Archives for category: Privatization
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A Teacher Describes Parents’ Reaction to Privatization in Memphis

By dianeravitch
November 10, 2012 //
9

A teacher in Memphis writes about how parents in her school reacted to the announcement that it would be taken over by the Achievement School District and turned into a charter school. Her school is poor but it has made steady growth and is not one of the lowest performing schools in the city. The media in Memphis, she says, is not reporting the genuine rage of the local black community:

First, see this article in my local paper about the state takeover of 10 more schools and the meetings about that takeover:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/nov/07/10-more-memphis-schools-to-be-taken-over-by/

I am a teacher at one of those schools in Frayser, a neighborhood the Achievement School District (ASD) seems to have targeted since they took over three schools there last year. The article notes that 6 of the 10 schools taken over will be run by charter operators.

I attended the meeting last night at Pursuit of God in Frayser, an impoverished and predominantly black neighborhood. The crowd was angry that their children’s teachers were going to be fired and that their children would have to adapt to a whole new school. They spoke about the great current teachers in their schools. They wanted to know what was going to make these schools better, and there was no one from the ASD who could explain that.

There was also concern expressed by a 30-year veteran teacher and resident of Frayser that this was an attempt to segregate the poor black neighborhood of Frayser from the rest of the county in the upcoming merger of Memphis City and Shelby County School Systems.

The community at the meeting was very antagonistic to state takeover. I overheard an employee of the church comment, “We got a tough crowd tonight,” and the ASD people were clearly uncomfortable.

I expected an article in the local paper to mention the atmosphere at the meeting.

The media ran this segment: http://www.wmctv.com/story/20049306/tn-asd-getting-set-to-take-over-more-memphis-schools

And the paper did not report on the events of the meeting. The shot of the crowd was purposefully taken while most of them were in the other room getting refreshments. There was no other coverage of the meeting in the media.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Industry, Parent Groups, Privatization, Segregation , Racial Isolation and Integration, Tennessee

EduShyster Has Discovered an Entire Family of Rephormers

By dianeravitch
November 10, 2012 //
11

Who knew? An entire family in the reform/privatization business.

The pater familias is a major publisher in Minneapolis. And all the offspring are busily closing the gaps. They are paving the way for a dramatic expansion of the charter sector.

If you read the link in the post by EduShyster, be sure to read the comments that follow.

I find these stories about miracle schools really annoying. The implicit assumption is that if we can do it, why can’t everyone else? Such stories are inherently self-aggrandizing and egotistical because they cast aspersion on all those incompetents and dullards who lack the brilliance of the super star. They and they alone work miracles.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Minnesota, Privatization

Why Is Pennsylvania Welcoming More Cyber Charters?

By dianeravitch
November 9, 2012 //
11

Despite the miserable results that cyber charters get in study after study, the state has authorized more of them than any other state. It has 12 up and running, four more just approved, and more in line to be approved.

I mistakenly reported in an earlier post that only one cyber charter had ever made “adequate yearly progress,” but I was mistaken. NO cyber charter has ever made AYP in Pennsylvania. It was only because the State Education Commissioner dummies down the scoring that one crossed the bar. When held to the same standards as public schools, no cyber charter meets the NCLB requirement for academic progress.

Categories Charter Schools, Education Industry, For-Profit, K12 Inc., On-Line Education, Pennsylvania, Privatization

A Plea: Stop Using the Term “Achievement Gap”

By dianeravitch
November 8, 2012 //
37

Dr. Camika Royal explains here that the term “achievement gap” is offensive.  She says that the comparison between whites and African Americans is inherently demeaning to the latter and ignores the reasons for what it claims to address.

Use the term “opportunity gap” or “wealth gap.” But, please, she says, stop using the term “achievement gap.”

My thoughts, Dr. Royal: This phrase  (“the achievement gap”) is used cynically by self-proclaimed “reformers” who have no genuine interest in closing the opportunity gap or the wealth gap. In fact, if you mention the causes of test score differences, they will accuse you of making excuses. They don’t want to talk about poverty or segregation. They don’t want to hear anything about causes, only about test scores gaps. They will point to schools that get high test scores by operating as boot camps. They say that black children need a “different” kind of education, an education where they are taught to obey, to conform, to listen in silence, and to do as they are told without question.

They think that days on end of test prep is the right kind of education for black children, but not for their own.

Until the Wall Street guys, the high-tech titans, and the foundation moguls demand that poor children get the same quality of education that they want for their own children, with experienced teachers, small classes, excellent facilities, ample resources, and a rich curriculum, I can’t take seriously their talk about “closing the gap,” no matter which adjective it takes.

 

 

Categories Charter Schools, Poverty, Privatization, Segregation , Racial Isolation and Integration, Teach for America TFA

Virtual Insanity

By dianeravitch
November 8, 2012 //
19

Florida law requires schools to offer online courses to children in every grade, even as young as kindergarten.

There is no evidence or research to support this mandate.

None.

Wonder if this has anything to do with the political power of Jeb Bush, now the nation’s leading enthusiast for online learning? Wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that his Foundation for Excellence in Education is heavily funded by technology corporations?

Remember how he and his lobbyist facilitated the introduction of virtual schooling into Maine? If you forgot, please read the link. It was a heckuva job.

