Remember the post called “Two Bonuses”? It actually described three bonuses: one went to Mercedes Schneider, who received a bonus of $427.76 after she was rated a “highly effective teacher”; she gave her bonus away to a friend raising an autistic child. The second bonus went to a charter school teacher who raised scores by 88%; her bonus was $43,000! The third bonus went to a kindergarten teacher at the same charter school who had raised scores even more, but her bonus was $4,086 because her class’s scores did not “count” toward state ratings. The kindergarten scores went up by 165%! The teacher was Ashleigh Pelafigue.
Of course, the bonus plan is completely unsustainable because it is funded by a one-time federal grant of $2.3 million that went to a charter chain called New Beginnings with four schools.
I learned from a comment left on the post that Ashleigh Pelafigue, who had the highest gains in the school (not sure how kindergarten children were tested!), was fired. She now teaches in a public school.
And then Ashleigh herself wrote a comment on the blog:
I AM the (former) kindergarten teacher referenced in this story and the above comment about me is true [that she was fired]. As far as teacher to pupil ratios, never did I have a class of less than 25 students. I also had no aide or interventionist to pull my students. My students were not serviced for special needs nor were they appropriately designated for ESL. Despite countless hours of hard work, hours upon hours of self-directed professional development, and even continuing my own education to ensure I was providing the most up-to-date instructional strategies, it is true, I was fired without just cause, with no warning, and given only hours to clean out my classroom. My email was wiped out within three hours of receiving my termination letter and I was denied the bonus that I had earned because I was not returning to the school. I was not actively looking for a new job; completely blindsided does not even accurately express my shock. As the above comment states I did in fact find employment in a new parish, only three days after being terminated. I applied, was interviewed and hired in a matter of 24 hours. My resume and data speaks for itself.I have never been happier. Although the situation I was dealt was wrong and disgraceful to the New Beginnings Charter School Network, it was the best thing they ever did for me. An adequate bonus would have been nice, a word of thanks or gratitude would have been appreciated, but letting me go opened my eyes. I would have faithfully gone down with a sinking ship. Instead, I am flourishing and becoming even better in a supportive, appreciative and engaging environment that is well on its way to becoming an A school and leading the way to our parish’s continued success.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Typical of the sweatshop mentality of charter schools. As a teacher who worked in one, I am well aware of the cult like mentality and total control that they foster on both staff and students. You will never see a teacher work 30 years in a charter school. (And that is EXACTLY what the charter school leaders want)
And increasingly, this is also what USDE wants and is accomplishing to some degree through excessive surveillance with unreliable and ideological observation checklists, student surveys rigged to favor a preferred set of teaching practices, teacher evaluations contingent on pseudo-scientific writing assignments called student learning objectives (SLOs and variants in 27 states) , required predictions of the increments in scores of students pre-test to posttest, bizarre assumptions about learning progressions within a year and year to year with little or no change in content, and computer data demands determining what teachers are “supposed” to know, think, and produce as evidence of whatever. Principals and other administrators are being transformed into data mongers, not inspirational leaders. And while we are all grateful for this story with a happy ending– better working conditions than in the charter school–there are countless public school teachers not blessed with the right mix of students in their classes to pass the hurdles for keeping their jobs.
This charter school does not look like a sweatshop:
Yeah, but in a tiny town with few choices, many of the students at this school must be feeling stifled and poorly served. It’s really sad, isn’t it? How can we increase choice in these one-school towns?
Ponderosa,
The back story seems to be that the school was going to close due to low enrollment, but the switch to a rural charter has persuaded students outside the catchment area to attend the school, securing a future for a school in the town. Surely having a school in the town is better than having no school in the town.
A well prepared, rehearsed and somewhat scripted video does not disprove the notion. I’m sorry teachingeconomist but when even Bill Clinton speaks out about the promise of charters not living up to their original intentions then we all need to pause and take notice. If charters want to improve they will need to take in the criticism and learn to grow. I personally do not believe that charters have much more time in this country.
17yearveteran,
The issue at hand is if charter schools are “sweatshops”. I have no doubt that some are and some are not. It seems highly unlikely to me that Montessori and Waldorf charter schools are. I would expect the working conditions to be similar to those in private schools.
TE,
Do all the small towns in India have public schools? Or is that why one would move to the USA so that he/she has a “choice”?
Duane,
In general rural education in India is poor. You might be interested in reading this somewhat dated paper about rural education in India from the World Bank: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2006/08/11/000310607_20060811122517/Rendered/PDF/369650sdp950web.pdf
There are thousands of charter schools throughout the US, yet all you ever do is harp about this and Community Roots Charter School in Brooklyn (which is an demonstrable outlier among charters in NYC).
