Archives for category: Rhee, Michelle
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Joshua Starr Belongs on Honor Roll: Proof

By dianeravitch
December 22, 2012 //
21

I previously named Joshua Starr, superintendent of Montgomery County public schools in Maryland, to the honor roll for his courage and wisdom.

He rejected Race to the Top Funding because his schools have a nationally acclaimed peer review evaluation system. He called for a three-year moratorium on standardized testing.

For daring to be different, he is now under attack.

He is wrong, says Checker Finn of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, for not following in the footsteps of Arne Duncan, Michelle Rhee, and Joel Klein.

Who thinks that Chicago or DC schools are a national model? In NYC, only 26% of voters approve of the Bloomberg-Klein reforms.

Josh Starr has dared to say what parents, teachers and 99% of educators believe. He belongs on the honor roll.

Categories Duncan, Arne, Honor Roll, Klein, Joel, Privatization, Race to the Top, Rhee, Michelle

Michelle Rhee Comes Out Against Guns in Schools

By dianeravitch
December 18, 2012 //
46

Well, this is a relief:

http://shar.es/hv1rZ

This morning, StudentsFirst CEO Michelle Rhee drafted a memo to the organization’s senior staff — it was later sent internally to the entire StudentsFirst staff — regarding the organization’s opposition to any and all proposed laws that would allow guns in schools. That memo is printed below in its entirety.

MEMO

TO: SF Staff

FROM: Michelle

DATE: December 18, 2012

RE: Gun Control Laws

As an education reform organization, we try hard to remain singularly focused on those issues that directly affect student achievement, and to abstain from broader policy debates and political discussions that are outside our mission.

It is for that reason we did not take a position on measures like the one on the governor’s desk in Michigan that would allow guns in schools. There are organizations whose sole mission is to fight gun violence, and which are far better equipped than we to engage on these bills.

However, like many of you, I continue to be disturbed by the violence that took place last week in Newtown, Connecticut. I am disturbed by the dozens of shootings that have taken place in recent years at schools across the country.

It should go without saying that guns have no place in schools. Schools must be safe havens for teaching and learning — that is a basic obligation to children that comes before anything else.

Accordingly, I have come to the conclusion that StudentsFirst must publicly oppose legislation that would bring firearms into schools, anywhere. That includes opposing SB 59 in Michigan. We urge our members to voice their opposition as well. While gun control issues fall outside our direct policy agenda, I have absolutely no reluctance taking this position. I am convinced that allowing firearms in schools cannot help advance student achievement or put the interests of students first.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is right when he says that our nation’s leaders must not let this moment pass without taking strong action.

If you have any questions about our position or our thinking in taking this position please don’t hesitate to contact Eric Lerum or myself.

Categories Rhee, Michelle, StudentsFirst

StudentsFirst Silent on Michigan Bill to Allow Guns in Schools

By dianeravitch
December 18, 2012 //
19

StudentsFirst has decided to remain neutral on a bill just passed by the Michigan legislature to allow concealed guns in schools.

Most of the candidates supported by StudentsFirst in the recent election voted for the legislation.

“Asked about its stance, StudentsFirst spokeswoman Ileana Wachtel said, ‘StudentsFirst believes that schools have to be a safe haven for kids. It is incumbent upon our elected officials to ensure that every single child is protected, particularly those under the care and direction of our public schools.'”

Most of the legislators supported by Michelle Rhee’s group are far-right Republicans. Their idea of making schools safe is to make sure that the principals and teachers are carrying guns.

Where will they keep them? In a holster at their waist? Locked in a drawer? Strapped to their ankles?

But wait! The intruder in Newtown had an assault weapon, a semi-automatic that fired six bullets a second. Shouldn’t principals, custodians, security guards, and teachers have the same weapons? This sets the stage for universal home-schooling, where of course every family would be suitably armed to prevent home invasions.

How crazy can we be?

What happens in a society when no one trusts anyone les?

What kind of world do you want to live in?

Categories Connecticut, Rhee, Michelle, StudentsFirst

DC Teachers: Any advice for Omaha?

By dianeravitch
December 14, 2012 //
5

Carey Wright, who was chief academic officer in DC under Michelle Rhee, has applied for the job of superintendent in Omaha. Educators and parents wonder if she will import Rhee’s aggressive tactics to their district. She had a great PowerPoint but went out of her way to make two points: one, she is not Rhee. Two, she respects Rhee.

