Jackson Heights Queens Ed Forum: Ravitch, AOC, Liu, Jackson plus others

Leonie reports:  There was an amazing education forum yesterday with standing room only. Thanks to Jackson Heights People for Public Schools for organizing it. Among the wonderful speakers were Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents the district in Congress,  NY Senators Jessica Ramos and Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, who represent the district in the Legislature, as well as Senators Robert Jackson and John Liu. Among the terrific education advocates who spoke were Johanna Garcia of NYC Opt out, Maria Bautista of AQE, Carol Burris of Network for Public Education, Diane Ravitch, Kate Menken  of the NYS Association for Bilingual Education and me.

Fred and AOC- to the left (pun intended)

What would be a normal educational forum turned into a major event due to the star power of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez- and don't forget Diane Ravitch plus all the important politicians plus of course Leonie Haimson. And don't forget Fred Smith, my fellow 2019 Skinny Award winner, who always gets the money shot. I'm sorry I missed it but I spent the day doing a movie with some friends (and we actually shot the whole thing in one day.)

150 people SRO on a Saturday afternoon ed forum is not light.

Leonie has a report on her blog: Queens forum with AOC on how our schools must make every child feel like they matter

Chaz, who is not to the left, actually has some nice things to say about AOC --with the usual right wing trolls leaving comments attacking her. 

Chaz's School Daze Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) Supports NYC Public Schools - I know a hell of a lot of old white guys like me who love her work.

But I want to make special mention of the organizing group behind the event:  Jackson Heights People for Public Schools whose mission is: We work to educate the community about the public schools in Jackson Heights and to support parents and members of the community who wish to make our schools even better.

One of the founders and leaders of the group is currently a NYC high school teacher, Amanda Vender. I first met Amanda over a decade ago - I think she was working with the newspaper Indy Kids and I was distributing some of them to some people in the schools. Eventually Amanda became a middle school teacher and had kids -- I distinctly remember her bringing her few weeks old child to some forum we were running.

Someone posted on FB:

Thanks goes out to Alliance for Quality Education, NYC Opt Out, Class Size Matters, The Network for Public Education & NYS Association for Bilingual Education.
But especially to Amanda Vender & Jackson Heights People for Public Schools for pulling it all together!!!

Amanda Vender at forum

Amanda never got deeply involved in the work of union opposition politics though she was a supporter. She focused on her work as a parent and actually did local community organizing where she lived, whereas groups like MORE just talk about community organizing in theory.

She and her group are bringing a pro-public school, pro opt-out, progressive vision of education to her own community. I realized that the work inside a union opposition begins to look meaningless compared to the work Amanda and others have done in their communities. If I had done similar work in Rockaway - (and of course if I had kids I might have), I would have been much more useful than I was pushing the boulder uphill in UFT opposition politics. Maybe next life.

Amanda Vender, one of the first AOC supporters is my model for educational organizing. Amanda not only talks the talk, she walks the walk.

Tony Thurmond - A Lesson on Democrat Backstabbing - UPDATE - Tony Calls Diane

Here's a quick update on this post from Diane:

California: Tony Thurmond Called Me

I'm impressed that he called her.
The conversation is interesting in that Tony never says how the task force came to be chosen - and I'm going to venture a guess that Gov Gavin Newsom is the culprit and Tony is covering for him. Which emphasizes the point -- too many Dems are still ed deformers even hiding in plain sight.

