Written and edited by Norm Scott:
EDUCATE! ORGANIZE!! MOBILIZE!!!
Three pillars of The Resistance – providing information on current ed issues, organizing activities around fighting for public education in NYC and beyond and exposing the motives behind the education deformers. We link up with bands of resisters. Nothing will change unless WE ALL GET INVOLVED IN THE STRUGGLE!
[Principal] Garg received poor marks on the DOE’s school survey for her first year at CPE 1, with a 45 percent approval rating. That compares to an average 95 percent across the city. In five out of eight categories for “effective leadership,” no teachers rated her competent.
The school, founded 41 years ago by legendary educator Deborah Meier
with a distinct philosophy that favored collaboration with teachers and
parents, has long been hailed as a model in the progressive education
movement.
“It’s a school that is falling apart. It is chaotic, incoherent and
rudderless,” said Kenya Dilday, parent association co-chair and the mom
of a third grader.
Parents say that more instructional support is needed for the
200-student school where 11 out of 17 teachers are new since last year.
“We are listening to the concerns of this school community and
providing support to ensure we are meeting student and family needs,”
DOE spokesman Will Mantel said.
This is a great piece by Amy Zimmer that exposes the Farina regime. The only problem is that it makes the DOE look incompetent when in reality the destruction and chaos at Central Park East 1 was and is intentional. Remember other top performing schools like Townshend Harris and La Guardia where these type of principals have been installed.
The principal of CPE 1 is a Farina Hit Woman sent in to destroy the schools. Garg should get a bonus for accomplishing her mission. The first step is to drive out the established teachers (10 of whom Garg had investigated and one sent to a rubber room). The 11 new teachers who were hired by Garg must love her.
At what point do we hold the Farina led DOE accountable for the outrages? And where is the UFT?
Kindergarten Applications Plummet at Once-Coveted School Amid Controversy
Central Park East Mixed Chorus performed at Carter Burden Center for Aging on January 21, 2015.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Sybile Penhirin
MANHATTAN — East Harlem mom Kaliris Salas-Ramirez had to wait a month to get off the waitlist and score a spot just to tour Central Park East 1 when visiting elementary schools for her son two years ago.
This year, the school at Madison Avenue and East 106th Street had barely enough parents to fill the tours. At a recent evening open house, “literally one parent showed up,” Salas-Ramirez, now co-chair of the parent association. The small and diverse lottery-based school — considered the
forerunner of progressive public schools in the city — garnered more
kindergarten applicants per available seat than any other school in the
city for the the 2015-2016 school year, according to Department of Education data. Nearly 570 families listed the school as one of their 12 choices on
their kindergarten application, vying for just 30 seats. That breaks
down to about 19 applicants per seat. But that was before Monika Garg took over as principal last September, touching off a revolt from long-time teachers and parents who claim she is not supporting the school’s progressive foundations of inquiry-based, child-centered learning. This year, according to school insiders, roughly 280 families
applied. That’s still a high number given the dearth of seats, but it’s
half the number of families who applied in 2015. “It really has been heartbreaking to see a school like CPE I that has
such an incredible reputation and amazing teachers be destroyed in a
year,” Salas-Ramirez said, noting that parents who did tour have
expressed grave concern about the new leadership. After the school community launched a petition last year to oust Garg, tensions are still high at the school.
In five out of eight categories for “effective leadership,” no teachers rated her competent.
Parents say that more instructional support is needed for the
200-student school where 11 out of 17 teachers are new since last year.
A consultant came in September to observe, parents said, but there
was no follow-up. Another consultant versed in progressive education
arrived this month, after families pleaded with the DOE to send more
help.
“There is structure with progressive education,” Salas-Ramirez said.
“That’s why you need mentorship and leadership, teamwork and
collaboration. You have to be so intentional in the work. You have to
direct the conversation of these children in a way that get kids to have
an ‘a-ha moment’ without you telling them what it is.”
The school, founded 41 years ago by legendary educator Deborah Meier
with a distinct philosophy that favored collaboration with teachers and
parents, has long been hailed as a model in the progressive education
movement.
With its focus on social emotional development over a more
test-centric approach, the school has drawn a lot of families — across
East Harlem’s District 4, Harlem’s District 5 and the Upper West Side’s
District 3 — who opt out of the state’s standardized English and math
exams.
Yet, while the number of students who sit for the test remains small,
they typically outperform citywide averages — until last year.
The scores of the children who sat for the tests fell below the state average for the first time ever — and that was after Garg instituted a test prep program and teachers have been implementing a more “hybrid” traditional/progressive model, according to parents. “It’s a school that is falling apart. It is chaotic, incoherent and
rudderless,” said Kenya Dilday, parent association co-chair and the mom
of a third grader.
