When Playing "The Race Card" Goes Wrong

Trying to overcome my insomnia blues early this morning, I start reading online news that I missed since I last was awaken. Then I stumbled across this:



All I could do initially was to shake my head in disbelief and embarrassment.

I heard about this press conference a few days ago. On the local news stations, they showed snippets of this video in their coverage of this press conference. But after viewing this press conference in its entirety has evoked so many emotions within me...including outrage.

As a black educator, I am completely outdone with the Concerned Black Clergy (CBC), a group of local black pastors in the Atlanta area. Their plead to stop the criminal investigation of Atlanta Public School (APS) teachers in the cheating scandal was well intended; yet, the angle the CBC took to rationalize their plead was insane at best. Preaching that APS black teachers should not go to jail for helping [black] students pass standardized tests they were presumed to fail will not help the teachers' cause:

Will we put teachers in jail that help students passed because they knew or they know that students were smarter than a test measure?

Now, there are some things I do wholeheartedly agree with the speaker:

• Educational disparities among black and white students, especially in the South
• Overemphasis of standardized testing 
• Underemphasis on "initiative, creativity, imagination, conceptual thinking, curiosity, efforts to build and improve good will and ethical reflection, and a host of other valuable attributes" in public schools
• Adverse impact of APS cheating scandal on local economy, schools, and the community
• History of racism in public education and in the media (particularly the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• The big business ($500-700 million) of standardized testing
• More support for public schools

However, their using of the race card to condone the cheating that occur in schools by teachers is beyond misguided and outrageous. Here's why...

Although I didn't teach in APS, during pre-planning in every school district in Georgia, we teachers went through a mandated in-service on The Codes of Ethics for Educators, which spoke against cheating of any form. In addition, prior to administering any standardized tests, generally, site-based test coordinators reviewed the testing rules and consequences for infractions with teachers. Also, teachers were required to sign an agreement form to adhere to these testing rules. Therefore, the teachers (and administrators for that matter) KNEW BETTER and chose to do otherwise; thus, they should be held accountable. However, for the guilty teachers only, I don't believe they should literally go to jail IF they told the truth to investigators AND they were pressured by administrators to change answers on the student test answer sheets. Their teaching licenses, however, should be temporarily revoked for 1-2 years, if this was their first offense, and permanently revoked if this was their 2nd+ time. For guilty administrators, since they should lead by example, their penalty should be more stringent, including some jail time.

Last year, another metro Atlanta school system in Dekalb County went through a similar cheating scandal at an elementary school, resulting in the temporary suspension of the licenses of two  administrators. Below is an internal e-mail sent to all employees from the (now former) superintendent, addressing the aftermath of this scandal:

----- Original Message -----

From:           Postmaster      Wednesday, June 24, 2009 12:28:25 PM
Subject:        Message From the Superintendent
To:             News Flash

====================
INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
====================

To:             All DeKalb Employees
From:   Dr. Crawford Lewis, Superintendent
Subject:        Message From the Superintendent
Date:   24 June 2009

As you know by now, Atherton Elementary School was recently implicated in
the CRCT cheating scandal that has been a source of much publicity by the
Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC).

As Superintendent, I was both concerned and surprised that this
investigation was elevated to the front page of Sunday’s AJC newspaper and
warranted a probe by the District Attorney’s office.   Dr. James Berry and
Mrs. Doretha Alexander are good people who made a grave mistake.  They
both acknowledged their involvement and accepted their consequences.  They
have served the DeKalb School System with distinction for many years.  It
is important that you know that the school district was not consulted nor
played any role in their recent arrests.  While we do not condone their
actions in any way, they should be allowed to move on with their lives.

DeKalb County School System is a family, and during difficult times family
should come together.  As a family, I am asking the entire system to reach
out to Dr. Berry and Mrs. Alexander and show your support.  An e-mail,
card or phone call will go a long way towards showing Dr. Berry and Mrs.
Alexander that we still care about them.  The DeKalb County School System
is a great school district working together to ensure that all of our
students are successful and prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st
Century.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------Distributed
By
The DeKalb County Postmaster
CommunityNet
http://fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

Off topic: I wonder if teachers would have received this type of "love" if they were guilty of similar offense. His history of cronyism and corruption has finally caught up with the former superintendent as he and three of his buddies were indicted on racketeering charges in late May of this year. Unfortunately, it is worthy to note that all the parties involved (in the email and indictment) were black.

Regardless of race, cheating incidents on standardized testing are a growing problem in many American school districts. As my friend and former union colleague, Patrick Crabtree, explained, cheating is an unintentional consequence of tying student test scores to school performance and teachers' careers:

Patrick Crabtree, an APS elementary schoolteacher who heads the Atlanta Association of Educators, said his group has helped teachers caught up in the probe find lawyers to represent them and has helped pay the legal fees by tapping into a National Education Association legal assistance program. A number of school principals have retained their own defense attorneys. 

The investigation should focus on school leaders and their tactics, Crabtree said, because principals and administrators pressured and “bullied” teachers to meet academic targets. 

“This overt threat of job loss, bonuses and pay for performance created this climate,” Crabtree said. “It was stated that targets must be met ‘by any means necessary.’ ” 

No one condones unethical behavior, he said, but “when an ethical person operates under constant threats, they will do unethical things, simply for survival. I have met with the investigating team and they assured me that they are not out to ‘get the teacher’ and they want to go after the ones who created the climate. That part I commend them [for] but, in many cases, the threats have been a bit much.” 

