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Malloy and Pryor’s “Mandatory” March Madness: The Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment Field Test
Despite what Governor Malloy, Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor and their corporate education reform industry allies are telling Connecticut parents, the Common Core Smarter Balanced Assessment “Field Test” scheduled for March-June is not a Connecticut Mastery Examination. In fact, it is nothing more than a Test of a Test. And to suggest that parents must force […]The post Malloy and Pryor’s “M
Ailing teacher evaluation program can’t be cured (by Wendy Lecker)
Among Governor Malloy’s package of election year gimmicks to win back enough support to get 50 percent of the vote in November’s gubernatorial election are a series of steps to deceive teachers, parents and public school advocates into think that he is mending his ways and stepping off the corporate education reform industry gravy train. […]The post Ailing teacher evaluation program can’t be cured
YESTERDAY
Malloy Shifts Into Full-On Makeup Mode (A must read by Kevin Rennie)
First there was Dan Malloy, the Democratic candidate for Governor. Once elected, Dan became Dannel and the commitments and promises made were quickly swept aside by the arrogance and sense of entitlement displayed by Connecticut’s new Governor Dannel Malloy. Now with the gubernatorial election ten months away, Dannel Malloy is morphing yet again — and […]The post Malloy Shifts Into Full-On Makeup
Colin McEnroe’s commentary piece on Pryor getting national coverage
After reading Colin McEnroe’s recent commentary piece entitled, Parsing The Unintelligible Stefan Pryor, Diane Ravitch, America’s leading public education advocate, cross posts the piece to her blog asking, “When Did Gibberish Replace Conventional English?” The two are MUST READ pieces. Diane writes: Colin McEnroe of NPR in Connecticut has discovered the root problem of corporate reformers: They
Commissioner Pryor’s agency tells superintendents to mislead and lie to parents – and they are
Shelton Connecticut Superintendent of Schools Freeman Burr is sending a letter to parents who seek to opt their children out of Connecticut’s standardized testing scheme. The letter, based on a model provided by Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor’s office is misleading and could reasonably be called an outright lie. When Governor Malloy was recently asked […]The post Commissioner Pryor’s agen
It’s an election year and Governor Malloy is now for raising the minimum wage
However, his announced $10 an-hour minimum wage wouldn’t take effect until 26 months after the next election. When it comes to politics, even short-term memory is a scarce commodity. While candidate Dan Malloy was a supporter of increasing the minimum wage, Governor Dannel Malloy has taken a considerably more conservative approach. In January 2012, the […]The post It’s an election year and Governo
FEB 06
Steve Perry’s Capital Prep Bridgeport Charter School management fee for initial five years – $2.7 million
The Hartford Bridgeport Board of Education is paying Steve Perry a large salary to serve as the Principal of its Capital Prep Magnet School. Perry has a twelve month contract so he is supposed to be “on duty” year around. Although Perry has missed 20 percent of the Capital Prep school days this year, he […]The post Steve Perry’s Capital Prep Bridgeport Charter School management fee for initial fi
Snow Day(s) Re-Cap: The Wait, What? Posts you may have missed
As a result of the polar vortex (otherwise known as a polar cyclone, polar low, or a circumpolar whirl), some Wait, What? readers may have missed some of the latest posts. Here is a re-cap: Hello CT and Hartford officials… Is there anyone who will confront the lawbreakers? Are there any elected or appointed official in Connecticut who […]The post Snow Day(s) Re-Cap: The Wait, What? Posts you may
Connecticut Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor must go
Even putting aside the fact that Governor Dannel Malloy’s re-election dreams face an insurmountable hurdle if Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor and his gang of corporate education reform industry staff and consultants remain in place; Pryor must go if Malloy and the Democrats are truly interested in improving the state of the state when it […]The post Connecticut Commissioner of Education Ste
FEB 05
Hello CT and Hartford officials… Is there anyone who will confront the lawbreakers?
Are there any elected or appointed official in Connecticut who have the courage and conviction to actually ensure the laws of this state are equitably enforced? Student-athlete recruitment by interdistrict magnet schools such as Capital Prep Magnet Schools is illegal in Connecticut. (For example, see Sec. 10-220d.of the Connecticut General Statues). According to the Connecticut State […]The post
Diane Ravitch features Madison Superintendent Tom Scarice’s powerful letter on “education reform”
Diane Ravitch, the nation’s leading pro-public education advocate, has used her blog to highlight the letter Madison Connecticut Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice sent to his legislators about the failed education reforms that are being pushed through in Connecticut. The letter is one of the most powerful statements to date about the failure of the […]The post Diane Ravitch features Madiso
FEB 04
Breaking News: Citizens prevented from addressing Hartford Board of Education on Steve Perry
At tonight’s Hartford Board of Education meeting, the outgoing Chairman of the Hartford Board of Education, Matt Poland, used a procedural maneuver to prevent Hartford parents and other concerned citizens from addressing the Board about Capital Magnet School Principal Steve Perry prior to the Board’s scheduled executive session on Perry. Claiming that citizens could only […]The post Breaking News:
NEWS FLASH: Did Capital Prep corrupt School Choice Lottery process to enroll student-athletes.
Last August, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference stepped in to investigate serious allegations of inappropriate even illegal, recruitment of student-athletes by Capital Prep Magnet School. The CIAC Board of Control authorized an independent investigation and then meet to review and act upon the recruitment investigation reports that had been lodged against Capital Preparatory Schoo
Capital Prep “Table of Shame” Steve Perry on the notion of “Professional Responsibility to Students.”
