Valerie Strauss has a good column introducing you to the new Acting Secretary of Education John King. Why will he be “acting”? Apparently there is some concern that, in light of his controversial tenure as state commissioner in New York, he might not be confirmed. Maybe busloads of angry parents will arrive from New York to testify against him. Whatever.
As you will see, John King as an impressive resumé. He earned both a law degree from Harvard and a doctorate from Teachers College at the same time! The resumé doesn’t mention that King was one of the leaders of the Uncommon Schools network, which is an unusually harsh “no-excuses” charter chain. Not long ago, his school had the highest suspension rate in the state of Massachusetts.
You will also read that he managed to alienate many parents in New York and was probably the spark plug for the Opt Out movement. He and the Chancellor of the Board of Regents Merryl Tisch set up a series of public hearings around the state. Parents showed up in large numbers, and King lectured them almost to the point of hectoring. After one of the stormiest hearings, he stormed out and called parents a “special interest group.”
Like Duncan, he is a fervent believer in high-stakes testing and the Common Core standards. His own children attended a Montessori school when he lived in New York, where there is neither high-stakes testing or the CCSS.
He is a quintessential reformer.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I still find it highly amusing that he labeled parents as a special interest group. I should hope so! Isn’t it to be expected that parents will look out for the interests of their children?
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2old2teach: your comments prove once again that you will never be “2old2teach”—
But it is so boringly predictable that the leading rheephormsters put themselves, their vanity projects, and their own children, not just ahead of everything and everyone else, but at the very center of their own self-serving universe.
They literally can’t imagine themselves as belonging to a “special interest group”—that term, used vituperatively, is reserved for everyone opposed to their toxic words and deeds.
As the alpha and omega of all creation, complete unto themselves, the only fault they can find is that we hewers of wood and drawers of water don’t properly execute their aspirational goals.
At least, that’s what they say…
😎
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“he stormed out and called parents a “special interest group.”
Well, all those parents with “special ed” kids are certainly a “special” interest group.
This is the sort of close reading that one learns at Harvard law school which sets one apart from the dimwitted general populace..
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SomeDAM Poet,
U sure make me laugh. Thanks so much. What you said is TRUE.
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Worse than the old boss, who was an unnatural disaster.
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As a timely reminder, this blast from the recent pass re the new Secretary of Education:
Link: https://dianeravitch.net/2014/04/30/carol-burris-the-danger-done-by-fools-with-tools/
Easy to predict 70% failure rate on the NYS test when you’re the one setting the cut score.
😱
I am a bit astonished, though, at folks that wonder about the “Acting” part of his title. Sure, there’s an element of hardball politics involved but there’s also [per the usual unconfirmed rumors] the matter of what may be Mr. King’s SAG membership.
¿?
You know, “Acting” as in “putting on an act, pretending, playing a role.” In this case, feigning educational expertise that he clearly doesn’t have, e.g., when he sincerely and publicly asserted as NY Comm. of Ed. that the Montessori school his children attend is all in for CCSS and standardized testing.
Now, as to whether or not he does a good job of acting, that’s to be seen, although early reports from NY indicate that he may be more of a ham than a true thespian…
As I understand it, New Yorkers [to riff off an alleged Dorothy Parker quote] judged his performance for them as “running the gamut of emotions and intellect from A to B!”
How will he do in his new post? I think the reviews are already in.
😎
P.S. SAG – ScreeenActorsGuild.
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“I’m not an educator or a true leader, but I play one on TV (and in all other media).”
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Lots of degrees and prestigious board appointments, but not much experience.
Of course, it seems like the less experience the better Is required for leadership positions in the field of education.
After all – everyone is an expert who attended public school – since they were once students. Dedicated teachers need not apply.
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“After all – everyone is an expert who attended public school – since they were once students.”
Just one problem with this sentence – it seems that they mostly attended private schools, so can’t even claim that slight expertise.
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By attending private schools they assume the are above the experts – due to their superiority to the plebeians who attended the inferior “free” schools with the riff raff.
