Emily Hoefling was principal of Leadership Prep Canarsie in Brooklyn, which is part of the Uncommon Schools charter chain. She was fired because she dared to express views that ran counter to the authoritarian culture of the chain.
Yes, she writes, it is an authoritarian regime, and it always was.
When she led a professional development session, she encouraged teachers to express their views. That was her first mistake. Their views conflicted with the company line, and she did no5 correct them. She was marched away, lectured, yelled at, and fired.
She writes:
Make no mistake about it, Uncommon Schools is an authoritarian organization from top to bottom. And dissent is dangerous for everyone — no matter your age and no matter your position.
As an Uncommon principal, I developed a reputation for being ‘unaligned to the mission’ of Uncommon Schools. And the iron fist that deals with ‘disobedient’ students and ‘difficult’ teachers is the same iron fist that deals with rebellious leaders.
Brett Peiser and Julie Jackson have not only designed and maintained the culture of Uncommon Schools, they have also created a system that will step on, silence, and erase anyone who dares to step out of line or tarnish the Uncommon brand.
Even after she was fired, she was threatened with legal action if she dared to write about what happened to her.
She did, so you should read what she wrote.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Honor to Emily Hoefling for being a real leader and standing up for defenseless kids!
What’s the link between ignorance and stupidity on the one hand and authoritarianism on the other? Well, the authoritarian can a) readily crush anyone who points out the obvious and b) leave only sycophants around him or her–people who will stoke the authoritarian’s ego and so assuage his or her insecurities about being ignorant and stupid. Example: Our President.
Of course, as such a game plays out, things in the organization led by such a person inevitably get worse and worse because that organization has no checks and balances, no corrective mechanisms. Such people end up shooting themselves in the foot, but only after they have done a LOT of damage.
Another hostile comment from Trump in the Chris Wallace interview was that schools are teaching students to hate our country. I am sure he got his information from some radical right wing propaganda source. From my experience our public schools promote respect for this country and the sacrifices so many have made in its defense.
He’s a complete idiot.
When Chris Wallace asked him what evidence he had that teachers teach children to “hate our country,” he claimed he has seen it. Too bad Chris didn’t follow up and asked him where he saw it.
Another horrible exchange was about the Confederate flag. Trump defended it as a symbol of the South. It is actually a symbol of racism and white supremacy.
I think this is the big news in her story:
“And still Uncommon would not relent. When I responded that I was not well enough to meet, they began sending over nondisclosure agreements. Nondisclosure agreements that promised me $19,600 in exchange for never suing them and never speaking a negative word about Uncommon Schools “regardless of whether such statements are truthful.”
I have wondered for a long time if the big charter chains were using NDA’s, because you never hear a PEEP out of the teachers. The “founders” and “CEO’s” are all over the place touting the schools and advocating for privatization, but you almost NEVER hear from charter teachers or principals.
I suspected it was NDA’s and this proves that.
Have you ever seen anything written by a teacher at Summit? What about a principal at Rocketship? The CEO are an ed reform superstars and they promote themselves and their schools constantly, but where are all the people who work there?
Disallow NDA’s and we’ll find out more about what goes in charters.
Excellent points. NDA’s allow for criminal activity in addition to unethical practices.
Trump insists on NDAs.
Arne Duncan used to tell charter leaders to protect “their brand” during fawning events at the US Department of Education.
I guess they took that seriously, to the extent that they shut down all dissent and hector former employees to sign NDAs.
The anti-union ed reform movement constantly claim charter employees don’t need workplace legal protections because they are “empowered”. A bunch of pseudo progressive hogwash.
When teachers forge a relationship with students, this relationship is a positive if it promotes trust. It does not imply a lack of discipline. Every class needs an established set of rules, but the consequences must be fair and administered with dignity. Discipline must not undermine students’ self esteem.
First of all, kudos to Ms. Hoefling for her courage in the face of bullying. I interviewed last June with Uncommon. I was shocked at the culture of the company; I never made it past the first, canned, interview. In fact, several charter schools approached me in the spring of 2019, and I agreed to sit for an interview with several of them. I never heard anything again from any of them beyond the initial interviews. I suspect when they figured out who I am, so to speak, they ran in the other direction. At least I hope that’s what happened.
One must question how many times what happened to Ms. Hoefling happens in school districts and charter schools across the United States. How many outstanding teachers and administrators are driven out of education because superintendents and charter school owners/leadership will not condone any questioning of their authority or methods of operation?
What happened to Ms. Hoefling is no surprise. It is exactly what is happening with Trump and anyone of his appointees that question his methods of operation.
“Uncommon’s organizational structure gives its success a feeling of …part Catholic Church, part army,… ” (Peter Meyers writing for Education Next, Summer 2020.
Meyers is a senior fellow at Fordham and program manager at CUNY’s Institute for Education Policy.)
Uncommon received the Broad Prize for charter schools. Eli Broad’s legacy is Espinosa v. Montana.
Continuing Meyers’s article, ” Brett Peiser is taking notes….we are sitting in a small classroom of North Star Academy Vailsberg Middle school…the former Catholic school still sports a large cross…”
Peter Meyers wrote, “Learning Separately: The case for single sex schools”. Hmmm, I wonder where he got that idea. He also wrote, “Can Catholic Schools Be Saved”. His bio describes him as writing and editing for AEI and the Manhattan Institute (Koch-linked).
A writer at the Manhattan institute in an article that praised Catholic schools used the self debasing, “we are all sinners”. The contrivance comes from fundamentalist religion and is a tactic that sets people up for control by religious leaders.
Julie Jackson – Pahara and TFA.
Peiser – Kennedy School of Government.
I am thoroughly disgusted and appalled by the stories of abuse shared by Uncommon’s current and former staff members and students. I am incredibly proud of the courageous individuals who are willing to bravely share their stories. It is beyond past time that this culture of abuse be publicly exposed. It is my hope that a prompt and thorough investigation occurs. The network “leadership” should be held accountable for encouraging and participating in these repulsive practices (whether it be directly or indirectly by looking the other way and choosing to ignore those who have spoken up).
Privatized K-12 was a political move created for the purpose of inflicting authoritarianism on the children of the poor/middle class and/or as a way to take money that the community intended for the education of the middle class and poor.
The founder/ co-founder of the Gates-funded TFA, Pahara, New Schools Venture Fund and Bellwether said in an interview posted at Philanthropy Roundtable that the goal of charter organizations was “brands on a large scale”. People who associate themselves with charter schools should expect to be treated like expendable factors of production controlled by autocrats.
I’m in no way connected to public K-12 but, as a taxpayer, I would oppose hiring individuals who had formerly been employed by charter schools. It’s similar to hiring a Betsy DeVos lackey who is either not too quick on the uptake or too gullible to be an asset in the schools of the people, by the people and for the people.