Why Won’t Rahm Talk to Parents?
This parent activist in Chicago says that parents have good ideas about how to improve the schools but Mayor Rahm Emanuel won’t meet with them.
Parents in New York City say the same about Mayor Bloomberg.
Why won’t the mayor listen to the most informed and most committed stakeholders of all? Not the business community, not the entrepreneurs, but the parents of the children?
Parents in New York City say the same about Mayor Bloomberg.
Why won’t the mayor listen to the most informed and most committed stakeholders of all? Not the business community, not the entrepreneurs, but the parents of the children?
| It would cost more than the city has which is a nearly 1 billion dollar deficit! Parent groups have proposed plans that would increase art and gym, support after school programs and allow more opportunity for hands-on |
Who Will Reform the Schools? Entrepreneurs and/or Educators?
A number of eons ago, I had a Twitter debate with Justin Hamilton, who is Arne Duncan’s press secretary. I forget how it started, but the tenor of the exchange went something like this.
I question whether education would be reformed by educators or entrepreneurs, and Justin, unbidden, sprang to the defense of entrepreneurs. Or maybe he said that teachers and entrepreneurs would both transform education. I narrowed my target and said I was complaining specifically about for-profit entrepreneurs, not people with an entrepreneurial spirit. Justin’s response as something along the lines of, well, you are an entrepreneur,
I question whether education would be reformed by educators or entrepreneurs, and Justin, unbidden, sprang to the defense of entrepreneurs. Or maybe he said that teachers and entrepreneurs would both transform education. I narrowed my target and said I was complaining specifically about for-profit entrepreneurs, not people with an entrepreneurial spirit. Justin’s response as something along the lines of, well, you are an entrepreneur,
The New York Times Editorial Is Clueless
The New York Times published an editorial calling for “carrots and sticks” for teachers and principals.
What the editorial means is that professionals should get bonuses for higher test scores, and this would recognize high performance and get educators to work harder and produce more high performance (higher test scores).
As I said in my speech in Detroit to the AFT convention, carrots and sticks are for donkeys, not professionals.
The schools in New York City have been subject to budget cuts for the past few years. The Times’ editorial
Thanks to Teachers in Chicago for Saving Me
This reader writes about the teachers who changed his life:
I had four CPS public school teachers to thank for recognizing and nurturing my strengths in English, writing and creativity, in 7th through 10th grades: Miss Fox, Mrs. Langdon, Miss Schwartz and Mrs. Gordon.
Until middle school, I did not think I had any academic strengths. In part, this was because, in 4th grade, when my mom remarried, I gained a step-father who frequently referred to me as “dumb”. He often said that, in his estimation, I was just too stupid to be able to excel at school. He turned out to be an example of how wrong non-
Andrea Gabor on Merit Pay
I had four CPS public school teachers to thank for recognizing and nurturing my strengths in English, writing and creativity, in 7th through 10th grades: Miss Fox, Mrs. Langdon, Miss Schwartz and Mrs. Gordon.
Until middle school, I did not think I had any academic strengths. In part, this was because, in 4th grade, when my mom remarried, I gained a step-father who frequently referred to me as “dumb”. He often said that, in his estimation, I was just too stupid to be able to excel at school. He turned out to be an example of how wrong non-
Andrea Gabor on Merit Pay
Andrea Gabor has followed our discussion of merit pay and sent the following post.
Gabor is the Bloomberg Professor of Business Journalism at Baruch College of the City University of New York. She has extensive experience as a journalist who has written about business.
I learned about her work when I stumbled upon one of her books The Man Who Discovered Quality: How W. Edwards Deming Brought the Quality Revolution to America. Chapter 9 of the book explains why Deming, a guru of business and corporate culture, was adamantly opposed to merit pay. Gabor explains there how merit pay
The Perfect, Research-Based School
Gabor is the Bloomberg Professor of Business Journalism at Baruch College of the City University of New York. She has extensive experience as a journalist who has written about business.
I learned about her work when I stumbled upon one of her books The Man Who Discovered Quality: How W. Edwards Deming Brought the Quality Revolution to America. Chapter 9 of the book explains why Deming, a guru of business and corporate culture, was adamantly opposed to merit pay. Gabor explains there how merit pay
The Perfect, Research-Based School
Bruce Baker of Rutgers has reviewed the research on effective schools and designed a “research-based” school that is guaranteed to produce higher test scores.
He calls his school the “Econometric Academy of Achievement Test Excellence.”
Every teacher will have exactly four years of experience, no more, no less, because research shows that is the point of maximum impact on test scores.
