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Miami: Are These Fears the Reality?

By dianeravitch
May 19, 2013 //
15

A teacher in Miami asks these questions. Can you answer and help us understand?

“I am writing out of anxiety and fear .. I have been a bit down for a year, I realize I may have to switch careers or move to another state.

“I could be wrong but I feel the greatest school reformation in the US is occurring in Miami-Dade county public schools.

“Miami-Dade is the 4th largest district in the country (392 schools, 345,000 students and over 40,000 employees). Miami-Dade has a WEAK union (right to work state)… The union is so weak, it feels as if the union is part of the school system.

“Miami insights

– teachers contribute 3% of our salary for retirement
– salary tied to Testing
– VAM
– weak union
– Eli Broad award
– Common Core
– $1.2 new technology bond (My fear, Bill Gates’ cameras will soon be in the classroom.)
– charter schools/ virtual schools
– 11,000 new immigrant students a year, 68,000 esol .
– financially, it is difficult for teachers to make ends meet … Miami is an expensive city, I wonder if some teachers are on Food Stamps and or have lost their homes — our salary scale is shocking
http://salary.dadeschools.net/Schd_Teachers/

***( I have been teaching 14 years but I am on step 11 due to frozen salaries ($42,128) , I just advanced a step, $300, which the school system considered a raise ( it was a step)….. No cost of living expense was factored in)

– the school system pays for teachers health insurance but high out of pocket expenses (Dr visits, prescriptions are VERY high, I pay an additional $2,400 a year with dental & vision) .

What do you see happening in Miami Dade County public schools??

Are my fears a reality???”

Categories Corporate Reformers, Florida, Teacher Evaluations, Teacher Tenure, Teachers and Teaching, Unions

Miami: Are These Fears the Reality?

By dianeravitch
May 19, 2013 //
15

A teacher in Miami asks these questions. Can you answer and help us understand?

“I am writing out of anxiety and fear .. I have been a bit down for a year, I realize I may have to switch careers or move to another state.

“I could be wrong but I feel the greatest school reformation in the US is occurring in Miami-Dade county public schools.

“Miami-Dade is the 4th largest district in the country (392 schools, 345,000 students and over 40,000 employees). Miami-Dade has a WEAK union (right to work state)… The union is so weak, it feels as if the union is part of the school system.

“Miami insights

– teachers contribute 3% of our salary for retirement
– salary tied to Testing
– VAM
– weak union
– Eli Broad award
– Common Core
– $1.2 new technology bond (My fear, Bill Gates’ cameras will soon be in the classroom.)
– charter schools/ virtual schools
– 11,000 new immigrant students a year, 68,000 esol .
– financially, it is difficult for teachers to make ends meet … Miami is an expensive city, I wonder if some teachers are on Food Stamps and or have lost their homes — our salary scale is shocking
http://salary.dadeschools.net/Schd_Teachers/

***( I have been teaching 14 years but I am on step 11 due to frozen salaries ($42,128) , I just advanced a step, $300, which the school system considered a raise ( it was a step)….. No cost of living expense was factored in)

– the school system pays for teachers health insurance but high out of pocket expenses (Dr visits, prescriptions are VERY high, I pay an additional $2,400 a year with dental & vision) .

What do you see happening in Miami Dade County public schools??

Are my fears a reality???”

Categories Corporate Reformers, Florida, Teacher Evaluations, Teacher Tenure, Teachers and Teaching, Unions

Surprise! Florida High-Stakes Accountability Promotes Gaming the System

By dianeravitch
May 13, 2013 //
20

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a study of Florida’s accountability system–the one that Jeb Bush brags about–and concludes that the system promotes behavior to game the system. Schools are assigning children to categories where they will not lower the school’s letter grade.

Here is a succinct summary of the paper:, from the Wall Street Journal blog:

“The way some schools are being held to account for student performance can corrupt how these institutions seek to achieve the standards, a new paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York warns.

“The bank’s researchers took at look at what happened among some schools in Florida around the turn of the millennium. What they found was alarming.

