Archives for category: New Jersey
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Democracy for Sale?

By dianeravitch
November 20, 2012 //
8

Somebody is dumping a lot of campaign cash into state and local races.

Michael Petrilli of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute is convinced that the teachers’ unions are the Evil Empire. He says that the unions play Goliath to the poor reformers’ puny David. He says the unions were responsible for the defeat of right-wing Education Idol Tony Bennett in Indiana and the decisive repeal of the Luna Laws in deep-red Idaho.

Wow, who knew the teachers’ unions were so strong in those two red states?

I will wait to hear from readers in those two states about whether their unions are so powerful.

But while we wait to hear from them, let’s consider the race between teacher Marie Corfield and her Republican opponent, Assemblywoman Donna Simon.

Simon raised almost $500,000, much of it from business and industry, you know, the working families’ friends.

Corfield, who had the temerity to disagree with Governor Chris Christie, raised about $175,000. The hedge fund guys called Better Education for NJ Kids (B4K) gave Simon $109,000.

What did the Goliath of New Jersey politics–the New Jersey Education Association– give Corfield?
A whopping $8,200. Oh, yes, some other teacher group gave her $1,000.

At last count, Simon was slightly ahead of Corfield, who wanted a recount.

Some Goliath. Some David.

Categories Corporate Reformers, New Jersey, Unions

Why Cheat When You Are Winning?

By dianeravitch
November 20, 2012 //
2

Newark’s Robert Treat Academy is under investigation for possible cheating on state tests.

This charter school has been highly praised by the media and politicians as “proof” that “poverty is not destiny.”

As Jersey Jazzman points out, and as Bruce Baker has documented, the school stacks the deck by taking very small numbers of students with special needs, small proportions of English language learners, and smaller proportions of the poorest students as compared to the Newark public schools. In brief, the school enrolls very few of those likely to get low scores.

Cherry-picking students while claiming that you are enrolling the same kids as the public schools is….cheating.

Categories Charter Schools, New Jersey, Testing

What Schools Should Do in Crisis Times

By dianeravitch
November 16, 2012 //
8

After the hurricane, Mayor Bloomberg was eager to reopen the city’s public schools as soon as possible for the 1.1 million children enrolled. He worried that they were “losing time” and had to get back to their studies, back to normal. The facts that many of the schools suffered damage, that many were turned into shelters, and that many children were in shock because of their experiences were irrelevant. It was back to the routine.

In this brilliant post, Rabbi Andy Bachman of Congregation Beth Elohim in Park Slope, Brooklyn, has a better idea. He envisions classes across the city studying climate change, learning civics lessons, and engaged in public service to those in need.

This is what teachers call “a teachable moment.” But NYC rejects the moment and opts for normalcy, not fresh thinking. Such thinking and the activities it might inspire can’t be allowed to interfere with the real purpose of school, which these days is higher test scores.

Categories Curriculum, New Jersey, New York, NYC

Yet Another Trial of Merit Pay

By dianeravitch
November 16, 2012 //
16

Jersey Jazzman describes here the Newark teachers contract, which was just ratified.

The central feature of the contract is merit pay. This particular gimmick is a fixation of billionaire Eli Broad, who calls the shots in the Garden State through Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf and Newark’s Superintendent Cami Anderson, both of whom were “trained” to think the Broad Way in the uncertified Broad Superintendents Academy.

Cerf has probably forgotten the New York City bonus plan that failed when he was Deputy Chancellor; the city blew away $50 million on it before the RAND corporation declared it a failure.
Anderson believes in bonuses. In addition to her salary of $247,500, she stands to get a bonus of another $50,000 if the district meets certain performance targets.

As the nation faces a so-called fiscal cliff, how can Newark afford bonuses? The plan is being financed by Mark Zuckerberg’s gift of $100 million.

Why not try merit pay one more time? Who cares that it has been tried repeatedly for decades and never worked? Just in recent years, it failed in Nashville, it failed in New York City, it failed in Chicago. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Ditto for the 100th time.