Indeed, the bigger picture here needs to be address to curb cheating in the future; unfortunately, it will not happen anytime soon because Pres. Obama and other ed deformers are pushing for more emphasis on standardized testing. Nevertheless, falsifying legal documents (i.e. answer sheets of high-stakes tests) and perjury are felony offenses, according to Georgia state law. To enhance the already broken public faith in the judicial system, any person, regardless of race, ommitting any felony infraction should be punished fairly. As black people, we have come a long way; yet we know that racism is still prevalent in this country. But using race as an excuse for condoning wrongdoing is counterproductive, troubling, and unjustifiable. As black people, we need to forge ahead, not step further backward by using the race card at the wrong damn time!

Be Careful What You Ask For...

A few weeks ago, I heard about a new law passed in California earlier this year that empowered parents to transform failing schools. Under the new "parent trigger" law, if 51% of the parents of any public school sign a petition, they can "trigger" (i.e., force school districts to use) measures to transform the school via converting into a charter school, firing of principal and/or staff, or closing the school. Spearheaded by Parent Revolution, an advocacy group seeking to pursue "kids-only" interests in improving public education, this legislation will serve a precedent in empowering parents as similar laws may be passed in six states -- Connecticut, New Jersey, West Virginia, Michigan, Indiana, and Georgia. See video below for an introduction to this group:



Yesterday, a group of parents at McKingley Elementary School in Compton, CA used their parent trigger authority to demand a change. Seeking to convert this failing school into a charter school, the parents' action will mark the first time implementing the law. See video below for more on their perspectives:



So far, their actions have received praises from the state governor and several ed deformers, like Secretary Arne Duncan and Michelle Rhee, who made a recent unannounced visit to these parents giving them a "pep talk", according to the LA Times. Plus, this may inspire other states and similar groups nationwide to do the same thing.

While I feel it is always great to see parents involved in education reform debate, I have mixed views about this. Based on my professional experiences with parents as a teacher, I believe that parental empowerment can be a dangerous thing. While some parents, like those in Parent Revolution, believe that teachers and their unions are more concerned with "adult interests", I believe these parents, to a certain degree, will entertain subjective viewpoints in addressing needs of their own children, not all children. Plus, these parents have fallen or will fall for the hype that charter schools is the only way to go.

It is already alleged by some critics that Parent Revolution have some connections with corporations and people who embrace the corporate takeover of public schools formation of charter schools. There is Steve Barr, the chair of Parent Revolution's Board of Directors, who is also the founder of a charter school network organization, Green Dot America (check out the interesting list of people on its Board of Directors). According to an article by LA Weekly on the McKingley case,


...Parent Revolution, with 10 full-time staff members and a $1 million annual operating budget, is funded by blue-chip philanthropic endeavors, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wasserman Foundation, the Broad Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation.

In addition, California Federation of Teachers, one of the state's teachers unions, unapologetically called the parent trigger law "a lynch mob provision". In addressing the McKingley situation, according to LA Times, this is what the other state teachers union said:

But the mobilization at McKinley has raised concerns. Two school board members and a district spokesman said they were not aware of the petition drive before being contacted Monday by the media, and the state teachers union criticized the effort's low profile.

"How transparent was this process?" asked Frank Wells, a spokesman for the California Teachers Assn. "Did they hold forums for parents to discuss what's going on with the school staff?" He also said the chosen charter, Celerity Educational Group, should have competed publicly against other possible choices.

Good questions. Based on what I have read thus far, there is no documented evidences proving that measures were taken beforehand to inform the local board or announced public hearings for parents to bring their concerns. If these things did happen and the local board did nothing, then they should be made public nationally to bring some objectivity to the McKingley parents' case. Otherwise, this appears to be an effort to bulldozer reform in a highly subjective manner.

In conducting any type of scientific research, once the problem has been identified, the next step is to research the problem by finding out as much information possible about the problem. Then one proposed possible solutions to the problem and test them. Based on the data collected, one will either validate the proposed solutions or make some changes and start the process over. While the problems with our schools are obvious, well-documented, and agreed upon by everyone, the proposed solutions vary and can be categorized into two subjective groups: sensible and insensible. The McKinley parents believe that conversion into a charter school is the ONLY way to improve their failing public school. Yet, there are research studies that questioned the effectiveness of charter schools. I wonder were they aware of these studies? Also, I wonder if they were aware of many instances in other states where parents' inputs are being shut out in charter schools' affairs? Thankfully as there are a growing number of parents who support charter schools, there are just as many parents who support public schools. Nevertheless, this is about the children of McKinley; I pray their parents went into this with their eyes wide open, for the children's sake.

Be careful what you ask for...

UPDATE: As previously mentioned, Georgia is one of the states considering to passing a similar parent trigger law. Already, some citizens in the metro Atlanta area are seriously embracing the idea...*sigh*

Breaking News: China's Emergence Expands into Education

Courtesy of AJC's Get Schooled

This is just in: Forget Finland! China (Shanghai) is now ranked #1 internationally in education!

Based on the 2009 PISA test scores released today, the students in China's most populous city outperformed their international peers in reading, math, and science tests. What's so stunning is this is China's debut in international standardized testing! See graphic below for international ranking results:

So how did they do it? What was their secret to success? There are plausible explanations from two sources:

According to The Two Million Minutes blog,

One might argue that the Chinese have distorted the results in a variety of ways:

1. Testing kids in China's most developed city
2. Pressuring kids to take the test more seriously than their international peers
3. Even stacking the deck by holding top students in Shanghai schools an extra year to get better results.

From several years experience in China, I know a few things for certain:

• If there is a way to "game" the system, the Chinese will find it
• National pride is a huge motivator of the Chinese people
• Winning at all costs is a Chinese attribute

According to The New York Times,


Mr. Schneider, however, noted some factors that may have influenced the outcome. 

