Archives for category: Privatization
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Who Will Speak Up for the Nation’s School Boards?

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2013 //
15

In the last few years, there has been an all-out attack on local control. Most of the attack comes from the privatization movement, which thinks that school boards debate too much, listen too much, move too slowly. The privatizers prefer mayoral control in cities to get fast action. And they push laws and constitutional amendments allowing the governor to create a commission to override local school boards that reject charters. This is the ALEC agenda.

Happily, leading members of the National School Boards Association will have a chance to ask Arne Duncan why he pushes mayoral control, which has done so little for Cleveland and Chicago–and is now approved in NYC by only 18% of the public.

And they can ask Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia what he thinks about that state’s recent drive to strip local school boards of control of their districts. They might also ask him what he thinks of the re segregation that charters are promoting.

Media Advisory

Contact: Linda Embrey
Communications Office, National School Boards Association
Office: 703-838-6737; Cell: 571-437-7425
Onsite Press Room as of January 27: 202-797-4820; lembrey@nsba.org

Secretary of Education, Key Congressional Leader to Address National School Boards Association’s Advocacy Conference

Alexandria, Va. (Jan. 25, 2013) – U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee & Member, Senate Finance Committee will speak at the National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) 40th annual Federal Relations Network Conference on Monday, Jan. 28. The conference is taking place January 27 to 29 at the Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave., Washington, D.C., and will be attended by more than 700 school board leaders from across the country. Attendees will participate in sessions on major public education issues and meet with their members of Congress and Capitol Hill staff to discuss key education policy issues.

The following events are open to the press and are being provided to the media for planning purposes. Items are subject to change.

Monday, Jan. 28:

3 p.m. – Remarks by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. He will speak about progress in K-12 education and the Obama administration’s goals for education reform going forward. A question-and-answer session will follow.

3:30 p.m. – Remarks by Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee & Member, Senate Finance Committee.

Media are welcome to cover these conference sessions. Valid credentials must be shown before obtaining a NSBA press pass. The press room and press registration will be located in the Embassy Room, Terrace Level. Please contact Linda Embrey at 703-838-6737 (office), 571-437-7425 (cell/onsite), 202-797-4820 (onsite press room on Jan. 27), or at lembrey@nsba.org .

# # #

Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) is a not-for-profit organization representing state associations of school boards and their more than 90,000 local school board members throughout the U.S. Working with and through our state associations, NSBA advocates for equity and excellence in public education through school board leadership. http://www.nsba.org

If you would rather not receive future communications from National School Boards Association (NSBA), let us know by clicking here.
National School Boards Association (NSBA), 1680 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314 United States

Categories Accountability, ALEC, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Duncan, Arne, Education Industry, For-Profit, Privatization, Race to the Top

Nevada Set to Replace Career Teachers with TFA

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2013 //
43

This is a disturbing interview with Nevada’s State Superintendent of Instruction James Guthrie.

Nevada is 18th in the nation in teachers’ salaries but Guthrie seems to think they are overpaid.
He is certain there are large numbers of bad teachers in the state.

He has the governor’s ear. In his State of the State address, Governor Sandoval made clear that he wants more of those TFA to come to Nevada and raise scores and close the achievement gap.

In his State of the State, the governor said,

“”One of the most successful programs in the country today is Teach for
America – a unique corps of brilliant young leaders from America’s top
universities, who give their time and talent as teachers in schools
that need them most.

“These teachers help spur innovation and creativity in instruction that
makes the entire system better.

“Teach for America has helped make a difference in the lives of
hundreds of Nevada’s students.

“But we can do more.

I am proposing a new investment in Teach for America to help recruit,
train, develop, and place top teacher and leadership talent in
Nevada.”

So instead of investing in career educators who plan to stay with their schools for the long run, the governor plans to invest in 22-year-old college graduates who have 5 weeks of training and commit to stay for only two years.

Dumb thinking. Poor planning.

Categories Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Privatization, Teach for America TFA, Teacher Evaluations, Teachers and Teaching

Jersey Jazzman to NY Taxpayers: Thank You!

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2013 //
24

Jersey Jazzman wrote to thank the taxpayers of New York, whose dollars subsidize his blog via advertising by Eva Moskowitz’s Success Academy network (formerly known as Harlem Success Academy).

JJ notes that this charter chain spends millions of dollars each year on recruitment, advertising, public relations, and marketing. This is a necessary business expense to drum up thousands of applications for a small number of seats. The lottery–and the drummed up demand–makes a case that more charters are needed. That seems to be the business plan.

