Common Core jeopardizes foundation of learning (By Wendy Lecker) - Wait What?

Common Core jeopardizes foundation of learning (By Wendy Lecker) - Wait What?:

Common Core jeopardizes foundation of learning (By Wendy Lecker)

 Fellow Connecticut educate advocate Wendy Lecker has been one of the most powerful and important voices on behalf of public education and against the corporate education reform industry’s unending assault of public school teachers, public schools and the rights of students and parents.  While many policymakers, education administrators and even the organizations responsible for protecting and promoting public education have turned a blind eye or engaged in the politics of appeasement, Wendy Lecker has continued to speak the truth and promote the notion that a just society strengthens not undermines its commitment to a comprehensive public education system.

In her latest piece entitled, Core jeopardizes foundation of learning, and initially published in the Stamford Advocate, Wendy Lecker takes down the claim that the “Common Core” is the “Solution” to the challenges facing the nation’s public schools.

Core jeopardizes foundation of learning (By Wendy Lecker)

This spring, parents and students across the country led a massive movement to refuse Common Core tests to protest over-testing and the changes in education wrought by the new standards. In the face of this revolt, supporters are attempting to salvage the Common Core by claiming that while testing may be a problem, the standards themselves are educationally superior. Moreover, they assert, the standards do not dictate what is to be taught in school. These claims are false: many of the standards are bad for education and demand developmentally inappropriate educational practices in schools.

Recently, experts at the organization Defending the Early Years issued a report focusing on one of these bad standards: the standard calling for kindergartners to “read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.” Translation: children must learn to read in kindergarten.

This mandate contradicts everything we know about child development and forces kindergarten teachers to engage in damaging practices. Play has been severely reduced or eliminated in favor of direct instruction, worksheets and frequent testing.

As I have written before (The disturbing transformation of kindergarten), the milestones of child development have not changed in a century. While there is a wide range of development at this age, most children in kindergarten are not ready to read. Reading requires understanding that symbols, letters, represent sounds and put together, in words, represent ideas or objects. Kindergartners’ brains cannot comprehend that kind of abstraction. They also typically do not recognize certain shapes and lines that are essential to understanding letters. This “lack” is normal, and it explains why play is essential in kindergarten.

As child development expert Diane Levin of Wheelock College told me, through play, children develop the foundation for reading. When a child builds with blocks or engages in socio-dramatic play, s/he is making a representation of something in a different form — a step toward abstract thought. By painting and drawing, a child begins to understand that two-dimensional lines can represent three dimensional objects — a precursor to comprehending that letters can represent sounds and words can represent objects or ideas. By telling stories or putting on plays, a child understands sequencing. In playing with objects, s/he learns to categorize. These activities are intentionally designed to help children build a strong foundation for the kind of skills required for formal reading instruction later on. Children need to first build this foundation experientially, in the concrete world in which they live, in order for the skills to have meaning for them.

During the above-described play, children may start to recognize letters and words. However, for most children, formal reading instruction at this age is not meaningful or engaging. They may learn to mimic and comply with instructions, but without the necessary foundation, they will not integrate the lessons. In fact, studies show that children who begin formal reading instruction at age seven, having first developed strong oral language skills in a play-based environment, catch up to children who learn to read earlier and have better comprehension skills by middle school.

Emphasizing formal reading instruction in kindergarten has crowded out the play-based, child-directed activities essential to building a strong foundation for successful academic learning. Teaching reading earlier does not give children get a “head start” on academic learning; it is a roadblock.

Losing play-based kindergarten also deprives us of a vital tool to help children’s social and emotional development. The majority of American public school students live in poverty. Brain experts have shown that many of the factors associated with living in poverty cause “toxic stress;” which impairs, among other things, the development of their executive function, making it difficult for children to concentrate, remember and control impulses. This impairment has a lifelong impact, impeding the ability to sustain relationships, cope with stress, make healthy life choices and learn successfully.

