WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Jonah Edelman

Jonah Edelman of Stand for Children bragged last year that “the union cannot strike in Chicago. They will never be able to muster the 75 percent threshold needed to strike.’’ -- Sun-Times, "Sources: CPS teachers authorize strike"

N.Y. high school student

“Everyone in school either has a prescription or has a friend who does.” -- Risky Rise of the Good-Grade Pill

Valerie Strauss

In the ‘you-can’t-make-up-this-stuff’ category, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is spending about $1.1 million to develop a way to physiologically measure how engaged students are by their teachers’ lessons. This involves “galvanic skin response” bracelets that kids would wear so their engagement levels could be measured. -- Washington Post

Diane Ravitch

It’s the New Normal.
Don’t accept it. Don’t avert your eyes. It’s not supposed to be this way. Schools need a stable staff. Schools need continuity. Schools need to be caring and supportive communities. Schools need to be learning organizations, not a place with a turnstile for teachers, administrators and students. Don’t lose your own values. What is happening today is wrong. It is not education reform. It is wrong. It does not benefit children. It does not improve education. It is wrong. -- Diane Ravitch's Blog

Todd Farley

In other words, all this hoopla about a study Tom Vander Ark calls "groundbreaking" is based on a final conclusion saying only that automated essay scoring engines are able to spew out a number that "by and large" might be "similar" to what a bored, over-worked, under-paid, possibly-underqualified, temporarily-employed human scorer skimming through an essay every two minutes might also spew out. I ask you, has there ever been a lower bar? -- "Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics, or What's Really Up With Automated Essay Scoring" 

Vander Ark dips toe into the charter waters

But after spending more than $1.5 million of investors’ money on consultants and lawyers, Vander Ark walked away from the project, and the schools will not open as planned this fall, leaving others involved stunned and frustrated. -- NYT

Mr. Tillotson, the consultant, said: “It signals what’s wrong with the so-called charter school community. Somebody who doesn’t deserve a charter gets a charter. Somebody who doesn’t deserve a building gets a building. And then somebody who doesn’t care about the communities can turn their head and walk away.”

Am I a Luddite? No

I love my i-phone as much as the next guy. I've been Tweeting all morning, haven't I? And here I am at 6 a.m., on a perfectly good Thursday morning, tied by a thousand threads to the blogging machine. I hope I'm still around in 2020 when I'm sure all kid's will have tracking devices sown into their clothes (skulls?) like the elementary school kids in Contra Costa.

So why am I so unimpressed with all the latest chatter about "innovation" by the education experts over at the National Journal? It's not that I don't find it interesting. I do (wonder why I'm not on the invited list?). I'm especially interested in the tepid responses to Arne Duncan's i3 innovation grants which basically poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the pockets of long-established Duncan favorites like KIPP (are time-outs "I am a miscreant" signs around kids' necks, really innovations?), TFA, and New Leaders.

The problem I have with the whole discussion is that innovation is equated only with technology (Tom VanderArk is even selling ipads). Missing is the total absence of words like, "equity," "democracy," and "community."

Case in point: the early small-schools movement was a real driver of ed-innovation. Why no mention? Same could be said of the Mississippi Freedom Schools of the early 60s. It seems the experts are looking up, not down, for innovation.

No, I'm not a Luddite. I just think that technology and democratic education have to develop in harmony for real innovation to take place.

More on "biting the hand..."

Gates set to speak at AFT convention in Seattle

More on "biting the hand" as Bill Gates preps for his "innovation" speech at the AFT meet in Seattle. $3.3 million for union's Innovation Fund courtesy of Gate/Broad gives him an entry point as the Ownership Society forces pull out all stops to head off a repeat of the NEA RA in New Orleans.

But at ground zero, AFT members are losing jobs in mass-- contract, schmontract. Biggest story yesterday was the RIFing of two veteran, master teachers in Chicago. They thought they would use their years of experience to take leadership positions outside the classroom. This gave Huberman's wolfpack a chance to cut them from the herd and get rid of two veteran salaries. 

"My trust in CPS is gone, literally gone," says master special-ed teacher Deborah Domes. "If I asked someone down there what time it is, I probably would look at the clock to double check. That's how much I don't trust them "

Huberman says, don't worry, "it's for the kids." Let's see how the new CORE union leadership responds.

