Connecticut is a state with many wonderful teachers, administrators, and schools. The state consistently ranks second or third in the nation on NAEP.
The state has some districts with high poverty and low test scores. Governor Dannel Malloy decided to solve their problems by aligning himself with the privatization by charter crowd. He hired Stefan Pryor, a co-founder of a charter chain, as his state commissioner and trusted him to enlarge the charters’ market share.
Malloy directed funding to charter chains, and things seemed to go his way until one of his favorite charter chains got in trouble. First it was revealed in the Hartford Courant that Michael Sharpe, CEO of the FUSE Jumoke charter chain, had a criminal record. Then it came out that he did not have a doctorate, even though he called himself “Dr.” For some reason, people in Connecticut seemed more disturbed by the phony credential than by the long-ago felonies.
Then came the case of “Dr.” Terrence Carter, who was in line to be the next superintendent in Néw London. It turned out that he didn’t have a doctorate either. Not to worry, he said, because he was receiving one from Lesley University in Massachusetts on August 25.
Jon Lender, the investigative reporter at the Hartford Courant who has broken all these stories, reported today that Lesley University did not award a doctorate on August 25 to Mr. Carter.
Stefan Pryor has announced he will not serve another term as Commissioner. Malloy has said he will pursue the same agenda. Let’s hope he chooses someone who believes in conducting background checks.
Lets also hope that he gives thought to getting a better agenda. Charters don’t solve the problems of poverty. They drain money from the public schools, pick the students they want, exclude those who are most difficult to educate, and boast of their success.
Governor Malloy, you have a state with many outstanding and experienced educational leaders. Choose one of them to strengthen public schools in every community in the state.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Charters don’t solve the problems of poverty. They drain money from the public schools, pick the students they want, exclude those who are most difficult to educate, and boast of their success.”
This.
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As someone who spent some time serving as a superintendent in Hartford Conn., albeit some time ago, i can attest that Conn. has many remarkable teachers and administrators who are willing to confront just about any problem that comes their way despite the obstacles. I am still in awe of their determination to serve each and every child. Most of the schools were truly community schools. each with a rich history and cohesiveness..What has happened in Hartford is a virtual slap in the face; rich histories shattered.
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“What has happened in Hartford is a virtual slap in the face; rich histories shattered.” Same thing in Detroit and Philly and NYC and….
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As a 25 year veteran of the Hartford Public Schools I thank you for this comment. When did you work in Hartford and will you please come back? We could use someone like you running central office.
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Thank you. I would be back in a nanosecond. As they say out West, “there is gold in them thar hills” but the gold is in the people and the communities. Sadly, they don’t have time to heal but it may not matter, the talent is within Hartford to rebuild and to heal. I know because it takes dedicated folks to be willing to sign-on to Hartford’s always present problems, no easy solutions. A willingness to work together and respect each other is always a good place to start along with the support to allow it to happen.
I was there about 10 years before you, ironically recruited by the insurance industry to solve some critical financial issues, i.e. the appearance of bankruptcy. What they didn’t seem to recognize was that I am an educator first. Might not be too popular as one of my first questions is why are there so many people in the central office and what do they do to truly support the individual schools.
How have you spent your 25 years in Hartford?
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I am surprised that professors in education programs at the state universities of Connecticut have not been more critical of ed reform, charter schools, and the increasing reliance of standardized testing. Many reformers claim that teacher training is woefully inadequate and that education majors are deficient, two points that need to be contested, especially in Connecticut. Connecticut is and has been a leader in maintaining the highest academic standards for education majors; a master’s degree has been a requirement for teachers for decades now; and student teaching practicums and clinics are thorough and rigorous.
It is also true that the education gap is large–but much of that is due to poverty and, sadly, racism. But having said that, excellent teachers and dedicated students exist in every district–all public schools deserve secure and adequate funding. We need to strengthen the public schools in cities like Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, and smaller urban centers–and forget about charter schools and other gimmicks. We also need to be committed to anti-racism, and to value integrated schools (as they have legislated in Stamford for many years now).
Malloy needs to listen to educators, not business people and hedge fund entrepreneurs.
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I attended Neag (UCONN School of Ed) for my MA and for the most part all of the radical educators (Judee Irwin was amazing) are retired. The new crop (Zack who runs the yearlong accelerated MA founded a charter, Alfano who left UCONN/Neag to run the School of Ed at Central CT) mostly totally drinks the reform/Common Core Kool-Aid. It’s a shame. That’s where the grant money is and they are chasing it!