Students will be loaded with carbs on testing days.
Students will be renamed prior to entry into the school, because certain types of names are associated with low
Funniest Story of the Month
He calls his school the “Econometric Academy of Achievement Test Excellence.”
Every teacher will have exactly four years of experience, no more, no less, because research shows that is the point of maximum impact on test scores.
Students will be loaded with carbs on testing days.
Students will be renamed prior to entry into the school, because certain types of names are associated with low
Funniest Story of the Month
As I was doing some research about virtual charter schools, I came across an article that caused me to laugh out loud.
It appeared in the Star-Ledger, the main newspaper in New Jersey. It was titled “State Has Virtually No Reason to Not Give Online Charter Schools a Shot.”
It said the state should stop “dithering” and should promptly approve an online charter school. No delay, no moratorium, approve the online school now.
It was published on July 11, 2012, as the state’s Acting Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf and the state
Spoof on Offensive Rhee Olympics Ad
It appeared in the Star-Ledger, the main newspaper in New Jersey. It was titled “State Has Virtually No Reason to Not Give Online Charter Schools a Shot.”
It said the state should stop “dithering” and should promptly approve an online charter school. No delay, no moratorium, approve the online school now.
It was published on July 11, 2012, as the state’s Acting Commissioner of Education Chris Cerf and the state
Spoof on Offensive Rhee Olympics Ad
Tim Slekar and his merry band of public education advocates have just released a spoof of the offensive Michelle Rhee/StudentsFirst ad.
The Rhee ad ridicules the United States, students, teachers, public schools, obesity, and gays. The man in her ad is presented as flabby and effete, performing in an Olympic sport called rhythmic gymnastics that is for women only and falling on his back. He is supposedly a representation of American education.
Just as an aside, the international test score rankings are meaningless. They reflect the high rate of poverty among children in the U.S. When the international tests were first given, we came in 11th out of 12. That was in
A View from New Zealand
The Rhee ad ridicules the United States, students, teachers, public schools, obesity, and gays. The man in her ad is presented as flabby and effete, performing in an Olympic sport called rhythmic gymnastics that is for women only and falling on his back. He is supposedly a representation of American education.
Just as an aside, the international test score rankings are meaningless. They reflect the high rate of poverty among children in the U.S. When the international tests were first given, we came in 11th out of 12. That was in
A View from New Zealand
As I have noted before, the idea of introducing a “free market” into education has strong appeal to conservative governments in other nations. Pasi Sahlberg of Finland calls this idea the “Global Education Reform Movement,” or GERM, characterized by testing, accountability, competition, and choice. GERM is now infesting New Zealand, which has a very successful education system.
One of the leading anti-national testing sites is called the Treehorn Express, a blog written by NZ educator Phil Cullen. While the names and organizations will not be familiar to you, the issues will be. New Zealand officials want to introduce charter schools to New Zealand, and this post sees it as a huge step backward that will mean
Please Comment on CNN Interview with Michelle Rhee
One of the leading anti-national testing sites is called the Treehorn Express, a blog written by NZ educator Phil Cullen. While the names and organizations will not be familiar to you, the issues will be. New Zealand officials want to introduce charter schools to New Zealand, and this post sees it as a huge step backward that will mean
Please Comment on CNN Interview with Michelle Rhee
Many readers have asked how they can contact CNN to respond to its interview with Michelle Rhee.
CNN has invited comments: http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/05/rhee-on-saving-americas-schools/comment-page-1/
Bear in mind that the international rankings, which she loves to tout to embarrass America, its students and its teachers, predict nothing.
When the first international assessment was given in 1964, our students came in 11th of 12 nations.
Since then, our students typically rank in the bottom quartile or no better than the international average.
Yet we have the largest economy in the world.
We are number one in child poverty, which explains the performance of our students. The more poverty in a school, the lower its test scores; the less poverty, the higher the scores.
Almost 25% of our children live in poverty. Did Rhee mention that?
Please help inform CNN. Maybe they will get it right next time.
CNN has invited comments: http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/05/rhee-on-saving-americas-schools/comment-page-1/
Bear in mind that the international rankings, which she loves to tout to embarrass America, its students and its teachers, predict nothing.
When the first international assessment was given in 1964, our students came in 11th of 12 nations.
Since then, our students typically rank in the bottom quartile or no better than the international average.
Yet we have the largest economy in the world.
We are number one in child poverty, which explains the performance of our students. The more poverty in a school, the lower its test scores; the less poverty, the higher the scores.
Almost 25% of our children live in poverty. Did Rhee mention that?
Please help inform CNN. Maybe they will get it right next time.