Rhode Island released the results of tests given last spring, 8 months ago. What’s with the testing company? The Trusty Turtle Testing Corporation, results reported in less than a year!).
One of the lowest performing districts in the state is Central Falls, the impoverished district where everyone was fired in 2010 to “reform” the schools (then the firing was withdrawn, but almost every adult in the school was gone within two years, because [as “reformers” insist] low scores are caused by “bad teachers”).
So why no improvement?
Remember Central Falls, the smallest and poorest district in the state?
The harsh treatment of the entire staff of the high school in 2010 received national attention. It was one of the first blows of the corporate reform movement. Those who led the campaign threatened to fire the entire staff—the teachers, lunch room ladies, and everyone else. The leaders were treated as heroes by Arne Duncan and President Obama. Zero tolerance for staff!
Now, eight years later, apparently less than 10% of the students are “meeting or exceeding expectations,” whatever that means.
The Superintendent of Central Falls called an emergency meeting to apologize to the community.
A daily reader of this blog who retired as a teacher in Providence sent me this article and commented:
“I remember the days when Gallo and Gist fired the good teachers of Central Falls. I remember the days when Obama applauded them for doing what they did and said he agreed with them being fired. I also remember Weingarten did nothing at the time-she never even showed up back then.
“The current test scores at Central Falls High School lower than when the entire faculty was fired in early 2010–for low test scores– with the blessing of Ana Cano Morales (still the President of Central Falls School Board), James Diossa (the current mayor, who was taught by the teachers whose firing he endorsed), Frances Gallo (“reform” superintendent), Deborah Gist (“reform” education commissioner), Arne Duncan (US Secretary of Education), and President Obama (who sang the accolades of Frances Gallo, quipping “…that something had to be done!”).
Victor Capellan, the current superintendent, has been part of their “reform” and their new “accountability” ever since.
“So much for “reform” and “accountability” after many talented and dedicated teachers were wounded and blacklisted. For what? What was done to those teachers (90 percent of whom left the school they loved within 2 years of the eventual ” settlement”) should haunt those who tortured them by treating them so unjustly.
“But none of that is in this article so readers will think this reporter is giving the true picture. Any suggestions?”
Back to my comment.
Try reading the rankings. They are confusing, if you look at them here. I would like to see them correlated with family income and proportions of students with disabilities and ELLs. But that is not what the State Education Department released.
Ken Wagner is the State Commissioner of Education. He came from New York state, where NAEP performance has been flat for 20 years. Maybe he and the legislature and the Fovernor should be held accountable for failing to fund the schoolsof Central Falls and the rest of the state.