UPDATE: In response to posting this on listserves I received the following from Diane confirming that Newsom packed the committee with charter people:

Norm,

A contact who works in the State Capitol in Sacramento contacted me last night to say that Tony Thurmond did not name the committee: Gavin Newsom did.  --- Diane

Back to the original post:

A Parent/Filmmaker Comments on Ravitch and Unions

How is it possible that  the Leadership of Teachers Unions maintains this destructive control of the profession?  And how can that control be altered and in what ways, without destroying the Unions altogether.  .....parent perception is predominantly that the Unions speak for and represent the attitudes of teachers.... If the Unions don't speak for the majority of teachers and, if as you say, there's a lot of dissent in the ranks of Union Teachers, it means that all of you are negatively impacted by that burden.... in trying to get my film off I find this is one of the most intractable and negative perceptions and it's complex enough to cause parents to not trust and not act on the criticisms leveled by anti deform groups.  I've discussed this with a number of MORE teachers and it is an issue that seriously impacts all efforts to rally parents to the cause. 
 -----Michael Elliot, comment on my post on Ravitch criticisms directed at union dissidents who go "too far."

Michael is commenting in response to my recent post: The Diane Ravitch Contradiction: Educators Should Rebel, but Be Nice When Addressing Oppressive Union Leaderships

...where I made a defense for strong opposition to the union leaderships and felt Diane was downplaying the very weak position so much of the opposition occupies vis a vis the dominant leadership. Sometimes there is only way to engage in a battle inside a dictatorship - hand to hand combat.

Michael feels that the opposition inside the unions may be contributing to the negative public perception of unions. I dispute that given that our voices are barely heard by the public. In fact they are barely heard by the union members.
But his point that we are not elucidating our position as to why we oppose the leadership very clearly may be right.

they have absolutely no idea what the differences between the Unions and their members truly are, if fact after nearly a year of observing this phenomenon, neither do I.  

The reason I believe Diane speaks with two minds is precisely representative of this schism between the Unions and their members.  And I think it undermines all of your considerable efforts on behalf of one of the most important professional endeavors affecting future generations.

Michael asks:   
How is it possible that  the Leadership of Teachers Unions maintains this destructive control of the profession?  And how can that control be altered and in what ways, without destroying the Unions altogether.  

That is a valid question. MORE should produce a UFT 101 document elucidating the issues. When you talk about democracy it can be so abstract. So it is necessary to show how the lack thereof has led us to a disastrous situation.

I guess my main response on the question of how can that control be altered and in what ways, without destroying the Unions altogether?

My response would be CHICAGO, CHICAGO, WHAT A WONDERFUL TOWN.

Then there is the question: Whose side are our union leaders really on? And does exposing that hurt the union movement in general?

Michael was responding to this comment by NYC  parent activist Jeff Nichols.

Norm,

As I tell anyone who will listen, if you want to know what's really going on, listen to Norm Scott. I don't presume to judge Diane, who to her credit is willing to change her mind in public and who has used her blog to the extent of her ability to augment the voices of those of us without access to major media outlets. But clearly her knowledge isn't complete, and although she has become the unofficial spokesperson for anti-deformers and is astonishingly prolific and effective in that role, the public deeply needs the perspective, wisdom *and righteous invective* of long-time teachers and activists like you!!!! 

Too many people still believe teachers' unions actually represent teachers and have no idea how many of them have been co-opted by ed deform. 

Thank you as always, Norm, for being one bad-ass Maria!

Jeff

Here is Michael's full thought-provoking comment

Hi Norm,

I actually want to take this a step further. As I research my documentary I keep running up against the same issue over and over again.  The issue is that public and more importantly, parent perception is predominantly that the Unions speak for and represent the attitudes of teachers. 

It is not nuanced and it always proves to be an immense burden that is carried by teachers. If the Unions don't speak for the majority of teachers and, if as you say, there's a lot of dissent in the ranks of Union Teachers, it means that all of you are negatively impacted by that burden.   

I have also found that very few teachers are willing to admit that Parents actually feel this way.  But in trying to get my film off I find this is one of the most intractable and negative perceptions and it's complex enough to cause parents to not trust and not act on the criticisms leveled by anti deform groups.  I've discussed this with a number of MORE teachers and it is an issue that seriously impacts all efforts to rally parents to the cause.  

Any one of you can disclaim my point of view here, but as one who is all in with the efforts of the groups, teachers, schools and parents to message in favor of destroying the deform coup I can tell you honestly its the achillies heel of the anti-deform movement.  