Play helps develop executive function, coping mechanisms, and problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills. Through play, children also learn to build social supports with peers — a key to resilience. Eliminating play robs children of an opportunity to develop these skills. Replacing play with developmentally inappropriate, frustrating and meaningless demands 

Common Core jeopardizes foundation of learning (By Wendy Lecker) - Wait What?:

LAUSD charter group gave food contract to an employee's firm - LA Times

LAUSD charter group gave food contract to an employee's firm - LA Times:

LAUSD charter group gave food contract to an employee's firm

 Los Angeles-based charter group awarded food-service contracts worth millions of dollars to a company partially owned by one of the schools' high-ranking employees, a state investigation has found.

The probe involved Jacqueline Duvivier Castillo, who is the director of business and development for PUC Schools and a part-owner in Better 4 You Meals, a company that has provided food to the charter group for the last five years. Investigators said the charter failed to demonstrate that the contract was "awarded properly despite the apparent conflict of interest."

Late Saturday, the charter organization said in an email to The Times that Duvivier Castillo would no longer be an employee of PUC.

"This move will allow her to focus on her business full-time and will remove any perception of conflict with our schools," the PUC statement said. "While we in no way believe that Ms. Duvivier influenced our decision-making process, full disclosure and transparency are of utmost importance to us as an organization."

The state Department of Education, which released emails and documents about its investigation to the Los Angeles Times under the California Public Records Act, also found:
Duvivier Castillo failed to properly report her financial interests in the company.
The company was ineligible for the food contracts because it lacked a health permit and relied on a subcontractor to prepare meals.

PUC Schools did not select the lowest-priced bidder as required.

One of the area's largest charter groups, PUC serves about 4,800 students in 15 schools, including in the east San Fernando Valley and north of downtown. PUC's test scores typically compare well with nearby traditional neighborhood schools. It recently started a national organization that opened a campus in Rochester, N.Y.

The education department recently ordered PUC Schools to begin a new bidding process under state supervision. The charter group must also adopt stricter conflict-of-interest guidelines, the department said.

Duvivier Castillo did not respond to requests for comment.

The head of Partnerships to Uplift Communities denied wrongdoing, but said the charter organization is taking the state's findings seriously and plans to comply.

"We have always run a competitive bid process that we believe is legal and is within the realm of how it's supposed to be done," said Chief Executive Jacqueline Elliot. "We were not aware of Jackie's personal involvement in Better 4 You. All we were aware of was that the procurement process was done appropriately."

The charter organization was co-founded by L.A. Unified school board candidate Ref Rodriguez. Rodriguez is on the charter group's board of directors and works part-time as its treasurer.
He is vying to unseat one-term incumbent Bennett Kayser in an expensive, hard-fought contest for a spot on the Los Angeles Board of Education. The election is May 19.

Better 4 You Breakfast, the company's original name, contributed $2,200 to the Rodriguez campaign and Duvivier Castillo received $1,700 this year for work as an election consultant, according to campaign finance reports.

The state investigation began before Rodriguez announced his candidacy.
Rodriguez declined to answer questions about the state investigation, but issued a statement saying that he backs the decision to terminate the agreement, particularly because he supports "public transparency around our schools and our decision-making."

State officials did not determine who was at fault for the charter issues. Charter schools are publicly funded and independently managed.

Most of PUC's 16 schools are under the supervision of the L.A. Unified School District. Officials said Friday that the district had no record of PUC alerting LAUSD charter group gave food contract to an employee's firm - LA Times:LAUSD charter group gave food contract to an employee's firm - LA Times:

BREAKING: L.A. School Board Candidate and His Charter Scandal | Diane Ravitch's blog

BREAKING: L.A. School Board Candidate and His Charter Scandal | Diane Ravitch's blog:

 L.A. School Board Candidate and His Charter Scandal 

 Charter school founder Ref Rodriguez is running for the Los Angeles school board, seeking to beat incumbent Bennett Kayser. Kayser is known for his insistence that charter schools be financially transparent and accountable for their use of public funds.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the charter school chain co-founded by Rodriguez (who is its treasurer) is embroiled in financial scandal.

“A Los Angeles-based charter group awarded food-service contracts worth millions of dollars to a company partially owned by one of the schools’ high-ranking employees, a state investigation has found.

