Archives for category: Corporate Reformers
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EduShyster: If Martin Luther King Were Alive Today….

By dianeravitch
January 21, 2013 //
17

EduShyster tries to imagine how Martin Luther King, Jr., would react to today’s corporate reform movement in education.

Would he agree with the corporate reformers that poverty is an excuse for bad teachers?

Would he agree that segregation doesn’t matter?

Would he agree that unions are an obstacle to high achievement?

Would he demand privatization as the way to close the achievement gap?

Would he throw in his lot with hedge fund managers and billionaires?

See how EduShyster answers those questions.

Categories Corporate Reformers, Poverty, Privatization, Segregation , Racial Isolation and Integration, Unions

Bobby Jindal’s Campaign to Smash Public Education in Louisiana

By dianeravitch
January 21, 2013 //
33

This day, set aside to honor the egalitarian message and life of Dr. Martin Luther asking Jr., is an appropriate time to consider the efforts by Governor Bobby Jindal to dismantle public education in Louisiana and replace it with a free market of choices, one with for-profit schools and no unions.

This plan will benefit the haves while harming the have-nots. It is an affront to the legacy of Dr. King. It will be implemented by people elected with the support of economic royalists. It is the work of elitists who shamelessly call themselves reformers as they grind the faces of the neediest into the dirt.

The Jindal plan includes vouchers, charters, for-profit online schools, and for-profit vendors, as well as a teacher evaluation that assures that few teachers will get or keep tenure. They will never have the protection of academic freedom, a concept unknown to corporate reformers.

Jindal’s state commissioner John White, who taught for two years as part of Teach for America and has never evaluated a teacher, says that the his standards will make it very difficult for teachers in Louisiana to win tenure.

In response to the new evaluation system, there is massive demoralization; the rate of teacher retirements has spiked by 25%. Superintendents say they are having a tough time replacing veteran teachers who are bailing out of White’s dystopian state.

Surely, teachers with years of experience in Louisiana public schools must think they are living in a madhouse, when the state superintendent has so little experience, and White has put the evaluation system in the hands of a 20-something with two years of teaching experience and an expired teaching license.

Meanwhile, John White has recommended a change in state board policy so that schools no longer will be “required” to have a librarian, a library or counselors. He wants the language to be changed to “recommended,” so that principals have the autonomy to decide if they want to spend their diminishing funds on a librarian or something else. Will this improve education?

Was it as a member of Teach for America or a member of the unaccredited Broad Academy that Commissioner White developed such contempt for public school teachers and American public education?

Here are the proposed changes:

Teachers, parents, and students need to know the proposed changes Superintendent John White is asking the BESE board to approve next Tuesday.

Two large changes will result in the possible removal of all counselors, librarians, and libraries.

Comprehensive Counseling (1125) no longer requires secondary schools to have counselors, only that “It shall be recommended that …” they have them. Libraries and Librarians (1705) have been reworded similarly: “It is recommended that each secondary school have [them]…” (All italics are mine.) This will allow school systems to eliminate these highly valuable and necessary individuals.

“Carnegie Unit and Credit Flexibility” (2314) allows students to earn credit in two ways. The traditional path involves passing a course with a 67 or greater. The new path is for students to demonstrate proficiency in one of three ways. 1) They can pass a nationally-recognized test, though no definition of such a test follows. 2) They can pass a locally developed test of proficiency, with, again, no definition following. 3) Lastly they can submit portfolios that meet a list of requirements to demonstrate proficiency. Students can now attend any amount of time they wish, because should they demonstrate proficiency, they can still earn the Carnegie credit.

This is only a sample of other changes.

  • · No school system is required to participate in a School Accreditation program (311) every five years and receive a classification.
  • · The school will no longer be sited for having staff not holding a valid Louisiana teaching certificate or for having physical facilities that “do not conform to the current federal, state, and local building fire, safety, and health codes.”
  • · One section (1103) states a high school student shall be in attendance a minimum of 167 days out of 182, but later Section 2314 says the minimum number of minutes required is 7,965, whic! h can be achieved in 159.3 days in a 7-period day, and in 133 days in a 6-period day.
  • · Section 2313 for Elementary Program of Studies (covering K-8) has been stripped of its suggested outline of content areas. Any school can design any curricula it deems appropriate.
  • · The section on Summer Schools (2501 and 2503) have been gutted of most of their requirements, including minimum instructional hours and class size limits.
  • · One person without a valid teaching certificate could teach hundreds of students in one class taught for one week if the school superintendent approves it.
  • · Section 1703 also allows local educational agencies to use state money to purchase textbooks that BESE has not approved.

Please contact the BESE board and strongly voice your objections to these proposed changes by Superintendent White and Governor Jindal.

