New York: Allowing Non-Certified Teachers in Charter Schools Is Not a Done Deal!

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1. marynwill says:

   July 11, 2017 at 12:48 pm

   Let them poll parents about that one.

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2. paullauter says:

   July 11, 2017 at 1:10 pm

   I may have said this before, but on the same basis, why doesn’t SUNY license undergraduate pre-meds to perform brain surgery?

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   • LAWANDA ECKERT says:

     July 11, 2017 at 1:23 pm

     LOL!

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   • Duane E Swacker says:

     July 11, 2017 at 3:00 pm

     Probably because the demand for brain surgeons is far less than the demand for teachers which means far less authorization $$$ for SUNY so it’s not worth their time.

     On a more serious note: Just who are those who actually do the authorization? What are their names? Ya know, Joe Blowhard PhD (in bee pollination) signed off today on the private ABC Charter School business for which Suny will eventually receive $1 million dollars as the authorizers fee over the course of its authorization authority.

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     • Abigail Shure says:

       July 11, 2017 at 4:34 pm

       Nice!

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3. LAWANDA ECKERT says:

   July 11, 2017 at 1:15 pm

   My former Texas charter school principal is only certified to teach grades 4-8 math. I am a high school English teacher. I have been mismanaged by a string of bad principals since I started teaching in 2011. When I go before a hiring committee I can’t tell them how I have been mismanaged, yet my unethical and poorly trained principals can say whatever they want about me. Imagine the effect on your career. I would also caution anyone wanting to work at a charter school to be wary of the human resource department because they are usually not well-trained and they are usually unethical. They don’t know any better because they don’t have any training. I have worked with numerous teachers that are either not certified at all, or underqualified. If you are hoping for a qualified instructional coach or counselor at one of these charter schools, be prepared for disappointment. My last instructional coach has a bachelors in journalism, and has only been teaching since 2012…I teach English. As most of you know, English and journalism are not the same subject. She has no higher degree and she runs around to 20 something schools, mostly spending her time just talking to teachers about other teachers. My so-called “college counselor” has a certificate to teach elementary school…to my knowledge she has no higher degree. She makes important staffing decisions based on input from high school kids…teenagers. I went to this charter school chain out of desperation because I had been mismanaged two previous years by two different new principals. The first one was 28 years old. Had I not jumped in and signed up with the school support committee in Houston ISD, I could have had a different and more positive trajectory. I was foolish and uninformed–I wanted to work with at-risk students. I never would have willingly went to work for a 28 year old. As it is now, I am a growing teacher working on a masters with little or no prospects. But the people that have mismanaged me and my students continue to enjoy job security.

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   • markstextterminal says:

     July 11, 2017 at 1:43 pm

     I’m terribly sorry, but not at all surprised, to hear this. Hang in there–you sound like you have the makings of a master teacher. This is temporary, and you will survive it; take if from a fool who knows.

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     • LAWANDA ECKERT says:

       July 11, 2017 at 2:38 pm

       Thank you! That’s why I love Diane so much…she puts nice people together that uplift each other. You are obviously one of those nice people. 🌹📚☕️

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     • markstextterminal says:

       July 11, 2017 at 3:05 pm

       Good luck, Lawanda, because I think finding a competent administrator under whom to serve really is the luck of the draw. You sound engaged and committed, so schools will be lucky to have you….

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4. Lisa Litvin says:

   July 11, 2017 at 1:22 pm

   Is the SUNY Charter Committee still made up of four older white men, none of whom is an educator? I heard that Meryl Tisch may be on the committee now?

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   • Duane E Swacker says:

     July 11, 2017 at 3:49 pm

     I couldn’t care less whether the committee members are “older white men” as that means nothing. Hell, I’m an “older white man”. (Maybe then again it does mean something, but probably not what you’re thinking with your usage, Lisa-LOL!!)

     I want to know who they are, someone please name names. These people, no matter if they are white, brown, purple or orange, young or old, need to be exposed so that all may rightly condemn their idiotic decisions, so that letter writing campaigns can be waged (yes, I know, feeble but at times at least a little effective) or so that people may understand the lunacies involved in the decisions they make.

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     • Abigail Shure says:

       July 11, 2017 at 4:36 pm

       We could send e-mails congratulating them on their lack of common sense.

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5. alphawolf1 (@alphawolf1) says:

   July 11, 2017 at 1:24 pm

   We have non certified teachers at charter schools in Ca.

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   • LAWANDA ECKERT says:

     July 11, 2017 at 1:30 pm

     In Texas we have non certified principals and teachers.
     It’s a mess… Not in the public schools, just in the charters.

