When the union-busting Wall Street crowd gathers with Governor Cuomo at their pretentious “Camp Philos,” there won’t be any public. School parents or teachers there. The few willing and able to fork over $1,000 were told they were not welcome. So Cuomo and his buddies want to “reform” public schools without the voices of those who matter most: Students, patents, and teachers.
The New York State United Teachers plans to picket their exclusive gabfest. Message: our public schools are not for sale.
Picket in the Pines! Put the PUBLIC back in public education!
Sunday, May 4, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Lake Placid, NY.
Register online: http://www.cvent.com/d/h4qslh
RSVP via Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/234136926786807
WHY:
Education Reform Now, a union-bashing “reform” group run by Wall Street hedge fund managers, is hosting a retreat at Lake Placid May 4-6. The hedge-funders’ deep-pocket Political Action Committee – Democrats for Education Reform – also will hobnob at the $1,000-a-head “Camp Philos.”
These groups promote non-union charter schools, overreliance on standardized tests and Common Core, student-data collection, vouchers, merit pay, test-based teacher evaluations, privatization, and removing teacher unions from almost any role in shaping curriculum or determining working conditions.
ACT:
Picket in the pines to put the “public” back in public education! For too long, so-called “reformers” have drowned out the voices of parents and teachers. These hedge-fund propagandists have contributed to New York State’s Common Core mess, the (failed) In-Bloom push for student data, and the spread of corporate charters that undermine public schools serving all kids.
WHEN:
Sunday, May 4, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE:
Meet at the Comfort Inn
2125 Saranac Ave
Lake Placid, N.Y. 12946
REGISTER ONLINE:
Register online at http://www.cvent.com/d/h4qslh.
The deadline to register is Wednesday, April 30.
Based on participation and need, buses from NYSUT Regional Offices will be made available.
SPREAD THE WORD:
Promote via Twitter. Use the hashtag #picketinthepines.
RSVP via the official Facebook event – and share with your friends!
TENTATIVE PROGRAM:
1-2 p.m.
Lunch
2-3:30 p.m.
Presentation by Sabrina Stevens of Integrity in Education
3-4 p.m.
Picket Sign-In and Sign Making
4-5 p.m.
Picketing at the Whiteface Lodge where Education Reform Now and DFER are meeting
See you there!
Picket in the Pines:
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I hope some savvy people can get the press there to make the event even more visible. Think big. Send the invitation to MSNBC news people such as Rachael Maddow, Chrisopher Hayes (who recently commented on the CCSS as a political hot potato).
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MSNBC? Did you see Brezinski and Scarborough acting so outraged about Success Academy’s plight? What a joke. I wish someone would report the truth.
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I’ll be there. Cuomo is simply disgusting me.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/charter-co-location-phantom-threat-article-1.1700257
Broad Foundation is pushing this study:
“As in the broader debate, competition theories have been advanced as to the effects of such situations. Those who are concerned about the spread of charters fear that they might prove intrusive and compete for scarce physical and temporal resources; others hope that charters might serve as positive examples for their public school neighbors. Though colocation among traditional public schools is common and often goes without comment, new charter school colocations in New York City often cause controversy.”
As usual, the study starts with only the possibility that charters could provide a “positive example” for their “neighbors”
I guess it is unimaginable that a charter school could ever learn anything from a public school 🙂
It’s a weird attitude for educators, I think, to completely dismiss the possibility that “positive examples” might work two ways. Not even “dismiss”. Never even CONSIDER. The assumption of superiority re: charter versus public is to me breathtakingly arrogant and probably inaccurate.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/charter-co-location-phantom-threat-article-1.1700257
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Absolutely stupid. “Positive example”. What spin.
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Chiara, there are a lot of people who think that district and charter educators can learn from eachother.
Here’s one of a number of columns suggesting that learning can go both ways:
St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 3, 2008
Learning from the Best Schools, Whatever We Call Them
By Joe Nathan
All kinds of students – eager, indifferent, bright and bored,
suburban, urban and rural, will benefit from careful, non-defensive
use of several recent reports about Minnesota’s district and charter
public schools. Minnesota’s Legislative Auditor, the University of
Minnesota/Minnesota State College/University System Report and
Center for School Change, where I work did the reports. Here are
six lessons:
1. A growing number of Minnesota families are seeking
educational options. While the number of students
attending Minnesota’s district public schools has declined
by more than 50,000 in the last decade, the number
attending charters increased by more than 23,000. Last
year, more than 125,00 students used state created
opportunities like Post-Secondary Enrollment Options, area
learning centers, open enrollment and charters. Charters
enroll a higher percentage of low income, limited English
speaking and students of color than district schools, in
Minnesota overall, and in Minneapolis.