“Analysts Rajashri Chakrabarti and Noah Schwartz found evidence some Sunshine State schools deliberately moved underperforming students into exempt categories in order to have those students not drag down the performance of the school as a whole.”

This, of course, has nothing to do with improving education or addressing the needs of the children. It is all about meeting a target.

Categories Accountability, Education Industry, Education Reform, Florida

Teaching or Testing?

By dianeravitch
May 4, 2013 //
45

Michael Weston shares the news from his school, where testing takes precedence over teaching.

He writes:

May 3, 2013. It actually happened at Freedom High School today. The Unthinkable. Beyond the Pale. This afternoon, 7th period, we had an AP Testing pep rally. Yes, a testing pep rally. I had heard rumors of such things, but had a hard time believing them. Today I saw.

Hillsborough County Florida is one of those districts that has stuffed AP classes full with any student who a) wants to take one, b) can be cajoled to take one, c) is involuntarily signed up for one, or d) is placed under extreme pressure to take one.

This is all in the name of increased rigor of course. Apparently “increased rigor” is “New English” for Superintendent bonus. Yes, the number of AP tests taken is in her contract as a bonus provision.

Students lose instructional time taking these tests.
Students lose instructional time when their teachers have to proctor these tests.
Students lose instructional time when classes are under half full because OTHER kids are taking tests.

The list goes on.

For the last 4 weeks we have been FCATing. Two weeks ago started Florida End of Course Exams (they continue for some weeks) and Monday begins AP testing season.

Now – students lose learning time to a TESTING PEP RALLY??? REALLY?

Florida teachers should file a class action law suit or union grievances that this level of attention to testing creates a hostile environment for teaching.

Parents should likewise take action, as this level of attention to testing creates a hostile environment to learning.

Categories Florida, Teachers and Teaching, Testing

This Is Where True Reform Begins

By dianeravitch
May 2, 2013 //
3

Imagine this: An elected official who fought the parent trigger in Florida and worked with parents and civil rights groups to beat it.

Governor Rick Scott has been an enemy of public education throughout his term. His poll numbers are now in the 30s.

We need more public officials like Nan Rich in every state!

;

Nan Rich for Governor
;

Dear Xxxxxxxxx,

As the leader of the Senate Democrats last year, I considered the defeat of the Parent Trigger Bill one of the most important bi-partisan efforts in my legislative career.

Forging a coalition of 8 moderate Republicans to join our 12-member Democratic Caucus to kill a bad bill on the last day of the 2012 Legislative Session was an accomplishment few thought possible – but we did it.

And now it’s déjà vu all over again!

Today, a unified Democratic Caucus of 14 Senators was joined by 6 equally-concerned Republicans to defeat the latest version of the bill we stopped last year. It’s truly heartening to see that a legacy of bi-partisan leadership lives on in the Florida Senate.

The so-called “Parent Empowerment Act” (also known as the “Parent Trigger Bill”) had little to do with empowering parents and everything to do with letting for-profit management companies take over public schools.

In fact, all Florida parent groups, as well as the NAACP and LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) representing more than 1 million Floridians, raised their voices in unison against this terrible legislation.

Fortunately, their voices were heard – again!

Click here to support Nan’s Campaign

We all want the best for our children, and are constantly searching for new ways to improve their education, but this legislation was not one of them. Relinquishing control of our public education system to for-profit management companies essentially would have put a price tag on every one of our public school students.

But today, the Florida Senate again sent a clear message — our students, our teachers, and our schools are not for sale!

Nan Rich
;

;
Categories Democrats, Education Reform, Florida, Parent trigger

Trigger-Happy Florida Senators

By dianeravitch
May 1, 2013 //
4

Just hours after the defeat of parent trigger legislation, some of its advocates moved key portions into another bill.

In this case, this provision was salvaged:

“A bill focused on charter schools (HB 7009) was amended Tuesday afternoon. It now requires that children in classes taught by teachers with an “unsatisfactory” or “needs improvement” ratings during the current school year could not be taught by similar teachers in the same subject next year.”

Sounds reasonable except that the state’s evaluation system is ineffective.