The lottery is a clever marketing tool. It occurs to me that it’s the same marketing approach used by Teach for America. The more applicants they have, the more they can turn down, and the better the brand looks. There is a certain snob appeal to having a few winners and a lot of losers.

Not like those public schools that take any student who walks in off the street.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Industry, Harlem Success Academy, Privatization

Eli Broad Will Introduce Rhee in L.A.

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2013 //
20

A friend in Los Angeles sent the following notice of Michelle Rhee’s coming appearance before the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.

I hope someone will ask her about the cheating scandal that was described on PBS’ Frontline recently.

Ask if she thinks a 30-point jump in proficiency rates in a single year is suspicious.

Ask if she still believes that “dozens and dozens” of schools improved.

Ask why D.C. has the largest black-white and Hispanic-white test score gap of any city in the nation, which did not decrease during or since her tenure.

Ask why D.C. has the lowest graduation rate of any big-city district in the nation, according to PBS?

Ask if she thinks that D.C. Is now a model for the nation after five years of her policies.

And please tell Eli Broad about the huge improvement in U.S. scores on the recent TIMSS, as well as the Rothstein-Carnoy report showing that the U.S. is fourth in the world in reading and ranks tenth in the world in reading.

And, while you are at it, please ask Mr. Broad how he feels about the U.S. ranking first in the world among advanced nations in child poverty.

The LAWAC invites you to a Lunch:
Michelle Rhee

Former Chancellor of Washington D.C. Public Schools

Making the U.S. Educational System Competitive Globally
Special Introductory Remarks By
Eli Broad
Founder of the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation


Thursday, January 31, 2013 – 12:00 Noon Lunch

The Luxe Hotel, 11461 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90049
Eli Broad, Los Angeles’s much-celebrated philanthropist and a board member of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, will be making some remarks to introduce Michelle Rhee at lunch on Jan 31st at the Luxe Hotel. Ms Rhee, who moved aggressively to reform education in D.C. from 2007 to 2010, will be talking to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council about how our schools are underperforming compared to international competitors – and how we can fix that.Eli Broad and his wife Edythe, both graduates of Detroit Public Schools, are founders of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, a philanthropy that seeks to ensure that every student in an urban public school has the opportunity to succeed. The Broad Foundation has invested $370 m in student learning since 1999, and continues to bring together top education experts and practitioners to find ways to enable students of all backgrounds to learn and thrive.It is no secret that the US is falling behind its international competitors in terms of education. A recent report by the education company Pearson comparing 39 developed countries and one territory (Hong Kong) – put the US in 17th position, way behind the leaders – Finland, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. Another report from Harvard University found that despite all the politicking and debate about education here, American students are not catching up academically with their foreign peers – quite the opposite. Students in Latvia, Chile and Brazil are improving three times faster than American students, while Portugal, Hong Kong, Germany and Poland are seeing improvements twice the rate of the US.

Rhee believes strongly that the US should overhaul teacher tenure, apply standardized test scores to performance evaluations, and expand charter schools. StudentsFirst is an advocacy organization that pushes for reforms across the country. A recent report from the organization ranking US states on a scale of A to F gave California its lowest grade, an F. Ms Rhee’s views have created passionate debate within the education field, and are opposed by many educators and school system administrators. We hope her presentation will create more debate in Los Angeles on this subject, which is so vital to our future.

;

Ticket Information – Lunch

Michelle Rhee

LAWAC members:

Guests of members:

General Admission:

Table of Ten:

 $53$63$78$530


Reserve your seats today by calling the LAWAC office at: (424) 258-6160.
LAWAC is online at ;www.lawac.org – And visit us on ;Facebook
Categories Broad Foundation, Education Reform, International, Privatization, Rhee, Michelle

The Secret Strategy of Corporate School Reform?

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2013 //
80

I want to test out a theory. I invite you to tell me what you think. It’s a thought experiment but very close to reality.

Suppose you wanted to destroy public education.

Suppose you wanted to make it so unpleasant to be a teacher or a student in a public school that everyone began to long for a way out. What would you do?

Let’s see. You would subject kids to tests repeatedly to the point that their parents complained bitterly. You would take away art and music, maybe physical education too, to make more time for testing. You would open a few charters, which would scoop up the best students, the strivers, and exclude the troublemakers. You would leave the public schools as refuges for the kids rejected or unwanted by the charters. Wouldn’t it be likely that all the motivated parents would clamor for a way to get their kids out too? Then there would be charters for the “good” kids and the public schools would be the dumping grounds.