When the Hartford Board of Education meets in executive session tonight to discuss the bizarre behavior of Capital Prep Principal Steve Perry, let us hope that they have a copy of The Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for School Administrators which lay out the school administrator’s duties as mandated by Connecticut State Regulations 10-145d-400b. Because […]The post Capital Prep “
Wait, What? Just who is Capital Prep Principal Steve Perry calling “insane?”
When the Hartford Board of Education meets tonight in executive session, they can add one more of Steve Perry’s recent tweets to the laundry list of issues to be discussed. Dr. Steve Perry@DrStevePerry Tweeted; “Union bullied pols are the reason your kids are on a waiting list. Add to their fear insane bloggers & tweeters […]The post Wait, What? Just who is Capital Prep Principal Steve Perry c
Another Former Capital Prep teacher speaks out…
The Hartford Board of Education will meet behind closed doors during tonight’s meeting to discuss Capital Prep Principal Steve Perry. Rather than attend to his duties as a Hartford public school principal, Perry has missed 20 percent of the school days this year as he gallivants around the country giving speeches for hire. If he […]The post Another Former Capital Prep teacher speaks out… appeare
FEB 03
NEWS FLASH: Hedge fund founder buys leadership ‘pipeline’ in Malloy’s office
Don Michak of the Journal Inquirer newspaper has a blockbuster story on the way Governor Malloy, Commissioner Stefan Pryor and the corporate education reform industry have contaminated the public policy making process in Connecticut. The JI story, entitled, Hedge fund founder buys leadership ‘pipeline’ in Malloy’s office, raises extraordinary legal and ethical issues about the […]The post NEWS FLA
Mass Insight contract “magically extended” on its last day. Cost to taxpayers: $800,000
Mass Insight Contract “magically extended” on its last day. Cost to taxpayers: $800,000 The cornerstone of Governor Malloy’s corporate education reform industry initiative is the concept of “turnaround schools” and the creation of the “Commissioner’s Network.” Both strategies are part of Malloy’s broader effort to allow private entities to run public schools. The task of […]The post Mass Insight
Commissioner Stefan Pryor gets another “F” for complying with Freedom of Information Act:
Connecticut’s Freedom of Information act is extraordinarily clear: Connecticut State Statutes: Sec. 1-212 reads: “Any person applying in writing shall receive, promptly upon request, a plain, facsimile, electronic or certified copy of any public record.” Out of sheer frustration about the State Department of Education’s failure to respond to Freedom of Information request, a Wait, […]The post C
CT Superintendent Thomas Scarice’s letter on “education reform” makes the Washington Post
On Friday, in a piece entitled, “A CT superintendent speaks: Madison’s Thomas Scarice and the Power of Truth”, Wait, What? posted Madison Superintendent Thomas Scarice’s letter to legislators about the fundamental flows associated with Connecticut’s “education reform” initiative and what Connecticut’s students, teachers and public schools really needed from state government. Over the weekend, the
FEB 02
And meanwhile…. “Beyond Orwell’s Worst Nightmare”
Here at Wait, What? we tend to stick to the boundaries of the state of Connecticut with a special focus on the building movement to take back our public schools and beat back the corporate education reform industry. But from time to time it is worth trying to part the haze of war, at least […]The post And meanwhile…. “Beyond Orwell’s Worst Nightmare” appeared first on Wait What?.
Common Core Standardized Testing: Lessons from Los Angeles
The cost of ramping up Connecticut’s public schools for the new Common Core Smarter Balanced Test (SBAC) will easily exceed $100 million or more. In fact, the Malloy administration, in conjunction with the Obama administration, have mandated the new test but never bothered to conduct a meaningful study as to how much this new test […]The post Common Core Standardized Testing: Lessons from Los Ang
Malloy to Retired Teachers: Will you forget the past if I give you a little tax break?
After undermining, maligning and insulting retired teachers and teachers for the past three years, with nine months to go before the next gubernatorial election, Governor Malloy has had an epiphany and is now offering retired teachers a “tax break.” Malloy’s proposal plan would reduce the state income tax on teacher’s pension by 25% in Fiscal […]The post Malloy to Retired Teachers: Will you forget
FEB 01
The Malloy Campaign Money Machine: Whatever you do, don’t call it pay to play!
More big money for Malloy campaign operation from contractors who got state funds… As the website Raising Hale continues to reveal, contractors who benefited from the Malloy administration are coming through with hundreds of thousands in campaign contributions for Malloy’s re-election operation. But whatever you do, don’t call it “Pay TO Play.” “Pay AFTER Play” […]The post The Malloy Campaign Mone
News Update: More on Steve Perry’s application for a charter school in Bridgeport
The Hartford Courant and City Line Blog reporter Vanessa De La Torre has the latest news on Steve Perry’s attempt to open a charter school in Bridgeport. De La Torre refers to “Capital Prep.” wanting to open a charter school but as Wait, What? readers are undoubtedly aware, the charter school application is not from […]The post News Update: More on Steve Perry’s application for a charter school in
Malloy to retired teaches; I know I tried cutting your legs off with that health insurance cut last year but…
A year ago this month, a Wait, What? Blog post began with the words: There are a lot of crazy, irresponsible and down-right mean things in Governor Malloy’s budget proposal, but his plan to totally eliminate Connecticut’s contribution to the retired teachers’ health insurance fund may very well take the cake. (See link) But election […]The post Malloy to retired teaches; I know I tried cutting you