2. Minnesota and the nation have some district and charter
public schools that are challenging the brightest students and
bringing low income, often limited English speaking students
of color up to very high achievement and graduation rates.
The CSC “Smaller, Safer, Saner, Successful Schools” report
describes how we helped increase Cincinnati’s district
graduation rate by more than 20 percent and eliminated the
graduation gap between white and African American students.
We should learn from district and charter public schools with
no admission tests that have produced VERY high
achievement and graduation rates with students from
extremely challenging backgrounds.
3. Both district and charter advocates can cite studies showing
“their schools” are superior. This gets us no-where. As
someone told me recently, “when you’ve seen one charter
school, you’ve seen one charter school.” (Also true of
district schools.) They vary enormously in philosophy,
curriculum and instructional approaches. We should learn
from the best, rather than debate, which is best overall.
The Legislative Auditor found that a higher percentage of
charters than district public schools in Minneapolis and St.
Paul were making required progress under No Child Left
Behind, while Minnesota district schools had higher average
achievement. However, the Legislative Auditor also found that
when comparing similar students in these schools, average
achievement differences were “minimal.”
4. While some district and charter educators regard each
other as “the enemy,” wise leaders like St Paul Mayor Chris
Coleman are bringing them together to achieve important
goals. Coleman convened district and charter public leaders
with local university presidents. They helped establish several
local sites where students can get college applications and
scholarship information after school, on weekends, and
during the summer. The group now is developing goals for
increasing the number of St Paul students who graduate, fully
prepared from high school, enter and graduate from a two
year year technical college/university. District and charter
leaders also have identified a common concern: much better
prepared teachers.
5. Both the Minnesota Association of School Administrators
and Minnesota charter leaders have urged state adoption of a
“value added” or “growth” model of assessment. This will
show which schools are improving achievement of students.
District and charter leaders also agree that faculty, families
and students need more immediate feedback on test results.
The MnSCU system uses computer based tests that gave
results immediately – not the 4-5 months that k-12 schools
must wait for state tests to be returned.
6. One of our national strengths has been a willingness to
allow people with new ideas to try out, as long as they are
responsible for results. Progressive state and local policies
encourage creation of new, research-based schools. Boston
Public Schools has benefited greatly from creation of small
“Pilot Schools” within their district. St. Paul area charters such
as Yinghua Academy (Chinese immersion), Math and Science
Academy, and Tarek Ibn Ziyad have strong records that attract
students from throughout the metro area.
St. Paul district schools such as Expo, French Immersion, Aerospace Magnet and International Baccalaureate programs offer a great deal. St Paul created some of the nation’s first district options, and the
nation’s first charter public school.
Setting aside ideology, we should learn from our most
effective schools, and recognize that constructive cooperation and
competition can occur simultaneously. This will produce huge
benefits for students, educators and communities.
Joe Nathan, a former St Paul public school teacher and
administrator, directs the Center for School Change at the
University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute.
Reports cited at http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us,
http://www.mnscu.edu/media/publications/index.html and
http://www.centerforschoolchange.org
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Joe, you forgot to mention the intense racial segregation that Minnesota charters are famous for. How do you feel about racial segregation? Do you think it is a problem? Do you think we should ignore it as most charters do?
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Bill Wilson can respond far better than me. Bill was the first African American elected to the St. Paul, MN City Council, the first elected Council President, and later served as the Minnesota state Human Rights Commissioner. While growing up in Indiana he was forced to attend an inferior school to which he was assigned because of his skin. As he notes below, there is big difference between being assigned to an inferior school and given many choices.
Many Minnesotans have chosen to attend 90+% white schools in suburban or rural communities. Bill thinks people of color ought to have options too, and he does not view schools them as anything like those to which he (and millions of other African Americans were assigned). Bill’s testimony helps explain why many inner city families select and advocate for charters.
Remarks before the Minnesota Senate Education Committee
February 11, 2014
Madam Chair and members of the committee, I am Bill Wilson, Executive Director of Higher Ground Academy charter school, and I appreciate the opportunity to testify today. Given the lateness of the hour with only a couple of minutes remaining for testimony, I will set aside my prepared remarks. I feel compelled to comment on some earlier testimony that I believe to be misleading; particularly, testimony charging charter school with resegregating our public schools.
