Eva Moskowitz’s Success Academy charter chain, known for its harsh discipline and cherryocking students, won the Broad Prize for Charter Schools.
In the past year, the New York Times ran stories about a “got to go” list, identifying students who were supposed to be pushed out because of their behavior or test scores.
There was also a prominent page-one story about a leaked video showing a teacher at SA humiliating a first-grade child and ripping her paper up in front of the class.
According to the press release, former Secretary of Education John King, a member of the selection committee for Broad, lauded the choice and said that Success Academy proved it was possible to give high-quality to “every child.” He meant “every child” except those with disabilities, English language learners, nonconformists, and others who can’t or won’t produce high test scores.
“Success Academy is intentional about delivering quality instruction and offering well-rounded, hands-on learning experiences to every child,” said former Education Secretary John B. King Jr., who’s now president of the nonprofit, The Education Trust, and a member of the Broad Prize’s review board.
“These charter schools understand the benefit of a diverse educational community, with children of different socioeconomic status, race, and background all learning together,” he said.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Profit driven solutions in the education industrial complex in action….
There is something entirely “Trumpian” about the Broad Foundation giving a huge monetary prize to the richest charter chain in New York. One that gets tens of millions in donations in a single night and can purchase expensive Manhattan real estate to add to the untold millions of dollars already in its portfolio.
It’s very similar to the Trump Foundation finding ways to use his charity’s money to purchase paintings of himself or “donating” to a state attorney general investigating his fake university’s malpractice.
It’s similar to the Eric Trump Foundation lavishly spending the charity’s money to have events at Trump properties.
Eli Broad has made a statement with this money. Just because you are rich does not mean you aren’t deserving of charity and public funding. How Trumpian!
And the fact that he would choose to reward the one charter leader who so strongly endorsed Betsy DeVos as a wonderful choice as Secretary of Education and embraced her philosophy speaks volumes about what the Broad Foundation and Eli Broad really care about.
The Broad Foundation has much in common with Paul Ryan and the other Republicans. The Republican Trump apologists breathlessly explain that Trump’s critics are all wrong and he’s a great President who is doing such good. Just like the Broad Foundation’s Eva apologists breathlessly explain that Eva Moskowitz’ critics are all wrong and she’s a great educator who is doing such good.
The Republicans pretend it’s just a coincidence that Trump fired Comey after learning Comey did not obey Trump’s “suggestion” that he drop the Flynn investigation. We shouldn’t assume that “suggestion was an order and the fact that Trump fired Comey soon after he learned the investigation was continuing is mere happenstance.
The Broad Foundation pretends it’s just a coincidence that so many at-risk children would disappear from a charter school that may suspend 20% or more of its’ at-risk 5 and 6 year old students. We shouldn’t assume that “got to go lists”, humiliation tactics, or simply a “suggestion” that a child may find a better fit elsewhere is an order for them to leave and the fact so many struggling at-risk students do leave is mere happenstance.
Republicans and the Broad Foundation are complicit. Trump and Eva Moskowitz would not be able to continue their lies without enablers who protect them and make sure they will never be called to task for any wrong-doing.
This is not normal. But with help from the Republican Party and Broad Foundation, it may soon be.
You deserve an award for this comment!
Let us never forget that King was President Obama’s choice for Ed Secretary. These reformers just love to congratulate each other. This is one more reason to be clear in the message that no public money should go to private k-12 schools, no matter what the scheme, and that charters are private schools. It’s irrelevant whether there are “good” charters, their existence destabilizes the system as a whole, and represents a net loss for students, their families and democracy. I commented on a fauning John King interview on the “74”, and now it seems I am blocked from commenting.
The 74 website allows comments?
Their posts show up on my Facebook feed. I would comment, then the same post would sometimes reappear without my comment. Now, I see the pots but can’t comment….
The only truly innovative charters were a few, small “mom & pop: schools of which few are left. These independent charters worked cooperatively with the public school districts in which they shared students.
Enter privatization policies & those Mom & Pops were shut down for low test scores WHY? You might ask when all of the charter chain schools have low test scores? Think- market share.
True story:
In 2010 TN DoEd was headed by Arne Duncan’s BFF, Kevin Huffman until he was run out by both Dems & Repubs. Huffman shut down every small charter in Nashville & Memphis for “low test scores”. He then took millions from public school systems & the TN university system to start up big chain charters. He used state power to foam the runway, if you will, for the predatory KIPPS, Green Dots, Rocketships, etc.
So when reformers like King, Broad, Duncan, & DeVos, et al, talk about charter innovation, they aren’t referring to curriculum. They are referring to their policies that allow the power of the government to guarantee market share for the billionaires on Wall St. & Silicon Valley.
When can we change the narrative on Success Academy and the other “no excuses” charters? I’d love to hear about the self esteem and school trajectories of the children they harm, those poor kids who can’t cut it, because of their limited English language skills or because of their learning differences? They’re pushed out and suspended in kindergarten — I cannot imagine what that does to a child’s sense of well being.
The tragedy of education privatization will be with us for generations.