Can’t you even bother to pretend to find other charter schools to shill for, or is the pool of non-sweatshop, Skinner Box charters that small?
Michael,
Indeed there are an estimated 6,400 charter schools in the US. Postings on this blog, however, have never been in proportion to the number of different types of charters. For example, there are far more Waldorf charters than there are Rocketship charters, far more Montessori charters than Success Academy charters. Do the discussions here reflect that difference in numbers?
First, having your over-reliance on limited evidence called out, you then tried to change the subject.
Second, I am skeptical about your unsupported claims of such high numbers of Waldorf and Montessori-based charter schools.
Here in NYC, long thought of as a model for charter expansion, that is definitely not the case, and I have not heard of anyplace where it is.
Third, as a matter of economics, finance and politics, your point is still not relevant, since dispersed, independent mom-and-pop charters have nowhere near the political, financial and media backing as the chains. It’s nothing but a reflection of the relative newness and immaturity of the industry.
If past economic history is any guide, those independent charters you misdirect us to are largely destined to close, affiliate or merge. The entire point for the Big Money backing charters is to find the best scalable models, and the little guys will fall by the wayside over (not a very long) time.
Micheal,
There are only 11 Rocketship charter schools in the country, so only a tiny fraction of the 6,400 charter schools need to be Waldorf schools for there to be more Waldorf charters than there are Rocketship charters. There are only 22 Sucess Acadamy schools, so again only a tiny fraction of the 6,400 charter schools need to be Montessori schools for there to be more Montessori charter schools than Success Acadamy schools.
Dispursed mom and pop charter schools as you call them are the majority of charter schools. If you approve of those kind of charter schools, why not call for a regulation that limits organizations to running a single school? My state does that with stores that sell alcohol, there is no reason it could not be applied to schools as well.
When a door closes, God always opens a window. I bet your new school system is thrilled to have gotten you! I’m so glad you got out of that charter school before you invested any more time, talent, and money. It is a shame that governors are investing the taxpayers’ money into these worthless schools and making rich people richer. Thank you for your blog! Good Luck to you with your new career! Your new students are blessed!
In Louisina, idle hands are charcoal devil’s woodchop workshop.
Never heard of the “charcoal devil”. I thought I knew all my relatives. Please explain.
Um, evil hedge-fund managers creating charters after charters that are easy to be burned like “charcoal” by hiring and firing teachers….
Diane — Brilliant, honest, gutsy response from Minneapolis teacher to horrible story in last Sunday’s Star Tribune about “worst teachers” in “poorest schools” and Mpls Superintendent’s Gomer Pyle-like response, “Golllll — eee.”
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/281861351.html
Joanne Simons Maple Grove, MN
Great link! Thanks Joanne!
I love your characterization of the Mnpls Superintendent’s reaction–“Gomer Pyle-like response.” Glad to hear Mnpls teachers are fighting back.
First of all, isn’t anyone the least bit suspicious of 88% gains, let alone 165%?
Second, it’s very well established that tests measure, at best, the thinnest and least important part of anything that can be considered “learning”. So if all of this effort is being put on increasing test scores, what else is suffering? I mean, it really is a zero-sum game – every bit of time focused on improving test scores is time not spent on some other, presumably more worthy, pursuit. Alfie Kohn postulates – and I agree – that there is very likely an inverse relationship between test score gains and anything resembling actual, meaningful growth or learning.
Dienne: one of the most peculiar aspects of the charterite/voucher/privatizer movement is the “studied gullibility” of the leaders and enablers of it.
Let me give a pertinent example. Michelle Rhee claims—without any corroborating documentation written, oral or digital—that in one year “she” took her students from the 13th percentile to the 90th. *Leaving out the fact that she was teaching in tandem with another teacher.*
What kind of person truly believes in the educational equivalent of magic feathers that make elephants fly, or pixie dust that does the same for children, or ruby slippers that when clicked let you ‘go home again’?
I almost always got very good, sometimes outstanding, job evaluations. If someone had ever started off an evaluation with a tall tale that would make Pinocchio’s nose grow, I would have been wondering what sucker punch was going to follow the fantastical fantasy.
Not so the self-styled leaders of the “new civil rights movement of our time.” They truly and honestly believe their own hype, pr and spin. To say they are clueless or unrealistic or full of hubris doesn’t even begin to describe their state of mind.