Painfully, public schools were legally segregated by government imposition from the inception of public schools which was ended in 1954 by the U.S. Supreme Court. Segregation being defined as when children of color could only attend schools that were designated for them based solely on the color of their skin. The supreme ruled that in such instances, separate and equal is never equal.
Charter schools must by law admit students on the basis of a family decision – not a government imposition. The fact that a charter school may enroll a very high percentage of one ethnic group or another, does not fit the definition of segregation. It’s far different than what I experienced as a child when our family was told where to send me.
As a child growing up in southern Indiana, I know far too well what segregated schools were because I was bussed past three (3) all white schools in order to attend the one school designated for children of color.
The pseudo segregation arguments that are typically advanced by the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity at hearings like this, serves little more than an exercise in academic distractions from the primary causal issues of societal segregation such as income inequality, lack of affordable housing, the systemic under education of students of color and under education of students from lower income households regardless of color. Clearly, given the horrendous education gap between white and black students in our state, more attention needs to be placed on education at this time and less on spurious arguments about segregation.
Families and students enrolling in charter schools exercise choice free of government imposition which is the essence of democracy. Charter school enrollment in Minnesota represents only about 5% of the total public school enrollment – approximately 41,000 of some 840,000 total students. Clearly, charter schools are not a real threat to segregating Minnesota’s public schools.
Education is still the most reliable vehicle through which a person can constructively improve their life’s chances. In most instances, a quality education helps leverage a higher quality of life, which is more critical today than ever before. It is often said that a child has no choice in the circumstances when entering this world but, through quality education, they can in many instances shape, mold and determine their future.
Based on studies recently released by the Brookings Institute, some 75-80% of all new jobs that will be created in the Minnesota Metropolitan area will require a workforce with skills sets normally acquired through at least two years of post-secondary study.
Unfortunately, our K – 12 education system is not adequately preparing many of our students for this reality and in the case of minority and especially black students, as is evidenced by results of the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment of Proficiency in areas of Reading and Math. When we average MCA proficiency scores between 2009 and 2013 for St. Paul and Minneapolis district schools, black students had a proficiency in Reading of 37% and a corresponding proficiency in Math of 28%.
Accepting that there is a correlation in Reading and Math proficiencies and acceptance into post secondary institutions, it is reasonable to conclude that a disproportionate number of black students will not be able to access admission into Minnesota post secondary institutions. And in the absence of being able to acquire the requisite training and skills provided by 2 and 4-year post secondary education institution, these students will most likely be excluded from the 21st century job opportunities that are being created in the new Minnesota economy.
Clearly, education is in the enviable position of being a major driving force for the production of a diverse and robust workforce capable of meeting the demands of our growing technology based workforce. Clearly, more and better education remains the unrelenting challenge of both district and charter schools.
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No response to the question of segregation yet Joe? I am waiting with baited breath.
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You can see the response from Bill Wilson, who was forced to attend a segregated school…forced by government, not given any options.
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I knew when I first started reading this blog, I had found someone and many others who feel the same as I do! I am so thankful for you Diane Ravitch! You have renewed my faith that we can stop this campaign to privatize our public schools. We can stop this and we will take back our public schools! Thank you!
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It is astonishing how Andrew Cuomo can think he can slither his way through policies by siding with different camps at different times and not think that anyone will notice.
Andrew Cuomo is the equivalent of that 45 year single old guy who is STILL living in his parent’s basement apartment, has too much time alone on his hands, and is fanstasizing about God-knows-what down there without too much thought on what goes on in the real world.
Really, Andy: Take some pointers from Joan Rivers.
Grow up!
Someone needs to tell him that he is in denial about his hippocrisy and opportunistic cravings that never get satiated.
Someone needs to tell him he can never compete with daddy and be big and strong and tall like daddy. Daddy was the real thing, Andrew, and you are but a pale and counterfeit imitation of him.
Poor boy.
Sorry, Andrew, but your Oedipus complex will never get resolved as long as you ignore your middle and working class constituency and as long as you continue to bend down for the plutocrats so that they can jam checks and dollar bills up your canal.
You don’t need the governorship, Andrew Cuomo.
You need psychotherapy . . . . . . .
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Good. For you Robert. Ready to vote tea party yet?
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Harlan, stop taking those silly halucinogens, and try eating an organic salad once in a while to balance out the brain chemistry . . . . .
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Thanks for the smile…… Robert
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C’mon, Betsy.
Harlan always has – oops, I meant “is” – the last laugh.
Harlan, try mache. It’s better than arugula . . . . .
