I posted about the state of education in California, where Governor Jerry Brown pushed through a tax increase to benefit schools, State Superintendent Tom Torlakson suspended the stakes attached to tests while the Common Core is phased in, and where there have been thus far no negative consequences attached to the new regime of Common Core and its assessments. Several teachers wrote to complain that the post was far too positive, so I changed the title to a question rather than a statement. As backdrop remember that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slashed the education budget by many billions and appointed charter advocates to a majority of seats on the state board. The California Charter Schools Association is politically active, supporting candidates who support their agenda.
This comment was posted, without a name attached.
I am not even at liberty to write what I know or feel comfortable to share what I have experienced for the fear of what “they: will do to me (yes, I know, nothing can happen to me, truth is a defense to defamation claims etc., but the fear and paranoia persists).
I have taught on the East Coast (not comfortable even sharing which city) and extreme necessity led me to CA.
WHATEVER YOU ARE IMAGINING in CA as “BAD”, it is worse than that. The corporate takeover is beyond insidious. This is happening in rural communities—and most CA is THAT– where people outside the state don’t even know about the worst exploitations that are going on, where principals are just figureheads, and consultants from LA and Silicon Valley are hired at unconscionable rates. The parents are often illiterate or don’t know any better in these communities. The politicians are in the hands of the big companies (I can’t even name industries for the fear…) This is the first time I have ever written a comment here. I have no words to express how bad it is. But God is my witness, when the day comes when the fear has subsided, my words will be the brightest light to shed on what is actually going on there. Whatever “negative” articles exist about Success Academies and such, nothing compares to what is actually going on in CA.
Thank you for changing the title.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I think there are many educators who could whistle blow on the organized and systematic takeover of public education in California. For me. The obvious example is LAUSD. This school district has been taken over by deform era pushing a full charter agenda through which their corporations and hedge funders can fleece public Ed. The alarming thing about this is the BOE and unions are supporting this to the detriment of teachers, students, parents, and the community. We recently saw with the release of Ref Rodriqez’s charter audit how little if at all, LAUSD is monitoring our public monies in charters. I understand the fear some educators have but as the old but true saying goes, the truth will set you free.
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There are many who think that CA has been unchanged by Common Core and the recent changes to SBAC. They think that because we have a Democrat for governor and teachers still have their unions and protections, that we are just fine. The corporate takeover of our schools is actually just a bit more insidious here in CA. It is more behind the scenes in most places. LAUSD is the most blatant example but the are a thousand examples of the corporatization of our public schools throughout the state. Unfortunately, many of our teachers are sleeping and feeling secure in their protection and just don’t realize that the fox is already in the henhouse.
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I’m sure many would agree with him. This has to stop and this emphasis on testing, stop!
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Bell_scandal
The conditions in the City of Bell which led to grift and “unconscionable rates” being paid are probably ripe for exploitation in many other places as well.
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I have noticed that younger teachers sometimes do not realize how bad things have gotten. I share with them comments like ….”This is not normal……you should be concerned…..” Sometimes I wonder if the deformers are just waiting to get all of the older teachers retired so they can finally completely move in on the school districts. For example, I am puzzled how teachers will even get a continuing contract on the difficult, brutal teacher rubric. The rubric is so subjective, and honestly….the evaluator can really rate the teacher in any way. I honestly feel we are in the most discouraging era of education that I have ever experienced. I am a teacher close to retirement, but yet…I still get so depressed and discouraged on what the deformers have done to my beloved profession. It is beyond sad.
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The San Francisco Chronicle just published an op-ed written by the president of “children now.” There was no disclosure about this organization or its agenda but when I tried to research it I couldn’t find any either. I’m wondering how readers and you Diane suggest I critique the inclusion of this absolutely uncritical gushy piece about Californiaembracing common core.
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It is sad and bad for public education. In LAUSD, I tell teachers that they are not safe, especially if you’re older veteran. I agree with you that they are purging the older teachers which will make it easier to abuse the younger know nothing teachers. To them I caution that as long as you don’t have legal protection, there’s a target on your back for any district to deprive you of any due process we have left. No, the union won’t protect you, Just look how they left all the riffed and laid off teachers hanging. If I were entering the job, not the profession now, i’d use my opt out of the union and get me a good lawyer, you’ll need it.
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If California is like my state (and I think most union states), non-tenured teachers are at-will employees. It’s amazing how fast you become invisible to the union if your contract is not renewed. You would think that they could at least supply some help in finding a new job. It would be smart for unions to think of ways to support those teachers since they are not likely to leave with love in their hearts for unions. I absolutely support the need for unions, but as a nontenured teacher I was disposable. If any of you have read “The Giver,” losing a job when you are nontenured is a bit like the release ceremony in which they repeat your name over and over slowly reducing the volume. When the name is only a whisper, the person just disappears from their consciousness. Of course in the next room, they just gave the individual a lethal injection.
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I feel for the non-tenured teachers with at will employment, but the entire private sector employees are at will employees.
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It will be interesting when teachers are all at will. Let’s see if short term hires have any interest in scores. At that point, tests will be determined unnecessary or kids will be faulted for not passing at the post-determined level.
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At will in the private sector has not worked out so well, either, except for a few .1%ers. All jobs should have due process.