In order to succeed, someone has got to publicly state what role the Union Leadership has played in contributing to the marginalization and simply awful public perception that exists about Teacher Unions.   I know this is a very public statement I'm making to this group and the reason I'm doing so is because I encounter the attitudes of parents absent being one of you.  And that is the only way people share the truth. 

When I talk to parents outside the movement the first thing they say is that the Union is corrupt. The messaging from the opposition takes this to maximum benefit. Democrats and Republicans SHARE this perception. 

Meanwhile, they have absolutely no idea what the differences between the Unions and their members truly are, if fact after nearly a year of observing this phenomenon, neither do I.  

The reason I believe Diane speaks with two minds is precisely representative of this schism between the Unions and their members.  And I think it undermines all of your considerable efforts on behalf of one of the most important professional endeavors affecting future generations.   

How is it possible that  the Leadership of Teachers Unions maintains this destructive control of the profession?  And how can that control be altered and in what ways, without destroying the Unions altogether.  

I hope anyone reading this can see it in the spirit its intended.

I'm a parent, I'm trying to make a film about your brilliant efforts and I find that I'm thwarted at a fundamental level because I cannot answer this issue effectively. 

The Diane Ravitch Contradiction: Educators Should Rebel, but Be Nice When Addressing Oppressive Union Leaderships

....you want the workers to be rebellious, not docile. There is a time for collaboration and a time to stand up and fight... Ravitch on film "Metropolis."
 
I grow frustrated when union members attack their unions. Of course, they should fight to win democratic control of their unions. But when they begin hurling insults and invective at their allies, they do the work of their common foe.... Diane Ravitch comment on -- Lisa Graves: Will the Koch Brothers Buy American Politics?

There is such irony in these 2 Ravitch blogs just hours apart when our union leaders's aim is to keep workers from being rebellious. 
 
I have been a big defender of Diane Ravitch but I grow frustrated when she urges restraint when we attack undemocratic, mislabeled as progressive, union leaders and call them out for what they are. And then qualifies it with "Of course, they should fight to win democratic control of their unions." Of course, of course. But let's set ground rules for those doing the fighting, but no ground rules for the people in power.

The major factor in the rise of ed deform over the past two-plus decades has been the capitulation and cooperation of undemocratically run teacher unions. When does Diane Ravitch call for the democratic reform of teacher unions instead of asking those fighting for these reforms to "play nice"? When militants attack the union leadership does the right/ALEC cheer? Or do they fear more Chicago's coming? If MORE and its allies were ever to challenge the Unity/NYSUT/AFT leadership in a serious way, ALEC would not be happy -- better the good Maria/Randi than the bad.....

Read the full Ravitch comment on the Fritz Lang film shown last night on TCM.

Sarah Chambers between 2 Unity Caucus members at mic at AFT convention

Knowing what was going to happen to Germany, I found myself siding with the “bad” Maria who wanted the workers to turn against the machines to which they were psychically chained, not the “good” Maria, who wanted the workers to wait, wait, wait, and be peaceful. If you think about the movie in relation to German history and the monster who would plunge the world into war just a few years later, you want the workers to be rebellious, not docile. There is a time for collaboration and a time to stand up and fight... Ravitch on film "Metropolis" (Last Thoughts of the Night).

In the other  - Lisa Graves: Will the Koch Brothers Buy American Politics? - post Ravitch and Graves gang up on the band of resisters in the teacher unions who are fighting a 2-front war against ed deform and their own union leaders who don't exactly play "nice." (SEE NYSUT AND AFT CONVENTIONS).

Does Diane get it? That Randi Weingarten is the "good Maria" who wants workers to wait, wait, wait and be peaceful. And that Diane and Lisa Graves are also playing the role of the "good Maria" in giving Randi cover and accusing union dissidents, who are often left without any voice in the union, of helping the Koch brothers when they attack their union leaders as being undemocratic and repressive?