For one thing, Shanghai is a huge migration hub within China. Students are supposed to return to their home provinces to attend high school, but the Shanghai authorities could increase scores by allowing stellar students to stay in the city, he said. And Shanghai students apparently were told the test was important for China’s image and thus were more motivated to do well, he said.


Chinese students spend less time than American students on athletics, music and other activities not geared toward success on exams in core subjects. Also, in recent years, teaching has rapidly climbed up the ladder of preferred occupations in China, and salaries have risen. In Shanghai, the authorities have undertaken important curricular reforms, and educators have been given more freedom to experiment. 

Regardless of how it was done, like with Finland, there are some lessons to be learned by all of us in America, especially the cost-cutting, quickies-endorsed ed deformers.

UPDATE: Here is Sec. Duncan, a fellow ed deformer, on his take on this news:

Today’s PISA results show that America needs to urgently accelerate student learning to remain competitive in the global economy of the 21st century. More parents, teachers, and leaders need to recognize the reality that other high-achieving nations are both out-educating us and out-competing us. Our educational system has a long way to go to fulfill the American promise of education as the great equalizer.

Being average in reading and science -- and below average in math -- is not nearly good enough in a knowledge economy where scientific and technological literacy is so central to sustaining innovation and international competitiveness. The results are especially troubling because PISA assesses applied knowledge and the higher-order thinking skills critical to success in the information age.

How ironic!

In addition, School Matters reported an interesting perspective on how poverty greatly influenced the American student performance on the 2009 PISA tests.

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining: A Tale of Three Cities' Locals

As a part of my daily morning routine to skim various online newspapers, magazines, and blogs, on the front page of Huffington Post's Education page was this headline:

Union leader to Michelle Rhee: "We invite you to work with us"

My immediate reactions were WHY, RANDI WHY? OMG! UGH!

While I shouldn't be surprised by this, AFT President Randi Weingarten rather offered an olive branch to Rhee than mobilized her base for an inevitable fight against her and the other ed deformers. On too many occasions, Rhee has consistently made it known she has no interest in working with teachers unions like AFT in reforming education. The kind gesture wasn't necessary, Randi! Trying to play "the good guy" here isn't working for you, Randi! In fact, it makes us more vulnerable to scapegoating and look weaker. This appeasing efforts of yours, Randi, can be easily equated with President Obama as he is currently seeking to "make-a-deal" on extending tax cuts for the rich with GOP Congressional leaders, all of whom made it known they are seeking to end his presidency in 2012. I can't tell how much you and Obama continue to disappoint me!

Thank God for a silver lining!

On a local level in three cities, union leaders are winning battles as each of these locals are "cleaning house" by ushering in new leadership:

• Earlier this year, CTU (Chicago Teacher Union) members overwhelmingly voted for CORE (Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators) candidates to take over all aspects of its local union leadership, ending a long history of incompetence and questionable governance from its incumbent.
• Over a week ago, in a highly-prolific election, educators Nathan Saunders and Candi Peterson, of the Saunders slate, won the president and vice-president slots, respectively, of the Washington [DC] Teachers Union, ousting the "holdover" incumbent who compromised with former school chancellor Rhee for a new, yet controversial teacher evaluation system which resulted in the senseless firing of nearly 250 DC teachers.
• Late last night, Schools Matter reported an interesting turn of events unfolding in Detroit, which may have a great impact on the outcome of an upcoming runoff election in its local teacher union. Candidate Steve Conn is running for DFT (Detroit Federation of Teachers) President against long-term "sellout" incumbent, who has embraced and supported the ed deformers' tactics of reform in Detroit public schools. More to follow...

Therefore, the moral of the story is CHANGE MUST BEGIN FROM THE BOTTOM UP! Even within our teacher unions, there is a need for change as our leaders, especially at the national level, are compromising our interests for the sake of getting along with the powerful and wealthy ed deformers. They are not willing to keep the peace; so why should we? Our unions need leadership which reflects that. As eloquently, yet concisely stated by education blogger William Ferriter in his HuffPost-Education blog entry last week:

Teacher working conditions are students learning conditions.

Despite what the ed deformers say, most teachers are not seeking a lucrative career in which they will have for life. Instead, we are looking for ways

1. To protect teachers from arbitrary termination via due process rights; 
2. To improve school culture and physical conditions that foster learning in a safe environment; and  
3. To enhance the professional image of teaching by meaningful professional development, attractive salaries and benefits, teacher leadership opportunities, and collegiality among teachers

These are the fundamental precepts that teachers unions should always fight for in ensuring that every child receives a quality education in an adequate school setting. If union leaders fail to adhere to the fundamentals, then they needed to be booted out!

Michelle Rhee...Revisited: Enhancing Her Prowess with Studentsfirst.org

As expected, Michelle Rhee, the former DC School Chancellor, has been a very quiet, yet busy bee since resigning from her post nearly two months ago. However, her discreet efforts have come to fruition today as she revealed her new political endeavor: Studentfirst.org, a newly-launched website devoted to initiate a grass root movement for her brand of education reform. Of course, she was praised by her ed deformer friends, like Oprah (who allowed Rhee to formally announced her new initiative on today's episode, which I missed by the way) and side-eyed by her critics. Nevertheless, Rhee is exceptional in taking advantage of the spotlight to advance her philosophy and her agenda.  On the Take Action page of her website, there is one statement that perhaps I agree with her the most:

Parents, teachers, students, and citizens: The movement begins with you.

