Archives for category: Tennessee
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Tennessee Wins Scrooge Award for Meanest Law Ever

By dianeravitch
March 31, 2013 //
41

Just when you think that things couldn’t get any worse, some legislator comes up with the meanest, cruelest, dumbest idea yet.

Tennessee is considering legislation to cut the welfare benefits to families if their children get low test scores.

Some exceptions are carved out, but the basic idea is that the kids need a carrot and stick approach. Or more likely, a whip. The kids need to be afraid that their family won’t eat.

That’ll fix education.

Who are these people?

Do they have an ounce of charity in their hearts?

Do they have any religion? Any sense of humanity?

Will they sleep well at night knowing that someone went to bed hungry because of a law they passed?

Categories Poverty, Tennessee, Testing

Where Does Michelle Rhee Live?

By dianeravitch
March 30, 2013 //
24

Michelle Rhee keeps raising interesting questions. It is hard to ignore her, because she is the face of the corporate reform movement, the one who goes on television to complain about the huge numbers of “bad” teachers and the importance of weakening or eliminating collective bargaining and the great value of privatizing public schools. Apparently, despite her four years in D.C., plus the additional years of her deputy Kaya Henderson, the District of Columbia still has way too many “bad” teachers because it continues to be at the bottom of NAEP rankings. When will we see D.C. rise to the top as Rhee predicted?

Is she a public school parent? Yes, one daughter attends a public magnet school, and the other attends an elite private school. Both in Tennessee.

Where does she live? In interviews in Tennessee, she says she lives in Tennessee, but she is also the wife of the mayor of Sacramento and lives in California. Does she vote in Tennessee or California?

Is she a Republican or a Democrat? She says she is a Democrat, but most of the candidates supported by StudentsFirst were Republicans. Of 105 candidates her group funded, 90 were Republicans. Sort of strange for a Democrat. She poured almost a million dollars into Tennessee to guarantee that the Republicans gained a super-majority. In one Democratic primary, she gave $100,000 to a voucher-loving conservative Democrat to beat a liberal pro-public school Democrat.

And the few Democrats she supported were in favor of vouchers and other Republican ideas. She has also given millions to defeat collective bargaining, which Democrats tend to support. Or used to.

She is a woman of mystery.

Categories Education Reform, Privatization, StudentsFirst, Tennessee

Breaking News: A Desperate Message from Memphis

By dianeravitch
March 27, 2013 //
21

I received this email from a high school teacher in Memphis. Please read it and understand that we must organize against the destruction of public education in America. This, plus the court approval of vouchers in Indiana yesterday sends an ominous message: the radical reactionaries are determined to destroy public education. We must fight back. We must awaken parents and civic leaders.

This comes from Memphis:

“Diane,

“Public education in Memphis/Shelby County is on the verge of collapse.

“Gates gave $90 million to Memphis City Schools, and now he’s calling the shots: increased class sizes, no extra pay for advanced degrees, merit pay based on test scores, etc.

“The initial budget for the first year of operation for the merged district is already $145 million in the red.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/feb/12/memphis-shelby-school-board-ups-the-ante-in/

“Yet last night the school board voted to continue paying $350,000 a month to a four-person team from Parthenon, a consulting group, to develop a merit pay system to stick it to teachers.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/mar/26/unified-memphis-shelby-school-board-rejects-pay/

“That’s $87,500 per month per Parthenon team member. In a year, each team member will gross $1,050,000 for Parthenon. $4.2 million altogether. (Meanwhile, they’re looking to cut teacher pay and health and retirement benefits.)

“The best part: No one on the Parthenon “education” team is a classroom educator. They’re all business strategists, investors, lawyers, and—surprise, surprise—former members of the Gates Foundation. http://www.parthenon.com/Industries/Education

“Help expose these corporate reformer frauds!”

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, Merit pay, Privatization, Tennessee

Tennessee Is Abandoning Public Education

By dianeravitch
March 21, 2013 //
20

A reader in Tennessee comments on the steady advance of privatization in that state, starting with Memphis, then moving to other urban areas. And when the Legislature passes a voucher bill, the stage will be set to decimate public education and leave it as a remnant of what was once known as the portal to opportunity in America. Thanks to Governor Haslam, his compatriots in the Legislature, and Kevin Huffman, one of TFA’s finest products. Doing it “for the kids,” no doubt. Shameful. Shameful.

The reader writes:

“Memphis and actually the entire state of Tennessee is “all in” as it pertains to turning over our schools to private interests for profit. Memphis schools are being systematically dismantled. They are now run by a lawyer. Everyone with any sense in central administration has already abandoned ship. Non-profits and charter groups are basically being asked “which schools do you want”. Our bargained contract is being trampled in the process. Gates Foundation partner organizations are asking principals “who do you want to get rid of? We will help you.” Principals are being given the green light to surplus (lay off) anyone they want, regardless of their performance.

“Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga are next. They started with Memphis because that was the district with the highest poverty. They bet on the fact that the state and citizens of Memphis would basically give the schools to whoever was willing to take them. In steps the Gates Foundation and with that single agreement the demise of public education in our community was sealed. That bet will pay off to the tune of 1.4 billion education dollars per year in our county alone.

“Within 5 years TEA and all the locals will be relegated to cursory “remember whens” as the major population centers of the state no longer are in the business of educating their own children. Charters, vouchers and non-profits will have no union affiliates. This will bankrupt the state level organization and open the floodgates for private equity and hedge funds to capitalize off of public tax dollars. All the while those making these decisions have their children in elite private schools that would never take on the ridiculous data-obsessed practices brought to us from Bill and Melinda Gates. No, Mr. Gates, data does not hold the answers to the world’s problems.

“I was termed an “Irreplaceable” teacher based on my personal teaching performance last year. What a joke! We are all replaceable. An iPad or virtual classroom should do the trick. I hoped to spend my life’s work teaching children. Instead, halfway through a career, I am marketing myself to other industries and embarking on a total career change. There is no room for career educators in this process. Especially ones who can not compromise their professional ethics to jump through the hoops of fire required. I hope the career path I choose for the future pays well. I am going to need the extra money to pay for private schools. I would not wish this chaos on anyone’s children. I will not accept it for mine.”

It is a sad day.

Categories Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, Tennessee, Vouchers

No Surprise: Voucher Schools Teaching Creationism

By dianeravitch
March 19, 2013 //
17

I previously named Zack Kopplin to the honor roll for his outspoken opposition to schools teaching creationism. A native of Louisiana, Zack criticized Governor Bobby Jindal’s voucher plan for using public funds to send students to schools that teach creationism.

Zack, a student at Rice University, recently appeared on the Bill Moyers show to talk about vouchers and creationism.

The show featured an interactive map that pinpoints every school teaching creationism with public funding. Most are concentrated in Florida and Louisiana.

If Governor Haslam in Tennessee gets his way (abetted by State Commissioner Kevin Huffman [ex-TFA]), there will be many more creationist schools funded by taxpayers. Even more taxpayer dollars will flow to such schools in Alabama and Georgia, and don’t discount their spread into Indiana, Ohio, and other states.

Is this the STEM education that will propel our nation into the 21st century?

Categories Curriculum, Honor Roll, Jindal, Bobby, Louisiana, Religion, Separation of church and state, Tennessee, U.S. education, Vouchers

Kevin Huffman’s Zombie Policies

By dianeravitch
March 8, 2013 //
25

The Tennessee Education Association sent out this bulletin today. State Commissioner Kevin Huffman, whose only classroom experience was two years in Teach for America, has plans to adopt every evidence-free, demoralizing tactic in the corporate reform playbook.

Huffman is a purveyor of zombie policies. Nothing he advocates has any evidence behind it. “Pay for performance” has been tried repeatedly for a century and never succeeded. So he wants more of it. It failed in 2010 in Nashville, where teachers were offered a bonus of $15,000 for higher scores. But Huffman either doesn’t know or doesn’t care. It’s not his money he’s wasting.

He knows that the state’s teacher evaluation system is badly flawed, but he wants to push ahead with it anyway. Apparently, he wants to break the spirit of the state’s teachers.

How to explain people who are so indifferent to the morale of teachers? How is this mean-spirited approach supposed to improve education?

Educators are supposed to nurture children and help them grow and develop. To be effective, they must be not only competent, but kind and patient. Treating educators harshly creates a sour and mean culture. Huffman sets a bad example. If teachers treated students the way he treats teachers, they would be fired. Deservedly.

The TEA bulletin says:

“House Finance and Budget Hearing

“In a budget hearing today regarding the 1.5 percent raise for teachers that Gov. Haslam included in his budget, Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman was quoted as saying, “Our intent is that the 1.5 percent raise will not go to all teachers.” Instead, Huffman plans to have local districts develop their own pay-for-performance plans for distributing the funds. He also indicated he expects locals to base their plans on the evaluation system.

“In addition to the distribution of the 1.5 percent raise, Huffman also discussed plans to recommend major changes to the minimum salary schedule, which is maintained by the State Board of Education. TEA was able to stop Gov. Haslam’s attempt last year to pass legislation that would blow up the teacher salary schedule. This year, it appears Commissioner Huffman believes he can do administratively what Haslam was unable to do legislatively.

“Commissioner Huffman recognizes the evaluation system has fundamental flaws, yet he wants to move forward with tying teachers’ financial stability to this unfair system,” said Gera Summerford, TEA president and Sevier County math teacher. “We already have more questions than answers about the fairness of the evaluation system, and to tie teachers’ salaries to it would be reckless and irresponsible.”