Published Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 1:00 am / Updated at 4:42 pm

CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD
Omaha Public Schools superintendent finalist Carey Wright gives a presentation at the Teacher Administrative Center on Wednesday.

OPS finalist Wright says she won’t turn the district ‘upside down’
By Jonathon Braden and Joe Dejka
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITERS

• Learn more about the three OPS superintendent finalists: Carey Wright, Mark Evans and Stephen Murley.

***

Carey Wright knew the question was coming. And by the time she met with the public in Omaha Wednesday afternoon, she had already been asked it multiple times.

Was she the same type of leader as Michelle Rhee, the controversial former District of Columbia Public Schools chancellor who recruited her and made her chief academic officer in that district?

Would Wright, 62, a finalist for the Omaha Public Schools superintendent job, follow the Rhee model of firing ineffective teachers and principals, closing poorly performing schools and evaluating and rewarding teachers for how well their students score on tests?

“I am not going to come into your school district and turn it upside down,” Wright said.

OPS has too many good things going on to change everything, she said.

The question came Wednesday afternoon during a 90-minute interview session with the public at the district’s central offices, 3215 Cuming St.

Rhee recruited Wright in 2009 to the struggling district, which is comparable in size to OPS, from neighboring Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland and, a year later, made her chief academic officer. Then-D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty had appointed Rhee chancellor in 2007.

Although Rhee’s aggressive reforms “rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,” Wright described her as one of the most dedicated superintendents she’s known.

Rhee inherited a district in bad shape, Wright said, and put a “laser-like focus” on students.

She was what D.C. schools needed, Wright said. Employees weren’t getting paid, windows were left broken, and air conditioners weren’t getting repaired.

Wright and Rhee have different styles, Wright said, but the same focus on students.

“She really achieved a tremendous amount in her tenure,” Wright said of Rhee.

On Rhee’s watch, in 2009, the district launched a teacher evaluation system called IMPACT. The system holds educators accountable for the growth their students make on state and local academic assessments. Highly effective teachers are eligible for bonuses and special recognition.

Rhee left the D.C. schools in 2010 after Fenty lost the mayor’s race to Vincent Gray, who was endorsed by the Washington Teachers Union.

For Wright’s part, she has a good relationship with D.C. teachers, she said, and meets every other week with the president of the teachers union. She said she wouldn’t change how Omaha teachers get paid and evaluated until she learned more about what was going on here.

She was the second OPS finalist to go before the public. Tuesday, Steve Murley, superintendent of the Iowa City Community School District, interviewed for the job. The last finalist, Mark Evans, superintendent of the Andover (Kan.) Public Schools, will interview for the position today.

Former Ralston Superintendent Virginia Moon is leading OPS for the remainder of the school year. John Mackiel retired in August after 15 years as OPS superintendent.

Wright spent all of Wednesday in Omaha, meeting with business officials and touring the city and school district, including a trip to Marrs Magnet Center.

About 160 people came to her public forum, a crowd that again included Susie Buffett, Omaha City Council members, Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce officials and nonprofit leaders.

Wright used a PowerPoint presentation and 30 minutes to introduce herself to the crowd, showing a photo of her two daughters and sharing that she loves to dance. She said she’s a loyal person, a trait that extends to where she got all three academic degrees: the University of Maryland.

With the Maryland Terrapin logo on the overhead, Wright said, “As loyal as I am to the Terps, I’m also open to new possibilities.” The Turtle slid over, making room for a Huskers logo and a Creighton Bluejay as the crowd laughed.

The crowd also included many OPS teachers and administrators curious about the candidate with a tie to Rhee, one of the nation’s most controversial education reformers.

Wright pointed out areas where OPS could improve — its dropout rate with students learning English, and special education students — but held off on saying what she would bring from D.C. to Omaha. Instead, she brought up past experiences and her beliefs about education, such as equity for all students, in both her 80-minute public interview with the OPS school board and her public forum.

In Montgomery County, she pushed for a more inclusive approach to special education, which riled some parents but led to academic gains, she said.

Special education students who were separated from the general population were worked back in, when possible, with extra support for students and teachers, she said.

