Current budgets are so low that schools can’t keep both.

“While the district claims that most of the cuts are due to drops in enrollment, there are an ever-increasing number of charter schools siphoning students out of public schools and contributing to a system of dysfunction and instability that leads parents to seek other options for their children. The situation serves to underscore the unacceptably low level of funding that Chicago’s neighborhood schools receive, as every time teachers and other staff are cut, it is harder for schools to serve communities, and the teachers who remain have to shoulder more and more of the burden.

“This decision further demonstrates the disdain for public education and the lack of leadership and vision for the city from our mayor and his handpicked Board. Do we want “Star Wars” museums or public, neighborhood schools? Do we want presidential libraries or librarians for every child?”

###

Categories Budget Cuts, Charter Schools, Chicago, Emanuel, Rahm

Breaking News: Jindal’s Lawyer Says Governor Has Right to Drop Common Core and PARCC

By dianeravitch
June 26, 2014 //
13

Stephanie Simon reports at politico.com that Governor Bobby Jindal’s lawyer advised him he has the right to withdraw Louisiana from the Common Core and the federally-funded PARCC tests.

State Superintendent John White said in an interview that Jindal was wrong. He went even further and accused the governor of breaking the law: “State Superintendent John White has accused the governor of breaking the law, trampling the state constitution and crushing the dreams of low-income minority students by rejecting the Common Core and scrapping plans to give students new exams aligned to the standards.”

“White said his attorneys are reviewing the legal memo. His team is also working to compile reams of documentation about the state’s contacts with PARCC and its plans to administer the PARCC test — including invoices, contracts, meeting minutes, calendar entries, memos and emails.”

Jindal can’t fire White. White works for the state board of education. This is one of the most startling developments in the saga of the Common Core: a governor who signed the memorandum to adopt the Common Core and now wants out vs. the state superintendent, who is fighting to keep the Common Core and tests.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/jindal-ally-blasts-common-core-illegal-108321.html#ixzz35mTvI6H1

Categories Common Core, Jindal, Bobby, Louisiana, Testing

School Board Rejects Rural Charter School in Tennessee

By dianeravitch
June 26, 2014 //
9

I posted about a week ago about efforts by members of Teach for America to open a charter school in rural Cheatham County in Tennessee.

The Cheatham County school board voted to deny the application for the Cumberland Academy Charter School, 5-0, with one member absent.

Categories Charter Schools, Teach for America, Tennessee
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