“Success” would be a kind of failure, too, though I know of no examples of success. Success would mean more teaching to the test, more narrowing of the curriculum to what is tested, more focus on tests as the goal of schooling rather than as a diagnostic measure.

So Newark will do education the Broad Way, which has seen no success anywhere it’s been tried.

The Broad Way means a fervent belief in carrots and sticks as tools of control by management. It means management by numbers and targets and return in investment. It is the ethos of billionaires and management consultants.

It is totally inappropriate for professionals. Professionals always do their best. If they don’t, they should not be hired or they should be fired.

I’m on an airplane about to take off. Should I offer the pilot a bonus to get me to Chicago safely? That’s his job.

What happens when the Zuckerberg money is exhausted? Will Eli Broad promise to keep it going?

Categories Merit pay, New Jersey

A Union Leader Joins the Honor Roll

By dianeravitch
November 12, 2012 //
8

Ronnie Greco, who is leader of the Jersey City Education Association, joins our honor roll of heroes of public education.

Ronnie refused to sign Jersey City’s application for a Race to the Top grant for $40 million.

Ronnie quickly figured out that not a penny of the $40 million would solve any problem that Jersey City public schools have.

It would not be used to improve teaching and learning conditions.

It would not be available to reduce class size.

It would be used to impose merit pay, which has never worked anywhere.

It would be used to find and fire “ineffective” teachers, based on unproven test-based measures.

It would be used to implement top-down mandates devised in Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Department of Education.

The issues in Jersey City are no different from the issues that led to a strike in Chicago.

It is tough for a union leader to say no to a big federal grant because the media will blame him (or her) for turning down “free” money.

But Ronnie figured out the trap.

The money comes with strings that get fashioned into a noose for teachers.

The money will not reform the schools of Jersey City.

The money will not help the children of Jersey City.

The schools of Jersey City have been under state control for 23 years.

For 23 years, the state of New Jersey has failed the children of New Jersey.

The teachers of Jersey City work under difficult conditions.

They are heroes.

And their leader, Ronnie Greco, joins our honor roll for his courage, insight, wisdom, and conviction–all qualities in short supply today in our public life.

 

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Honor Roll, New Jersey, Race to the Top

Big Out-of-State $$$ Floods Local Race in New Jersey: Why?

By dianeravitch
November 4, 2012 //
5

Big political contributions have poured into a local school board race in Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

Donors in California andColorado are supporting a slate of school board candidates in that small New Jersey district.

As Jersey Jazzman explains here, the school board in Perth Amboy has been trying to oust the district’s divisive superintendent. Acting Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf has protected her, preventing the board from getting rid of her. The election provides an opportunity to fire the board and install one that will defend Chris Christie’s agenda: anti-teacher, anti-union, anti-tenure, pro-privatization.

As Jersey Jazzman writes:

It seems absurd, and yet it’s true: four wealthy Californians and one wealthy Coloradan – heavy hitters in the tech, financial, and health care sectors – have contributed tens of thousands of dollars to a slate of candidates running for the school board in Perth Amboy, a city of 50,000 with a majority Hispanic population.

“According to New Jersey election records, the slate of candidates calling themselves “Better Schools Now!” has collected $64,700, mostly from sources outside of Perth Amboy. In contrast, an opposing slate, “New Vision, New Voice” has collected $7,005, with all of its donations over $300 coming from within the city.”

There is a clear pattern emerging here and elsewhere around the country: a small number of extremely wealthy individuals are pouring huge amounts of money into elections, state and local, to buy the result they want: privatization, budget cuts, anti-union policies, a compliant school board.

It happened last year in Denver and last spring spring in Louisiana; its happening now in Perth Amboy, New Orleans, Idaho, Santa Clara County (CA), Washington State, Georgia, and elsewhere.

This is not haphazard. These are takeover targets.

Time for an investigative journalist to find out who is coordinating this subversion of democracy.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Cerf, Chris, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Democrats for Education Reform, New Jersey, Teacher Tenure

Calling All Pro Bono Lawyers

By dianeravitch
October 26, 2012 //
27

A reader just raised an interesting question offline.