In essence, Ravitch and Graves are also playing the role of the "good Maria" in urging restraint on unionists who are forced into the public forum to reach the membership because all internal forums are severely limited. (Unity has access to every single teacher mail box by using its district reps and enormous numbers of chapter leaders.)

Diane Ravitch has said her decade of mistakes in supporting ed deform was due to viewing things from 20,000 feet. Well when it comes to her views on internal union issues she is still viewing from 20,000 feet and she is as wrong on that as she was on ed deform.

What she doesn't get is that until the unions are reformed there can be no effective fight against ed deform. There is no better example than that of the Chicago Teacher Union resistance and the UFT decades-long capitulation in the face of ed deform, much of it under the leadership of Randi Weingarten. And fighting the Unity Caucus machine that controls NYC, NY State, the AFT is not a gentleman's game.

These 2 posts by Diane Ravitch were just hours apart and they can't be more contradictory in their message to those forces battling against undemocratic structures in their unions. So lets forget-about-it when UFT/Unity's Leroy Barr pushes Chicago's Sarah Chambers out of the way at the committee debate on common core at the AFT convention so that Mulgrew could get the microphone. See AFT Convention Update: Chicago CC Reso Goes Down

Also see a few of my other reports from the AFT - all on the sidebar but these are relevant to this blog post.

• #AFT14 Report: When Will the UFT/AFT Reclaim the Promise of a Democratic Union?
• #AFT14 Report - Tidbits
• #AFT14 Report - Common Core Debate - Epic Battle B...

I find the Ravitch posts ironic in that I know the respect Diane has for Arthur Goldstein (NYC Educator) who has been on a tear in exposing and assaulting the UFT/NYSUT/AFT leaders over their fundamental violations of democracy. His latest is: NYSYUT President Karen Mageee Explains How Common Core Enables Life, the Universe, and Everything

I have to compile a list of his fabulous blog posts over the past few months - MORE could use them as a campaign statement. Is Diane and Lisa Graves saying Arthur us helping the Koch brothers? Am I to stop calling Washington Sanchez or Stuart Kaplan "slugs?" (Hey Leroy, you are now officially on slug probation.)

Let's parse Lisa Graves:

“The American Federation of Teachers has been rock solid in the fight against ALEC, consistently devoting staff time week in and week out for three years to expose ALEC, due to her personal commitment. The ongoing public campaign on ALEC would not have had the success it has had without AFT’s work and her leadership, and without the work of many devoted colleagues across the country, including the National Education Association and other organizations, bloggers, and concerned citizens nationwide…..

To Lisa the fight is about the AFT staff, not involving the 1.6 million members because to get them involved they actually need a stake in a union that would be run bottom-up not top-down. In fact, if militants had controlled the AFT that fight would have begun a decade ago, not yesterday as the good Randi plays nice.

I know we need a more progressive America.
“And progressives need to get better at using their power to persuade each other and to win better policies. But attacking genuine progressives for banding together to take on the Kochs or for not being pure enough is foolish sport. And the right loves it when progressives fight. It makes their effort to tear down the left so much easier. So, let’s get real. Because there’s a real-world war going on to kill our public schools, outsource our public institutions to private companies not accountable to us, and destroy key government constraints on corporate power…..

 This is the kind of comment that makes me want to rend my garments. Is someone who runs an oppressive and undemocratic union a "true progressive?" Is she actually trying to say Randi is "left" when in fact one of her major aims has been to keep any voice of the real left out of union power?

And how foolish to think that the Koch brothers and ALEC just loved it when CORE Caucus in Chicago tossed out the old Unity-like leadership and turned that union into one capable of getting over 90% support for a strike?

As I said in a comment Diane's blog. If MORE and its allies were ever to challenge the Unity/NYSUT/AFT leadership in a serious way, the right and ALEC would not be happy -- for them, better the good Maria/Randi than the bad.