******

In L.A., oversized Fremont High reopened after mass teacher firings. Lots of  "good, experienced, strong teachers" were reformed out. Of those not coming back, about 70% had refused to interview for their former jobs, says the Times. 

Most of the teachers in one such academy, the Humanitas program, have left, including lead teacher Stephen DeMarco, whose absence was mourned by students waiting outside for school to start. (Tuesday was the official first day of the school year because the 4,500-student campus operates on a year-round schedule.) "The Humanitas teachers supported us," said senior Alex Giron. "Now that we're seniors, we need them more than ever."

Diane Ravitch, an advisor to L.A. Supt. Cortinez when he headed N.Y. schools, called the approach wrongheaded.

 "There is zero support in research or practice for this mindless, punitive scheme to demean teachers," said Ravitch. "Improve schools. Don't fire teachers without individual evaluations."

Tom VanderArk popped up to criticize the Fremont re-opening from the right. VDA headed the education division of the Gates Foundation and currently runs a charter school consulting company.

"Close and replace is the best option," he said. "There's only one thing wrong with the large, struggling high schools of Los Angeles — and that's everything."

So the stage is set for the AFT meeting in Seattle. Should be some interesting fireworks. Stay tuned.

Ownership Society News

Entertainment Properties Trust recently bought five public schools for investment of approximately $44 million.What a deal! (h/t Ken Libby)

N.J. Gov. Christie goes to D.C. to push "deep cuts" in public ed and more "reform"--meaning vouchers. NCAA leader, James Harris  responds: "This is not about ‘school choice.' This is about using precious public funds to subsidize private and religious education."

Tom VanderArk is so excited about Christie, he could pee. But most of all, he's elated over the current budget crisis. It's a "good opportunity for online learning," says VDA.  I can't understand why those 275,000 300,000 teachers and staff getting riffed don't get that. 

Meet Gov.Schwarzenegger's appointed state board. Might as well just appoint Eli Broad himself. (Perimeter Primate).

R.I. board declares war on teachers

Central Falls, R.I. has become the latest battlefield in the war on teachers. After failing to get teachers to trash the district's own collective-bargaining agreement and work longer hours for no pay, Supt. Frances Gallo pushed a board vote yesterday to arbitrarily fire the entire Central High School faculty and staff.

According to yesterday's NYT story: "As soon as the meeting ended, the board went into a closed session and members were not available for comment." Like thieves in the night.

On Tuesday night, several hundred teachers and students, many wearing Central Falls High’s colors of red and blue, packed into the meeting, shouting at Dr. Gallo and school board members. As a board member read the names of people slated for termination, many people were crying.

OINKS: Former Gates screw-up VanderArk, who has re-invented himself as an "edu-entrepreneur" couldn't resist chiming in. Calling the Times story, "hysteria," VDA insisted the teachers weren't fired. They were only "restarted," "made to reapply for their jobs," "non-renewed."

Supt. Gallo is the new Michelle Rhee. She has become the hero of the T-bag set including the Keyboard Militia.

CHILLS: Veteran Central Falls teacher George McLaughlin knew Gallo was bad news shortly after she was brought in to run the district.

McLaughlin says that in an early meeting with Gallo, he referred to the history of events in Central Falls, and Gallo cut him off to say, “History is dead.”

“I got a chill up my spine. It was just a few months after she’d been appointed superintendent.”

Shooting the messenger

Tom VanderArk, Kevin Carey, Lisa Graham-Keegan and other charter cheerleaders are circling the wagons in response to a study released last week by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA that called charter schools "a political success," but a "civil rights failure." The report found that charter schools are more racially segregated than traditional public schools and asserted that those in the western United States are havens for white re-segregation.

I think it was Shakespeare who first wrote: "Don't shoot the messenger."

NEW YEAR QUOTABLES

Tilson on Meier--'She should visit a charter school'

In his latest diatribe, hedge-fund billionaire and educational no-nothing, Whitney Tilson goes off on Deborah Meier, Diane Ravitch, and, Jonathan Kozol, calling their writings, "idiotic" and "moronic." Lines like the one below would be mildly amusing were it not for Tilson's influence in the Bloomberg administration and in Arne Duncan's DOE:

In short, Meier is so ignorant about charters that it boggles my mind. Has she ever visited a high-performing charter school?! I can only assume not.