I could spend some time bashing Rhee, but, at the end of the day, it will be pointless. Whether we like it or not, her message resonates with many people. As polarizing as she is, she is continuing to press forward in her quest to reform public education that consistent with privatization. Plus, her allies of powerful, wealthy individuals and entities are growing. In a Newsweek cover story released today, Rhee made it clear not only she is in the fight for the long haul, but also she will fight against anyone who obstruct her efforts to "transform education" i.e., allow a corporate takeover of public schools. Just as in her condescending "manifesto" with her former boss, ousted DC mayor Adrian Fenty, she blamed teachers unions, school boards, and others for being obstacles to her brand of change; even though she acknowledged, in the Newsweek piece, she failed to involve teachers, parents and the community more during her tenure in DC. Essentially, Studentfirst.org will become a propagation instrument to further polarize the public in the education reform debate.

What I find most amusing, yet hypocritical of Rhee's new initiative is her rationale for conflict, as described in the final paragraph of the Newsweek article:

Lastly, we can’t shy away from conflict. I was at Harvard the other day, and someone asked about a statement that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and others have made that public-school reform is the civil-rights issue of our generation. Well, during the civil-rights movement they didn’t work everything out by sitting down collaboratively and compromising. Conflict was necessary in order to move the agenda forward. There are some fundamental disagreements that exist right now about what kind of progress is possible and what strategies will be most effective. Right now, what we need to do is fight. We can be respectful about it. But this is the time to stand up and say what you believe, not sweep the issues under the rug so that we can feel good about getting along. There’s nothing more worthwhile than fighting for children. And I’m not done fighting. 

As passionate as she sounds, this is a woman who has NEVER -- to the best of my knowledge -- made a concerted effort to collaborate with others in reforming education, particularly with those who dissented her stance. Successful civil rights activists always sought consensus first! All of this hoopla are nothing more than Rhee using her public relations prowess to bulldozer her soundbites in the public psyche...and they are eating it up, begging for more.

There is a lesson to be learned here. We educators and public school advocates have to do a better job in getting the truth out. We all agree our public schools are broken and desperately need to be fixed; we diverge in how to do it, maybe with the exception of "cleaning house" at top-heavy central/district office. It is a sad case that ed deformers and teachers are fighting with one another over what is academically best for the children. But are children the REAL focus here? Both sides claimed so. However, the actions of both sides are contrary and questionable. Nevertheless, I will never side with anyone who oppose public schools and the professionalism of teachers. It will be ideal if both parties can actually put their differences aside and make reasonable compromises for the sake of the children. Unfortunately, that is a mere fantasy as the "righteous" ed deformers drew blood first, long before Studentsfirst.org. According to public opinion, Rhee and her ed deformer cohorts are winning, but it's not over yet.

UPDATE: In case you missed the Oprah episode when Rhee first announced Studentsfirst.org, you can see it below...

The Oprah Effect on Education

While I am not a die-hard fan of The Oprah Winfrey Show, I have always admired her for her philanthropist and humanitarian work, as well as her rise-to-the-top success story to become one of the most influential figures of our time. Perhaps that explains why recently I was disheartened when Oprah became one of the advocates of the current education reform movement. Earlier this fall, she used her show to promote Waiting For Superman and the ed deformers' propagandized message. That episode sparked so much outrage from supporters and opponents of education reform, she devoted another episode a few days later to further push the ed deformers' brand of reform. Her influence and support were a big asset to the ed deformers and a major blow to us teachers and public education supporters. A prime example of how powerful her meddling is was her recent endorsement of her magazine's publisher, Cathie Black, as the next school chancellor of New York City public schools. She lives in Chicago; what do NYC schools have to do with you, Oprah?

From a recent conversation I had with one of my friends, I was reminded of something she said about American urban schoolchildren nearly four years ago. In response to possible criticism for opening a lavish, all-girl school in Africa instead of in America, in a candid interview with Newsweek, Oprah implied American urban students are spoiled and materialistic. This is an except of the interview:

Oprah also knows that some people will complain that charity should begin at home, even though she has provided millions of dollars to educate poor children in the United States, especially via her Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program. But she sees the two situations as entirely different. "Say what you will about the American educational system--it does work," she says. "If you are a child in the United States, you can get an education." And she doesn't think that American students--who, unlike Africans, go to school free of charge--appreciate what they have. "I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn't there," she says. "If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don't ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school."

While she is entitled to spend her money as she pleases, is it fair to call her out on her hypocrisy? I would think that, nearly four years later, her induction as an ed deformer would spark her to create a charter school or better yet, a private academy on American soil. With her clout and money, why not? Oprah, you don't think American urban youth are deserving of that type of charity from you; yet you will ignorantly support education reform tactics that are not research-sounded and will be detrimental to student learning.

I always thought of Oprah as a successful woman of integrity and strong convictions who never forgotten where she came from. Well, change is good...even a change of mind.

TFA - Giving Back or Moving Up?

Since its inception in 1990, there has been intense debate on the effectiveness of Teach for America [TFA], an non-profit organization that recruit recent graduates from selective colleges and universities to commit two years into teaching in low-performing schools, urban or rural. It is like the Peace Corps for education. It is great to see young people who are willing to sacrifice jump-starting their careers in their respective fields to work in hard-to-staff schools with low pay and under challenging conditions. However educating children should be a life-long investment of personal time, money, and effort, not a temporal charity gig to make your resume look good. While its intentions are good and it does supplement additions to an already-struggling teaching workforce, TFA is deeply tied to the current education reform movement as a cost-effective, simple means to train and hired future teachers.