Ravitch and Weingarten Misdiagnose Pearson Issue --- by A Newark Teacher

Note - This article is written by a teacher in Newark who often writes for Ed Notes, not by me. I take a more nuanced view of where Ravitch stands on Randi and the teacher unions but I won't get into that here.

By shrouding the test in secrecy, Pearson denies information to teachers to help diagnose student needs. The tests become useless by having no diagnostic value. ...teachers will be fired and students will be failed and schools will be closed without seeing the validity of the instruments of punishment.  This is wrong.

Diane Ravitch

These gag orders and the lack of transparency are fueling the growing distrust and backlash among parents, students and educators in the United States about whether the current testing protocols and testing fixation is in the best interests of children.

Randi Weingarten

Diane and Randi have the Pearson issue ass backwards.  High stakes tests were never intended to assist in the diagnosis of student academic needs.  In my district in Newark, scores are not reported to teachers until the following school year when most teachers are no longer responsible for instructing those particular students.  The purpose of the tests is to impose the consequences of closing "failing" schools and firing the teachers employed in those schools.  Gag orders on exposing test questions are not fueling backlash against standardized testing.  Common Core tied to high stakes testing tied to punitive consequences are the bedrocks of the marriage of the federal government to the school privatization industry.

Alan Singer reported in the Huffington Post that Pearson may be in serious financial trouble. According to Investopedia.com, Pearson underperformed the SandP Index by 23%. Singer suggested that Pearson may be over-extended in its ambitious push to expand its education, digital services and testing programs. The company is concerned that the United States market might shrink due to resistance to Common Core and testing. Will Pearson losing market share bring good tidings to Randi? Randi would be dismayed to discover any chinks in the armor of the federal privatization movement. Henry Mance of Media reported a 6 percent decline in Pearson sales in the first quarter of 2014. Randi shrewdly calculated that she might bolster Pearson sales in the United States by pressuring them to be more transparent in releasing test questions to the public. Randi miscalculated the depth and the breadth of the anger amongst students, parents, teachers and administrators over Common Core inextricably linked to endless testing. As a teacher, I am  fully competent to assess and plan appropriate instruction for my students. I could not care less about ludicrous test questions devised by Pearson and others.

Here is the problem folks. Randi is beholden to Bill Gates for his financial contributions to the AFT. Randi loves Bill's Common Core experiment. She enjoys hobnobbing with the financial elites of our society. Diane seeks to portray BFF Randi in the best possible light. Randi was "deeply disturbed" to read in The New York Times about issues teachers, principals, parents and students were raising about Pearson tests. Randi is handsomely compensated to represent the interests of teachers in this country. She has to read The New York Times to familiarize herself with teacher opposition to Pearson testing? 

She could talk to any teacher in my school for five minutes to get a run down on the quagmire of standardized testing. Those teachers would patiently explain the correlation between low standardized test scores and high poverty neighborhoods. Unlike the teachers in schools in more prosperous neighborhoods across town, who are for the most part rated effective or better, the hard working, highly qualified teachers in schools in our neighborhoods are more likely to be caught in the partially effective and ineffective traps. Randi's strategy is to minimize the onslaught on public education by pinpointing gag orders one time and VAM on another occasion thereby avoiding both a big picture analysis and an action plan.

In Newark, State Superintendent Cami Anderson's One Newark Plan has encountered some glitches in the past week.  The administration was unable to meet its self-imposed deadline for informing families which schools their children will attend in September. They are having difficulties working out the transportation details.  If the goal is to move children all over the city to purportedly advance equity, transportation would appear to be a key component of the plan.  So Randi when you get done writing BS letters to Pearson about marginal issues, you could hop on Amtrak from DC to Newark and help Cami and her pals figure out transportation routes.  If you have any spare time, there is a long line of teachers who would benefit from real union leadership.