What Tom VanderArk liked most about the Bush years

1. NCLB--"...marked a consensus that 1) measurement matters, 2) all students deserve good life options, 3) we should rely on average achievement to measure a schools success..." 2. Private control of public schools--"There was a massive increase in education entrepreneurship—school developers, human capital initiatives, and learning platforms—funded by massive new money foundations...Democrats for Education Reform and Education Equality Project joined the fray" 3. The Recession--"brought a new wave of talent into the sector that will make a difference for a generation."

Me: He left out the tsunami, which taught people how to run for higher ground.


What Chicago machine politician, Dan Burke, likes most about the Daley machine

"Yeah, there is a machine. A machine is created to do a job more efficiently."

His opponent, community activist, Rudy Lozano, Jr.

"It's like therapy," he said. "It's the closest true way for me to understand what my father was doing 26 years ago. I missed most of that. This experience has given me the opportunity to walk in those footsteps."

Putting down the insurrection

Rotherham and the boys at Eduwonk worry about the growing resistance movement:

In both counterinsurgency and education reform don’t assume that because the statues in the capital come down the resistance is over.

Me: I think Andrew is badly needed in Kabul.

Latest from the ownership society

Ever heard of RevolutionLearning?

Probably not. Doesn't it sound like some radical '60s N.Y. agit/prop group? Don't worry, it's not. Quite the opposite. RevLearning is actually an international consulting group, hoping to make a few bucks in the ed biz. Their managing partner is Tom Vander Ark--yes that Vander Ark--who still trades on his stint at the Gates Foundation. Here's the rest of the group, including the principals.

Isn't it funny how they now call public school superintendents, "CEOs" while at the same time, calling business CEOs "principals." Well anyway, I think it is.

Here's how they describe themselves:

Revolution Learning is a multi-stage private equity firm focused primarily on growth equity and acquisition opportunities in the global learning market broadly defined.

The global learning market VERY "broadly defined," of course.

RevLearning is spreading the good news internationally about the profitability of public ed reform, especially the profitability of charter schools. In case you don't believe that there's a profit to be made in the world of charters, just check out the job description of Rev Partner Robert J. Hutter:

He is a founding member of a New Markets Tax Credits partnership administered by the U.S. Treasury Department that underwrites major campus real estate transactions for California Statewide Charter school recipients operating in the K-12 space.

Then there's Managing Partner Greg Mauro:

Prior to Revolution, Greg founded eSubscriber, a subscriber management company, and Tachyon, a broadband-satellite pioneer utilized today by U.S. forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Oh, btw, when he's not profiteering in those two war-torn countries, Greg serves as a Trustee at the High Tech High Foundation. Rev Associate Gil Shafir, a Wall St. investment guy, is also a graduate of High Tech High.

The only Rev exec who's not a black-suit jacket-white shirt-with-no-tie wearing-white guy (they look like they should be on the team at Morning Joe), is Principal Alice Wang, another Wall St. investment person (JP Morgan).

Is this what they've done with our bailout money?

Inside Chicago's school 'renaissance'

CPS bans Twitter

H/t to Russo on this one. It's Huberman's latest edict -- No communicating with students or their families via personal email. No cell phones. No Twitter. No Facebook.

Just a few days after patting itself on the back for enlisting a R&B singer with a MySpace page and lots of Twitter followers, CPS's new email policy (PDF) requiring teachers to use official email for all communications with students has come to light.

Paying for test scores?

National Journal's panel of experts holds forth on paying kids for test scores. Responses are pretty much as expected (except the V.P. of the Chamber of Commerce is opposed).

Alfie Kohn: "Rewards, like punishments, can produce only one thing: temporary obedience. What they can never do is help kids become more effective or enthusiastic learners."

Monty Neill: "Test score 'bribes' for students are like steroids for athletes -- they can temporarily boost performance, but their long-term impact damages the very thing you are trying to improve."

Those in favor include former Bush advisor Sandy Kress and of course, VanderArk.