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Cuomo still doesn’t realize that by pandering to a few rich people for their votes, he has lost millions of them from us! In yje end, it is STILL the number of votes you earn that can win or lose sn election…
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Shelley…I agree completely with you. My family voted for him when he first ran for governor, but will never vote for him again. Aside from having his father’s name, he is far from being even a shadow of him, he is a sickening example of a politian who has sold his soul.
The number of votes will determine the next gubernatorial election winner. Mr Cuomo surely will lose an enormous amount of votes, too.
We all must remain vigilant and expect a media airwaves blitz, the same as happened against Mayor DeBlasio during his trip to Albany. If those advertisements, which cost between 5 and 7 million dollars, resurrect themselves, this time to champion our corrupt governor who has sold out the citizens of New York, we can expect that number to increase exponentially. (Bloomberg demonstrated how votes could be bought when he ran for office).
He can be defeated…he is neither a true democrat or true republican, but a political opportunist who represents 1% of the population of our state. He has not only turned his back on the children of New York, but he is in the front line against educational standards that we have built over many generations.
It was never about making our students “college and career ready”. If that was the goal, we could have simply followed those of Massachusetts or of New York, or of any combination of states that have had excellent standards.
It was always about Profits and Control.
We must get the word out…spread the word as all New Yorkers are made aware that he follows the wishes of the corporatists, those who seek to destroy public education, and our society.
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He is Obama part 2. Same playbook. Court the rich. Phony speeches. Shaft regular people.
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So true. He has alienated some very large voting blocks in this state.
His poll numbers are probably as accurate as Romney’s. I think they are pure propaganda. Send him packing in November.
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And Andrew Cuomo is doing pretty much the same thing as what the federal government has been doing: Education reform in exchange for election aid and campaign financing. Once you see the image, click on it to enlarge.
Andrew Cuomo is facilitating a get-away scheme, making Bonnie and Clyde look incompetent. He is aiding and abetting the get-away car:
http://thetruthoneducationreform.blogspot.com/2013/01/partners-in-crime.html
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I think noisy planes with banners with “corporate greed” messages should fly over this “great” meeting in Lake Placid! Better to not add an extra $1,000 to their coffers anyway. Another thought… the hedge fund managers interest in schools just might wane if Robert Reich’s latest idea is put to action… If they did “succeed and privatize” and actually had to pay taxes based on a CEO to school worker ratio formula put forth by Reich… the taxes would be so high they might have to look elsewhere for profit! Maybe we need to fight fire with fire and push some of Reich’s ideas on a national level (right now he is arguing for California). Do read… http://robertreich.org/post/83456610643 it would put the “incentive” for charters “out of business” (high taxes based on CEO pay)! Well… that is assuming it can be shown that a charter CEO earns just “a bit more” than a teacher or cafeteria worker!
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NO MORE CUMO CORE!
NO MORE CUMO CORE!
NO MORE CUMO CORE!
NO MORE CUMO CORE!
NO MORE CUMO CORE!
NO MORE CUMO CORE!
NO MORE CUMO CORE!
NO MORE CUMO CORE!
Andrew Cuomo is now synonymous with Common Core here in NY. Its an albatross he will carry to the national stage as he seeks the presidency. He gladly traded the well being of our most vulnerable citizens – the children – to advance his political ambitions. THE *DEATH SENTENCE (at the polls) FOR FAILING GOVERNORS!
In 11 days, over 4,000 letters and emails sent have been sent to President Obama, Senators, and Representatives, protesting the punitive, test-based corporate control of public education. Unfortunately, many of the form letter responses from Congress do not reflect the level of concern expressed by the parents, teachers, and concerned citizens who have signed this petition.
However, these numbers suggest that there is a grass roots groundswell of pushback from all parts of the political spectrum gaining momentum not only here in NY but across much of the country. COMMON CORE has become a TOXIC BRAND. I am just one ordinary, unknown, unconnected, private citizen with a computer. I have no organization, no name recognition – only a message that speaks to the truth about the damage being inflicted on our children by this misguided reform. If this petition can generate this kind of response, the iceberg below must be massive. Now just imagine how the general public and parents will react when the PARCC and SBAC testing is rolled out for real in 2015 and they get to experience the full force of punitive, high stakes testing,
Welcome to the Resistance.
Together WE CAN STOP the MADNESS
Please take the time to read, sign, and circulate the petition entitled:
STOP COMMON CORE TESTING.
Thank you all.
http://www.petition2congress.com/15080/stop-common-core-testing/?m=5265435
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I have notified Fox23 and CBS 6 news stations in Albany. Curious to see their response.
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