“We feel that the many new teachers could well turn out to love and
excel at CPE1’s particularly pedagogy. But as of now, they are
confused.”
Dilday fired off a letter to Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña
complaining of various problems with the school's leadership, including a
$100,000 grant application that the principal said she filled out
through the Manhattan Borough President’s Office. While all other schools that applied were awarded the grants, CPE 1 was not, Dilday said.
The Borough President’s office told parents it never received the
application, and the principal told parents that she applied but
couldn’t find the school’s name on the drop-down menu for the
application, so she filed it under Central Park East High School. This year, Dilday is taking over the responsibility of filing the application, she said.
“The parents are working so hard, the teachers are working so hard,”
Dilday said. “It’s a sad place now, but maybe one day it will be happy
again.” Garg did not respond to a request for comment. DOE officials said the superintendent was continuing to support the
school, noting the progressive education consultant who was recently
dispatched there.
“We are listening to the concerns of this school community and
providing support to ensure we are meeting student and family needs,”
DOE spokesman Will Mantel said.
As
a result of her actions, more than 1/3 of veteran staff members are
leaving the ... and maintained by a large group of concerned parents at Central Park East 1.
Community to Demand accountability from District 4 Superintendent
It was a pleasure hanging out with the parents and teachers of Central Park East 1 last night at dinner after the PEP meeting. The Farina assault on this school and the UFT turning its back says it all about what is going on. I will be putting up the videos of their comments, including charges of racism. The District 4 Supt looks to be another criminal supervisor put in power by Farina.
Students, Parents to Walk Out of Historic East Harlem School Demanding Removal of Principal
Community to Demand accountability from District 4 Superintendent
EAST HARLEM—Students
will walk out of Central Park East 1 Friday morning to join a protest
march calling for an end to the year-long attack on the school’s
storied, progressive culture, its long-term teachers, children and
families.
The children, from pre-k through
fifth grade, will join their families and supporters in a march to the
office of District 4 Superintendent Alexandra Estrella. The walk out and
march is being organized to directly address Estrella for her role in
decimating a school that pioneered progressive education in the city.
In
the summer of 2015, Estrella appointed Monika Garg as the principal of
CPE1. Garg quickly lost the trust of the majority of CPE1 families by
antagonizing long-time teachers; submitting young children to
interrogations without informing their parents; advocating for a new
version of “separate but equal” by stating that CPE1’s progressive
education doesn’t work for students of color or poor children; and
bypassing the school’s democratic structures and even the Chancellor’s
regulations to push an agenda of changing the historic school.
Garg
has been supported by Estrella even as 70% of the parents at CPE1 have
called for the principal’s removal. As CPE1 parents take action to
demand Garg be removed from CPE1, Estrella has mounted her own campaign
against CPE1 families, spreading lies about parent leaders and purposely
misinforming the District 4 Community Education Council about the “SAVE
CPE1” movement.
Previous public actions by the
CPE1 community demanding Garg’s removal include multiple appearances at
the Panel on Educational Policy and a 300-person rally at DOE
Headquarters last month.
Who: Students and parents from CPE 1
What: Protest to demand removal of school’s principal.
Excellent
visuals include young children with protest signs,crowd chanting and
marching, delegation delivering petition to Superintendent Estrella.
When: Friday, June 24, 2016; Start time 8:30AM
Where: Starts at 106th Street between Madison and Park,march moves to 120th Street between Lexington and 3rd Avenue.
The website, savecpe1.org,
offers an extensive timeline detailing the pattern of administrative
mistreatment over time. It also provides testimonials from families
about what a Central Park East 1 education has meant for them and their
children. It explains Central Park East 1’s unique curriculum and
pedagogy as well as its success - as measured by the Department of
Education’s own metrics.
Chancellor Fariña has told the media she has instructed the superintendent and senior superintendent to meet with parents. None of the 65% who signed the petition have had the opportunity to do so. So [today] we are going to Tweed to make our voices heard....
There is not better example of the debilitating partnership between deB/Farinia and the UFT/Unity leadership where a horror story of a principal is allowed to destroy 40 years of progressive education in almost an instant. But we know that Farina is all about top-down and anti-progressive education, which by its very nature is inclusive of teacher voices. But then again Unity/UFT itself precludes teacher voices.
The UFT district and borough reps have either been useless or lined up with the DOE when it comes to fighting principals.