VanderArk credits power philanthropy

Former Gates Foundation front man, Tom VanderArk confirms pretty much everything we wrote in our book, about the disproportional influence exercised by power philanthropists (Gates, Broad, Walton, etc...) over current public ed policy.

VanderArk writes:

Duncan's announcement of Race the Top criteria didn't come out of the blue -- it's the result of the smart investment of several billion dollars by a coalition of foundations supporting the work of hundreds of education policy entrepreneurs.

He calls the new educational agenda "a consensus" created over the past 8 years and an extention of No Child Left Behind.

The difference between us and VDA is, he marvels at the power of power philanthropy and its ability to leverage billions of dollars behind an ownership society agenda-- and we don't.

Quotables

Arne Duncan sums up his communique from the DOE during his term as Chicago's school boss:

“It wasn’t a call about teaching kids to read,” Duncan recalled. “It was a call about a compliance report or something."

Mayor Daley, responding to his school board president's involvement in an Olympics land deal:

"The facts are wrong."

Tom VanderArk marvels at the power of power philanthropy and its ownership society agenda:

The 'human capital' agenda has also matured in the last eight years with the scaled success of foundation favorites Teach for America, New Leaders, and New Teacher Project.

The running of the rabbits

A week ago I wrote about former Gates Foundation lieutenant, Tom VanderArk and the way he wanted to divide states seeking stimulus money, up between rabbits, rebels and laggards. The laggards, those states that might question VDA's (Duncan's) 8-point reform package, would be hard pressed to receive any federal dollars, if he had his way. As an example of a rabbit state ("those ready to move") VDA offered up only Florida, even though it's the state with the lowest high school completion rate in the nation.

What then does he like about Florida? He says, they "put data to work to narrow the achievement gap."

Well, according to the Palm Beach Post, they sure put data to work all right. Half of Palm Beach students performing below grade level attend A-rated schools. The Post reports that Palm Beach County's highest rated A schools do no better than D and F schools at teaching the students who are most behind.

That stinging indictment comes directly from the Palm Beach County School District in a proposal for a $120 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Usually district administrators tout Palm Beach County as a shining star among the state's urban districts, the only one to earn an A rating five years in a row.

As you might expect, PB district leaders blame the failure completely on the teachers. claiming in their Gates grant proposal, that, "70% of their teachers are ineffective." That alone ought to get them some Gates money. The district's grant proposal calls for shifting over to merit pay, paying teachers on the basis of test scores and dividing them up into one of four categories: associate, professional, master and Palm Beach Certified.

How will that improve teaching/learning for the bottom quartile of students? Well maybe Tom VanderArk can explain that to us. In the meantime, Florida's data gathering system (grading of schools A to F) continues to make it the laughing stock of the nation.

Rabbits, rebels, and laggards

Tom VanderArk, as much as anyone, helped set the Gates Foundation's education program on its current tragic course. It was VDA who, before he was bounced from leadership, claimed that high school transformation was "too difficult," pushing instead for closing 1,000 high schools, devastating entire neighborhoods, and replacing them with privately-managed charters. The latter have been shown to perform no better on average, than the former. It was also VDA who created the conditions for Gates' abandonment of small schools.

Now he's at it again. Writing on Huffington, VDA gives Obama's Race-to-The-Top (RTT) reforms their worst possible spin. RTT's 8 major points are broad enough to unite blue-dog republicrats with the leadership of the teacher unions. But VDA can't resist putting his own divisive stamp on them.

In his words, the $4.35 billion in RTT money should be be used to "feed the rabbits" (the states ready to move) and not "the rebel, laggard, and the complacent states" [let's just call them RLCs-mk.]. I guess the RLC states are any who question things like the willy-nilly expansion of privately-managed charters or more testing madness.

To give you an indication of where VDA is going with this, one of the rabbits he wants to feed, the only one he mentions by name, is Florida, the state with the largest high schools in the nation to go along with the lowest high school completion rate. Florida's school grading system, using ABCDF letter grades to label districts based solely on FCAT scores, became the laughing stock of the nation when dozens of A and B districts were punished by the feds for failing to make AYP under No Child Left Behind.

RTT demands that districts develop high quality data systems. If Florida with its Jeb Bush/FCAT legacy, becomes the model for rabbits, one can better understand the RLC's. Thanks for clarifying, Tom.