Protests in Seattle and Newark

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1. Yertle says:

   May 22, 2015 at 4:28 pm

   Maybe things are looking brighter in Oregon too?

   A few years ago Oregon’s elected state superintendent was was eliminated in a fashion eerily similar to what Glenda Ritz is facing in Indiana.

   Didn’t work out so well..

   http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2015/05/kitzhabers_once-powerful_educa.html#incart_2box_education_index.ssf

   Some quotes:

   the board did more wrong than right in its three-plus years of operation,

   ultimately pointless

   a waste of energy with unclear results.

   ultimately did not make sense

   lacking touch with the realities on the front lines of Oregon’s diverse school districts.

   didn’t bring much of anything to the table,

   “It works better when you lead through collaboration and relationship and inspiring people,”

   And then there was Yong Zhao’s testimony in front of the state education committee

   http://cascadepolicy.org/insider/2015/02/18/a-refreshing-alternative-to-our-top-down-public-education-system/

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2. Akademos says:

   May 22, 2015 at 4:42 pm

   On civil disobedience, light. Irreverence!

   Rate the deformers, funders and agents, by the in-validity of their deforms. Make it visual and determined by data and research. For example, lead balloons, deflating balloons or twisted (deformed) balloons or images. The number of lead balloons, the degree of deflation or the number of twists or distortions could be determined by classic indicators of in-validity: Is the deform untested? In how many places and how many times has it failed, and how badly? Does research suggest the deform is poor or unworkable? Is the deform currently facing rightful opposition by parents, teachers, education officials, researchers, teachers, students, etc.? Is the deform impractical for reasons x, y and z? Is the deform just plain stupid for obvious reasons x, y and especially z? Is the deform being forced through by deform funder and/or agent x, y and z, despite widespread rightful opposition by . . . I think you get the idea.

   To make it as public as possible, it should be funny and very visual. Perhaps the twisted balloons could represent the deformer’s brains, or the lead balloon would be pulling down that plane King claimed to be figuratively building in midair.

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   • booklady says:

     May 22, 2015 at 6:26 pm

     Oh man, A’s deform rating visuals would be great at Jeb Bush events.
     •Grading schools A-F
     •Charter school mid-year closings
     •Teachers rated according to students they don’t teach
     FL teachers, do you have more to add?

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   • Akademos says:

     May 22, 2015 at 8:04 pm

     I especially want to rate John White, and of course Arne.

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3. Akademos says:

   May 22, 2015 at 4:46 pm

   On civil disobedience, light. Irreverence!

   Rate the deformers, funders and agents, by the in-validity of their deforms. Make it visual and determined by data and research. For example, lead balloons, deflating balloons or twisted (deformed) balloons or images. The number of lead balloons, the degree of deflation or the number of twists or distortions could be determined by classic indicators of in-validity: Is the deform untested? In how many places and how many times has it failed, and how badly? Does research suggest the deform is poor or unworkable? Is the deform currently facing rightful opposition by parents, teachers, education officials, researchers, teachers, students, etc.? Is the deform impractical for reasons x, y and z? Is the deform just plain stupid for obvious reasons x, y and especially z? Is the deform being forced through by deform funder and/or agent x, y and z, despite widespread rightful opposition by . . . I think you get the idea.

   To make it as public as possible, it should be funny and very visual. Perhaps the twisted balloons could represent the deformers’ brains, or the lead balloon would be pulling down that plane King claimed to be figuratively building in midair.

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   • SomeDAM Poet says:

     May 23, 2015 at 8:56 am

     Here’s my assessment of deformers: “A DAMthology of Deform” (a compilation of my poems posted on this blog) which can be viewed, printed and downloaded from here

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   • Akademos says:

     May 23, 2015 at 12:51 pm

     Invalidity

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4. Akademos says:

   May 22, 2015 at 4:47 pm

   Sorry, comment didn’t appear at first.

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5. Doris Friedensohn says:

   May 22, 2015 at 6:14 pm

   I’m certainly not alone in envying the author of “Deform.” What a memorable conceit; and what a deeply sad comment on the history of educational “reform.” In fact, the notion of deform, as is clear in the above statement, speaks to endless failures of public policy, especially in enabling the rich and radically disabling the poor. I needn’t mention the two justice systems, for-profit prisons, the unpunished manipulation of the markets by the big banks and the destroyed social safety net. Who’s going to take on the whole bag and write The Deformed Society?

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6. Akademos says:

   May 22, 2015 at 9:17 pm

   Maybe the deformers’ rating could be expressed as the number of worms in a rotting apple or as the number of Bill Gates with a pie in his face bobble heads, or fascists through history bobble heads, or Three Stooges bobble heads, or the number of crying children.

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   • Akademos says:

     May 22, 2015 at 11:24 pm

     Maybe burning books from Fahrenheit 451 or dead intellectuals from the communist revolution.

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     • Akademos says:

       May 23, 2015 at 4:01 pm

       Among the stats for rating deformers: dishonorable mention by SomeDAM Poet, Diane Ravitch, NYC Educator, Leonie Haimson, Norm Scott and others.

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   • booklady says:

     May 23, 2015 at 8:26 am

     For Cami Anderson, who was photographed at Tiffany’s working on laptop w glass of red wine at 4:20 PM while Newark Students Union occupied her Newark PS Board Office in February: Wineglasses, empty, half, or full!

     NSU did a meme
     Where’s Cami? Oh, wait She’s at Tiffany’s

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     • Duane Swacker says:

       May 23, 2015 at 9:19 am

       Who’s Tiffany?

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     • Threatened out West says:

       May 23, 2015 at 9:53 am

       VERY fancy department store (Tiffany lamps come from there).

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     • SomeDAM Poet says:

       May 23, 2015 at 10:13 am

       Let them eat Tiffanys!

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     • Akademos says:

       May 23, 2015 at 10:23 am

       For breakfast.

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     • Donna says:

       May 23, 2015 at 12:09 pm

       Tiffany’s is a bar/restaurant that Scami Anderson likes to frequent during working/school hours, with a drink on her table. Drinking at a bar during working hours – surely a reason to fire her.

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7. drext727 says:

   May 23, 2015 at 1:45 pm

   Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.

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