“The probe involved Jacqueline Duvivier Castillo, who is the director of business and development for PUC Schools and a part-owner in Better 4 You Meals, a company that has provided food to the charter group for the last five years. Investigators said the charter failed to demonstrate that the contract was “awarded properly despite the apparent conflict of interest.”

“Late Saturday, the charter organization said in an email to The Times that Duvivier Castillo would no longer be an employee of PUC….

“Duvivier Castillo failed to properly report her financial interests in the company. The company was ineligible for the food contracts because it lacked a health permit and relied on a subcontractor to prepare meals. PUC Schools did not select the lowest-priced bidder as required.
One of the area’s largest charter groups, PUC serves about 4,800 students in 15 schools, including in the east San Fernando Valley and north of downtown. PUC’s test scores typically compare well with nearby traditional neighborhood schools. It recently started a national organization that opened a campus in Rochester, N.Y….”

Charter officials said they were unaware of the conflict of interest but official documents showed otherwise.

“Tax documents for 2010 list the company as a vendor in filings signed by Rodriguez or Elliot. PUC, the documents said, was “party to a business transaction” with a “key employee.”

“The charter’s tax returns for 2012, however, no longer listed the company as a vendor.

“Company documents provided by the state show that Duvivier Castillo’s husband, Fernando Castillo, is a top official with the company, which provides meals for students at more than 100 charter and private schools.

“He could not be reached for comment.

“Annual audits paid for by PUC and released by the state indicated charter officials knew of the alleged conflict of interest.

“Additionally … PUC has signed a contract with a company that is one hundred percent owned by PUC’s director of business and development,” the PUC audit said. “PUC’s management believes that all transactions, including the bidding process, were done in arm’s length.”

“According to these audits from PUC, the charter group paid Better 4 BREAKING: L.A. School Board Candidate and His Charter Scandal | Diane Ravitch's blog:

East Side student walkout energizes anti-Cami effort | Bob Braun's Ledger

East Side student walkout energizes anti-Cami effort | Bob Braun's Ledger:

East Side student walkout energizes anti-Cami effort

 Nearly 1,000 students–more than half of the school’s enrollment–burst through the doors of East Side High School noon Friday and began a three-hour march around the city, determined to stop the state administration from turning their school into a “turnaround” school with new faculty members and a radically altered program.  The passionate yet peaceful demonstration, which closed some of the city’s main thoroughfares, gave new energy to a flagging effort to block state-appointed superintendent  Cami Anderson from remaking the state’s largest school system.

“She has awakened a sleeping giant,” said Newark school board member Marques-Aquil Lewis, one of four members who joined the march. “This is phenomenal,” said newly-elected board president Ariagna Perello. “This will mean a big change.”

Whether the active participation of a high school, like East Side, with a strong sense of attachment to its neighborhood, will slow down  Anderson’s efforts to shutter traditional public schools and expand privately-operated charter schools remains to be seen. One test of the demonstration’s significance will come as early as Saturday when opponents of state control have planned another rally in front of another threated school, Weequahic High, at noon.

If the East Ward can join with the South Ward–where Weequahic is located–to oppose Anderson and state control, then Anderson could be in trouble.

“I believe this is the beginning of a city-wide movement,” said Phil Hellinger, a board member who is from the East Ward.

Whatever else the demonstration proves, it clearly highlighted the organizing capabilities of the Newark Students Union (NSU), an organization that has repeatedly proven itself far ahead of adult groups in challenging the state control of Newark’s schools.

The NSU began organizing at East Side little more than a week ago and, despite opposition from principal Mario Santos, an Anderson ally, pulled off a carefully-coordinated and well-behaved march from the East Ward through the neighborhood’s business section, across McCarter Highway to the downtown section and visits to the federal building–where Chris Christie allies were meeting a sort of justice over Bridgegate–and then on to City Hall and school headquarters at 2 Cedar Street.

The protest march draw a light and unintrusive police presence–a handful of motorcycle and horseback officers–that clearly was there to protect the students, not to impede them.

Mayor Ras Baraka, a staunch opponent of Anderson and state control, has expressed support for student protests and yesterday top aides, including chief school officer Dr. Lauren Wells and the mayor’s brother, Middie Baraka, actually joined the march from City Hall to the school headquarters–where Anderson was a no-show.