He lives in New Jersey, where the state constitution requires that the state provide a “thorough and efficient” public education.

New Jersey officials today are doing their best to dismantle and privatize the state’s public education system.

Are they violating their oath of office?

What does it say in other state constitutions where the privatizers are busy dismantling the public system for fun, power, profit and ideology?

Categories ALEC, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, New Jersey, Privatization

Jersey Jazzman Dissects Meaning of Newark Contract

By dianeravitch
October 20, 2012 //
5

New Jersey is unquestionably one of the two or three highest performing states in the nation on NAEP. Given its extremes of wealth and pockets of dense poverty, it may well be the highest performing state.

As is obvious by now, Governor Chris Christie and his helper Chris Cerf hope to privatize as much of he state school system as they can while they can.

Jersey Jazzman is predictably wary of the Newark contract. Here is his take on the deal, which is funded in large part by private and non-recurring money.

Categories Cerf, Chris, Merit pay, New Jersey, Unions

About That Newark Teachers Union Deal

By dianeravitch
October 19, 2012 //
18

I don’t understand all the details of the deal reached by the Newark Teachers Union and the Christie administration. The final details were hammered out by Randi Weingarten, NTU president  Joseph Del Grosso, Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson, Acting State Commissioner Chris Cerf, and perhaps Governor Chris Christie as well.

Some people (and I include myself) worry that the deal includes merit pay tied to “performance” (test scores). I don’t think that is ever a good idea. It produces perverse incentives for cheating, narrowing the curriculum, and gaming the system.

But the odd thing about this agreement is that there is so much money for almost every one of Newark’s 3,100 teachers. There are retroactive raises; there are bonuses for working in low-performing schools; there are bonuses for working in high-need subjects like math, science and special education. There’s lots and lots of money, enough for all, and in addition, there is peer review added in at almost every stage.

A big chunk of the financing is coming from private sources, including Mark Zuckerberg’s $100 million gift to Newark.

Nothing about layoffs; nothing about firing the teachers whose students left for Newark’s rapidly multiplying charter schools.

I am beginning to wonder if Randi and Joe walked away with Governor Christie’s shirt and trousers and he didn’t even notice.

To keep this act going, Mark Zuckerberg better pony up another $100 million for other districts.

More such “victories” like this for Christie and Cerf, and the teachers of New Jersey will be laughing all the way to the bank.

 

 

Categories Cerf, Chris, Merit pay, New Jersey, Unions

New Jersey Civil Rights Groups Appeal to Secretary Duncan

By dianeravitch
October 15, 2012 //
2

Some 45 organizations in New Jersey, from parent groups to civil rights groups have appealed to Secretary Duncan to halt the damage that will be imposed on poor children and children of color as a result of the NCLB waiver to the state.

Because of the waiver, state officials will inflict even more high-stakes testing on the neediest children and their schools will be targeted not for help but for privatization.

The statement says:

To replace the NCLB framework, the State has adopted a new classification system that will reinforce racial and economic segregation and inequity in New Jersey’s public schools. The classification system uses state standardized tests, graduation rates, and gaps in achievement, to target a group of 75 “Priority” schools and 183 “Focus” schools for dramatic State-mandated intervention, including possible closings and conversions to charter schools. These Priority and Focus Schools serve overwhelmingly Black and Latino, very poor communities, and educate many students who do not speak English as a first language. The Priority schools are concentrated in some of the most distressed communities in the state and have a staggering 24% student mobility rate.

In contrast, the State has classified a group of 122 schools as “Reward” schools, based on high achievement or high levels of growth on state tests. These schools, which are targeted to receive financial bonuses, are located in the highest wealth districts in the state, serve a small percentage of Black and Latino students, have low poverty rates, few English language learners, and little student mobility. Many of these schools are magnet high schools and vocational schools, with highly selective admissions.

The blatant economic and racial inequity built into this classification system harks back to the days when such segregation and inequity were policy objectives for our State.

Categories Duncan, Arne, Education Reform, Federal Waiver, New Jersey, Segregation , Racial Isolation and Integration
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