No one could seriously believe those changes will improve education in Louisiana.

Vincent P. Barras, educator

Categories Corporate Reformers, Education Reform, Louisiana, Privatization, Teacher Evaluations, Teachers and Teaching

Can You Do This?

By dianeravitch
January 19, 2013 //
62

A reader comments:

* *

What do the following major problems have in common?

1. Severe budget cuts to schools, bashing of teachers, lack of a broad based curriculum for developing critical and creative thinking students and cheating scandals?

2. Allowing civilians to buy assault weapons that can be used to murder innocent children and adults?

3. Inadequate mental health services?

4. Unaffordable health care services and millions of uninsured?

5. High rates of poverty?

6. Global warming, climate changes with bizarre weather patterns and allowing the destruction of the planet?

7. The crash of 2008 that led to a severe economic crisis?

8. Extreme materialism and money as top priority?

9. Special interest groups and corporations having greater influence on politicians than the people?

10. High crime rates and overcrowded prisons?

All of these problems reflect a deterioration of human values- the type of values which are humane and indicative of the ideals of humanity. Values such as kindness, caring for others, love, integrity and compassion make us good human beings. These values are the antidote and solution to many problems in the world today.

Certainly there are many people who display these values, but many more people with human values are needed if we are to reach a tipping point. For us to create a world that reflects love and caring for all it must begin with each individual. To reach critical mass the consciousness of more people must be raised so that the problems mentioned are unacceptable and not tolerated.

It is for each of us to get in touch with our humanity and with others to positively influence our leaders or replace them with people who will lead with human values. Are we as a human family willing to put into action those values which will create a better world for everyone? This is a question for each of us to answer.

Raymond Gerson

Categories Accountability, Budget Cuts, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Poverty

The Business Model and the Bus Strike in NYC

By dianeravitch
January 19, 2013 //
14

New York City is now in the midst of a school bus strike, stranding more than 100,000 students.

As usual, each side blames the other for intransigence.

But there are a few facts that should be remembered for context.

The Bloomberg administration has had complete control of the school system since 2002 and negotiated all existing contracts.

In 2006, then Chancellor Joel Klein gave a contract for $15.8 million to business turnaround consultants Alvarez & Marsal to reorganize the transportation program. Some of the executives were paid $500 an hour (plus expenses). On January 31, 2007, the buses adopted the A&M schedule for the first time. It was the coldest day of the year. Thousands of children were left stranded on bitter-cold corners. It was chaos.

Chancellor Klein defended the choice of A&M, saying they had saved the city at least $50 million.

Presumably, this is the system that the mayor now finds intolerable and outrageously expensive.

Alvarez & Marsal were previously known for its work in St. Louis, where they ran the district like a business for one year, collected $5 million, and left, shortly before the state declared the district o be in such bad shape that the state took control.

A&M’s last school assignment was in DC, where Chancellor Kaya Henderson hired them to review test security procedures, though they had no experience doing that.

Categories Bloomberg, Michael, Corporate Reformers, For-Profit, Klein, Joel, New York City

Wake the Town and Tell the People

By dianeravitch
January 18, 2013 //
3

If we all speak out based on our knowledge and experience, we can turn this privatization movement around. It is led by people who know nothing about teaching or children. They are obsessed with data and incentives and punishments. Their bad ideas keep failing.

From a reader:

Hi Diane.

This is the first time I have commented on your blog but I have been reading your posts since the blog’s inception. Please know that you inspire me and keep me going. The reason being, you give me hope that we, as public school teachers, have a voice out there fighting for us.

I have been teaching for 12 years in a small upstate New York city school. We are ravaged with 75% poverty and developmentally innappropriate expectations for our kids from the Common Core. There is no “soft bigotry” of low expectations, just expectations WAY out of the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky).

I have seen the corporate reform agenda taking shape for years and have seen main stream media’s narrative of it’s benefits. It’s demonization of us public school teachers. It frustrates me to such a degree that it is hard to have hope for change. You give me that hope. You inspire me to get the message out to my collegues. To speak up at meetings and generally be the voice of dissent in this otherwise brainwashed, “duped” society. Thank you for that. And thank you for continuing this fight against the monster that is the pritization movement. Enjoy your break. It is well deserved.

Categories Budget Cuts, Charter Schools, Closing schools, Corporate Reformers, Teacher Evaluations, Vouchers

Charter School Math in Connecticut

By dianeravitch
January 17, 2013 //
12

Connecticut has the misfortune to have a bad combination: a significant group of very rich hedge fund managers devoted to charter schools and a state commissioner of education who wants to open more charter schools. The charter schools in the state serve disproportionately small numbers of English language learners. So is it a good idea to open more of them?