A Newark Teacher

Mercedes Schneider Dissects Sol Stern's Lack of Knowledge on Common Core

Stern, I have to tell you– you are so out of the loop... Mercedes Schneider

Sol Stern has been a sparring partner for many years - since the days when he went after teacher seniority as the worst thing to happen to public education. Sol is a delightful adversary. But we have had some blow-ups over the years-- at one point he called me dishonest and said he had way more respect for Randi's honesty than mine. They must be growing shrooms on the upper west side.

Sol was kind enough to get me invited to many Manhattan Institute luncheons where I got to hobnob with charter scum - until I asked too  many questions of Chris Cerf -- the only one in the room to challenge his ridiculous assertions. In those days Diane Ravitch was also at some of those MI events. (One time she came by and whispered in my ear, "go get 'em.")

Sol, rightfully, went wild when Joel Klein imposed Diana Lam on us with her insane curriculum that banished phonics. Sol sees red when confronted with progressive education -- I am by nature a progressive educator but also a realist and a big fan of teaching phonics -- when needed by certain children. I termed Sol as part of "the phonics police." Sol is a fan of Core Curriculum and E.D. Hirsch is Moses. (Which is why Sol was a fan of Kathy Cashin who implemented core curriculum -- but so was Diane Ravitch for some of the same reasons.)

The bitter break between Sol and Diane has at times turned personal. Mercedes in her blog on Sol termed it an  "ugly post criticizing education historian Diane Ravitch."

At one point Sol and Diane Ravitch were allies -- in fact in those days I was part of the attack crew on Ravitch over her advocacy of what turned out to be ed deform. I remember when Diane was given the John Dewey Award by the UFT there were national outcries from the true reformers like the late and great Jerry Bracey and Susan Ohanian - some asked me if we were setting up a picket line at the Hilton. Jerry seemed ready to fly in from Oregon.

When Diane turned on the deformers and became the chief spokesperson for real reform, much rending of garments took place. I hope Sol has a good tailor.

I read Mercedes superb post taking Sol's defense of the Common Core last week and wanted to blog about it - but today Diane has beaten me to it. Oh, the joy!

Schneider Schools Sol Stern on the Common Core

by dianeravitch

Many years go, when I was a Fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute, I got o know Sol Stern, who has been at that think tank for many years. Sol has an interesting history. Back in the radical 1960s, he was an editor at the leftwing Ramparts. At some point, he had a political-ideological conversion experience, and he became a zealous conservative. He is a journalist, not an educator. He writes about what interests him. Ten years ago, he wrote a book advocating school choice, called Breaking Free. In 2011, he wrote a book about Israeli-Palestinian relations, called "A Century of Palestinian Rejectionism and Jew-Hatred." one thing about Sol Stern: He has strong opinions.

At the moment, his strong opinions are focused on fervent advocacy for the Common Core. Stern thinks that the Common Core implements the ideas of E.D. Hirsch, Jr. Hirsch believes that kids should learn lots of background knowledge, which will not only make them smarter but enable them to read and understand increasingly difficult text. I agree that background knowledge matters, so long as it is developmentally appropriate, that is, comprehensible to the child. And I don't see Comon Core as the fulfillment of E.D. Hirsch's vision. After all, David Coleman--widely acknowledged as the "architect" of he Common Core--advocates "close reading," in which a student deciphers text without reference to any background knowledge. One example would be a student reading the "Gettysburg Address" without reference to or knowledge of the Civil War or Lincoln or the battle it commemorates. I think Hirsch would insist that context and background knowledge are crucial for comprehension. I am not sure that Stern understands the Commn Core standards but he has now made it his business to defend them and to attack those who doubt their excellence.

Stern got into a heated debate with Peter Wood, the president of the National Association of Scholars, who does not believe--as Stern and Arne Duncan insist--that development of CCSS was "state-led." They have other differences, but it is amusing to see Stern, one of our most conservative education commentators, defend Duncan and CCSS.