Farina and the UFT continue to protect bad principals. We knew Farina was lying when she made that statement at the April PEP, which I videotaped: https://vimeo.com/164113948
Parents, Teachers at Historic East Harlem School to Protest Principal’s Attack on Progressive Education
Community to Demand Chancellor Remove Principal Who Said Progressive Education Doesn’t Work for Students of Color, Led Drive to Oust Longtime Teachers
EAST HARLEM—Parents, teachers and students will rally outside DOE Headquarters Tuesday to demand Chancellor Carmen Fariña remove the principal of CPE 1, who has orchestrated a year-long attack on the East Harlem elementary school’s storied, progressive culture.
The protesters will call on the chancellor to accede to the demands of an overwhelming majority of the school community and remove Principal Monica Garg, who has antagonized long-time teachers via investigations and other measures and told parents that progressive education doesn’t work for students of color, among other actions.
Sixty-five percent of parents at CPE1 and more than 2,500 supporters, including the school’s founder, Deborah Meier, have requested that Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Chancellor Fariña:
1. Remove the current principal, Monika Garg
2. Ensure the meaningful participation of the CPE1 community in choosing a strong, suitable principal.
3. Form an independent district to ensure relevant support of alternative schools
The protest comes on the heels of a Panel on Educational Policy hearing last month at which parents delivered the petition to Chancellor Fariña and testified about the need for change at the school. Chancellor Fariña has told the media she has instructed the superintendent and senior superintendent to meet with parents. None of the 65% who signed the petition have had the opportunity to do so. So we are going to Tweed to make our voices heard.
Who: Parents, teachers and students from CPE 1; East Harlem District Leader Johnny Rivera, United Federation of Teachers Candidate for President Jia Lee What: Protest to demand removal of school’s principal. Excellent visuals include young children with protest signs, street theater, and large crowd chanting and marching. When: Tuesday, May 17 at 4:30 pm
Where: DOE Headquarters at Tweed Courthouse 52 Chambers Street
We demand leadership change at CPE1. We demand that the city’s administration remove a principal who has demonstrated a lack of competence as an administrator, and most grievously, a shocking lack of concern for the welfare of the children the DOE and parents have placed in her charge.
The website, savecpe1.org, offers an extensive timeline detailing the pattern of administrative mistreatment over time. It also provides just a few samples of more than 20 testimonials from families about what a Central Park East 1 education has meant for them and their children. It explains Central Park East 1’s unique curriculum and pedagogy as well as its success - as measured by the Department of Education’s own metrics.
Aixa Rodriguez (right) led the battle to save her school. Jia Lee and Marilena Marchetti from MORE were present to support her.
Where have you gone Joel Klein? Our nation turns it's lonely eyes to you.
Would we ever have imagined that the current DOE administration could look as cold stone deaf and heartless as the previous administration? From what I saw up there last night I can't say I see any difference. I even saw a di Blasio appointee, a former principal who came to a MORE meeting 2 years ago and I spent an hour in the bar afterward arguing with him over his anti-union, blame the teacher attitude. That this guy was appointed by di Blasio is indicative of why so many people in the schools - principals and teachers - and parents - think that when it comes to transparency and response and over regulations, nothing much has changed.
Aixa makes a powerful speech
A large crew from Central Park East 1 called for removal of principal Monika Garz
Watching the Farina led PEP with the Panel sitting on a stage so far away from the audience, but not far enough away not to see the blank looks on their faces as issue after issue came up with people practically pleading for a response to repeated requests over months and even years - any response at a all - but not getting any.
I have loads of video to process so this will only be a quick hit of the 3 major issues that came up.
"Renewal Means Removal" I posted yesterday:Today at PEP: Mayor de Blasio's "RENEWAL"
High on the agenda was the closing of FLAGS whose building is being invaded by a charter school - which sent a busload of people to the PEP. I asked them when we were leaving if we could co-locate their bus for people going to the Bronx so they could get a ride home. They have money to use for buses for political events.
I have a lot of good video of speeches made on their behalf.
Chalkbeat has an article on this aspect of the PEP quoting Aixa and Jane Meisel:
“If they wanted to revitalize the school they could do that,” said Jane Maisel, a member of the advocacy group Change the Stakes, before the vote. “We think it’s a very bad precedent.” “Parents and kids were like, ‘Didn’t we have an understanding that this would be a community school?’” said Aixa Rodriguez, a FLAGS teacher. “We had the sword of Damocles over us the entire time.”
Here is the brief press conference before the meeting. The charter bus arrived and they cut it short to make sure to get in and sign up before they packed the sign up list so not everyone got to speak - but at that point I was the only "press" there and I have all their comments from inside the PEP to post in a followup.