In D.C., to make sure high-achieving kids can soar, Wright said, she implemented a program for gifted and talented kids.

She also has helped develop a districtwide academic plan that directs teachers what to teach and when, based on the Common Core State Standards for math and reading.

D.C. officials also coached teachers on how to teach the standards, Wright said, and worked with the authors of the nearly national standards.

Wright has helped install a policy that made all high schools offer at least four advanced placement classes. The district also paid for the courses and trained teachers. As a result, student participation has jumped more than 20 percent, and the number of students passing AP exams climbed 85 percent.

Despite spending her entire professional life on the East Coast, Wright said her experiences in suburban and urban districts make her a “perfect match” for OPS.

“I have shown demonstrated results with the students that are underperforming in your district,” she said. “I am fully prepared to come and make my life here in Omaha.”

Contact the writer: 402-444-1074, jonathon.braden@owh.com, twitter.com/jonathonbraden

Meet the finalists

The Omaha Public Schools board is hosting a public meet-and-greet with each superintendent finalist this week. The gatherings are from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the school board’s meeting room at the Teacher Administrative Center, 3215 Cuming St. The board is interviewing each candidate earlier on the day of the meet-and-greet.

Today’s candidate:

» Thursday: Mark Evans, superintendent of the Andover (Kan.) Public Schools

OPS superintendent finalist questions

All finalists for the OPS superintendent position were given these questions in advance. The board and the public also are asking other questions of them:

1. Please take a few minutes and give us a thumbnail sketch of your professional experiences; your pivotal beliefs on public education; and why you are interested in being our superintendent.

2. Please describe for us your perception of the role of the superintendent, the board of education as a whole, and individual board members.

3. What is your educational philosophy or theory of action, and how is it tied to research and best practices?

4. What are the essential academic elements of a district that will ensure that students are college or career ready?

5. How can you best develop a district environment that works to continually improve the professional capacity of its employees, in the name of increased student performance?

6. What systems, operational and/or academic, are needed for a district to sustain consistent growth over time?

7. How would you describe your experience in creating, implementing, and assessing system-wide budgets?

8. Explain the critical role that your operations departments play in successfully educating children.

9. Review any experience you may have had in providing equitable opportunities to all students.

10. In today’s budget reality, most districts are being asked to do more with less. Please discuss your approach to resource allocation.

11. Please explain your role with labor, collective bargaining units, and/or with negotiations.

12. What systems, operational or academic, are needed for a district to sustain consistent growth over time?

13. Do you have a closing comment you wish to make or to provide us any information that may not have emanated from this interview that would be valuable to us as we proceed with our selection process?

Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald. To purchase rights to republish this article, please contact The World-Herald Store.

Categories Administrators, superintendents, Rhee, Michelle

The DC Credit Recovery Scam

By dianeravitch
December 12, 2012 //
34

Erich Martel, a social studies teacher in the D.C. public schools, reacted to the article in the Wall Street Journal about credit recovery.

He writes:

Thanks to Caleb Rossiter for bringing up the issue of credit recovery in the DC Public Schools.

This crime against students and teachers (students tell teachers, “I don’t have to attend your class. I’m in credit recovery.”) was introduced by Michelle Rhee. One of its features is “there will be no traditional homework.”

In 2008-09, as many as 2/3 of dcps students were enrolled in CR classes. They were allowed to enroll late (the course hours are already only 2/3 the length of a regular credit class.). Some CR teachers had 4 and 5 different subjects assigned to them during the same class period. Students who had never failed a subject were allowed to “recover” credit.

I wrote the following description of credit recovery in September 2010 on the Fordham Institute’s Education Gadfly site: http://tinyurl.com/czcbufr

“A” for effort shouldn’t count
Erich Martel / September 16, 2010
http://www.edexcellence.net/commentary/education-gadfly-weekly/2010/september-16/a-for-effort-shouldnt-count.html.

In the District of Columbia Public Schools, where I teach social studies, “credit recovery” (CR) is a program of after-school courses for high school students who have failed the same classes during the regular school day. CR enables these pupils to receive credit towards graduation; but the “recovery” courses have distinctly lower standards than the standard kind. As a result, any increase in graduation numbers achieved through this means may well yield a false impression of improved student learning.

