While several states, including Georgia and North Carolina, plan to copy Tennessee’s Achievement School District, the founding director of the ASD has announced his resignation. Chris Barbic will leave in December.
Barbic had pledged to take the bottom 5% of schools–mostly in Memphis–and move them to the top 25%. Faced with community resistance, the ASD faltered. Several charter chains–including Yes Prep, the chain founded by Chris Barbic–pulled out.
Meanwhile the ASD is nearing the five-year mark and none if its schools are in the top 25%.
Lesson: it is easier to start a new charter and select motivated students than to take over neighborhood schools with an existing population.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Is there any evidence of a revolving door from charter failure to board member or executive of companies looking to tap into education funds?
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Reblogged this on rjknudsen.
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I have to wonder about whether KIPP is a factor….I am generally opposed to charters….and KIPP is high on my list of operations which need monitoring. They are very good at cherry picking and employing high attrition rates…….let others deal with the leftovers.
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The only way “reformers” knew to get results was to select the student population. Well, we’ve known that for a long time.
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Please post links or related info about NC proceeding with something similar. I haven’t heard about that.
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Links for NC are up
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many thanks.
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“Mission Accomplished” (said man in the flight suit — just before he took off again)
“Mission accomplished”
Quite a mess
Dishin’ the Amish
Tech success.
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It is interesting that Mr. Barbic finds that they underestimated the effects of poverty. A major charter administrator admitting to the major influence of poverty in education. That comment should be played loudly at ed “reform” meetings. And in Congress.
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So much for achieving anything except a fat paycheck. No loss here. Memphis gains.
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Funny how Chris Barbic scolded the naysayers last year by writing an op-ed and calling all his reformer friends to tweet about the #BeliefGap. He claimed the opposition was using poverty as an excuse. Now he’s using the very same excuse to quit. Typical reformer career path… On to the next high paying gig, leaving a mess behind. Empty, lofty promises. Communities in chaos. No apologies or remorse… All while poor children are denied real teachers, art, music, libraries, and recess in order to drill test prep in the 2 subjects that count in school rankings to politicians and the media. How sad for the children.
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I’m a teacher in Memphis (and yes, Diane, it’s spelled Memphis.) The biggest problem I see here is that all stakeholders in this city, despite the fact that all of us are aligned in our mission to better our students’ future, continue to create angels and demons out of each other. What Chris and the ASD did here was at least attempt something to help our worst schools. Before he came here, nobody was doing anything about except blaming poverty and parents who don’t care. At least now we are talking about these schools, whether we agree with the approach or not. The successful iZone schools would not exist if not for the competition that the ASD brought. Now we at least have proof points (on both sides) about how to move forward in this battle. But if you’re a “poverty trumps schools” apologist, don’t come here. We have no use for your pessimism.
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Jon, You can’t ignore poverty or improving schools, eg, reducing class sizes,de-emphasizing standardized testing, putting more resources into high-needs schools.
Fixing poverty would sure help
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We know from the research (and common sense) that helping a child get health care, adequate nutrition, a pair of eyeglasses, a decent place to live, an experienced teacher etc. will improve his educational outcomes. Teachers, along with many generous and caring citizens, are optimistic that we can and will fight the pernicious effects of poverty on the educational achievement of our least advantaged children. Other advanced countries have fought the effects of poverty and we can too. I’m an optimist so I predict that we will, although the courts will likely have to force it.
As for who was helping the children in the poor schools before Chris came, look for the dedicated teachers who showed up each day to protect and teach them. If these teachers are anything like the ones I know, they looked for ways to improve the lives of their students on a daily basis. They deserve our respect and our gratitude.
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So Jon, poverty has been eliminated in Memphis? And no one ever cared about poor kids there before you and Chris Barbic came along to tell everyone how to do it?
You sound remarkably like the sales pitch for so many of the reformists scams. I especially like how you pretend to offer “both sides” proof points and then totally disrespect Dr. Ravitch and accuse those who might disagree with you as being in the way and somehow being less committed pessimists.
Get over yourself.
People have been caring for kids and working to better theie lives in Memphis long before you and your no excuses crap came along.
Quitting and walking out without fulfilling your overwrought promises is not heroic or admirable. It is abandoning ship and leaving the kids high and dry and it is selfish, shameful, and a failure, plain and simole, no matter how true believers try to spin it.
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Hi Chris,
No disrespect meant. We all get passionate about this work, it just irks me when we cannot align ourselves and find our common ground because we use such negative language towards each other and demonize those who disagree with us. I have yet to meet a teacher or administrator in my work here who doesn’t care about kids.
The point I was trying to make was that too many people come here and immediately say, “well if we don’t fix poverty, none of this matters.” I agree 100% with Diane that fixing poverty would be the BIGGEST thing we could do for our kids. But in the meantime, we have to assess who we are teaching impoverished kids to and challenge ourselves to find the best practices. We are living in a paradox. Yes, poverty must be addressed, but we also can’t use it as an excuse to keep doing the same failed teaching strategies.
No disrespect meant to anyone, least of all Diane. I’m a big fan.
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Proving that the “Corporate Ed” motto is all about causing a downslide but exiting before the “final push” … about knowing when to jump ship so you can hire a great PR firm so as to come out smelling like a “rose” …
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Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
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