Jose Leonardo, vice president of the Newark Students Union

One of the key organizers, NSU vice president Jose Leonardo, often led the march and, when he returned the students back to East Side, he told them the struggle against state control was just beginning.

“We have to keep this up,” he told the East Side students. “We have to love each other. That’s the East Side student walkout energizes anti-Cami effort | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Still Waiting for Democracy: When the State Takes Over From the State | educarenow

Still Waiting for Democracy: When the State Takes Over From the State | educarenow:

Still Waiting for Democracy: When the State Takes Over From the State

Posted on May 1, 2015 | 3 Comments

If you’re paying attention to education matters in the state of Michigan, you know that Michigan’s Governor Snyder has come out with his plan for what is to become of Detroit Public Schools.  In a nutshell, it consists of creating two school systems, one that will exist only to contain and deal with existing debt, and the other to run as a debt free portfolio system  of common enrollment that will contain what is left of traditional public schools in Detroit, and charter schools.

There are some interesting quirks in this plan.  Most interesting to me is that this plan implicitly recognizes that the previous state takeover of DPS was a failure.  Governor Snyder’s response to this failure is this plan, which essentially is a state takeover of a failed state takeover.  ( Remember Einstein’s definition of insanity?)

As Detroit Data and Democracy points out, the consequences of the state takeover, originally in 1999, from the fairly elected DPS board of education have not been positive:

“…by 2002, the district was well into a cycle of decline from which it has not recovered:

• A positive general fund balance turned negative, inducing austerity measures that impacted programming.
• Cuts interrupted the academic progress the district had been making relative to the rest of the state.
• With worsening academics, parents began to leave the district for charters and suburban schools.
• The resulting enrollment decline led to a worsening financial position for the district, prompting further cuts.
• Further cuts produced a further decline in academics, which led to more enrollment loss.”

Even the controversial Detroit Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren has made It clear that the state of Michigan is responsible for current DPS debt.

“John Rakolta, chief executive of Walbridge and another co-chair of the Still Waiting for Democracy: When the State Takes Over From the State | educarenow:

Will Market-Based Education Produce More or Less Student Uprising? | Cloaking Inequity

Will Market-Based Education Produce More or Less Student Uprising? | Cloaking Inequity:

Will Market-Based Education Produce More or Less Student Uprising?

In the post, Exclusive: Students Tear Gassed By Police While Protesting School Inequality I asked

Are you ready for more protests?

School “reformers” have argued that the Baltimore uprising is a call for more market-based education. I argue the opposite is actually true.

First, Baltimore. Then, Chile.

I was involved in crafting the Network for Public Education’sresponse to the Baltimore Uprising. Here is our statement:

The death of Freddie Gray while in police custody is a national tragedy. We support his family and the millions nationwide who call for justice in his case. We support the thousands who have peacefully joined protests for justice. The national media coverage of the Baltimore uprising continues to sensationalize the violent responses of some of those protesting while ignoring the thousands of people across the country peacefully gathering to demand an end to violence inflicted upon our communities.

We will watch intently the outcome of the charges filed yesterday against six police officers allegedly involved in the death of Freddie Gray.

However, the pursuit of justice must not be isolated to this single case. Cries for justice should not only surround Gray’s killing, but also include many people of color who are disproportionately targeted, arrested, and killed by police across the nation.

We also seek justice and fairness for millions of students who are subject to inequitable treatment in our nation’s schools. At the Network for Public Education, we fight for strong public schools and the right of all students, current and future, to receive a quality education. 

Notably, across the United States, there are educators implementing restorative justice practices in schools to build affinity and de-escalate tensions before they lead to additional violence and a school-to-prison pipeline. Schools often exacerbate the criminalization and dehumanization of our youth, but they can and must be part of the solution.

At our recent national conference, many spoke on the need for communities of color and education organizations to coalesce to fight for social justice. Some spoke on the need for us to address racial injustice and inequities more directly. We encourage our members and educators everywhere to teach, discuss and learn with and from our students about these issues.