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should we still use the term “true reformer” ? does not that tarnish the memory of true reformers? I like corporate shill better.
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Reblogged this on Politicians Are Poody Heads and commented:
Parents are a “special interest group?”
Of course parents are a “special interest group.” If it weren’t for parents, the schools would not be in existence. No parents, no kids.
Who is more interested in having the children become educated and succeed than their parents?
John King epitomizes the arrogance of the Common Core/high stakes testing cabal, most of whom have never taught in a classroom, and wouldn’t know truly effective teaching if it came up and bit them in the butt.
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What is the matter with the administration? This kind of dictatorial personality isn’t at all what we need.
Very discouraging news!
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These are interesting- Emails from a NY FOIA- King is included on a lot of them.
http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2016/01/part-iii-highlights-from-nyseds-foiled.html
Boy, “ed reform” is a VERY small group of well-connected individuals.
It’s really disturbing how central the Gates people are, too. They seem to more clout and influence than the public employees who are (supposedly) running the show.
It’s just incredibly dispiriting to see over and over and over how our “representatives” are so completely and utterly captured by wealthy people.
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Will just one reporter have the balls to ask John King one simple question:
“Why sir, do you continue to support an education testing agenda that now has a 15 year record of abject FAILURE?”
And then refuse to let him worm his way off the hook.
FAILURE to . . .
raise test scores
FAILURE to . .
close the ‘learning gap’
FAILURE to . .
provide resources to struggling schools
FAILURE to . .
restore school funding
FAILURE to . .
increase graduation rates
FAILURE to . .
increase educational opportunities
FAILURE to . .
enrich K to 12 curricula
FAILURE to . .
decrease class sizes
FAILURE to . .
attract highly qualified teachers
FAILURE to . .
develop college readiness
FAILURE to . .
develop career readiness
FAILURE to . .
develop critical thinking skills
FAILURE to . .
provide multiple pathways for student success
FAILURE to . .
inspire or even encourage students
Just billions upon billions of dollars worth of FAILURE.
And no one on this side of argument has any obligation to provide any alternative other than just STOP.
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Talk about doing one thing and saying another! Montessori should be in our public schools, not high stakes testing and common core. We get hyped up about kindergarten being the new first grade, but it continues that first grade is what second used to be and God forbid, third grade is more like what fourth grade used to be…..how did we adults make it through life without the garbage we force upon our children? We begin again tomorrow……open their heads and pour it in.
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We’ve been screaming in the streets
with our children at our feet
That the testing that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
We now judge them to be wrong
We decide as the opt-outs sing the song
We flip off their failed solutions
As they bow to the parent revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up our kids and play
Just like yesterday
Then we’ll get on our knees and say
WE WON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN
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Ms Strauss’ article is a must-read. A very good summary of all that has transpired here in the Empire State. Here in Buffalo you could almost hear an audible sigh of relief on the part of demoralized teachers who are faced with huge numbers of students from poverty and from non-English speaking households. But King’s legacy continues in the hands of commissioner Elia, who is coming on like gangbusters, despite having been a classroom teacher herself (in a fairly affluent suburb). She proposes to turn over many Buffalo schools to a “receivership” which will enable our superintendent to ignore current NYS labor law and change class sizes, school assignments, school times and days without regard to negotiated contracts. Of course we all know the problem is those miserable teachers! It remains to be seen how all will play out her in Buffalo.
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Robert,
So the Buffalo “receivership” schools could end up like Newark’s “Renew” schools under Cami Anderson? In fall 2014 after two school years (dumping principals, teachers) there wasn’t improvement on test scores. 2015 PARCC results not out yet. I can’t grasp why state leaders think they will rescue urban students when 20 years of NJ takeover in Jersey City, Paterson, Newark doesn’t show academic panacea.
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I’m not entirely sure he’s the boss. Bankers seem to be in control. But yeah, more of the same to come from D.C. and/or Wall Street.
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More like the quintessential twit.
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