How effective are TFA recruits in the classrooms? Several research studies over the years showed mixed results. However, it doesn't matter to me. TFA recruits are required to teach for ONLY two years. For most teachers, they are still going through the blues of surviving the kids, while learning and improving in their craft. In addition, most TFA recruits leave the classroom after their two-year commitment expires. So whatever impact they did make in the classroom will be short-lived. Ironically, several TFA alumni, such as the darling of education reform, former DC School Chancellor Michelle Rhee; her replacement, Kaya Henderson; and Mike Feinberg and David Levin, founders of the famous KIPP network of charter schools; have stayed in the education arena by moving up the ladder after fulfilling their two-year commitment. With its TFA connections, New Leaders for New Schools [NLNS], a non-profit organization that trains educators and non-educators to become principals. Although NLNS residents are required to make a six-year commitment to the program, the bulk of their training begins with a four-week intense sessions of coursework over the summer before they start their on-the-job training residency in an assigned school, which includes two week-long seminars on leadership skills throughout the school year; the remaining years of their residency consist of continual on-the-job training and seminars, as well as completion of portfolio-like projects and leadership assessment. Plus, many NLNS alumni become principals of charter schools.

If TFA alumni who leave the classroom do not pursue educational leadership positions, they go back to pursue a career they graduated in, particularly in corporate America. More than ever, I believe this to be evident in light of the recent recruitment notification explicitly for recent TFA recruits to work for famed investment banking firm, Goldman-Sachs. With an offer to work for a prestigious employer for a very lucrative salary, why would a TFA alumnus stay in the teaching profession long-term? Wait! I thought TFA was supposed to ease the current teacher shortages. Yet, I digress!

So why joined TFA to begin with? To give back to the community by educating our most challenging students? Or to use the TFA experience as a stepping stone to a better career? So has the teaching profession become a charity case? Did I and many other educators who underwent years of formal training and dedicated our lives to educating children do so in vain? And while it is common knowledge that nearly half of traditionally- or alternative-certified teachers leave the profession within their first five years, why complicate the problem by creating another revolving door via TFA? Even within the current education reform debate, there is little to no talk of ways of retaining existing teachers. While it is cheaper to keep her (or him) in the classroom, compensation for years of experiences and credential for that teacher is still more expensive than compensation for an uncertified TFA recruit. Therefore, all of this goes back to cutting cost and making money, at the expense of our children's future.

One final note: Last week, education historian and critic of the current education reform movement, Diane Ravitch, gave a "tough love" speech on education reform to a large audience on onlookers, including KIPP and TFA officials. Below is the video clip of her entire speech.


REEP, KIPP and TFA Lecture Series from Jon Paul Estrada on Vimeo.

In addition, TFA alumnus, Jesse Hagopian, wrote an candid op-ed , which is also featured in a recent  SocialistWorker.org article, on his "not-so-prepared" experiences in TFA and made a case for why the Seattle School Board should not bring the TFA program there in its city and schools. Unfortunately, the school board voted for it.

UPDATE: Another TFAer, Eric Maroney, speaks out; click here on what he has to say about a TFA fundraising dinner he recently attend. It gets no plainer than this...

Dunce Hat Award Recipient...Marlon Dorsey

And the Dunce Hat Award goes to...

I am on a roll today...

*sigh*

Lately, when bad teachers make the headlines, the typical reasons are

• Having intimate yet inappropriate relationship with students,
• Child pornography,
• Stealing money,
• Cheating on high-stakes tests,
• Questionable Facebook postings, and
• Hitting/fighting with a student.

While this story surely can fit into the last category on the list, what differentiate it from other stories of the past was the teacher's rationale and mixed reactions from others. In case you haven't heard, according to The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi high school basketball coach, Mr. Marlon Dorsey, was caught beating one of his players during practice in Murrah High School gym, in front of other players and other spectators; one of the spectators recorded the incident via cell phone. Now Mr. Dorsey is suspended; The Grio article states suspension with out pay, while the ESPN article states suspension with pay. In addition, parents of three players are suing Mr. Dorsey and the school. This incident has sparked outrage among other parents, while a few supporters of Mr. Dorsey will be content with a formal apology. Nevertheless, what's more interesting about this case is that Mr. Dorsey believed he was doing his players a favor. He released this statement:  

I took it upon myself to save these young men from the destruction of self and what society has accepted and become silent to the issues our students are facing on a daily basis. I am deeply remorseful of my actions to help our students.  

Furthermore, he claimed he beat his players "for a variety of reasons, including disrespecting teachers, stealing cell phones, leaving campus without permission, being late for class and not following the dress code."

As a Black woman who was raised "by the belt", I do understand where Mr. Dorsey is coming from; he was enforcing his brand of "discipline" to keep his players in line. Nevertheless, he broke the law as corporal punishment is illegal in the state. Also, he probably felt, since he is a man and his players looked up to him, he could get away with this. Despite the wrongs they may have done, he publicly humiliated those kids. That's never a good luck for a teacher!

Mr. Dorsey, 

While your intentions were good, you took the law in your own hands by violating children via harsh beatings and public humiliation. You got caught red handed and now it is your turn to experience the painful backlash for your actions. Hence, you made it harder for the rest of us to earn the public trust. Therefore, on behalf of every good, hard-working, and law-abiding teacher and public servant, I present to you the Dunce Hat Award...

HIT THE ROAD, JACK!!!!!!!!!!

Dunce Hat Award Recipient -- Frank Melchiorre

And the Dunce Hat Award goes to...