Again, take the inside of Arne Duncan’s mind [Please! a la Henny Youngman]. He is somewhat for and somewhat against and somewhat for/somewhat against standardized testing. Simultaneously. And he can’t understand why everyone doesn’t love his stance[s] on high-stakes standardized tests. Not to mention that his actions in favor of that punishing ritual speak much louder than his word salad…
The precision of the numbers you reference are misleading because they can’t tell us whether what is really valuable is being measured and/or counted and whether we can even measure of count those things or qualities or outcomes that are most important.
Mathematical intimidation, obfuscation and deception is the hallmark of “education reform.” Thank goodness among those for a “better education for all” are the likes of Mercedes Schneider and Mark Weber and Bruce Baker and GF Brandenburg and Gary Rubinstein and Audrey Amrein-Beardsley et alia who combine their skills and knowledge with a moral code that demands honesty, integrity and compassion.
Thank you for your comments.
😎
“First of all, isn’t anyone the least bit suspicious of 88% gains, let alone 165%?”
Don’t know that I’m suspicious, perhaps curious. Curious in the sense of why the hell would anyone waste time worrying about and prepping students for taking standardized tests that are COMPLETELY INVALID, ILLOGICAL AND UNETHICAL??
I mentored a teacher in a non union charter school that was fired because of an incident that they deemed intentional. He had no representation and was set up. No more. Start with a new accountability system, as in my upcoming book. http://www.wholechildreform.com
Way to go, Ashleigh! I’ve found in a long and checkered career that what one administration considers a curse on a teacher, another administration considers their good fortune. Glad you’re doing well. Welcome to public education.
I went to parent/teacher last night and my son’s english teacher gave them a long project. He’s really enjoying it. He’s a sixth grader.
It takes real bravery to ignore the focus on test scores that is so pervasive in public schools now and do something worthwhile and new like that. She’ll be ranked on the basis of their test scores, yet she’s veering from the script. She was really animated and interested telling me about it. Good for her for trying something new with them.
I hope she doesn’t get an “ineffective” or whatever. She was once my older daughter’s swim team coach and she’s pretty tough. If they try to bully her I’ll make a fuss. I think parents can be more combative and demanding than employees in these situations, at least I would think so.
Luckily, she’s in a union 🙂
I had a similar experience. Fired and blind sided from a charter school doing exactly as instructed. I believe my firing was due directly to sexual harassment and to discrimination of disabled students. But that was all fair and well and I am pro public as there is no due process in charters school and difficult to find legal representation. for charter school teachers.
Sounds like Louisiana. Ashleigh must not have been part of the “in crowd” at her charter and they had probably already spent the grant on something else. This, right here is why public schools need to be PUBLIC, not run by for profits or religious groups. (In Louisiana a lot of them are run by conservative religious organizations—frequently Catholic or Fundamentalist. When a Muslim group applied, a pro-charter state legislator freaked out.)
But this is Louisiana and it’s all about the money and pretend “choice”. It’s also why the school systems cannot keep teachers. The whole place is crooked and going to get worse as we are getting more and more Republicans in office.
Ashleigh, you might want to consider having an investigation done by the media and/or at least writing a letter to the Advocate. The people of Baton Rouge need to know how Jindal’s beloved charters are doing their teachers.
Here’s my stories of personal abuse by Charters. In AZ we tend to have Charters that cream the best students or are bottom feeders. My husband started his teaching career in two that served the low scoring, struggling students. The first school had been set up for a specific group of teenagers who had gone through a drug rehabilitation program. My husband & one other teacher, in a two-room, strip-mall school, brought the school to the point where test scores were improving and admissions were going up. That’s when The Leona Group, the out-of-state, for-profit charter company, started paying attention. They planned some remodeling and were going to put a smoking area on the back patio. When my husband told them that would be illegal, suddenly his evaluations went from great to lousy. His second job was in a school that used a computerized program. It was not a well written program and students could easily skip the lesson and keep trying each answer on the quiz. School management did nothing about this problem since their goal was to look good on paper, rake in $. and hire relatives. Several teachers had complained to the State DOE and nothing was done. The head of the school had connections at the state level so the only thing that happened was that the whistle-blowing teachers were fired. Then, the head of the school colluded with the County Supt to get the answers to the State exams. My husband reported it to the Attorney General’s office, not the DOE. The County Supt. went to jail, but not the head of the school. It was shut down, finally, fortunately!