Do the same for teachers but in different ways. Threaten them with termination if they don’t comply. Tell them their experience and education don’t count. Tell them their quality will depend on their students’ test scores. Watch their spirits droop as their best students leave for charter schools. Be sure to put non-educators in charge and lecture them regularly about how they are responsible if any child should fail. Snap the whip to keep them on their toes. Never treat them as professionals but as lazy time-servers who need constant reminders of their inadequacy.

In time, public education would be stigmatized and avoided by all who could get away. Is this where Race to the Top is going?

These thoughts, which have been percolating, were inspired by the following comments from a reader.

She wrote:

I was pleased to learn, thanks to Diane Ravitch, that the head of the principals’ association here in NC came out against testing last week. Ironically, my state superintendent just announced that NC will be paying (millions, I assume) to Pearson, a British company, to create tests that I and other NC teachers will have to give. NC is a nightmare to teach in right now. There have never been unions, so teachers have always been asked to do things administration could never get away with in a union state, but every work day this year is devoted to Race to the Top. My next semester begins on January 23 and the work day on the 22nd is occupied with RttT instead of finalizing my grades or planning for new students and courses. One of our RttT workshops involved using string, tape, spaghetti, and marshmellows to construct something. We also watched 30 second Disney/Pixar clips which were referred to constantly as “authentic texts.” I have been teaching English since the 1970s, and I have never seen anything like the direction public schools are going in now. I know Ms. Ravitch is strongly against charters, but I am for anything that is exempt from this madness that has over-taken public education. Public education is apparently for sale, and teachers and students are the victims. Like the Titanic, I am not sure it can be saved.

Categories Budget Cuts, Privatization, Race to the Top, Teacher Evaluations, Teachers and Teaching, Testing

Hilarious! Louisiana’s New Website

By dianeravitch
January 25, 2013 //
9

Crazy Crawfish is a blogger who worked in the Louisiana Department of Education. He cares a lot about accurate data. He noticed, as did other researchers in Louisiana, that all the historical data for the past ten years disappeared overnight and have been replaced by press releases about the glorious success of Governor Jindal’s marketing slogan, which the Jindal team calls “Louisiana Believes.”

Don’t miss this one. It is called “Louisiana Believes Anything.”

Categories Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Honor Roll, Jindal, Bobby, Louisiana, Privatization

Detroit: 28 More Schools Will Close to Cut Deficit

By dianeravitch
January 24, 2013 //
5

To his eternal shame, emergency manager Roy Roberts will close down more public schools in Detroit to cut the deficit. Who knew that public schools were supposed to turn a profit/surplus?

Roberts is carrying out the orders of Governor Rick Snyder, who views public education with contempt.

Privatization proceeds. Public education in Detroit will be extinguished if the Governor and his willing accomplice have their way.

Shameful.

Categories Closing schools, Detroit, For-Profit, Michigan, Privatization

How Billionaires Bought New Jersey’s Government

By dianeravitch
January 23, 2013 //
11

Jersey Jazzman explains a simple concept: When private organizations give money to public agencies, it should be fully disclosed. A couple of legislators actually offered legislation to assure proper oversight, but it was vetoed by Governor Chris Christie, exercising a line-item veto.

In this post, JJ shows how private money is being used to privatize public schools in district after district, without public knowledge or consent.

This stinks.

Categories Accountability, Broad Foundation, Corporate Reformers, New Jersey, Privatization

More Imagine Charters Close in Indiana

By dianeravitch
January 22, 2013 //
38

Ball State University announced that it was not renewing seven charters.

Among the seven were three Imagine charters, one in Indianapolis and two in Fort Wayne.

Imagine is one of the nation’s biggest for-profit charter operators.