Here’s a shocking outbreak of common sense from the Stamford Advocate.

Categories Budget Cuts, Charter Schools, Connecticut, Corporate Reformers, Privatization

Corporate Reformers Waste over Half Million in Bridgeport Election

By dianeravitch
January 17, 2013 //
6

A reader in Connecticut links to Jonathan Pelto’s report of spending by wealthy supporters of corporate reform in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in their failed attempt to persuade voters to abandon their elected school board. The voters said no.

“Did you see this yet? Over a half a million spent by corporate “education reformers” to persuade voters to support mayoral control in Bridgeport, CT.

“They lost but what a waste of money and they say it is all for the kids.

“Imagine how many books could be added to the libraries? More social workers? Smaller class sizes? What a waste of money!

“The final reports from Bridgeport’s November 2012 education reform referendum are in and it turns out that the corporate education reform industry and its supporters spent at least $562,955.16 in their effort to pass Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch’s anti-democracy initiative, a proposal that would have eliminated the City’s democratically elected board of education and replaced it with one appointed by the mayor.

So many wealthy people and corporations so very concerned about the children in Bridgeport, really?

http://jonathanpelto.com/2013/01/17/news-flash-corporate-education-reformers-spend-563000-and-counting-in-bridgeport-loss/

Categories Charter Schools, Closing schools, Connecticut, Corporate Reformers

EduShyster Commends Prep School Grads Who Want to Reform Public Schools

By dianeravitch
January 17, 2013 //
7

Elitism may be a dirty word in some circles, but not to EduShyster.

She here commends the graduates of tony private schools who work so hard to see that their lesser brethren can go to “no excuses” schools where they will learn to sit up straight and keep their eyes on the teacher.

Categories Charter Schools, Closing schools, Corporate Reformers, Students

Tennessee Legislature Purges Voucher Opponent

By dianeravitch
January 17, 2013 //
4

Yesterday I posted a comment from Linda Whittington, a member of the state Legislature in Mississippi who was removed from her assignment on the House Education Committee because she opposes charters.

Today a reader in Tennessee posted a comment with these links from Memphis:

http://schoolingmemphis.blogspot.com/2013/01/tn-state-rep-fitzhugh-forced-off.html
http://schoolingmemphis.blogspot.com/2013/01/harwell-shenanigans-confirmed-in.html

You will learn here that Tennessee House Democratic leader, Craig Fitzhugh, was removed from his position on the education committee because he opposes vouchers.

Bottom line: The privatization steamroller is moving fast in those states. The privatizers don’t like local control.

Their goal is to hand public money over to nonpublic schools, out-of-state corporations, businesses, and religious schools, with minimal or no supervision. They don’t care if they destroy the public schools.

By the way, StudentsFirst, which is registered as a nonpolitical 501(c)4, poured about $900,000 into the legislative races in Tennessee to assure a Republican super-majority. But please don’t forget that it’s all “for the children” and of course, bipartisan. Oh, and if you read the article linked here, you will see that Rhee claims to be a resident of Tennessee, even though she is married to the mayor of Sacramento. Where does she live? Where is she registered to vote? It’s mysterious.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Privatization, Separation of church and state, Tennessee, Vouchers

NYC Voters Want to End Mayoral Control of Schools

By dianeravitch
January 17, 2013 //
10

When Mayor Bloomberg was elected in 2001, his first priority was to gain control of the schools. At the time, the schools had a central board with seven members, two appointed by the mayor. Now the mayor appoints a majority and they serve at his pleasure.

In the last decade, the city’s schools have Ben subject to four major reorganizations and three chancellors. One of them lasted only 90 days, a record of sorts.

Now, voters and NYC public school parents oppose mayoral control. In a new poll, only 18% want the mayor to control them.

This is what the Quinnipiac poll showed:

“New York City’s next mayor should share control of the public schools, 63 percent of voters say, with 18 percent who want the mayor to keep control and 13 percent say the mayor should give up all control. Parents of children in public schools share those opinions. In fact, no group supports continuing mayoral control of the schools.

By a 53 – 35 percent margin, voter trust the teachers’ union more than Bloomberg to protect the interests of public school students.

Voters approve 45 – 34 percent of the job Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott is doing, his highest approval rating so far. Parents of public school children approve 51 – 34 percent.

“New Yorkers don’t like Bloomberg’s take-over of the schools. Most favor shared control,” Carroll said. “And never forget: it’s a labor town. Despite all the outcry against the teachers union, New Yorkers believe the union would do a better job protecting kids than Bloomberg.”

Categories Bloomberg, Michael, Corporate Reformers, New York City
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