We stand with the people of Baltimore crying out for a nation to see their pain from persisting injustice 

Will Market-Based Education Produce More or Less Student Uprising? | Cloaking Inequity:

Karen Wolfe: Teachers! Turn Out for Bennett Kayser! | Diane Ravitch's blog

Karen Wolfe: Teachers! Turn Out for Bennett Kayser! | Diane Ravitch's blog:

Karen Wolfe: Teachers! Turn Out for Bennett Kayser!

 Karen Wolfe is a public school parent in Los Angeles:

She writes:

“Just like a rash of neighborhood robberies reminds us to double check that our doors are locked, Ref “Reformer” Rodriguez’s campaign to take the school board seat away from experienced educator Bennett Kayser reminds us how vulnerable we are.

“One recent alarm came in the form of an invitation to a fundraiser at the home of Frank Baxter (supporter of charters since they were a twinkle in his eye, in the 1990s, and now co-chairman of the board of the Alliance charter management organization).

“The Special Guest was none other than Marshall Tuck, the recently defeated candidate for California Superintendent.

“Defeat is no obstacle for someone like Tuck. Sure, in addition to losing his election, he was left off the “really good list of ed reform leaders in LA :)” which LA School Report publisher Jamie Alter Lynton sent to her husband, Sony chief Michael Lynton. (Readers can see the whole list in the treasure trove of leaked Sony emails exposed on WikiLeaks.)

“So, at the Ref Rodriguez fundraiser, Marshall Tuck was the Special Guest.

“The suggested donations were $500-$1100 per person. Why stop at $1100? I thought the LA City Ethics Commission in January raised the campaign donation limit to $1300. Maybe supporters are purposely reserving $200 because it’s just enough for a trip to Walmart for campaign supplies–valet parking included. That’s what Students For Education Reform disclosed spending on April 13, working *independently* to defeat Bennett Kayser.

“Humor aside, it turns out $1100 is the donation limit, and $200 in receipts is not even a drop in the bucket to Walmart of course. The billionaire retailer is waging a war on labor unions and the quickest route is through public schools.

“No one has stood up more consistently for the school district’s union partners than Bennett Kayser. So where is the brotherhood and sisterhood as we fight to protect and restore our schools? As Bennett Kayser wages the campaign fight for his life?

“According to folks close to Kayser’s campaign, SEIU has stepped in. This is surprising to education activists who have been unnerved by SEIU’s advocacy for former superintendent Deasy and other privateers. Let’s hope they increase their support tremendously–immediately. But where are the teachers, for whom Bennett Kayser—a former classroom teacher—has been a steadfast supporter? While UTLA strongly backed Bennett Kayser in the primary campaign, their organization is invisible as we near the finish line.

“Bennett Kayser is being outspent by charters 9:1. But if every teacher that lives in Board District 5 brings in two votes, Bennett Kayser will win and, once again, people will win over corporate power. UTLA can provide the kind of support that can make a monumental difference. They need to do it today.

“The alarm is sounding for Bennett Kayser’s campaign.

“Anyone wishing to volunteer can contact 323-535-9930 and donations can be made at http://www.bennett2015.com/donate-online.html. Every single bit helps.”Karen Wolfe: Teachers! Turn Out for Bennett Kayser! | Diane Ravitch's blog:

bennett2015.com

Big Education Ape: How is CCSA’s Ref Rodriguez hiding his billionaire and ideologue contributors? http://bit.ly/1cad3tk

Big Education Ape: Nonprofit hopes $25,000 prize lures L.A. schools' District 5 voters - LA Times http://bit.ly/1cad9RV

Big Education Ape: Schools Matter: Is CNCA paying parents to support CCSA's Ref Rodriguez's LAUSD Board campaign? http://bit.ly/1HuWyDX

Big Education Ape: OMG: CCSA's Ref Rodriguez's PUC Lakeview Charter Academy Audit http://bit.ly/1DD60Pe

Big Education Ape: L.A. Unified delays release of audit on school with ties to candidate - LA Times http://bit.ly/1DKMhP2

Schools Matter: High School Charter Expansion in Memphis Assisted by Green Dot Exec on School Board