Last year, Imagine lost all its charter schools in Missouri and the remainder of its schools in Georgia.
This year, Imagine was closed in St. Petersburg, Florida, and one of its schools in D.C. is in trouble.
These closures raise an interesting question about the risk involved for corporations that invest in charter schools. Imagine is backed by a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) called Entertainment Properties, which also invests in multiplexes, real estate, and shopping malls. Entertainment Properties owns MASTer Academy in Ft. Wayne and the shuttered Imagine Indiana Life Sciences Academy-East  in Indianapolis. 
Another Imagine school in Indianapolis (also owned by EPR) apparently was not up for renewal this cycle.
The CEO of Entertainment Properties Trust was boasting just last year that charter schools were a stable business opportunity, “very recession-resistant,” and he added: “there’s not a lost of risk, there’s probably risk to everything but the fact is, this has bipartisan support. It’s part of the Republican platform and Arne Duncan, secretary of education in the Obama administration, has been very high on it throughout their work in public education. So we have both political parties very solidly behind it, you have high demand, high growth, you have good performance across the board.”
Well, there is actually quite a lot of risk when the authorizers start cracking down on low performers.
The sad part is that the opening and closing of schools disrupts the lives of children and destroys communities. If it is just another investment, well, so be it. If it is the life of your child or your community, it matters quite a lot.
Need we say it again and again: Schools are not shoe stores or barber shops. They should not open and close at will. Public schools should be a permanent fixture in every community, as assured as roads and police stations. If they need help, they should get it. If they need a new principal, they should get it. That’s the job of public officials, not entrepreneurs.
Categories Accountability, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Privatization

How to Get a Docile Workforce

By dianeravitch
January 22, 2013 //
32

Some people have wondered what happened to the much ballyhooed film “Won’t Back Down.”

Recall that it was featured on NBC’s “Education Nation,” which is the showcase for the corporate reform movement; one of its stars was interviewed on “Ellen”; it had an elegant opening party at the New York Public Library; Michelle Rhee hosted showings at the two national political conventions.

Should have been a big hit, right? Wrong.

It opened in 2,5000 theaters and disappeared within a month. Hardly anyone wanted to see it.

But it lives! The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is showing it around the country to business organizations, to convince them that the local public schools are awful and that they must support charter schools. Think of it: Schools where children learn to obey or get kicked out.

Here are the events planned for this week in Birmingham, Alabama, where businesses are still looking for the best way to train their workforce:

 

“Greetings,

On behalf of the Birmingham Business Alliance, I would like to thank each of for agreeing to participate in our panel discussion next week in conjunction with our “Breaking the Monopoly of Mediocrity in Education” tour.  As we continue to work towards providing all students in the state of Alabama with quality education options and creating a dynamic workforce, it is important to have dialogue with those who are not only advocates for better education but, who are also actively working to bring about change.  Attached you will find the final agenda as well as talking points for each panel.  Within each panel, if there is an issue that you feel should be addressed, please don’t hesitate to send your suggestion.  A more detailed email will be sent on Tuesday of next week and will address any concerns or changes that are brought to my attention by panel participants.  Again, we are excited to have each of you participate in this interactive forum.  Please feel free to forward the invitation and registration link to any of your contacts or distribution list who would be interested in attending.

Thank you and we look forward to your participation.

L. Waymond Jackson, Jr.
Director – Education and Workforce Development
birminghambusinessalliance
THE CHAMBER FOR REGIONAL PROSPERITY
505 20th Street North, Suite 200
Birmingham, AL 35203
(205) 241-8117 (office)
(205) 324-2560 (fax)
www.birminghambusinessalliance.com<http://www.birminghambusinessalliance.com/>

On January 24th and 25th please join the Birmingham Business Alliance, the U. S. Chamber of Commerce and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce as we kick-off their national tour “Breaking the Monopoly of Mediocrity in Education.”  The tour will focus on the various methods of education reform, business community involvement and engaging the community to become catalyst for change in education and workforce development.  Most recently, this tour has visited cities such as Memphis, Indiana, and Phoenix to name a few.

Day one consists of a screening of the movie “Won’t Back Down” featuring Academy Award Nominee, Viola Davis (The Help), immediately followed by a networking reception and opportunity to discuss the education reform issues addressed in the film.

Day two features a panel discussion comprised of area business and education leaders sharing ideas regarding education reform and how best to align the workforce needs of industry with K-12 , post-secondary, and higher education.  Topics to be discussed include, The Importance of Pre-K and Early Childhood Education, and How to Achieve a Ready to Work and Engaged Workforce.

Registration for this event is free and due to limited seating we encourage you to register before the event.  For a complete listing of panel participants please view the attached agenda; to register click on the link below.  Also, included in your “free” registration on Thursday, January 24th are popcorn, drinks, and hors d’ oeuvres and breakfast and lunch are included on Friday, January 25th.  Thanks and we look forward to seeing you next week.

Categories Accountability, Alabama, ALEC, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Privatization, Unions
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