When I appeared on a panel of teachers called “Where We Teach” broadcast on WNPR across the state I contacted UCONN/Neag thinking maybe they’d want to do a profile on an alum… I got crickets. Very disappointing.
http://wnpr.org/post/where-we-teach-conversation-connecticuts-teachers
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They absolutely should do a profile on you! There are definitely some reformy types at Neag, following the money, as you say, but they cannot abandon the training of traditional teachers because those are the majority of teachers. But there are those who question reforms, including among new hires.
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This is a good question overall regarding the relationship of the universities to the attack on public education. With a few exceptions I can think of (Walt Haney at Boston College, Julián Vasquez Heilig at UT and Nancy Carlsson-Paige at Lesley) it seems that not many are willing to stand up against policies and practices detrimental to our public schools. Are there others I’ve missed? Why the silence?
Well, Obama’s DOE is gunning for them, too, now.
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“Governor Malloy, you have a state with many outstanding and experienced educational leaders. Choose one of them to strengthen public schools in every community in the state.”
Sadly, ain’t gonna happen, because:
1. Malloy is a shill for the multi-billionaire sociopaths who have taken over this country.
2. Come Nov. 4, Malloy will no longer be the governor. He will have been replaced by Foley, another shill for the multi-billionaire sociopaths–most likely an even more dangerous one than Malloy, if that’s possible.
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The “it must get worse before it can get better” mentality is risky and maybe reckless. Some people are very much living on the edge of survival, and a better minimum wage and access to health care and paid sick leave are essential to them. 4 years of “something worse” to a suburban or middle class person could be 4 years of agony to those below.
Given the complicity of the legislators in CT (some of it is just the way the system works; legislators can’t do in-depth research on every single matter), voters and citizens must demand a higher standard of debate and discussion. This goes beyond electoral victories; we have the attention of the governor and law makers on ed reform in CT–these officials should be made to put remedies in place, such as a requirement that the state Ed. Commissioner be a career educator with a strong academic (not corporate) background (as CT’s AFT requested); that school administrators only be vetted if they already meet Connecticut’s stringent standards–no more talk of waivers and “alternative routes” to leadership. These “leaders” and “CEOs”, like Paul Vallas, Steven Adamowski, Michelle Rhee, Cami Anderson and others (of the Broad and TFA-alum stripe) have almost universally been terrible for school children and districts. At least Terrence Carter will not easily inherit their dubious mantle. An equitable funding system and commitment to integration should be top items on CT’s list–not more segregated charter schools.
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Wow, Carter never got the doctorate from Lesley College after all, even though they previously confirmed that he would be getting it.
I bet $5 that Lesley College very wisely decided to submit Carter’s dissertation to TurnItIn.com and found lots of instances of plagiarism!
Anyone want to take me on? We may never know the truth though, because it’s probably FERPA that prevented the college from sharing with the Courant why he didn’t get the degree.
This is HUGE!
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Sorry, meant Lesley University not Lesley College
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Despite the intervention by a former Congressman whose wife attends Lesley, which was mentioned in the article, the university would have had to have a very good reason to deny Carter his doctorate at this point, and I think it would have had to be based on his behavior at the college, not somewhere else. I believe that discovering irrefutable evidence of his plagiarizing his doctorate or other academic work at Lesley is probably the most likely cause for this turn of events.
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Destroying what is working instead of extending these policies to include other schools/districts! That sounds like the new educational plan.
How sad! We have become that which we feared – a totalitarian state (at least in regards to education). Please continue to speak out and protest. Cling to the “American Way”. We will not be cowed.
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I can’t believe they can’t check on the credentials of incoming leaders. That just sickens me…with access to the web and all that goes with it, it should be EASY for any personnel official to do this easily.
At my first teaching gig in NW Indiana back in the mid 1980s, the town’s superintendent AND assistant superintendent had not completed their doctorates. Superintendent Dr. A. resigned in disgrace. Assistant Super Dr. H. followed soon after. Once this was discovered, the school board acted swiftly and did a complete check on the school records of EVERYONE in the school corporation from the super’s office all the way down. Furthermore, any new applicants could not submit their own paperwork if they wanted to work in this town; the applicant’s credentials would be sent by the college which conferred the degree.
Why can’t we have that kind of accountability in this case? Whaddaya mean–you can’t CHECK on the credentials of an applicant? Seriously!?
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I had initially suspected that Pryor’s departure was based on politics with respect to the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Connecticut and that Malloy was simply trying to appease the teachers he had alienated over the past four years.
Then it occurred to me that perhaps Pryor’s departure was related to all the charter fiascos and malfeasance that had been occurring in the state and in fact he was beginning (finally!) to feel the heat of those scandals during his tenure as the Commissioner of Education. He may simply be trying to cover his own interests by moving on.
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