Tomorrow is an important run-off to select the Democratic candidate for state superintendent of Georgia.
The Network for Public Education has endorsed Valarie Wilson, who has worked as a member and president of the local school board in Decatur and has served as president of the Georgia School Boards Association.
Fortunately one of the members of the board of directors of the Network is Bertis Downs, a native of Georgia. He wrote this column to explain why he will vote for Valarie Wilson tomorrow.
Bertis Downs, who cares deeply about the children of Georgia, writes:
“A few years ago, I decided to give up politics, since politicians often disappoint, and many politicians seem to have only one issue once they get elected—staying in office. So all the time and effort and money I used to give to political campaigns, I decided to devote to the single most important issue I care about—improving and effective public schools. If we don’t get that part right—educating our children—then what kind of society can we really expect in the future? Well, it did not take me long to realize that if you care about education—the teaching and learning that goes on in the classroom—then you’d better pay attention to politics. I began trying to connect the dots and to figure out the often massive disconnect between policies passed by politicians in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., and the ways our kids’ schools operate.”
“I discovered that what passes as “education reform” is often just a combination of policies that diminish and weaken public schools; boost heavily-marketed “alternatives” like charter schools and voucher programs; revolve around standardized testing with high stakes attached; and then misuse the results of those tests. These policies are taking their toll on morale among our best and most effective teachers, and the people pushing these policies rarely have a dog in the fight. It doesn’t really affect them personally—it’s just politics to them.
“I support groups and individuals, including politicians, who have the same goal I do: good schools for all kids. That sounds simple, but it’s tough to achieve. Schools are complex organisms and have a hard job, given the realities many of their students face when they leave the school grounds.
“Schools cannot be improved with smoke and mirrors and bumper-sticker solutions. “School choice” surely sounds good, and the word “charter” seems to have almost magical connotations to some people. But a good school—public, private or hybrid—shares a few things in common: great teachers who are dedicated to their calling of teaching, who are supported by and learn from each other, who teach in reasonably-sized classrooms and are in a school community that is sufficiently-resourced with adequate facilities and technology, with a rich and varied curriculum, including arts and physical education, and are part of an involved and engaged community of parents and others who support the mission of the school.
“While I recognize that we are not there yet, I think it is important to discern what level of government—local, state or national—is holding us back and making our public schools’ job more difficult every day.
“In my view, the test-driven reforms that started under President George W. Bush but have accelerated under President Barack Obama are most responsible for the current state of play. (Of all the issues, why do the Democrats and Republicans have to pick this one to agree on, and get it so wrong?)”
He concludes:
“As for the runoff for state school superintendent, I strongly support Valarie Wilson, a Decatur parent and former school board member who also has statewide experience as chairwoman of the Georgia School Boards Association. She brings an engaged parent’s perspective, believes in the mission of our public schools and supports the teachers and students who teach and learn there every day. She will work to protect and advance our schools, and she does not subscribe to the false cures and easy-sounding fixes offered by the reform crowd, who have placed their bets elsewhere.
“Wilson knows what it takes and will do everything within her power to make all Georgia schools effective for every child. She will be a fierce advocate for our teachers at a time when they need it the most. And she will do so as a parent, not as a politician taking the careerist’s view.
“I look forward to a time when our state leaders are as focused as our local teachers and administrators on the promise of public education: Each child prepared for life. Wilson would be a great start on that path, and depending on how the “top of the ticket” does in November, she just might have a chance to win the general election. “
He explains it well.
“These policies are taking their toll on morale among our best and most effective teachers, and the people pushing these policies rarely have a dog in the fight. It doesn’t really affect them personally—it’s just politics to them.”
The last sentence is what got me the most upset. What destroys the lives of children, parents, teachers and whole communities “really doesn’t affect (the reformers )personally.”
“Under state law, every school district in the state has to decide between several options as to what type of system they will become. The local administrators and board have been discussing this for the past couple of years and have decided to pursue the option of a “charter system,” in which they will form an agreement with the state, be exempted from some state requirements, gain some financial advantages and still be responsible for delivering on stated achievement goals that are measured over time.”
Please tell me it ain’t so!
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July 12, 2014
After having had pestilence and plagues continually visited upon his kingdom, Pharaoh (Thutmose III?) finally gave in to Moses’ appeals to let the enslaved people go. Once freed, the people set out to reach the land of milk and honey believed to lie beyond the desert. But after wondering in the desert for a while, reality set in. Harsh challenges to life in the desert lead the people to think they would be better off being back with Pharaoh than to learn to improve their lot as a freed people in a difficult and uncertain environment. So in desperation, and in the temporary absence of their leader, Moses, the people turned to idolatry for relief.
