Lisa Haver, a public school activist in Philadelphia, describes the deliberate process of destroying her city’s public schools. The superintendent, William Hite, is doing what Broad Academy graduates do: closing public schools without heeding the views of parents or communities.
It is one of the saddest stories about the hoax of “reform” that you are likely to read. If closing schools is the same as “reform,” then we have surely fallen down the rabbit-hole into a world where words mean nothing or mean the opposite.
It appears, though, that disruption and failure are not a deterrent to repeating mistakes in the School District of Philadelphia. Superintendent William Hite unveiled a plan earlier this month to reform 15 district schools at an estimated cost of $15 million to $20 million. Some will be part of the Hite-created Transformation Program, in which curricular and personnel changes, including forcing out the entire faculty, can be imposed with no public hearings or vote by the SRC. Others will be placed into the Renaissance Network, which is the administration’s way of giving up on a school it has done little to improve and kicking it to the curb for a private company to pick up. Some will have several grades added at once, as Roosevelt did, changing its mission and climate overnight. Contrary to promises made by Hite at public meetings, two schools will be closed permanently. Enrollment and class size in nearby schools will almost certainly increase.
The hurried approval process will give parents little chance to have any say in the future of their children’s schools. Teachers and staff have been shut out of the process altogether, even though many will be forced out of schools whose communities they have been part of for years. But since the decisions about which schools will be overhauled, and how, have already been made at the top, what purpose do these meetings serve other than window-dressing – until the inevitable rubber-stamping by the SRC?
There is a reason for the adjective “public” that comes before “schools.” The schools belong to the public, not to Eli Broad, Bill Gates, or the current superintendent. Philadelphia needs a leader to save its schools, not to close them down.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20151021_Rushed_reforms_fail_our_schools.html#K1to1arKAvoKA0jY.99
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It is sad and ironic that in Philadelphia, the cradle of American democracy, city residents should be stripped of their their democratic rights to have a say in their children’s education. Once again, hedge funds and developers are leading the assault as they continue to close schools and sell off the real estate near downtown at bargain basement prices. This is another example of urban plunder that we have seen before. Parents and students need to organize and fight back. Here’s a link to “Philadelphia, under Siege.” While the governor is not happy, there is not much he can currently do as the mechanism was put in place under disaster governor, Tom Corbett. http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2015/10/the-siege-of-philadelphia-public.html
On the page was a story about Chelsea Clinton visiting a Philly school that was chosen by the district for her to visit. Here is the school’s mission statement:
Our Mission
The mission of AMY Northwest Middle School is to prepare our students to be socially responsible and academically successful as they encounter challenges in school and beyond. We will provide all students with the educational skills and tools necessary to be productive and engaged citizens. We will strive to instill in all of our students a passion and readiness for life-long learning. Our faculty has embraced the core curriculum of our district. Our instruction will emphasize the Commonwealth’s PSSA targets. We will provide multiple opportunities for test preparation and enrichment to our students through our PSSA and Terra Nova Saturday Academies as well as parent test preparation workshops. AMY Northwest will continue to be the nurturing and family environment that it has grown to be over the years and reinforce our motto, “small enough to know you and large enough to serve you.”
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay!!
It sounds “inspiring.”
At least they’re being honest about being about test prep all of the time.
Half brained education at its best.
Cross posted at http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Philadelphia–Reform-Is-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Education-Vouchers_Educational-Crisis_For-profit-Education_Killing-151024-825.html
with commentary (Below) containing embedded links following the article post, from this site:
PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE GOING DOWN FAST!
I hope that this of you who follow my posts TELL others THE TRUTH about the death of public education as the privatization movement whites ‘selling REFORM’ takes tax-payer money to end public education.
The “reform’ movement is filled with FRAUD! Here is a small sample of the states facing public school OBLITERATION, but you can get more if you go to the Ravitch site, and put either, charter school fraud, privatization or legislative takeover in the search field.
Georgia: Gov. Deal’s Phony Reform Will Damage Public Schools: Jack Hassard, a Professor Emeritus of Science Education at Georgia State University, explains that Governor Deal’s plan will set in motion “the infrastructure to tear Georgia’s public schools apart.”
You Can’t Make This Stuff Up! Manipulator of Charter Data Wins Big Federal Grants for Ohi
New Jersey: How Gov. Christie Is Stealing from Public Schools While Protecting Charter Schools
Arizona Will Increase Charter Funding by Cutting Public School Budgets
OHIO: Bill Bush and Catherine Candisky of the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch raise important questions about whether Ohio Department of Education officials lied when preparing the state’s application for federal charter funds.
Denver: Reformers Fail But Put Lipstick on the Pig: As Kaplan shows, despite their control of the schools for ten years, the achievement gaps have increased. In fact, a new study by the reformy University of Washington’s Center for Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) finds that Denver has the largest gaps of any urban district!
“Philadelphia needs a leader to save its schools…”
A “leader” wth a sense of history? A “leader” with a large following? A “leader”
who has “been there, done that”? A “leader” who has written many books?
A “leader” with an understanding of the relation of policies to the social outcomes? A “leader” with ears greater than the “din” of concocted notoriety?
Drum roll… Diane Ravitch
If NOW, insn’t the time to draw a line in the sand, when will it be time?
History “hints” a shift in the power structure doesn’t follow “dinner-like” behavior
(talk) compared to action. I don’t think the “abuse” lacks definition, or needs more
clarification.
No doubt the “shit heads” hear you and all the others, BUT they also SEE.
They SEE, no matter how well the abuse is defined or exposed, the COMPLICITY,
required for the abuse to continue, continues. They will endure any interruption
(opt out, pending legislation, “new testing” BS) KNOWING the wheels of justice
travel slow, to their advantage.
I doubt the PTB could handle a DAY without complicity. What would happen if
the “troops” were called into a day of NON-compliance? A nation-wide day display
of solidarity.
Diane, in case you haven’t noticed, YOU are the leader.
Next is to figure out if the “kids” can wait for the “talk” to work…
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/us/obama-administration-calls-for-limits-on-testing-in-schools.html?emc=edit_na_20151024&nlid=33296937&ref=cta
BREAKING NEWS
The Obama administration declares the push for testing in schools has gone too far
Saturday, October 24, 2015 12:03 PM EDT
Faced with mounting and bipartisan opposition to increased and often high-stakes testing in the nation’s public schools, the Obama administration declared Saturday that the push had gone too far, acknowledged its own role in the proliferation of tests, and urged schools to step back and make exams less onerous and more purposeful. Specifically, the administration called for a cap on assessment so that no child would spend more than 2 percent of classroom instruction time taking tests.
Read more »
The story is the same in Newark.