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6. markstextterminal says:

   July 11, 2017 at 1:44 pm

   Well, that’s good to hear. I hope this terrible idea ends up in history’s dumpster, where it belongs.

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   • retired teacher says:

     July 11, 2017 at 3:58 pm

     This a a “camel’s nose in the tent” moment for NY teachers. Allowing uncertified teachers in charters is a precursor to allowing them in public schools. It is a step toward deprofessionalization for all. Just as charters set the stage for the acceptance of vouchers. Look at where we are now.

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7. retired teacher says:

   July 11, 2017 at 3:12 pm

   People should contact the Board of Regents as they do have some authentic public school educators on the team.

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   • dianeravitch says:

     July 11, 2017 at 4:29 pm

     The SUNY charter committee–four people appointed by Governor Cuomo–three lawyers and a CEO–will accept comments and make a decision in the next 45 days.

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     • LeftCoastTeacher says:

       July 11, 2017 at 5:01 pm

       They will accept ©omment$ from the TFA lobby and Eva for 45 days. If charter chains have to hire qualified teachers, they won’t be able to spend as many of our tax dollars on marketing and executive salaries. Quantity over quality!

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     • dianeravitch says:

       July 11, 2017 at 6:32 pm

       NPE will launch a public campaign to inform about the 45-day window for public comments, so that everyone has a chance to let the SUNY charter committee know what the public thinks about permitting non-professionals to teach in public-funded (but private) schools.

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     • retired teacher says:

       July 11, 2017 at 5:24 pm

       So, it sounds like a committee that will rubber stamp this bad idea.

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     • SomeDAM poet says:

       July 11, 2017 at 5:44 pm

       The members of the SUNY Charter Committee (three lawyers and a CEO) were talking in a bar:

       Said lawyer #1: “Some say charters receiving public money should have to account for every penny spent”

       Said lawyer #2 : “Some say charters should be subject to public oversight by school boards”

       Said lawyer #3: “Some say charter teachers should be certified just like public teachers”

       Said the CEO: “Ha ha ha. Good jokes all around!”

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8. mets2006 says:

   July 11, 2017 at 5:40 pm

   You can submit comments either by mail to the address below or e-comments to the e-address below – the comment period is 45 days:

   Albany Office
   New York City Office
   Charter Schools Institute
   State University of New York
   41 State Street, Suite 700
   Albany, NY 12207

   (Please direct written communication to the Albany Office.)
   Phone (518) 445-4250
   Fax (518) 320-1572
   Email charters@suny.edu

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   • NYC public school parent says:

     July 12, 2017 at 10:01 pm

     I have been watching the SUNY Charter Institute for a while and I will be shocked if they have any interest at all in the comments. This is a done deal and it is primarily for Success Academy — who desperately needs new teachers to meet their ambitious expansion plans. SUNY has a long history of taking marching orders from Eva Moskowitz (or her board members/funders).

     To wit: SUNY — and most especially Chairman Joseph Belluck and the Executive Director (Susan Miller Carello) — have many times granted unusual favors to Success Academy. Journalists seeking a little background should look at the following:

     February 2012 – SUNY trustee Pedro Noguera resigns from the board, after a meeting in which the trustees allowed Eva Moskowitz to apply for a charter in District 13 Brooklyn and then change the location when Mayor Bloomberg promised her a building in a very affluent Cobble Hill District 15 location instead. The trustees also obliged when Ms. Moskowitz demanded they allow her to change the charter SUNY had already approved in order to drop priority for at-risk kids in favor of students who lived in District 15. The result, of course, is that Success Academy Cobble Hill has only 1/3 of its students economically disadvantaged, and the “model teacher” at the school was caught on video punishing one of those few disadvantaged students for not knowing the right answer.

     Without Noguera around, SUNY overlooked outrageously high suspension rates – sometimes over 20%! — at Success Academy schools. That led to one of SUNY’s biggest fiascos:

     October 2014 — SUNY’s legal mandate was to establish charters that serve at-risk students. So it made absolutely no sense for them to approve Eva Moskowitz’ request for a 3rd elementary school in District 2 — the richest district in all of NYC! The 2 Success Academy charters already located in that wealthy district weren’t serving their share of at-risk students and had no wait lists for in-district students while schools in much poorer neighborhoods did have wait lists. Surely SUNY would question that, but they did not. Instead, SUNY was humiliated when a group of public school parents examined enrollment numbers and found that the claims of wait lists were belied by an extraordinarily high number of empty seats in those charters. It almost seemed as if Success preferred an empty seat to having to teach an unworthy student. To save face, the day before SUNY’s meeting, Success changed its application for a 3rd charter in wealthy District 2 to one in a less wealthy District 1. Although they had held no public hearings on such a change, SUNY jumped to approve the last minute change. But it turned out SUNY broke their own rules to accommodate Success and the next day had to backtrack and approve that third District 2 school after all. Anything for Success Academy.