Civil Rights lawyer Norman Seigel leads battle for true education for Jewish boys
This item surprised me. A group of former Hassidic yeshiva students were with Norman to protest the education they got which violate state laws. The DOE is supposed to monitor them. The Bloomberg and di Blasio admins both covered up for political reasons. Farina has been unresponsive. The powerful speeches laid bare the political arrangement as these schools get millions of dollars that are misused and misdirected. I'll cut the videos of their speeches and put them up in a few days.
I have some great footage of them at the PEP but have to process it all. When they described how 40 years of teachers having their voices heard in setting school policy was dismantled in months by Monika Garg my thought was that she is the perfect principal for Farina who I can't conceive of sharing power with teachers. I believe Farina is behind the move to dismantle CPE1 - a decision to put in such an inappropriate principal can only come from the top. The teachers who spoke were amazing, yet most of them are under investigation on bogus charges. Garg pulled kids in to be questioned without parent permission or notice. And Garg has made racial comments which may prove to be the trigger - Beth Fertig from WNYC was interviewing a parent and that point seemed to interest her the most.
For now I do have their press conference before the PEP. Wait till you see the two 12 year old alums have to say about how they learned at CPE1.
....the petition has been signed by more than 58% of current families. More
than 1,700 supporters have also signed, including educational experts,
NY Senator Bill Perkins, former New York City Councilman and Education
Committee Chair Robert Jackson, former NYC Councilman and Education
Committee Chair Robert Jackson, education professor and activist Dr.
William Ayers, and large numbers of former teachers, family members and
students.... Parents of CPE1.
I am at a Comfort Inn in Rocky Mount NC, an hour out of Raleigh. I didn't think I could do all the driving in one day so I cancelled my reservation at the Marriott for tonight but in actuality found the drive pretty easy - just me alone blasting the music and singing along - if my wife were with me we would have seen road rage. But I wanted to get readers caught up on the fast moving CPE 1 story which I posted this morning: #savecpe1 - Support Legendary Debbie Meier Founded Central Park East 1 in Battle to Remove Monika Garg, Abusive Principal
Things are heating up as the story is getting out. I have a lot more to write about this especially on how Garg pulled the race card as a way to divide parents, which unfortunately a few parents fell for. Attacking the school's diversity and claiming progressive education is not beneficial to children of color is just part of the attack - she should be fired for that alone as it is racist to say children of color are somehow not able to deal with a progressive education that the rich kids in private schools get.
Parents
at Central Park East 1 Launch a Website and Petition Drive to Defend
Their School’s Progressive Practices and Remove Principal
The website and information about the petition can be found at www.savecpe1.org
East
Harlem, NY. April 13, 2016---On April 8, a group of parents at Central
Park East 1, a 41-year old elementary school that is the oldest
progressive school in Harlem and the first formed by legendary educator,
Deborah Meier, launched a website: SaveCPE1.org. The website — savecpe1.org
— which has received nearly 8,800 page views since launch-- is part of
an effort to defend the school’s core progressive practices and asks
parents and supporters to sign a petition calling for the removal of the
current principal, Monika Garg. Within four days,
the petition has been signed by more than 58% of current families. More
than 1,700 supporters have also signed, including educational experts,
NY Senator Bill Perkins, former New York City Councilman and Education
Committee Chair Robert Jackson, former NYC Councilman and Education
Committee Chair Robert Jackson, education professor and activist Dr.
William Ayers, and large numbers of former teachers, family members and
students.
Parents cite several reasons that they believe Principal Garg is not a suitable leader at Central Park East 1:
In
March, Monika Garg, principal for nine months, interviewed several very
young children as part of investigations of veteran teachers and staff.
The parents of these children were not notified before or after these
interviews. One parent discovered interviews had taken place when her
child was found crying at night without explanation and subsequently
revealed it. It is only through parents coming forward that other
parents were able to know to ask and appropriately support their
children. The school counselor was unaware of the interviews and thus
unable to provide support. Principal Garg has failed to respond to
several parents who have asked who was present during the interviews or
for transcripts. Some of these investigations are based on charges that
are two years old and involved interviewing 7-year old children about
events that took place two years earlier. While parents understand that
investigations are an unfortunate part of school life on occasion, they
believe that the way these interviews were conducted and the subsequent
lack of respect for parent concerns showed extremely poor judgment.
Principal
Garg has no experience in progressive education, no experience in early
childhood education and minimal experience in elementary education.
Central Park East 1 has a rich and well-documented history of
progressive education and an approach based on individualized
instruction and assessment. Principal Garg has consistently implied that
the schools style of education is not suitable for “black children and
poor children” as it is practiced at CPE1. This is contradicted by
several quantitative and qualitative measures that have been
well-documented and highlights of which are available on the website.