Schools Matter: High School Charter Expansion in Memphis Assisted by Green Dot Exec on School Board:

High School Charter Expansion in Memphis Assisted by Green Dot Exec on School Board

Yesterday the Commercial Appeal reported that the next corporate assault on Memphis public schools will be directed toward the hostile takeover of high schools next year.  Although the upper grades corporate charter chain, Green Dot, was not mentioned in the story, the California corporation is already advertising for instructional and admin positions in Memphis.  From current Green Dot ad for a finance and operations director in Memphis (my bolds):

The Green Dot Public Schools Tennessee Director of Finance & Operations will support up to 10 schools in Memphis as they are added into the Green Dot network.  For the 2015-2106 school year, the Director will be responsible for supporting two existing schools as well as 1-2 new schools for the 2016-2017 school year. He/she will partner with Green Dot’s National Expansion Growth Team, Green Dot National Departments, the Memphis Executive Director, and Home Office team members to set up processes and systems to support the operations and finances of Green Dot Tennessee schools. 

And why wouldn't Green Dot be confident of big growth opportunities in Memphis, especially since they have an executive, Miska Bibbs, serving their corporate agenda while also serving on the Shelby County School Board.  Last year the multi-tasking Ms. Bibbs chaperoned a group of Fairley parents and students to Los Angeles to see Green Dot in action. Photo below.  This year Green Dot has taken over Fairley.

No doubt this will be embarrassing enough that the SCS School Board will insist on Bibbs resigning her Green Dot post.  And why shouldn't she? She has already done her job and earned her keep.

Below is my posted comment on the Commercial Appeal story announcing big growth in high school charter operations in Memphis:

If we follow the mandate to change what's failing, there are a couple of things I would address before shutting more community schools and turning them over to corporate operators.  It's hard to say what would be first, but here goes:

1) Change the failed accountability system that has been used since 2002 to verify over and over that where poverty is high, test scores are low. If there were some remedy coming out of this truth that we have known for generations, that would be good. But there is not.

National studies show charter schools that replace public schools are no better at changing the stubborn fact that the poverty gap is, indeed, the test achievement gap, even though a great deal of attention goes to those charters that appear to have the miracle scores that would seem to defy reality. How do they do it? Let me point out which charters I am talking about:

a) those charters that receive extra money from investors looking for big tax breaks and bigger real estate deals;
b) those charters that are laser focused on test results to the detriment of healthy child development and intellectual growth;
c) those charters that issue total compliance contracts between families and schools that demand meeting expectations or else, which leads to massive de-selection of low performers and problem students who end up in the remaining public schools;
d) those charters that burn through, every two years, idealistic amateur non-teachers [seeGreen Dot ad here] who are fed up and exhausted by the time they learn to teach on the children of the poor;
e) those charters with fewer special education kids and English language learners;
f) those charters that abuse and humiliate children to grind out higher test scores that are used to build corporate charter brand names and add more school contracts;
g) those charters that spend 50 percent more time in schools constantly prepping for the next standardized tests;
h) those charters that impose cultural sterilization and brainwashing techniques that are presented as character training--techniques that no middle class parent would ever allow.

2) Change the way we attempt education reform. Rather than pretending that taxpayers should believe that corporate amateurs can get results that educational professionals cannot, let us move the focus from what happens inside the school building to what happens in our society, which includes the school. Schools, alone, either corporate or public, cannot alleviate the effects of poverty. As the great educator, Jean Anyon said, "Trying to Fix an Urban School without Fixing the Neighborhood in Which It is Embedded is Like Trying to Clean the Air on One Side of a Screen Door."

As long as we ignore the poverty, segregation, institutional racism, and lack of cultural, social, and economic opportunities in the communities where we expect miracle schools to defy Schools Matter: High School Charter Expansion in Memphis Assisted by Green Dot Exec on School Board:

CURMUDGUCATION: Edushyster: Peter Cunningham's Woes

CURMUDGUCATION: Edushyster: Peter Cunningham's Woes:

Edushyster: Peter Cunningham's Woes

I have now met Jennifer "Edushyster" Berkshire, and I totally get it. I don't believe there is a human being on the planet who, upon sitting down with her, would not want to answer every question just to prolong the conversation and once you're talking, well, lying to the woman would be like kicking a puppy.