     mid-October 2015 – John Merrow does a PBS report on the extremely high suspension rates for Kindergarten students in Success Academy schools. Eva Moskowitz retaliates by illegally releasing the private records of a student who was interviewed in order to paint him as a violent and dangerous 6 year old. SUNY yawns and says if Eva Moskowitz says all those children are violent, who are we to question it? (Um, you are the OVERSIGHT agency!)

     late-October 2015 — NY Times reports that principal at Success Academy caught with got to go list of undesirable students, most of whom had been withdrawn by their parents. Another vaunted Harlem principal directs staff not to send renewal forms home for unwanted students. SUNY does its’ usual faux “oversight” and Eva Moskowitz continues business as usual.

     February 2016 – secret video of “model” Success Academy teacher ripping up a student’s paper and punishing her for not knowing the answer to a question is taken by an assistant teacher in the class after she is told by Success administrators to stop questioning the model teacher’s actions. SUNY does its’ usual bang-up job of oversight – nothing.

     Finally, in March of 2017, SUNY Charter Institute acts! It chooses to renew 10 Success Academy school’s charters a year — and in some cases 3 years — before they are supposed to. Even though the state Board of Regents believe that SUNY would need more recent data to make sure that those charter schools are meeting targets serving high needs students. But according to Joseph Belluck (as quoted in Chalkbeat), that’s nonsense! “I am extremely troubled by the Regents rejection of these schools,” Belluck said. “It seems to me that there isn’t a single substantive basis for the rejection.” After all, it’s not as if there is a lawsuit pending by parents whose children with special needs were not being served, and in many cases were pushed out of Success Academy schools. Well, maybe there is a lawsuit pending, but that won’t stop the SUNY Charter Institute from sparing no effort in enabling Success Academy to do whatever it is they choose to do.

     So I’m sure every letter will go into that SUNY circular file that holds all the parents’ complaints about got-to go lists and pushed out children, while the SUNY staff and trustees — led by Belluck — continue to express as much concern about Success Academy’s high suspension rate and high attrition rate as the Republicans in Congress express about Trump’s questionable actions. SUNY doesn’t do oversight. They are complicit.

     So writing to them will likely have the same effect as writing to Mitch McConnell about any of President Trump’s corruption. SUNY’s duty is to a higher power than the public. And it’s the same power that the Republicans in Congress owe fealty to. The people with the most money. Until they want real oversight of Success Academy or any of their favorite charter chains, SUNY will not budge.

     Right now, SUNY has its marching orders to allow non-certified teachers and they will not dare to disobey their masters.

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9. Fred Smith says:

   July 12, 2017 at 3:43 am

   Well, at least we have a president who is “certified.”

   And I would like to thank the bloggers who expressed concern about my well-being. After the charter flight I was on crashed, survivors found out the pilot didn’t need to take any courses in safe landing. Seems he got his license because he flew paper planes in school.

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   • dianeravitch says:

     July 12, 2017 at 8:29 am

     Good one, Fred!

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10. SomeDAM poet says:

    July 12, 2017 at 9:49 am

    Remind me again why the SUNY Charter Committee needs a month and public comments to know this is a stupid idea.

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11. Therlo says:

    July 12, 2017 at 12:19 pm

    I know my question seems stupid, but aren’t they, charters, already allowed to hire a certain percentage of unlicensed/uncertified non-teachers? Isn’t that what Eva already does? Don’t they do this in New Jersey.

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    • dianeravitch says:

      July 12, 2017 at 12:37 pm

      Yes, the charters on NY are allowed to hire a percentage of uncertified teachers–up to 30%–but they want the power to hire all teachers without certification. They have high teacher turnover and can’t find enough certified teachers willing to work under their hours and conditions.

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      • SomeDAM poet says:

        July 12, 2017 at 1:07 pm

        The NY legislature should just redefine 30% so that it means ” all.”

        ( like previous legislative efforts to redefine mathematical truth

        https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_Pi_Bill

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12. retiredbutmissthekids says:

    July 12, 2017 at 8:08 pm

    Lawanda Eckert–I am so sorry for your inexplicably horrible experiences. NEVER should be happening. As I’ve written here before, perhaps you can find at least ONE experienced, certified, like-minded colleague so you can stick together. (In similar situations, I’ve found that even ONE good person helps tremendously.)
    In any case, you just keep on keeping on. Teach those kids, learn from them (I think I learned more from my students & their parents than in any other place or from any
    others.)
    You sound like a dedicated teacher who will do great things, so don’t stop!!!

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