My husband was teaching at a charter school in Utah. It was three weeks into the school year when my husband discovered that one of his students was accessing pornography on the school’s computers. Further investigation by my husband revealed that the student had been doing this for more than six months, far longer than my husband had had him in class. My husband reported the breach (this charter school focused on technology, but had an incredibly poor filtering system). Within two days, my husband was fired. The “reason?” Lack of supervision, they said, but the previous teacher and the student were never disciplined. A week before, the school had mentioned that they had “too many teachers” for their level of students. I think that the school fired him because they could save money on salaries without having to pay unemployment. I tell this story all the time to people, who seem incredulous that it happened. Oh, it happened, all right, and this sort of thing happens a lot. And yet charter schools give “superior education?” That’s what I hear, but how does appallingly high teacher turnover deliver anything “superior?”
I needed to add this: When my husband informed The Leona Group that a smoking area would be illegal and he WOULD REPORT THEM, that’s when his evaluations went down.
This is an example of why teachers need due process.
Here’s how the self-styled “education reformers” would describe the situation: since your husband made the “choice” of working for abusive and unscrupulous bosses, then he should accept the consequences of his “choice.”
Even if your husband stood up “for the kids” and “for the adults helping the kids.”
Their thinking is twisted and self-serving. Chiara nailed this with her “choice but no voice.” Nobody would willingly choose to work for such people but these are hard times. And you are correct that this is exactly why job protections are necessary—
“It’s all for the kids!”
Really!
Not rheeally, especially in a Johnsonally sort of way…
Thank you for your comments.
😎
Crossposted at
http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Louisiana-Charter-Fires-St-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Class_Kindergarten_School_TEACHER-141108-884.html#comment519028
Bogus Bonus!!! What else is to be expected in some quarters anymore?
I, myself, was wondering about test scores being raised “165%.” Tell me, how is that even mathematically possible? And, again with the testing of kindergarteners? What kind of testing was this? Aside from the fact that ONE teacher receives FORTY THREE K$$$ (that $$$ could be used to hire a social worker, arts teacher or reading specialist), while the other gets…fired.
Understand, I’m not questioning Ashleigh, but this charter school that came up with this nonsense. Calls for further investigation, I would say. By the Feds.
Thank you for the kind words and comments in regards to my past situation. In reference to those who recommend seeking further action, in the beginning I considered it but I was not alone, many others suffered the same fate as I did. I decided against pursuing anything further from them for many reasons but mainly because although what they did to me in the end was not right, I do not discount a day I spent there. Without the experience I gained from my previous school, I would not be the educator I am today and the professional scholar that I strive to be. There were many days where I considered my purpose there and questioned why I didn’t leave sooner but I was faced with the truth that I was where I needed to be in that point in my life. Although I wish my tenure there had ended a little differently, I am glad that it ended when it did and I found solace in a new environment that has given me room to grow and the support and encouragement I need to do so.
To answer questions of how kindergarteners can grow so much, our school used a nationally recognized literacy assessment. In the beginning of the year students were tested then again at intervals throughout the year. It was possible to achieve over 100% growth because nearly my entire class was at grade level or above at the end of the year when in the beginning only a few students were actually on target.
Still to this day, parents and students from my past life contact me on social media, via email, calls, texts and even in public and express their thanks for my hard work and comment that they wish there were more teachers like me. This is all I need to know that what I did for my students was just and true to what they needed and what they deserved. The sadness of the whole situation is that there are countless amazing teachers in school systems all over the country who are undervalued and not recognized for their hard work and dedication. A simple thank you, a sign of appreciation, an email about a job well done – that’s all teachers need… we don’t ask for much. Clearly we aren’t in it for the money… I didn’t work hard because there was a bonus at stake, I worked hard because it was my job and it was what my students deserved. I will continue to do so because I am passionate about educating our future. I am thankful for the opportunities that I was given back then and am even more thankful to NBSF for letting me move past that segment of my life into a better place where I can continue to grow. Bigger and better things are in store for me, I am sure of it!
Thanks 🙂
This is crazy! I only ran across this blog because I wanted to ensure I spelled your name correctly on your appreciation gift. It never seems to amaze me how good people are screwed over in this city and the unworthy are rewarded. Well Mrs. Pelafique I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason and as I’m sorry you didn’t get you bonus I can selfishly say I’m glad you were my daughters second grade teacher this year. I knew when I removed her from ISL we were faces major challenges because she didn’t know how to reading English at all. I expressed my concerns at the beginning and you reassured we that you would get her get to the level required . All I have have to say is WELL DONE….. Yes your work speaks for itself. Thx L. Golden