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You are right. All jobs should have due process. It is what it is. My point was, though, that since we probationary teachers were part of the union, a little job counseling does not seem unreasonable. Typically we have to continue to work for several months, so it’s not like we are out the door/out of sight and out of mind.
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Fearful teachers?
It sounds like things are going exactly according to plan.
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Raj …This may be true that most private sector employees are at will, however how many of those private sector employee’s jobs hang in the balance when you upset a third grader with influencial parents? Teachers need due process
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I know of few private sector jobs that make the difficult and unpopular jobs daily as teachers and subject to at will.
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Some have said, “California is the sleeping giant,” and I agree. I am a parent in California (LAUSD) and I can vouch for there being almost no awareness, at least among parents, of the severe dangers the corporate Profiteers pose to education. The attempted corporate takeover of education threatens the basis of our democratically-run educational system.
Why is it that teachers are barred from talking about what they think about SB, Pearson, and PARCC, and the profit-driven assessment (etc) businesses swooping down on our educational system? Since when did corporations become authorized to order our public school system to punish and silence the voices of our teachers? Since when did our teachers’ rights to free speech become null and void?
As a parent, I am very concerned about these profit-driven assessment schemes, and all the ramifications of placing the Gates/Broad foxes in charge of the henhouse. And part of what the Profiteers want is access to a gold mine of our children’s personal data.
Today I submitted a note to my daughter’s school principal informing them that I refuse to give my consent for release of my daughter’s personal information/data, through Smarter Balanced testing(s) or related activities. I included my concern that Smarter Balance has No Privacy Policy, and plans to disseminate student information, including to third party vendors.
Perhaps this could be Opt Out, Part II movement. Parents actively refusing to consent to release of our children’s personal (and confidential) information. Smarter Balanced would then have to be accountable for shoddy, unethical privacy protections for minors. Why would an ethical organization make the release of children’s confidential information an Automatic Opt-In? Unless they are more focused on profits and mining our children’s data for competitive advantage in the marketplace.
My child is not a Product for the Profiteers, and teachers are not the “Workers” for the corporate entities who want to corner the market on Education. Makes the term “knowledge worker” more ominous, Factory-based education, with Bill Gates, Eli Broad and the other Profiteers as our Bosses. Not my idea of a humane or fair world.
Perhaps we parents can join together in an Opt Out, Part II, and demand accountability from these corporate oligarchs.
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Excellent comments, Charlene. Right on! Since when to do the corporate profiteers call all the shots and take away teachers, parents, and other taxpayers right to free speech? This clamping down on teachers rights to speak out on behalf of students is tantamount to facism.
And then there is the failed media….with no more free press in America, we have lost the voice of and for the People.
The total ownership of most media outlets by Rupert Murdoch, a major privatizer supporter of Wall Street profiteering off of public education, and a foreign national who is now residing in the US while avoiding the British authorities for his hacking crimes, limits access to this information in his news sources…including all the Fox News. But also the Wall Street billionaire who runs the LA Times, Austin Beutner, closely allied with Eli Broad and Richard Riodan and similar privatizers, allows only a smattering of real news about all this rapid takeover.
Charlene…with your educated insight, I hope that you will be point person as our West Coast parent agitator for Opt Out. Wish we could clone you.
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It is interesting that Brown is supporting Ref Rodriguez here in LA. Rodriguez has ties to Eli Broad, super PAC’s and the Koch brothers. Looks like Brown is funneling $ to charter schools over public schools if he wants Rodriguez on the school board.
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Where did you see that Brown is endorsing Ref? I can’t find that into. Brown did appoint him to an ed board in Sacramento last year. Please give us the citation to find this info.
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Governor Brown is endorsing Ref Rodriguez for LAUSD school board right now so even if more $ are funneled into education, it does not mean it’s headed for public schools. LA just RIFFED teachers even though many schools have no librarians.
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No, no, no endorsement.
Gov. Brown doesn’t do that.But lord, not from lack of Ref trying to make it sound like it did.
Each mailing of Ref’s campaign literature touts the line “TRUSTED BY GOVERNOR BROWN” (whatever the hell that means) and endorsed by “LA’S YOUNG DEMOCRATS” (when the Democratic Party didn’t endorse him).
Obviously there will be more about this race in the coming few weeks. The hilariously named “Parent Teacher Alliance in Support of Rodriguez, Galatzan and Vladovic for School Board 2015” is responsible–along with CCSA–for the ads.
Rodriguez’s daily mailings to every District 5 resident is as impressive in its scope as it is in its complete Orwellian twisting of the truth. A special place in political advocacy hell is reserved for them along side Karl Rove.
More on the campaign later. Much more.
Rest assured, Governor Brown does NOT endorse Ref.
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Hi pal…been wondering where you are….so glad to hear/read your voice of informed reason. I could not believe our Jesuit Gov would endorse this greed meister. Thanks for clarifying. Please contact me at my email so we can reconnoiter.
Ellen
joiningforces4ed@aol.com
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Addendum…the Ca. Democratic Party endorsed Bennett Kayser…as did the Progressive Democrats of America.
Rodriguez is a very slimy liar.
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Thank you for the clarification! I’ll bet I’m not the only one who made that mistake, wonder if there is a way to call him on it so his sneakiness backfires.
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This guy must have mucho money because it seems like I get a slick, polished political mailer almost everyday touting Ref Rodriquez for school board in my district. I have only received one from Kayser. Rodriquez is definitely outspending Kayser in this respect.
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