Never say die, especially if there is a chance at harassing public school teachers.

More of the “punish don’t support” theory.

Categories Florida, Parent trigger, Teacher Evaluations, Teachers and Teaching

Breaking News! Florida Parents Beat Trigger Again!

By dianeravitch
April 30, 2013 //
29

Florida parents–especially the Determined Moms–beat the Parent Trigger again. The Senate voted 19-19. The tie vote was a repeat of last year’s vote.

Enough Florida Republicans voted Nay to block the bill.

Parent power beat corporate power!

Florida parent groups–the PTAs, Testing Is not Teaching, Fund Education Now, 50th No More, and others–stood firm against the charter lobby.

Florida has more than 600 charter schools, but not enough to satisfy the charter industry. It has for-profit charters and cyber charters, but not enough to satisfy the profiteers.

Who won? Public schools.

Who lost? Jeb Bush. Michelle Rhee. The charter industry.

Categories Florida, Parent Groups, Parent trigger

Florida Charters Score $91 Million from Public School Construction Funds

By dianeravitch
April 29, 2013 //
28

Remember when charter advocates said they could do a better job of educating kids with less money? You probably don’t remember, it was years ago.

The charters have forgotten it too. In Florida, the charter lobby just got $91 million from the Legislature. This is money taken from the public schools’ facilities fund. Now, instead of the facilities belonging to the public, they will belong to the private sector organizations, for-profit and nonprofit, that own the charters. The entrepreneurs keep the public money. It is theirs.

Florida is well on its way to establishing a dual school system, one public, the other charter, both paid for with public funds. Florida has some of the nation’s most aggressive for-profit charter chains, which lobby, give money to candidates, and produce poor results for kids. One of those for-profit charter chains is Mavericks, run by Frank Biden, brother of our Vice President Joe Biden. It has a spotty record. But it will now get facilities funding, thanks to adroit lobbyists and a sympathetic governor and legislature. And public schools will get less.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Florida, For-Profit

Florida: Phony Video, Phony Names on Petition for Parent Trigger”

By dianeravitch
April 28, 2013 //
6

Investigative journalists in Florida are all over the last-minute effort mounted by Jeb Bush and Michelle Rhee to find parents who support the so-called “parent trigger.”

First they circulated a video allegedly made by a group called the “Sunshine Parents,” supporting the trigger. Unfortunately, no one ever heard of this group and it has no website, unlike the PTAs and other parent organizations fighting the trigger bill. Maybe it is based in Jeb Bush’s offices.

Then a petition emerged in support of the bill, but some signatories say they never signed it. Score another trick at the hands of Michelle Rhee.

It seems there is no dirty trick that these pretend reformers won’t stoop to. They work with California-based Parent Revolution, which has received millions from the Walton Foundation, the Gates Foundation, and the Broad Foundation. Parent Revolution has sent a parent from Adelanto, California, to tell other state legislatures how wonderful the parent trigger is. She presents herself as but a simple parent who wanted to seize control of the public school that her community paid for. She doesn’t always admit that she is now an employee of the well-funded Parent Revolution or that her child no longer attends the elementary school she helped to close.

Parent Revolution is in trouble. It pushed through the trigger legislation more than three years ago, and only one school has been privatized, and it won’t get started until September as a charter.

The State Senate votes tomorrow. The bill already passed the House.

Will the State Senate fall for the hoax?

Or will they defend their community public schools against corporate predators?

Categories Florida, Parent trigger

Tampa Bay Times: Parent Revolution Produced Mystery Video

By dianeravitch
April 27, 2013 //
7

The Tampa Bay Times reports that California-based Parent Revolution produced the slick video endorsing the parent trigger bill. The bill will be voted on Monday by the Florida Senate.

This is a sleazy trick. Typical deceptive tactic by a group that fronts for the most reactionary elements in our society.

Parent Revolution is funded primarily by the far-right Walton Foundation, which invests heavily in privatization. It also receives millions from the Gates Foundation and Broad Foundation.

Will the Florida Senate sell out public education or listen to Florida parents?

Categories Florida, Parent trigger
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