The ideas behind credit recovery are nothing new; for decades school systems have offered summer and night programs where students can pass courses while—often—doing less work. Credit recovery is simply the latest incarnation of this approach. And it’s not just taking hold in the nation’s capital; CR programs are being launched all around the country and enrollment is booming. But these efforts haven’t been scrutinized for evidence that students are actually meeting the same standards that “regular” courses would demand of them.

In many public school systems, including DCPS, students who fail key high-school courses such as Algebra I or English 2 are scheduled into double periods to give them additional time to master challenging subject matter. Credit recovery does the opposite; it creates separate credit bearing courses, but with 25 to 40 percent fewer scheduled classroom hours. A typical two-semester course (1.0 Carnegie unit) offered during the regular school day in most DCPS high schools is scheduled for 120 to 135 seat hours. In credit recovery, meanwhile, the total number of teacher-student contact hours is eighty-two to ninety-two hours. (Contact hours are important, especially given that most of the students enrolled in CR courses had deficiencies in prerequisite knowledge from the get-go. For these students, expanded—not constricted—classroom time is critical for success.) Plus, CR courses come with the additional restriction that “there will be no traditional ‘homework’ assigned in Credit Recovery. All assignments will be completed during class time.” (Emphasis mine.)*

In her October 28, 2008 “Chancellors’ Notes,” DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee described the expansion of CR from the previous year’s trial run of 200 students in seven high schools to “over 1,400 students…[in] all 16 high schools.” Enrollment was open to all students, grades 9 through 12, including many with no lost credits requiring “recovery.” By the end of that school year, easily more than twice the chancellor’s original estimate of 1,400 students had enrolled in CR. (The actual number of students who received credits under these conditions has not been reported and is difficult to estimate, since many CR teachers reported drop-out rates of more than 50 percent.)
Moreover, many CR class teachers were assigned courses they were not certified to teach. During the past two school years, students enrolled in different subjects were assigned to one teacher and grouped in a single classroom. In some cases, non-instructional staff members, such as counselors, were assigned to “teach” CR classes. The clear expectation of school officials responsible for these assignments was that students would spend most of their time completing work sheets with little active teacher instruction.

Many students were simultaneously enrolled in two courses, even though one is the pre-requisite for the other, as in math, Spanish, and French. Some students, mainly ELL/ESOL, were enrolled in as many as three English courses at the same time. CR teachers reported a range of direct and indirect pressure by administrators to pass students enrolled in these courses despite failing grades, extensive absences, and late enrollment.

In my experience, CR as practiced in DCPS leads to a decline in actual student learning, teacher morale, and institutional integrity. It certainly mitigates against high standards. When some of our most academically challenged students are offered shortcuts that allow them to receive course credits for only partial content mastery, knowledge and the work ethic on which it is founded are devalued. Like ancient gilded lead coins, each recipient of CR credits is deceived with an inflated sense of achievement, which will burst the moment he or she learns that full college acceptance is conditional upon completion of remedial, non-credit courses.

This is, of course, completely consistent with the lamentable pattern of giving kids diplomas that purport to attest to achievement and readiness but actually do nothing of the sort—which is arguably the origin of standards-based reform and external accountability in U.S. education going back to the flurry of high school graduation tests that started in the 1970s.

Simply put, credit recovery, in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere, makes a mockery of local and national efforts to improve our country’s knowledge base.

* This no-homework clause was listed on a 2007 version of the DCPS website as one in a series of bulleted “details” about credit recovery

Erich Martel is a social studies teacher in the District of Columbia Public Schools and serves on the Executive Board of the Washington Teachers Union. He can be reached at ehmartel@starpower.net.

Categories Education Reform, Rhee, Michelle

Brilliant! Opposite Day in Ohio with StudentsFirst

By dianeravitch
December 12, 2012 //
16

This may be the best blog post of the year. Read it. It is priceless!

Welcome to Opposite Day in Ohio!

Veteran educator Maureen Reedy explains what “education reform” meant on Opposite Day.

This is the day when StudentsFirst came to the Ohio Legislature to tout the virtues of charter schools, even though public schools in Ohio far outperform charters. The bottom performing 111 schools in the state of Ohio last year were all charter schools. Opposite Day!

And when StudentsFirst claimed that great teachers could teach 100 or more children online, even though Ohio already has poorly performing online charters. Opposite Day!