Now comes Mercedes Schneider to dissect Sol Stern's take on the Common Core. It's fair to say that she knows a lot more about the Core than Sol Stern. Stern doesn't really understand that the CCSS does not embody Hirsch's Core Knowledge. And it must surely pain him to realize that one of he best-selling books about the Common Core was written by Lucy Calkins of Teachers College, one of Stern's arch enemies (he hates Balanced Literacy, loves phonics).

Bottom line: CCSS has created strange alliances.

Video: Diane Ravitch at PS 15 in Red Hook, December 11, 2013

Here is the release of the video shot by Darren Marelli of this wonderful event.

A Conversation with Dr. Diane Ravitch at Red Hook's PS 15, December 11, 2013 with an introduction by Carmen Farina.

The PS 15 community was so thankful for Diane Ravitch having taken the time to speak and it highlights her deep commitment to neighborhood schools. While she has recently come under criticism for not offering solutions, she not only offers a plethora of solutions in her book, but also visits communities across the country, and like she did at PS 15, praises what we all know are the solutions for our schools: collaboration, parent empowerment, rich programming and curriculum, and educators who work, despite obstacles, to create schools that are centers of community. And also with much appreciation to Carmen Farina for her participation and chairing "Friends of PS 15 Committee for the last three years and for her participation in this event.

https://vimeo.com/m/81959289

Rosalie Friend Reports on Ravitch and Farina at PS 15

Excellent report from Rosalie as a follow-up to the report I received yesterday (Carmen Farina Introduces Diane Ravitch at PS 15K Community Library Opening).
And by the way, for those who don't get what school-based organizing is all about, check out an expert like Julie Cavanagh.
From Rosalie Friend to Change the Stakes Listserve:

At the presentation at PS 15, Carmen Farina seemed to back Diane's assertion that we need to return to a district system in which district supervisors are responsible for neighborhood schools. Carmen spoke of the importance of providing a GOOD school for every child in every neighborhood.
Diane spoke about the influence of private money in politics and school decisions. She cited an upcoming conference on how to make money in public education. She mentioned the methods the corporate "reformers" are using to minimize the cost of teachers' salaries. She also said that as she travels to schools around the country she finds a lot of fraudulent financial dealings among the charters.
I asked about whether we should be tackling Common Core when we have such a big challenge in getting rid of high stakes tests and getting small classes, support services like social workers, psychologists, and nurses, and effective programs like reading recovery. She responded that common core was going to drain resources from everything else, because of the need to buy huge amounts of computer equipment and services. The tests for the Common Core are going to be administered on computers. She also criticized the idea of having computers grade essay questions (one of my pet peeves).
Diane said she is hoping that Bill de Blasio will be the leader who will challenge the free market approach and the corporate "reformers." Jim Devor, who knows de Blasio from the District 15 school board, was much much less hopeful, though he did not give any specifics.
The audience was a mix of teachers, parents, and community members. Many were local, but there were several from Manhattan and one lady from the Bronx who had traveled to see Diane Ravitch. We heard from one distressed parent whose daughter is struggling with deadening lessons and poor test scores despite good classwork. There was a full range of age among attendees. I gave out 80-90 Change the Stakes fliers, so maybe we will get some new members.
Three cheers for Julie, her PS 15 colleagues, and the student "ambassadors" who guided us through the school to the library.

Carmen Farina Introduces Diane Ravitch at PS 15K Community Library Opening

Yesterday was a big day for the PS 15K community in Redhook with two red hot ed superstars, Diane Ravitch and rumored next chancellor Carmen Farina, in attendance. Actually in my book, 3 superstars if you count Julie Cavanagh, PS 15 chapter leader and one of the event organizers.

Carmen Farina has been the chair of the "Friends of PS 15 Committee" for 3 years and helped get the school a new library out of the ashes of co-loco battle with PAVE charter.

Today being the first book talk to introduce the new library as a community space, the Committee thought it fitting to  invite Diane Ravitch, who graciously accepted.

