Dangerous Liasons: TFA Recruiting for CECs in NYC

Some CEC's have resisted the ed deform agenda and with calls for some checks and balances on mayoral control by giving more power to CECs the vulture groups are looking at taking control of these last vestiges of official resistance -- and expect the Tweedies to assist them in anyway possible.

This just in from Leonie Haimson (see our post on the de-zoning issue -- Tweed Dezoning Push: The Ed Deform War on the Neighborhood School While UFT Silent.

In February, TFA was recruiting for CEC candidates below; perhaps they are watching the dezoning fight or anticipating a more powerful CEC in the future.

Watch out!  Wendy Kopp is married to Richard Barth, head of KIPP and most of their recruits in NYC are now placed in charter schools, which are growing fast in NYC and also have sky-high attrition rates.  The faster the expansion of charters in NYC the easier it will be for TFA to expand their base in NYC.

See also this article, about the push to get TFA alumni in “leadership” posts across the country: http://prospect.org/article/teach-america%E2%80%99s-deep-bench

Excerpt: Since its founding, TFA has amassed some 28,000 alumni. Two have made Time’s “Most Influential” list: its Chief Executive Officer and founder, Wendy Kopp, and former Washington, D.C., schools chancellor and StudentsFirst founder Michelle Rhee. Others have gained prominence as the leaders of massive charter operations, like KIPP Schools and New Schools for New Orleans. And TFA alums are currently the heads of public schools in Newark, D.C., and Tennessee.

What about the other 27,000-some-odd people? That’s where Leadership for Educational Equity, or LEE, comes in. LEE was founded in 2007 as a 501(c)4 spin-off of Teach for America to provide resources, training, and networking for alumni who are interested in elected office or other extracurricular leadership positions. Its goals are ambitious: by 2015, as its standard job posting reads, it hopes to have 250 of its members in elected office, 300 in policy or advocacy leadership roles, and 1,000 “in ‘active’ pipelines for public leadership.” If all goes as planned, LEE could shift control over American education reform to a specific group of spritely college grads-turned-politicians with a very specific politics.

From: New York Alumni Team - Teach For America <nycalumni@teachforamerica.org>
Date: February 20, 2013, 5:23:02 PM EST
To:
Subject: Are You a New York City Parent? Get Involved in Education in Your Community!

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If you are a parent, or know someone who is, here is an opportunity to get involved in your community: Education Councils: There are two ways to join a New York City Education Council. First, you may be appointed by your respective Borough President. Second, and more commonly, if you live in a DOE public school district AND you are a parent AND your child attends a DOE public school in NYC, you may be eligible to serve on either: i) a Community Education Council or ii) a Citywide Education Council. Education Council members are selected once every two years. For more information or to apply, visit http://nycparentleaders.org. Your application must be received by March 13, 2013.  In April, there will be at least one "Candidate Forum" per district council. These forums present an opportunity for candidates to meet and speak to parents and designated "selectors" from their community in order to discuss why they should be selected to serve on an education council. In May, final selections are made. If you intend to apply, please let us know at nycalumni@teachforamerica.org.   If you are interested in receiving assistance with the application process, please contact Dahni-El Giles of Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE) at dahni-el.giles@educationalequity.org.  For more information on Education Councils, click here. Best, The New York Alumni Affairs Team