So it makes perfect sense that just about anybody would be willing to talk to her, even if she is on the Pro-Public Education side of the fence.

She's just put up an interview with Peter Cunningham, the former Arne Duncan wordifier who now runs Education Post, a pro-reformster political war room style rapid response operation (I knew I'd moved up in the blogging world when they took the time to spank me personally). 

I don't imagine there are people who read this blog who do not also read Edushyster, but I'm going to keep linking/exhorting you to head over and check out this interview while I note a few of my own responses here.

There are a couple of eyebrow-raisers in the interview that really underline the differences between the reformsters and the pro-public ed side of these debates. In particular, Cunningham notes that many reformsters feel isolated and under attack. When explaining how Broad approached him about starting EP, Cunningham says

There was a broad feeling that the anti-reform community was very effective at piling on and that no one was organizing that on our side. 

Organized?! Organized!!?? It is possible that Broad et al have simply misdiagnosed their problem. Because I'm pretty sure that the pro-public ed advocate world, at least the part of it that I've seen, is not organized at all. But we believe what we are writing, so much so that the vast majority of us do it for free in our spare time (I am eating a bag lunch at my desk as I type this), and we pass on the things we read that we agree with. 

In fact, it occurs to me that contrary to what one might expect, we are the people using the Free Market version of distributing ideas-- we create, we put it out there, we let it sink or swim in the marketplace of ideas. Meanwhile, the reformsters try to mount some sort of Central Planning approach, where they pay people to come up with ideas, pay people to promote those ideas, pay people to write about those ideas, and try to buy the marketplace so that their products can be prominently displayed. 

It is the exact same mistake that they have brought to education reform-- the inability to distinguish between the appearance of success and actual success. If students look like they are succeeding (i.e. scoring high on tests they've been carefully prepped for), then they must be learning. If it looks like everybody is talking about our ideas (i.e. we bought lots of website space and hired cool writers and graphics), then we must be winning hearts and minds.

But what is Cunningham to do to save these poor beleaguered millionaires in their cushy offices (who are probably not eating a bag lunch at their desks as I type this-- isolated and alone in my classroom, I might add)?


I’ve created the ability to swarm, because everyone felt like they were being swarmed. We now have people who will, when asked, lean in on the debate, when people feel like they’re just under siege.

"Lean in" is a great way to put it. I've been "leaned in" upon. It just feels kind of mean, and definitely not like an attempt to create a better conversation. Which is, well, odd , because I've actually had some certainly fine conversations with people on the other side of the edu-fence. It's really not impossible, or even difficult. 

Cunningham himself has proven capable of critiquing the reformster party line. But he's been hired to do a job, and he's doing it. Which is perhaps part of the problem.

Mind you, I'm not by any stretch of the imagination claiming that I am extra-noble or super-swell because I toil away in unfunded obscurity. There are people (Jennifer is one of them) who do this as their main gig and ought to be getting deservedly rich for it; the fact that I'm not doesn't make me a better person.

But it tells us something about the two sides of the fence that the separate pastures are fertilized with such different-- yeah, let's drop that analogy. It says something that if all the money evaporated from the pro-public ed movement, things wouldn't change much at all. But take away Gates money and Broad money and Walton money, and we wouldn't be having these conversations. Reform has consistently side-stepped both the democratic process and the marketplace of ideas, adopting instead the corporate boss model of, "I'm paying your salary. Do as I say." Since democracy and the market place of ideas started fighting back, reformsters have been trying to adapt. But it's hard. And lonely.

Cunningham notes that by 2012-2013, pro-public ed was "very effectively calling a lot of reform ideas into question." Well, not exactly. They were effectively pointing out that a lot of reform ideas were crap. Marketing and PR do not necessarily beat actual substance. But Cunningham is a man who's been given a giant pile of money to hire swarms and bloggers and a big, shiny website, so he's going to spend it. for at least two more years. Read the edushyster interview. CURMUDGUCATION: Edushyster: Peter Cunningham's Woes: