Ed Notes Online: NY Times on Chris Pavone book

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

NY Times on Chris Pavone book

I've known Chris Pavone since he was 3 years old when his mom, Vera Pavone, brought him to a meeting of Another View in District 14, the beginning of a 43 year political and personal relationship with Vera and her partner at the time, Paul Baizerman. These were the guys who had the most influence on me politically and in many ways personally. I won't get into the weeds of what I learned from them -- and am still learning from Vera (Paul died 2 years ago). Vera is not only a political mentor, but also gardening, health and just about any other topic you'd choose -- except cats.

The work Vera has done in the true educational reform movement has impacted on everyone she has touched. We used to joke, "Vera knows everything." To me, her power of analysis -- her way of thinking and dissecting things has been a key and I view many things through that lens. One example was the problem I was having reviewing the Shanker bio for New Politics. I forced a reluctant Vera into the project and basically she did 75% of the work -- I'm very good at sloughing off responsibility.

Chris' 2nd book, "The Accident" has been getting extraordinary reviews (Chris Pavone's "The Accident" Gets NY Times Rave Review).

Today, the Times has another great article on Chris and the book.

Secret Agent, Book Agent, All the SameChris Pavone’s Thriller ‘The Accident,’ Set in Book World

I took note of these quotes:

He is also half of a formidable publishing power couple. His wife, Madeline McIntosh, is the president and chief operating officer at Penguin Random House and one of the industry’s most influential executives, often mentioned as a potential successor someday to Markus Dohle, the company’s chief executive.
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Once again, Mr. Pavone decided to make a woman the protagonist, an element of his books that his publisher said had brought more female readers to the table.

“One of the things that’s inescapable about Chris is that he does women really well,” Ms. Stern said in an interview. “He understands something very true about highly accomplished women. And he’s obviously been deeply connected to a highly accomplished woman in his life.”

Not just one highly accomplished woman in Chris' life. His mom has been so important to so many people in her life.

Oh, and Vera's other son Joey deserves enormous credit for becoming a NYC high school teacher even though he had to sit through so many teacher meetings as a child.

Chris will be making an appearance Weds Mar. 12 - I can't be there due to rehearsals for Friday's opening of the play I'm in. Here is Chris' funny email. If you happen to be in Paris on March 27, check it out. But there are other places you can meet him and buy his book.

We ordered a copy and it should come today --

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There was a time when I had dignity (at least, that’s what I told myself). But that was before I started writing novels, before I could imagine I’d ever send a note to EVERYONE I know saying something shameless like “My second novel The Accident goes on-sale tomorrow, PLEASE BUY IT, thank you.”

But that's not what I'm saying, which is instead: I'd love to see you at one of my events (dates, times, addresses below). Frankly I’d love to see any friendly face. Or, honestly, what do I care? Nonfriendly would also be fine. Especially in Scottsdale and Indianapolis, places where I don’t think I know a single person within a hundred miles, and it's sad and lonely to stand in front of an empty room, talking. So if you have any friends, relatives, or even nonviolent enemies in these areas, please encourage them to come:

NYC: Wednesday March 12, 6:00 p.m.: Barnes & Noble Tribeca, 97 Warren St

MADISON CT: Thursday Marsh 13, 7:00 p.m.: RJ Julia, 768 Boston Post Rd

WASHINGTON DC: Friday March 14, 7:00 p.m.: Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave NW

CORTE MADERA CA: Sunday March 16, 4:00 p.m.: Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd

PASADENA CA: Monday March 17, 7:00 p.m. Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E Colorado Blvd

LA JOLLA CA: Tuesday March 18, 7:30 p.m.: Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave

SCOTTSDALE AZ: Wednesday March 19, 7:00 p.m., with Olen Steinhauer: Poisoned Pen, 4014 N Goldwater Blvd

AUSTIN TX: Thursday March 20, 7:00 p.m.: Book People, 603 N Lamar Blvd

LONDON UK: Monday March 24: Apple Store Regent Street, 235 Regent St

BRUSSELS BE: Wednesday March 26, 7:00 p.m.: Sterling Books, Wolvengracht 38 Fossé aux Loups

PARIS FR: Thursday March 27, 6:00 p.m.: WH Smith, 248, rue de Rivoli

VERO BEACH FL: Thursday April 3 6:00 p.m.: Vero Beach Book Center, 392 21^st St

DELTONA FL: Friday April 4, 12:30 p.m.: Deltona Regional Library, 2150 Eustace Ave

ORLANDO FL: Saturday April 5, 1:00 p.m.: UCF Book Festival

GREENWICH CT: Tuesday April 8, 7:00 p.m., with Olen Steinhauer: Greenwich Library, 101 W Putnam

NYC: Wednesday April 9 6:30 p.m.: New York Public Library, 455 5^th Ave

INDIANAPOLIS IN: Friday April 25, 10:30 a.m.: Christamore House Luncheon, Indiana Roof Ballroom,140 W Washington St

NYC: Friday May 2, 3:00 p.m.: Summer Reading Panel, Random House Open House, 1745 Broadway

Many thanks,
Chris

No comments:

"A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

What media call "philanthropy" for the public schools are actually seed monies to establish a private "market" in publicly-financed education - an enterprise worth trillions if successfully penetrated by corporate America. Cory Booker, one of the "New Black Leaders" financed by the filthy rich, is key to creating a "nationwide corporate-managed schools network paid for by public funds but run by private managers.

"Ed Reformers" want to cash in on public education and to control its content and outcome, not improve it. Provide great education? Baby boomers had as close as this country has ever gotten to it when we were growing up. The Ed Reform Movement has no interest in seeing such a well-educated, democratically astute population ever again.

http://blackagendareport.com/content/cory-booker-clear-and-present-threat-public-education

History of the UFT Pre-Weingarten Years

This award-winning series of articles by Jack Schierenbeck originally appeared in the New York Teacher in 1996 and 1997.

Naturally, from a certain point of view. But, despite certain biases, Schierenbeck, a great guy, was one of the best NY Teacher reporters so this is worth reading. Jack suffered a debilitating stroke many years ago (I used to get secret donations to ed notes from him through a 3rd source.)

This chapter looks interesting:

Class struggles: The UFT story, part 3

“The schism in the union over radical politics [is] a major reason for stalling the growth of a teacher union for decades.” Revolutionary politics and ideology take center stage, as the original Teachers Union becomes a battlefield, pitting leftist against leftist and splitting the union.

Clarence Taylor's "Reds at the Blackboard" focused on the old Teachers Union which disbanded in 1964 after suffering from anti-left attacks.

Of course for another view, check out the review at New Politics of the Kahlenberg Bio on Shanker by Vera Pavone and me: Albert Shanker: Ruthless Neocon

Effective Union Organizing

A video series put together by Jason Mann from the British Columbia Federation of Teachers about social media and how to use it for effective union organizing.

The first series was called New Media For Union Activists Roadmap and it's still available on-line at:
http://www.newmediabootcamp.ca/welcome/
I watched some of them and need to rewatch as they are loaded with information.

The second series started last week and it's called "Online Campaigning for Union Activists"

You can sign up for this free series at :
http://act.bcfed.ca/online-campaigning-for-union-activists/

You Don't Have A Choice - Join the Revolt

Ex-Harlem Success Teacher Comments on Eva the Diva

Ex-HSA Teacher has left a new comment on your post "Fear and Loathing at Evil's Harlem Success Empire ...":

I am a former Harlem Success teacher. Not many people who work/worked for her like her very much. I once made the comment that she is very nice when I first was hired. Two of her closest colleague responded immediately almost in unison, "Eve is not nice!" Over time I realized that there was a lot of political games going on. Another colleague once said to me that he was tired of "being part of a political campaign." Sending out 15,000 applications for only 400 seats in a school is reprehensible. The money that paid for those mass mailings could have paid the yearly salary of another teacher not to mention the heartache of all those parents who applied but did not get a spot. She does good work trying to give disadvantaged students a quality public school education but at a great cost to staff AND the school's educational budget! school budget.

Davis Guggenheim Compared to Riefenstahl

“Waiting for Superman" is the second most intellectually dishonest piece of documentary work I have seen. It is surpassed only by Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," the pro-Hitler propaganda classic, in that regard. Uses personal narratives of adorable children to create narrative suspense that overrides public policy discussion with pure emotion in unscrupulous attack on teachers and their unions, among others

Timothy Tyson
Professor of African American Studies and History
Duke University

How Teaching Experience Makes a Difference

Even as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee and others around the nation are arguing for experienced teachers to be laid off regardless of seniority, every single study shows teaching experience matters. In fact, the only two observable factors that have been found consistently to lead to higher student achievement are class size and teacher experience, so that it’s ironic that these same individuals are trying to undermine both.
- Leonie Haimson on Parents Across America web site

Full article with charts here.

Weingarten/Gates Foundation announce drone-driven teacher evaluation

According to a press release issued by the Gates Foundation, the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, these three have entered a ground-breaking partnership to evaluate teachers utilizing the drone technology that has revolutionized warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. A bird-size device floats up to 400 feet above a classroom and instantly beams live video of teachers in action to agents at desks at Teacher Quality Inspection Stations established by the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

When asked if the drones were authorized to drop bombs on teachers who exhibit inadequacy, Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, replied, "Don't be ridiculous. Gates money puts other methods at our disposal."

Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.5-million-member American Federation of Teachers said the powerful union has signed on to the drone project...

More at Substance

The Real Reason Behind Push for Standardized Tests: It's All About the Adults

On standardized testing in our schools

A must read article about the standardized test industry.
Written by an insider who has worked as a test scorer, the article outlines a multinational industry based on an army of temporary workers paid by the piece at $0.30 to $0.70 per test, translated in the need to grade 40 tests per hour to make a $12 salary. The article goes on to show how the companies gauge the grading "results" based on the need to ensure new contracts to continue profiting off of our youth. The original article is from Monthly Review. Here it is on Schools Matter blog.

http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2010/12/on-growing-use-of-corporate-test.html

Parallels between America today and Germany in the 1920's and early 30's

"Resentment and obstruction are all the right wing in America have to peddle. Their policies are utterly discredited. Their ideology - even by its own standards - is a sham. They are so bereft of leaders, their de facto leader is a former drug addicted, thrice-divorced radio talk show host. That is literally the best they can muster. But they have built a national franchise inciting the downwardly mobile to blame the government, not the right, for their problems, exactly as Hitler did in the 1920s."

The US Is Facing a Weimar Moment

Published on Sunday, March 15, 2009 by CommonDreams.org

Chicago View of Unity/UFT on Charters

After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings — though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.

Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.

Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance

Ed Notes Greatest Hits: HSA Rally and Founding of GEM

SEE MY VIDEO ON HARLEM SUCCESS RALLY 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEp7rg_L5JI

Angel Gonzalez and I attended that rally and used the footage to promote our conference on Mar. 28, 2009, which is where the concept of a group like GEM emerged. Until then we had basically been a committee of ICE working with the NYCORE high stakes testing group. The actions of Eva and crew helped spawn GEM. Mommie Dearest!!

I have more video somewhere. I was hoping to get Leni Riefenstahl to edit it but she died. We would have called it "Triumph of the Hedge Fund Operators."

Ed Notes Extended

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

NY Times on Chris Pavone book

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