The prospect of having to unlearn the thinking by which they had lived as slaves made the people fearful and lazy. By Pharaoh’s ever-presence, the people as slaves had learned to fix things, to re-form things, to transform things, but had also learned to be averse to learning beyond what they knew. But now as freed people they had not Pharaoh victimizing them. They now had to continually conceive and test for themselves new ways of thinking and new theories of knowledge if ever they were to survive and improve, all the while accepting that some days would be better or worse than other days. In short, they now had to learn to improve their own lives on their own terms.
And so they did. And in the process they discovered the milk and honey had been themselves, all along.
Now, will Atlanta Board of Education members and superintendency choose freedom for the public’s Atlanta Public Schools system, so as to retain the difficult challenge to think anew and to learn to improve the system mostly on their and the public’s own terms?
Or, out of fear and laziness, will Atlanta Board of Education and superintendency choose to give up freedom and take the public’s Atlanta Public Schools system back to Pharaoh (the State) to plead a pact (contract) mostly on Pharaoh’s terms for relief from accountability, with much of it being self-imposed?
“Oh Pharaoh, we beseech you to enslave us in an operational school system option, whether the Investing in Educational Excellent (IE2) option, the Charter System option, the Strategic School System option, or the System of Charter Schools option. Hence we bring you our very own leg irons of Flexibility you may use to encumber us in exchange for your favor of granting us Wavers of relief from Ra, your Accountability God. You, or Ra, may punish us and even take from us and the people their Atlanta Public Schools system when we fail to live up to the relief you grant us. And to show our allegiance to you, by your almighty name – PHARAOH! PHARAOH! PHARAOH! – we denounce the true freedom-allowing, democracy sustaining, civil rights affirming, morally and ethically grounded, privatizing-free, and contracted-Flexibility-not-needed operational school system option known as the Status Quo School System option.”
Now, get it? If so, then you know there is but one rational choice, and that choice is the Status Quo School System option[.] The name “Status Quo” is but the name Pharaoh so blatantly and deceitfully uses to manipulate the people to choose any option but that option. The real and quite obvious status quo-keeping options are all the other options: IE2, Charter System, Strategic School System, and System of Charter Schools.
…. [A]lso intensely review the Georgia DOE presentation “Flexibility Side by Side Comparisons” to understand that the Status Quo School System option is not one of the Flexibility options and that the Flexibility options again are: IE2, Charter System, Strategic School System, and System of Charter Schools.
So, Freedom or back to Pharaoh for our Atlanta Public Schools system? Which do you want?
Ed Johnson
Advocate for Quality in Public Education
Atlanta GA
The huge oversight that many of these posting on the Ravitch Blog have is the importance of strong site leadership. It has to be one of the toughest jobs around with the high level of talent, ingenuity and free-thinking that make up the teaching staffs of many schools.
When Bertis Downs writes: “shares a few things in common: great teachers who are dedicated to their calling of teaching, who are supported by and learn from each other, who teach in reasonably-sized classrooms and are in a school community that is sufficiently-resourced with adequate facilities and technology, with a rich and varied curriculum, including arts and physical education, and are part of an involved and engaged community of parents and others who support the mission of the school.” he completely ignores the school site leadership component that can make or break a great school.
I am fighting a battle in San Diego to keep an excellent Principal that has stood up for all teachers and staff on site at the School of Creative and Performing Arts and is paying the price for it. The lack of sufficient leadership and skill at the district Superintendent position in San Diego Unified is crippling the District and also points to the fact that poor leadership at the Superintendent and Board positions ALSO are key.
Please note that Ms. Wilson’s opponent is a r(he)eformer. Her husband, David Morgan, is a thoroughly ineffective Cobb County School Board member–he is well known for not showing up to board meetings. She runs (has run?) a charter company. She is a terrifying choice for GA State School Board. I don’t think either Dem has a chance of winning the top spot, but Ms. Wilson needs to get the chance.
Brandy. See also Diane Ravitch a few days ago on the extent of Morgan’s “usual suspects” support, often in large sums: ttp://bit.ly/UoWuQC
Thanks, I’d missed that one. I just cast my vote for Ms. Wilson.