A primary reason this blog is so important is that it allows light to shine on the lies & spin that privatizers use to solidify their brand. These chains & their financiers can’t sell their education malpractice if the world knows they are scammers & grifters
Our resistance matters.
Man, these people sure like to pat each other on the back–especially when there is no call to do so.
Does anyone from the Obama Administration serve on any boards or orgs that benefit public schools? It seems they all left public employ and went immediately into promoting charters.
We’re constantly being told ed reform is “agnostic” but public schools don’t get any of these powerful people as advocates. Shouldn’t they at least make some pretense of not preferring these schools over public schools?
No one in the whole federal government can find a single public school that serves lower income children well? I think I could find one or two in this COUNTY, let alone the whole country.
John King came from the charter sector. A no-excuses school called Uncommon Schools with highest suspension rates in Mass
It’s like Trump giving Ivanka an award for best designer.
Good analogy.
I will borrow a line usually used by the right . Everybody gets a participation trophy,. When it comes to destroying public schools.
When do you think our representatives in Washington will get around to public schools?
January thru June was devoted to vouchers and now it looks like June thru January will be devoted to charters.
Any positive ideas from any of them on the much-maligned “public school sector” they supposedly serve? So far it’s been stern threats of budget cuts. Is that all we can expect out of them?
Any fans of “government schools” left in DC or are they all ed reform lobbyists now?
My senator, Tim Kaine (D-VA) sent me a (prepared) letter, outlining his opposition to school choice. There are many politicians who are opposed to school choice. Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) is another. If you are not sure of your representative’s position on the subject, just write them, they will inform you.
Education is not an issue, which gets people (and politicians) excited.
And since K-12 education is primarily a state/municipal responsibility (90 +% of funding is non-federal), you should make your desires known to your state/municipal public servants, if you wish them to continue supporting public schools.
“Education is not an issue, which gets people (and politicians) excited.”
Really? The second biggest political rally I’ve seen was the Chicago Teachers Union march against Rahmbo’s proposed closing of 50 Chicago public schools (the first biggest was an immigration rally). People also turned out by the hundreds or even thousands to every one of the community “hearings” (sic) held in advance of the closings. I’d say people get rather excited about education.
Politicians also tend to get excited about education, but usually for entirely different rea$on$.
Yes, we should let our local elected officials know what we think, but at the same time face the reality that some if not many of them were only elected because they outspend the competition thanks to their benefactor/s, autocratic billionaires like Broad, the Walton family, the DeVos family, Bill Gates, and too many others to mention that are buying elections just like they bought the recent school board election in Los Angeles Unified.
When it comes to listening to the public and the benefactor/s, the benefactor/s get what they want and the public doesn’t.
We should also all vote, even when there is no choice because the billionaires filled all the candidate’s slots for the election.
I wonder if a graduation rate of 57% affected Colorado’s DSST charter organization losing out to Success Academy. Probably not, since the only statistic around graduation DSST publishes is “100% of its graduates accepted EVERY YEAR to a four year college.”
100% of 57%. Since 2009 through 2016 DSSTs have had 1453 freshmen start, 837 have graduated. 57%. While number of graduates should be readily available, DPS is slow to report these numbers. I am awaiting the 2017 numbers for all high schools, actually. Why is that so hard?!?
I think Success Academy won because they are desperate for good PR now that they are so closely associated with Betsy DeVos and are publicly recognized as the charter chain willing to publicly endorse DeVos and her ideas as terrific for all children.
Eli Broad and company like DeVos but because the entire Democratic Party and most Republican parents know her “let those special needs kids rot” is reprehensible, they can’t publicly endorse her. But they certainly financially reward the people who do their dirty work for them. Consider this award a great big “Thank You” from Broad to Eva Moskowitz for her strong endorsement of DeVos and willingness to take the heat for endorsing her. I’m sure there’s a lot more very large “thank you checks” coming to Moskowitz from other billionaires for her DeVos endorsement. They appreciate her hard work getting DeVos approved and feel obligated to compensate her for the PR “damages” she sustained doing their dirty work for them.
Broad is complicit. But he’s happy to pay what is a pittance to him if he can pretend not to be.
The Broad Prize for Charter Schools is like Chrysler corporatoin giving itself an award for best automaker.
Trump does the same thing. The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences has given Trump at least 29 Diamond awards, but … “A majority of the trustees bestowing these awards on Trump and his properties were Trump’s employees, friends, or retainers,” Johnston writes. “Two of his sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, served on the board of trustees, according to the Associated Press.”
”
And, wait for it: The president of the Academy, Joseph Cinque (a.k.a. Joey No Socks), is a convicted felon with alleged ties to organized crime.”
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/11/trump-files-hospitality-awards/
sorry, but it was 19 Diamond Awards and not 29. A typo I didn’t bother to check.
It is all so pathetic.
Take the little black and colored and Hispanic kids from poor homes and get ’em straightened out. The bathrooms have signs that are like they are in the military— dress right, walk right, shut up…
BUT the teachers seem highly motivated and there are signs also everywhere about achievement! Do this, do that, be good— get smart and get ahead.
And stars and awards and all that stuff…
So————— if a kid is really trouble and not ‘getting it’ and disruptive, I guess they get rid of that kid. The hard ass blacks at Columbia (William Sales, et al) on Double Discovery ’64-’65 advocated that approach.
Larry Jackson and I fought hard for one kid in trouble— but they threw him out…
When we were at Manhattan School for Children we had a good diversity situation, but the kids from “better” circumstances predominated, so it worked…
Keep on truckin’ Diane!
Best, Neal
and much love and respect to Deborah Meier.
When “get ’em straightened out” has such a blatantly limited tolerance for what being “straightened out” means….
Here’s a solution: take all the violent, disruptive students, and put them into special schools with all the childen of weepy leftwing liberals who want poor children to continue to fail because these uneducable thugs. Then everyone will be happy.
Doug1943,
How about Eva takes all the violent, disruptive students to show what she can do?
Would that be an example of “cherryocking?”
¡Qué locura! ¡Qué pensamientos tan débiles de bobo!
Talking to the hateful insane (doug1943 is allegedly one) doesn’t help. They are impervious to logic, facts, and truth. Have you read the recent piece about Why We Lie in The National Geographic Magazine? It does a good job explaining people like doug1943 who believe the liars. It defines Trump and explains his deplorable followers who want to be fooled. It also helps explains the Alt-Right and its hate madia machine of assembly line lies and misinformation based on endless conspiracy theories.
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/06/lying-hoax-false-fibs-science/
Thanks for that link, Lloyd!
I came across a Success Academy field trip at my local Whole Foods. The Whole Foods employee was showing the children how to make fresh peanut butter. Their white, female, 20 something teacher said to the class of blacks and Latinos, “class say “ooo”, class say “aaaah.” I’ve been on many field trips and I’ve never heard my children’s teacher directed the children on how to respond, except to make sure they say “thank you” at the end. I realized this is what they are talking about when they say these children are being trained to follow.
Wow…that’s telling. “Success” = “Obedience”
From the charter school conference:
“Crazy packed room for #NCSC17 panel on the Trump administration, Congress and charter schools with Jason Botel. Standing room only.
Jason Botel is a public employee.
Has he made an effort to reach out to PUBLIC school supporters or are these special persuasion visits by the US Department of Ed limited to charter supporters?
When do public school advocates get a special Q and A with the US Department of Ed?
Why is there no effort like this regarding 90% of the schools and students in the US?
Do federal employees take public school parents and students for granted? They don’t even bother to sell their plans to us? Charter supporters must be on-board but no one makes any event to persuade public school supporters?
This is ridiculous. We have thousands of public employees who have absolutely no interest in the schools 90% of kids attend. They’re frantically courting the charter school lobby and make absolutely no effort to engage public schools.
I’m waiting for the Trump Administration to make themselves available at a public school conference the same way they kowtow to charter school supporters.
I’ll be waiting a long time. When DeVos attends public school events she spends the entire time promoting charter and private schools.
When she went to Van Wert Ohio she never actually got around to discussing their schools. The whole visit was to promote vouchers.
So they go to charter and voucher events to promote charters and vouchers and they also go to public school events and promote charters and vouchers?
Can we get a visit from someone at the US Department of Education who has some interest in public schools? Our schools are so unimportant we’re not even worth talking to?
Where do I find a transcript of Jason Botel’s special speech to the charter conference?
He’s a public employee, right? There should be a transcript, I would think. I’d like to compare his approach to charter school supporters with his approach to public school supporters. I’m told again and again that these public employees are “agnostic” but since every damn one of them comes out of the revolving door “ed reform movement” I’d like to verify that.
I’d like to know if any of the high-ranking public employees in the federal government support the schools 90% of kids attend, or if the capture by this “movement” is complete.
I’m listening to the charter school conference. They are celebrating that for 25 years Republicans and Democrats have joined hands to support and promote charter schools.
It’s funny because as a public school supporter I’ve experienced the flip side of this- for 25 years I’ve watched Republicans and Democrats abandon public schools.
Trump and DeVos aren’t a one-off. George W Bush didn’t support public schools and either did Obama. All DeVos did is take the ball President Obama handed her and carry it to total privatization. Touchdown! Good work, team.
“Grit”
“Rigor”
“Little test takers”
The new markers of success.
And waddya know! It’s a “SUCCESS Academy”.
No coincidence there, I’d bet. Got it all worked out. Set the definition and make yourself the standard.
The Broad operatives behave like BULLIES. That is how their Hostile Takeover of school after school, across the USA, has been accomplished.
So of course, they would bestow an award upon Success Academy.
This is Broad definition of “success”.
Bullies like other bullies — as long as the richest bullies can call the shots.
I suppose these rich bullies will eventually get their comeuppance when Trump pulls a Putin and they find the rules of law no longer apply when the autocrat they enabled wants your stuff. That’s what happened to many billionaires under Putin when he decided he wanted their fortunes.
And that is what happened to the rich in Nazi Germany, who were complicit in the rise of Hitler and his power grab believing they could control him. They found out they couldn’t.
Unfortunately, it isn’t only the rich billionaires like Broad who will pay the price when Trumpism defeats democracy. It is all of us.