Veteran
teachers have described their working conditions as intolerable.
Several have considered leaving. Since many members of the staff issued
an open letter to the community detailing their concerns with the
principal’s leadership, multiple investigations have been initiated
against veteran teachers and several have had other disciplinary
measures taken against them.
These
are just some of the reasons that a majority of parents feel that the
current principal must be removed in order for the school to move
forward. This decision was not taken lightly and follows months of
attempts to get answers from the Principal and District Superintendent
Alexandra Estrella. Their has been a consistent pattern of lack of
communication and disrespect for both parents and staff. Parents do not
feel that the district has been responsive to their concerns and that is
why their petition is addressed to the mayor and school chancellor.
The website, savecpe1.org,
offers an extensive timeline detailing the pattern of administrative
mistreatment over time. It also provides just a few samples of more than
20 testimonials from families about what a Central Park East 1
education has meant for them and their children. It explains Central
Park East 1’s unique curriculum and pedagogy as well as its success - as
measured by the Department of Education’s own metrics.
I'm leaving soon to drive down to Raleigh, NC for the NPE conference over the weekend. But I wanted to get this out before I leave. I'm hoping to run into Debbie Meier at the conference since CPE was her brainchild so many years ago. I heard about that school when it opened and even thought about trying to teach there because the educational concepts fit my ideas and I was often like a fish out of water at my school.
I heard the entire story about the crap this principal, Monika Garg, has pulled and will report more details in a follow-up. Needless to say she is following the standard Principal Academy and DOE legal blueprint on how to undermine a school with veteran teachers.
The problem is that our union has no blueprint for teachers on how to respond and the teachers were overwhelmed by the constant assaults for half a year before they began to look at ways to fight back. MORE was contacted for advice and we met with some of them.
Why would so-called progressive educator Carmen Farina sanction an assault on Central Park East 1 (there is also a CPE2 under separate management) through the installation of abusive principal Monika Garg last July who immediately set about undermining 40 years of progressive education at the school? Naturally the long-time teachers there were the first to come under attack, including bogus investigations. The UFT, district borough and central have been of little help.
Which is why some of us in MORE met with a batch of people from the school and have been offering some organizing advice over the past few weeks. We are helping publicize what they are doing. The important thing in situations like this is to assess the abilities of the people on the ground to build support from parents and community when calling for such a drastic action as the removal of Principal Monika Garg who was an AP at a high school with no experience in a progressive school like CPE1 or even in an elementary school.
As the links to the article in DNAinfo and the web site below indicate they have done quite a job in organizing. I'm not sure of exactly how much I can say at this point as to the plans but I will update as they unfold.
New Principal Ruining Legendary Progressive Public School, Parents Say
For 40 years, CPE1 has been a leader in progressive education. It was the first of the original progressive public elementary schools started in East Harlem by Debbie Meier. It has been studied and celebrated internationally and replicated across the country, but the current administration is undermining CPE1’s philosophy and purpose. CPE1 must be protected.
What will we lose if the current principal remains?
Our experienced teachers - the heart of our school
Inquiry-based, child-centered education is being replaced with prepackaged curriculum
Collaborative approach and cooperative projects
Individualized learning accounting for each child’s personal goals
The understanding that art, movement and music are integral to children’s education
Valuable learning time lost to increased focus on “teaching to the test”
Democratic decision-making
Small class sizes and small school community
The newly hired principal has no previous experience in progressive education. None.
Why would a superintendent choose a principal with no progressive background and with limited elementary experience to lead NYC’s oldest progressive public school?
Our veteran teachers have said that their working conditions are unbearable. Many are considering leaving.
Our long-time teachers are crucial to preserving CPE1.
Administrators are interviewing our children without parents' knowledge or consent.
7-year-olds being asked to recall information on incidents occurring two years prior. This was not the usual "calling a child into the principal's office;" interviewers included a deputy superintendent and an outside investigator. Children were told to keep their interviews secret.
Administrators have launched investigations against our veteran teachers.
After senior teachers sent an open letter to the community expressing concerns about the principal’s actions, they have all been subjected to investigations. Some are complaints re-opened from several years prior.
Administrators routinely fail to answer parents' and teachers' questions.
Parents asked the superintendent to a town hall in November to express their concerns. She said no. The principal remains silent about direct questions concerning her decisions.
An unprecedented number of leaders in progressive education stand ready with our community to recommend qualified individuals to the DOE and to support the success of a new principal.
Please join us in saving our school and preserving progressive education at CPE1.