And when an employee of StudentsFirst boldly claimed that teaching is not a profession. Opposite Day!

Please read. This story should be on Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow and the Newshour. John Merrow, are you there?

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Ohio, On-Line Education, Privatization, Rhee, Michelle, StudentsFirst

Michelle Rhee Advising Governor Kasich in Ohio about Funding

By dianeravitch
December 6, 2012 //
7

This Ohio blogger reports that Michelle Rhee is now advising the anti-public school administration of Governor John Kasich and the Republican legislature about how to fund education.

Given the predisposition of the leadership in Ohio, the outcome is predictable and it won’t be good for public education.

Ohio has a flourishing landscape of charters and a growing voucher program.

The charter landscape is very profitable for certain big-time charter operators, but charters do not outperform public schools. Many get very low scores.

The online charters are immensely profitable for their owners, but do as poorly for their students as online charters in other states.

Categories Ohio, Privatization, Rhee, Michelle, StudentsFirst

Thank You, G.F. Brandenburg

By dianeravitch
November 19, 2012 //
7

One of the bloggers I admire most is G.F. Brandenburg. Compared to me, he is a veteran blogger. He has been chronicling the foibles of “reform” since 2009. His blog revealed that Michelle Rhee’s claims of having been a miracle teacher were bogus. He has followed her career since she left D.C.; do a search on his site and you will discover an interesting number of blogs about inflated claims in D.C.

I don’t know Brandenburg but I do know he is a retired math teacher, which means he insists on evidence. Assertions and spin and bold promises don’t make it past his rigorous scrutiny. He demands honesty and transparency.

So I am happy to say that this morning, he advised his readers to follow this blog. That means I passed his test. That’s harder than the SAT or the ACT or PISA.

Thank you, Mr. Brandenburg.

Categories Global Education Reform Movement (GERM), Ravitch, Diane, Rhee, Michelle

Unmasking Michelle Rhee’s Right-Wing Agenda

By dianeravitch
November 19, 2012 //
6

Daniel Denvir has been tracking the political activities of Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst and learned that most of her support went to Republican candidates.

She pretends to be a Democrat but in state after state, she has given big money to candidates who support privatization and anti-teacher legislation..

Rhee “poured money into state-level campaigns nationwide, winning 86 of 105 races and flipping a net 33 seats to advocates of so-called “school reform,“ a movement that advocates expanding privately run public charter schools, weakening teachers unions, increasing the weight of high-stakes standardized tests and, in some cases, using taxpayer dollars to fund private tuition through vouchers as the keys to improving public education.

Rhee pretends to be bipartisan. But, as Denvir writes, “90 of the 105 candidates backed by StudentsFirst were Republicans, including Tea Party enthusiasts and staunch abortion opponents. And Rhee’s above-the-fray bona fides have come under heavy fire as progressives and teachers unions increasingly cast the school reform movement, which has become virtually synonymous with Rhee’s name, as politically conservative and corporate-funded.”

With Rhee’s money, very conservative Republicans gained a super-majority in the Tennessee legislature, virtually guaranteeing that her ex-husband State Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman will have a free hand pushing privatization of public education.

No one knows all the sources of Rhee’s Funding, but it would not be surprising to learn that she is a front for the rightwing, anti-government Koch brothers and others of their ilk.

She is surely a hero to ALEC.

Categories ALEC, Bloomberg, Michael, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Michigan, Rhee, Michelle, StudentsFirst, Tennessee, Testing

Eduwonkette: Where Are You Now That We Need You?

By dianeravitch
November 16, 2012 //
4

The greatest education blogger ever was Eduwonkette.

For some 22 months, the masked woman fired off sharp missives, dissecting bad ideas with hard data and incisive questions.

She started her blog at Education Week in January 2007 and kept it going until October 2009, when she figuratively “hung up her cape.”

Her stuff was spectacular, and no one knew who she was.

Here is a sample of her writing,

Eventually she felt compelled to reveal her identity, and soon after she closed down her blog.

She was a graduate student in sociology, working on her doctorate.

Once she lost her anonymity, she stepped away from what was the most popular education blog ever.

She promised to return when she is needed.

But she never did.

Categories Education Reform, Rhee, Michelle
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