Courtesy of Gothamist

In light of the current education reform movement, where we teachers are vilified and blamed for everything wrong with public schools, the last thing I need to do is to put a teacher "on blast". However, I will make an exception for this case. According to this Gothamist article, Mr. Frank Melchiorre, a NJ science teacher, was arrested for providing his students marijuana and alcohol at HIS HOME during "tutorial sessions". The students loved him so much, they even made a Facebook fan page to express their appreciation; they thought he was such a "kool" teacher.

First of all, WTF was he thinking?

Second of all, what made him think he WOULD NOT get caught?

Third of all, why are some commentators (in the article) actually condoning this foolishness? When I posted this article on my Facebook page, some of my friends insisted that he wouldn't have never got caught if this has happened when they were in school. I just SMH...

One of the biggest mistakes young teachers make is trying to befriend your students by giving into their whelms. I know...been there, done that! (Yet, not to this extreme). Now his young career is all but finished. While it is possible the students may get into trouble as well, the law will be more lenient to them and less on the teacher. Why? Whether we like it or not, part of our job is to be positive role models for our students.

Mr. Melchiorre,

Due to your lack of common sense and your disregard for the law, as well as your influential role as a teacher and public servant, you just made our fight for professionalism and respect  much harder to overcome. Therefore, on behalf of every good, hard-working, and law-abiding teacher, I would like to present to you the Dunce Hat Award...

HAVE A NICE LIFE, LOSER!!!!!!!!!

Pure Insanity: The Sudden Change in NYC School Chancellor

Courtesy of NY Times/Seth Wenig

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results ~ Albert Einstein

By now, everyone has heard about the sudden resignation of litigator-turn-NYC School Chancellor, Joel Klein, and his surprised replacement, Hearst Publishing executive, Cathie Black. So, basically, another non-educator will take over the helm and continue the havoc that Klein started, with the assistance of his now former voice, Dictator Mayor Micheal Bloomberg. This morning, the NY Times initiated a "Room for Debate" segment on who is qualified for this job. Really! What was the point of this piece? According to Bloomberg, who cares; he is the boss and he can hired whomever he wants, even if that person is obviously not qualified for the job.

In addition to yesterday's protest in London, today's episode of Democracy Now! also discussed the sudden exodus of Klein and his tenure as NYC School Chancellor:



By now, praises, criticisms, and "shock waves" have flooded the internet since this story broke two days ago. Nevertheless, thanks to Failing Schools recent blog entry, below is a YouTube clip showing how NYC constituents really feel about the legacy of tyranny, corruption, and failure that Joel Klein leaves behind:



Let us hope and pray for the children of NYC...*sigh*

UPDATE: After weeks of public outcry and concession for a "no.2 educator position", the state education commissioner granted the waiver for Black to become the next NYC School Chancellor. God help us...

London Bridge Is Falling Down

Courtesy of NY Times/David Kitwood

On yesterday, in one of the biggest demonstrations in decades, over 50,000 British college students and their supporters participated in a protest in London. The protesters opposed the government's push to increase college tuition while cutting funding for higher education expenses. While it initially started out peacefully, some demonstrators behave violently, breaking windows, storming in the Conservative Party's headquarters building, and throwing out objects from the building onto the streets. In all, at least 14 persons were injured while 35 protesters were arrested. Unions leaders and protest organizers are planning for additional demonstrations to come. For more on the story, read the articles from The New York Times and SocialistWorker.org, as well as view today's episode on Democracy Now!



Perhaps the most interesting piece of information mentioned in the video clip is the guest's comments on the significance of protesting:

Courtesy of NY Times/Dominic Lipinksi

Well, one of the things that’s really inspiring about this is how big and how inventive the protest and fightback movement is. And I think this is really helpful for American viewers, where the only fightback that we’re seeing over here from you guys seems to be from this massive exercise in false consciousness, the Tea Party, where people claim to be standing up frontally and they’re in fact installed in office later, stooges for Wall Street and other vested interests. Here, there’s been a much more interesting fightback.

The guest, British columnist Johann Hari, in fact, wrote an article on this same topic the day before the London protest for The Huffington Post. Essentially, he advocated for peaceful demonstrations of the working class and the poor in opposing corporate takeover and influence in government. One of the historical examples Hari used in proving the effectiveness of a peaceful protest is the recent protest of Vodafone. A major mobile phone company in Britain, Vodafone had evaded paying taxes for years; to add insult to injury, the current Conservatives-run government allowed Vodafone to legally continue not to pay taxes. All of this unfold when the same government voted for cessation of housing (and other) subsides to the poor. When the media reported on these, the public became outraged. Initiated by a small group of people who put the word out via Twitter, there was a small protest of a local Vodafone store, which cause the abrupt closing of that store. The news of this protest spread like wildfire throughout Great Britain; consequently, 21 stores around the country were closed due to local protests at the stores' locations.

This story reminded me of the Greensboro's Sit-ins in the 1960's, where four black North Carolina A&T University students went into a local Woolworth's store and sat at the whites-only lunch counter. While those students were harassed and later arrested, once released, they did it again, until the store merchant serve them the same way the white customers were. News of this spread throughout the country, sparking similar acts of protest in other Woolworth's locations as well as in other stores where Jim Crow laws were enforced. The Greensboro Sit-ins spearheaded what is now known as the Civil Right Movement. If it wasn't for those four brave souls, as an Black woman, I wouldn't have the opportunities to enjoy the freedoms and rights I so often take for granted.

