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Sunday, February 22, 2015

Partners for Corporatiziing Schools: Naming Names(Susan Ohanian Speaks Out)

Data Command Force (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out):



    Partners for Corporatiziing Schools: Naming Names


    information gathered by Susan Ohanian 

    News Item 

    HISD spent $60 million on Apollo 20, created by Harvard EdLabs'Roland Fryer. Billed as a turnaround plan for troubled schools, it was largely a test-prep program. The results were sharp declines in AP (Advanced Placement) scores, as shown by HISD's own figures; no sustained STAAR gains; and 25 percent enrollment declines in many Apollo schools. Even with such poor results, the HISD board subsequently approved another contract with EdLabs for a similar program, Leverage Leadership.-- Houston Chronicle, Feb.17, 2015

    Summary of Leverage Leadership provided by Houston Chronicle

    Leverage Leadership mandates a dramatic expansion of benchmark testing.

    • Students take four district-based assessments in the first 13 weeks of school with four more scheduled for the spring.
    • These tests are district-created with minimal teacher input and vetted by Harvard EdLabs. They often cover content not yet taught and differ substantively from the original teacher version.
    • Administrators are required to observe teachers (20 min/wk) and discuss data (30 min/wk) with each teacher. For a 15 teacher load, this translates to 2.3 hrs/day. This is more than 25% of a workday and is not inclusive of evaluation.

    LL is demoralizing students.
    • Children do not see connections between their instruction and their assessments.
    • Many schools assign students test grades for snapshots.
    • Students are discouraged by assessments that test them over content they have not yet learned.
    • The snapshots derail instruction the week prior to the snapshot as teachers only receive snapshots one week ahead of district-mandated testing windows.
    • Students from pre-K through high school are taking benchmarks.
    Leverage Leadership damages our schools.
    • Requiring administrators to spend 25% of their day on LL activities means less time for creating and monitoring a safe school environment, facilities management, and building relationships with students, faculty, staff and community.
    • This program is modeled after EdLab’s Apollo program, which saw no significant change in ELA scores, no sustained math gains, a precipitous drop in student enrollment and massive teacher turnover.

    LL is a dangerous diversion of time, energy, and resources from meaningful instruction and evaluation.

    • HISD will pay $1.25 million over two years for LL assessments and coaching.
    • Benchmarking reduces
    Data Command Force (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out):