TEA is working every day in the General Assembly to prevent these things from happening. We want to ensure teachers maintain a fair and objective salary schedule.

During the hearing, Huffman was also asked about the statewide charter authorizer and vouchers. He admitted a lack of knowledge about vouchers’ constitutionality after a legislator, Gary Odom of Nashville, read him a passage from the state constitution requiring the General Assembly to “provide for the maintenance, support and eligibility standards of a system of free public schools.”

Categories Merit pay, Teacher Evaluations, Teachers and Teaching, Tennessee

Chain Store Charter School To Open in Memphis

By dianeravitch
March 6, 2013 //
12

Aspire Charter Schools will open in Memphis, its first venture outside of California.

It comes with a big wad of money to guarantee success. The perks are munificent, since the chain has set aside $100,000 for marketing before the school opens this fall under private management.

Philanthropists–eager to prove that privatization works better than public schools–have pledged $28 million to help Aspire take over ten public schools in Memphis over a five-year period. The federal government–eager to support Secretary Duncan’s belief that private management is always superior to public control–has awarded Aspire a tidy $800,000.

You do have to wonder how long that kind of money will be available as new charters open and multiply, or is this just a very high-priced marketing gimmick to sell the idea.

Meanwhile, Aspire is wooing children and parents with games and free trips to California.

One inducement for Aspire to enter the Tennessee market is that Tennessee pays more state tuition per pupil for public schools than California, an amazing fact. Also, Tennessee is a welcoming state for privatization, since far-right Republicans have a super-majority in the legislature and there is a compliant state Commissioner, Kevin Huffman, who is not only Michelle Rhee’s ex-husband but former communications director of TFA.

Last year, Chris Barbic (founder of Yes Prep Academies) moved from Houston to Tennessee to take over the state’s Achievement School District (the usual euphemism for the lowest performing schools) and pledged that all would be in the top 20% in five years. In four years, we will check up on his pledge.

Meanwhile, what is getting firmly rooted is the belief that schools can and should be run like chain stores, with headquarters in another state.

Categories Charter Schools, Tennessee

Rightwingers Pouring Big Money into Tennessee Voucher Campaign

By dianeravitch
March 3, 2013 //
16

Tennessee is the next target for voucher advocates.

The far-right American Federation For Children has poured $800,000 into an ad campaign for vouchers. This is the same organization that honored Governor Scott Walker and Michelle Rhee in 2011, the year that Walker went after the teacher unions in Wisconsin.

The voucher campaign has the support of the governor and the state commissioner of education, Kevin Huffman, who is one of the “leaders” produced by Teach for America. And also Rhee’s ex-husband.

Categories Tennessee, Vouchers

Nashville Leaders Fight GOP Plan to Kill Local Control

By dianeravitch
February 20, 2013 //
7

Republican leaders in the Tennessee legislature are pushing ALEC model legislation to strip the Metro Nashville school board of its power to authorize charters. This is intended to punish Nashville for refusing to support Arizona-based Great Hearts Academy, a corporate chain that wants to open in an affluent white neighborhood. Memphis is also included in the proposal.

Nashville leaders, excepting the corporate-friendly mayor, oppose the legislation. The mayor believes that the power to expand charters is more important than local control. .

The ALEC bill has the support of Michelle Rhee’s StudentsFirst, the Wall Street hedge fund managers’ Democrats for Education Reform, and Stand for Children. In other words, the usual cheerleaders for corporate reform.

Opposition to the ALEC legislation was so intense from parents in Nashville and Memphis (the only districts targeted to lose local control) that the House Education Committee delayed a vote on the measure.

Supporters of public education are not giving up without a fight.

Categories ALEC, Charter Schools, Democrats for Education Reform, Stand for Children, StudentsFirst, Tennessee

Tennessee Legislature Protects Failing Virtual Charter School

By dianeravitch
February 14, 2013 //
18

Just an hour ago, I posted the story about how officials at the Tennessee Virtual Academy had instructed teachers to delete failing grades, allegedly to show “progress.”

The virtual school, run by the for-profit K12 corporation, is among the lowest-performing schools in the state.

This afternoon a state legislative committee blocked any discussion of the school altering grades and prevented efforts to limit enrollment in the school. Although the legislators refused to hear any reference to the school’s practice of deleting failing grades, they did hear a teacher who claimed that home instruction on a computer was a very positive experience for children with autism.

The legislators gave the virtual school an additional two years with no accountability, despite its poor academic performance.

The school gets about $5,000 per pupil and enrolls more than 3,000 students. It is known for its astute lobbying and well-targeted campaign contributions.

Another step backward for American education.

Categories Accountability, ALEC, Charter Schools, Corporate Reformers, Education Industry, For-Profit, On-Line Education, Privatization, Tennessee
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