Courtesy of SocialistWorker.org/Geoff Dexter

Today is Veterans' Day, where Americans celebrate the lives of current, former, and deceased soldiers who have fought and are still fighting to protect us as well as our rights and freedoms. One of those freedoms include the right to protest. Right now, in England, the Conservative Party controls the national government; as a result, they are enhancing the power of the rich and wealthy at the expense of the poor. The poor are beginning to stand up and fight back. I firmly believe our country will experience the same fate, in light of the recent mid-term elections. The Republicans will do the exact same thing to us here in America. What will happen then? When will enough be enough? There are lessons to be learned here in England as well as in France.

In addition, the current education reform movement is a bipartisan affair. Hence, we teachers are flat out of luck. Who will look out for us in the government and corporate realm? Nobody! So what will do then? As the locals in New Orleans would say, "take it to the streets"! It is just a matter of time...

This too shall pass; yet something has to give...and change. (A reflection)

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

From 9 pm EST last night until a few hours ago, I was not surprised by what happened; yet I was bitter. Yesterday was Election Day 2010 which was projected months before a day of reckoning for the Democratic Party. While the Democrats barely retain control of the US Senate, they lost control of the House in great numbers. In addition, many GOP candidates in state elections won in a convincing fashion. There is so much more I can say, but it is pretty much summed up here. Nevertheless, it is a wake up call for President Obama and other Democrats as they heal from the "shellacking" they got last night from the Republicans.

As a life-long Democrat, I still believe in its principles. I just don't think the Democratic politicians or the general public do anymore. As a party, somewhere along the way, the Democrats lost sight of their principles. Or at least, there is a lack of consensus within the party itself. That was evident when they were in power in Congress. Look at the education policies, for example; there are some Democrats who favors the current education reform tactics for a corporate takeover of public education. While the current economy is the most important issue among voters, education reform issues aren't far behind.

Via Facebook, political analyst and TV commentator Roland Martin shared some interesting insights about the elections outcomes:

I have said this since last year. I said it on November 2009. You have to move your supporters to action outside the election...You have to put your troops in the game. You must tell them who to call. Who to write. Where to mobilize. You MUST engage!

 

...but Pres Obama MUST return to his roots as a community organizer in the next 2 years. That means galvanizing the people in order to rise up and support his agenda. It will be a tough road with the GOP controlling the House.

 

To [Obama's] supporters, you must stop with meet, talk, disperse. It must be meet, mobilize, act. Stop whining about the Tea Party. They did their duty. The folks who mobilized in 2009 and 2010 won last night. Those who complained about those who mobilized lost last night.

 

He is so right. As much as I don't care for the Tea Party, one have to credit them for mobilizing the conservative base and energizing their voters to go to the polls.

 

So, where do we go from here? Well, reflection is always a good thing. But something has to be done. 

The next two years will be a test for both political parties and the President. If Obama wants a second term, he will have to appease his base, which will be harder to do now. While he inherited a "mess" in the beginning, he made more of a "mess" by not fighting hard enough for the concerns of his own base. But this goes back to the lack of consensus within the Democratic party. Traditionally, for example, most teachers and the teachers unions supported Democrats. How can we...and why should we...when some within the party support privatizing public education, a typical move of the GOP? The "lesser of two evils" excuse isn't cutting it anymore. At least with the GOP, we know what type of animal we're dealing with; we can't say the same for the Democrats.

 

Prior to the election, I have called for more activism among teachers. Now I have extended that call to the entire moderate and liberal bases. It has to start from the bottom up. That's how the Tea Party succeeded at best in gaining publicity and winning some political battles during yesterday's elections.

 

On a personal note, for weeks now, I have been internally fighting my passion. While I do have a passion for education, as expressed on this blog, I feel like I am not doing enough to fulfill it. I do miss being in the classroom, but I know in my heart, the timing for me to return is not good right now...at least that's how I feel. Being a doctoral student in grad school doesn't help either. Nevertheless, it just won't go away. What am I to do? My next passionate option is activism. When I was teaching, I was very active and vocal in my local teacher union association. This year alone, I have participated in four protest rallies. I have written several letters and e-mails to elected officials. But I don't feel that's enough. Although Georgia is a right-to-work state, there is a high level of complacency among teachers that is sickening to my stomach. So again, what am I to do? I guess more soul-searching, reflection, and prayer are in order for me. More to follow as I pressed on...

 

Until then, the late great Mahatma Gandhi charged all mankind "to be the change we want to see in the world". In doing so, individually, we must reflect on the change we desire, look within oneself, and make something happen. Then collectively, we come together, build a consensus around a shared vision, and move forward as one unit. Time isn't on our side anymore. While this too shall pass, something have to happen soon. If we want change, we have to demand it.

"Not All Money is GOOD MONEY"...Kudos to Jones Co. School District

Via my blog reading list, I came across a blog entry on Education Matter discussing the lessons that can be learned from Jones County School District in middle Georgia. Apparently, a few days ago, its school board voted to REJECT its portion of federal funding from RTTT, which Georgia was one of the states who won one of the grant allotments. School Superintendent William Matthews gave a simple rationale for the refusal:

"To look at a teacher and say 'Well because your numbers did this we're going to give you something and because your numbers didn't we're going to deny you', it's just not founded in research," Mathews said. 

...

Mathews says he told board members to reject the funds because they would have had to use about half of the money for teacher merit pay. He says research he found does not show it works, and that the district might have had to raise taxes to continue to fulfill a required pledge to continue the reforms after the grant runs out. 

"It was not just money to relieve our taxpayers of a burden or do some things that we want to do," Mathews said. "It was targeted, and very specific, and very restrictive as to what we could do...not all money is good money."

In the midst of hard economic times, this rural school district sacrificed a whole lot of money (almost $1.5 million) for not following the rules and looking out for their teachers. Instead of caving in, this district stood on its principles and refused to compromise them. This is the type of courage and heart needed for the ed deformers to take us seriously.

Kudos to Jones County School District for taking a stand and doing what's right! We can only hope and pray others districts in Georgia and elsewhere will follow suit...

Let There Be Light

It appears the WFS honeymoon will soon be over...

Throughout this month, it has been so refreshing to see others within the village, particularly the parents, finally realizing what the education reform movement is REALLY about...

It first started earlier this month with the ousting of DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, which resulted in the resignation of his school chancellor, Michelle Rhee... Why? They both were guilty of alienating the community from the reform process.

Then, via a blog entry at Failing Schools, there is a video clip of NYC stakeholders upset with the co-location plans of a charter school, expressing their frustration of the exclusive practices of not involving them in the process, not accepting ALL students, and removing students from such charter schools when these kids fail to meet the mark.



Speaking of WFS, Woodside HS, a suburban public school near the Bay Area, was profiled in the movie. One of the profiled children dismissed Woodside for Summit Prep Charter School. While Woodside HS is considered a "good school", the child opted to go elsewhere for fear of being tracked to a "low-level class", since she doesn't test well; Summit Prep do not track its students. Baffled yet sorely disappointed, the parents of Woodside HS created a large banner stating the following: Woodside High School Teachers – Man, You’re Super! Thank you for teaching ALL the students in our community! The banner was place in a prominent area of the school for the public to see.

Courtesy of the California Teacher Association

Even the principal of Woodside HS had to weigh in on the misguided perception perpetuated by the movie.

Last night, Queens Teacher blog posted an entry about how the NY Post literally made up a story about a parent's view concerning the possible release of teacher evaluation ratings in NYC. Well, that parent, Brian Rafferty, spoke out against the newspaper:



Now I am confident there are other stories of parents "finally waking up" and seeing the madness for what it really is. I believed Leigh Dingerson, the author of this Rethinking Schools piece on DC school reform as well as a parent, described best the role of parents (and educators) in today's education reform movement:

...Suddenly, decisions were being made at the top and carried out with atomic force. Parents have been treated like consumers—informed about options and outcomes but denied a seat at the table. The district’s teachers have been insulted in the national media, fired or laid off in record numbers, and replaced by less credentialed and less experienced newcomers. The model views teachers as a delivery system, not as professionals. High turnover is not just the result—it’s the goal. Principals, too, are isolated and expendable...

While the public relations war is surely far from over, if more of us cease in entertaining the blame game and continue to come together, then we can become a force to reckon with. The ed deformers' "spell" on the public perception is showing signs of weakening. As a village, we must continue the fight by first coming together in a common effort to save our schools and our children's futures.

Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ~ Henry Ford

In closing, I would like to quote the protagonist of the award-winning movie Gladiator, Maximus, as he rallied his fellow slave comrades during their first gladiatorial fight:

Anyone here been in the army?... You can help me. Whatever comes out of these gates, we've got a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand? If we stay together we survive.

IF WE STAY TOGETHER, WE WILL SURVIVE!

The "Choice" is Yours: Can You Get With This...?

Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it. ~ Adolf Hitler

Recently, I stumbled across and started following several education blogs, including Failing Schools. In one of its recent blog entries, one of Failing Schools' bloggers discussed the real disparities in school choice for NYC's disadvantaged families i.e., poverty-stricken and/or predominately-minority communities. For many of these families, they either have to settle for mediocre school options or send their children back to public schools. In addition, as in the case in NYC, many communities are shunned out of the school choice process; the choice is made for them, not the other way around!  I always thought a choice was a voluntary act! The video clip below sheds some light on the dilemma with charter schools in NYC:



This is nothing new, as I discovered two months ago with the over-hyped success stories of education reform in my hometown of New Orleans. While the area has received welcome attention it so deserves, the success of its charter schools are in question, with many of its critics citing similar complaints as the families in NY.



Also, education historian Diane Ravitch exposed a noteworthy flaw in one of the charter schools profiled in the film, Waiting for Superman. SEED Charter School in DC is praised and celebrated in the movie for its high graduation rates. However, there lies a serious attrition problem there as a beginning cohort of 7th graders dwindled in number upon their senior year at the school. So what happen to the others in the cohort who couldn't make it at SEED? Need I say more?

Back in NYC, one of its well-known charter schools, Success Academy/Success Charter Network, is looking to expand into the Upper West Side. With most of its charter schools located in Harlem, Success Academy founder Eva Moskowitz wants to offer "school choice" options to affluent families as well. Despite the resistance Moskowitz is facing from parents and community leaders, she is planning to move ahead as scheduled, although the charter hasn't been approved yet. Overconfident? Indeed! The former city councilwoman has enhanced her political clout since the founding of her successful charter schools and due to her political and financial connections within the Success Academy's board of trustees, as noted in this scathing article detailing the politics and big business implications of charter school operations.

As emotionally moving the lottery scenes were in Waiting for Superman, I was irked by them. Not only were the families treated as potential charity cases, but also these families are really not given a choice. Their hope for a better education depends on luck, not choice; the only thing they choose is whether or not to enter their children into these lotteries for admission into these charter schools. Plus with the greater latitude charter school organizations have for expansion and deregulation due to its powerful bipartisan support base and growing popularity, families trying to "get in where they fit in" will have to endure more disappointments ahead. They shouldn't have to try to get a better education for their children; the options should be available for their choosing. Unfortunately, charter schools are becoming like a big tease to these families; they look good, sound good, but the road to get in and stay in is far from good. Yet, it doesn't matter to those in charge; one way or another, they will maintain the support and get the money, at the expense of the misguided hope of the disenfranchised.