Categories Bush, Jeb, Florida, For-Profit, On-Line Education, Privatization, Technology, Computers

Privatizers Capture Control of Indianapolis School Board

By dianeravitch
November 8, 2012 //
5

It was very exciting that Glenda Ritz managed to oust uber-privatizer Tony Bennett in Indiana, but meanwhile the privatization movement gained ground in Indianapolis, where a group called the Mind Trust has called for the abolition of the school district.

Its candidates captured control of the school board in yesterday’s election, promising the moon, the sun, and the stars once public education was abolished and replaced by private management.

And the voters fell for it.

As the linked article shows, Ritz will have a rough time dealing with the new governor and legislature, who are firmly opposed to public education and antagonistic to the wisdom and experience of a veteran educator.

Being politicians, they think they know how to reform schools. No experience necessary.

Categories Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, Indiana, Privatization

Indiana GOP Insists that Votes for Ritz Mean Nothing

By dianeravitch
November 8, 2012 //
4

In an article today, Indiana GOP leaders announced their determination to pursue Tony Bennett’s anti-teacher, pro-privatization agenda even though Bennett lost his bid for re-election.

Bennett’s challenger, Glenda Ritz, collected more votes than Mike Pence, the Republican who won the governor’s seat.

She won despite Bennett’s expenditure of  ten times as much as she had for the campaign.

She won despite the support of national rightwing groups promoting Bennett as the exemplar of school “reform.”

But the GOP thinks the voters didn’t really mean it, or made a mistake, or maybe the voters didn’t know what they were doing.

They hope to ignore the mandate at the polls.

Ritz has a Herculean task moving forward with a Republican governor, a Republican legislature, and laws mandating policies intended to destroy public education.

All she has on her side are the votes of 1.3 million Hoosiers.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, Indiana, Privatization, Teacher Evaluations, Testing, Vouchers

Tony Bennett Blames Unions, Common Core

By dianeravitch
November 8, 2012 //
7

In an interview with Education Week, defeated Indiana superintendent blamed his loss on the teachers’ union and on his support for the Common Core standards. He said that his challenger Glenda Ritz drew away some of his conservative base by criticizing the Common Core.

Bennett’s loss stunned supporters in the rightwing reform world.

It looks like Florida is in his future. He is a favorite of Jeb Bush, and Bush is a major player in Florida politics.

He fears that Ritz might find creative ways to strangle his beloved voucher program by regulation.

Remember when education politics was dull? No more.

Categories Bush, Jeb, Charter Schools, Florida, For-Profit, Indiana, Privatization, Vouchers

Privatization Leaders Praise President Obama

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
4

I received the following news release from the National Alliance for Charter Schools.

They of course were crowing about the passage of the ALEC-inspired initiative in Georgia, where the governor will be free to open charter schools everywhere across the state without consulting any local school board.

I knew Nina Rees when I worked in the George H.W. Bush administration. She is smart and personable and very, very conservative in her education views. She subsequently worked for the Milken brothers, who own K12, the for-profit virtual charter corporation.

Then she worked as Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation in the George W. Bush administration.

She was co-chair of the education policy committee for the Romney campaign, whose agenda was a flat-out privatization program for education.

And now she is praising President Obama for his leadership in the charter movement!

 
From: Nina Rees <Nina@publiccharters.org>
Subject: Public Charter Schools Win Big in Election

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Dear charter school supporter,The 2012 election is an important moment in the public charter schools movement.In two states, voters sent a clear message that they want public school options that are unique partnerships between teachers, parents, and students and that respond to the specific needs of their communities.Voters in Georgia rejected the status quo and created conditions that support the growth of high-quality public charter schools that are accountable for student achievement. Now, charter applicants who are rejected by school districts will have access to a fair appeals process.In Washington state, where votes are still being counted, voters are on the verge of making their state the 42nd with a public charter school law. If the results hold up, families and children in Washington will have the chance to attend schools that are as innovative as the companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing that drive the state’s economy forward.In addition, the re-election of President Obama maintains leadership for charter schools at the national level. In his first term, President Obama created an environment where charter schools could thrive through the incentives in Race to the Top, Investing in Innovation, Promise Neighborhoods, and other reform programs. Over the past three years, almost half of states have revised their charter school laws to support growth and quality. Over the past four years, enrollment in public charter schools has risen by almost 1 million students. Today, more than 2 million students attend these unique public schools that serve the needs of students and their parents.

With the support of voters in Georgia, Washington and other states, and with the leadership from elected officials in state houses and Washington, D.C., the best days are ahead for the public charter school community.

Regards,

Nina Rees
President & CEO

© Copyright 2006 – 2012, The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
1101 Fifteenth Street, NW, Suite 1010. Washington, DC 20005.
(202) 289-2700
Categories ALEC, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, For-Profit, K12 Inc., Obama, Privatization, Romney, Mitt

Georgia Charter Referendum Passes Easily

By dianeravitch
November 7, 2012 //
3

Voters in Georgia passed an amendment to the state constitution enabling the governor to set up a commission to approve charter schools over the objection of local school boards.

The margin of victory was 58-42.

This is an ALEC-inspired model law, meant to strip away the powers of local school boards.

It had major financial support from Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst, Alice Walton of the Walmart fortune, a member of the Gap family, charter school operators, and other supporters of privatization.

Critics fear that charters will restore racial segregation.

One certain result is that public schools’ budgets will be cut to pay for charter schools of uncertain quality across the state.

Chalk up a big win for the rightwing privatizers.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, Education Reform, Georgia, Privatization, Rhee, Michelle, StudentsFirst, Walton Foundation
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