Farina in introducing Ravitch, talked a lot about PS 15 and connected the struggles there to Diane's book. Carmen complimented Diane's work, pointing to her travels around the nation as she visits schools and programs and listens to what people have to say.

She made the point that there is plenty of room for agreement and disagreement but informed discussion should be at the center and Diane's work is an important part of that.

Diane said during her talk "Every community needs a great neighborhood public school like PS 15.... We need to be citizens, not consumers, when it comes to public education."

Carmen closed by saying we need to stop focusing on what "they" – the corporate reformers – are doing and focus on what we are doing, echoing Diane. We need great public schools in every neighborhood.

Afterburn
I'm not sure exactly what Farina was trying to say here but I agree with this point: That we are beyond focusing on the outrages and should work on organizing. How to do that effectively is another story.

Ravitch Recuperating: To Speak at PS 15 in December

An event de Blasio should attend ...

The good news from Diane is she is out of the hospital (Update on My Health) but still working to dissolve the clot in her leg. She points to too much flying, which is probably true. (Glad I have started hating flying due to all that TSA stuff.)

Remember when Diane put up a story about Randi being her friend and people went wild on her blog. While I didn't agree that Randi is an ally I also pointed out to Diane's amazing support for our film and personal admiration for Julie Cavanagh. Well, we just got word that Diane is going to discuss her book with the PS 15 community as per Diane's announcement.

On December 11, I will speak to parents and teachers at PS 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn. That's the Patrick Daley School, named for its beloved principal who was killed in 1992 when he stepped into gang crossfire in a housing project while going to a student's home to see if he was okay. All are welcome. 

And Julie's (RSVP required as space is limited - friendsofps15booktalk@gmail.com ).

The Friends of PS 15, The Patrick F. Daly School, Committee is pleased to announce our first ever Meet the Author and Book Talk Event, with Dr. Diane Ravitch.

We will be discussing her new book, "Reign of Error".  The flyer is attached:  December 11th from 5-7 at PS 15's newly renovated community library, 71 Sullivan Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn.

All are welcome, but please RSVP as indicated on the flyer to we can plan for space/accommodations.

Please feel free to share with others.

Folks who plan to attend should have read the book (Dr. Ravitch will not be giving a speech, but rather, we will have an intimate conversation about her book.) 

A special thank you to Diane for being our guest and our continued well wishes as she recovers.
She mentions her visit to PS 15K in her latest entry updating us all on her health: http://dianeravitch.net/2013/11/10/update-on-my-health/  ...so, thankful she is on the mend!

Best,

Julie Cavanagh

 

 I will unfortunately miss this as I will be out of town that day. I hope someone tapes it.

Ravitch in Park Slope Tues Night, Draws Crowds Nationwide - and Matt Damon

There's been lots of commentary about the tide turning against ed deform (A Comment from Western New York: Yes, the Tide Is Turning) and (Common Core Tests in NY Spur Opt Out Movement) -- but the large crowds showing up on the Diane Ravitch "Reign of Error" book tour must be making ed deformers shudder. Find details of the tour on the Ravitch blog:  My Trip to the West Coast…and Back.

Note her appearance  tonight - Tuesday (Oct. 8),. (I'm hoping to be there to tape.)

 

Join Diane Ravitch, NYU professor and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, for a hard-hitting look at the perilous state of America's public school system in her newest book, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools. Called a "whistleblower extraordinaire" by the Wall Street Journal, Ravitch's many books include The Death and Life of the Great American School System. In conversation with New Yorker writer David Denby. 

 --------
And here are some notes from the tour.

“I’m very honored to have the opportunity to introduce Diane tonight, She’s somebody that I have admired for a very long time. She’s an amazing person. She’s America’s foremost historian in the areas of education policy, she’s a champion of public education, she’s a courageous speaker and she’s a truth-teller.”  Matt Damon 10/2/13

http://sundial.csun.edu/2013/10/matt-damon-visits-csun-to-introduce-nyu-professor-diane-ravitch-a-representative-of-the-education-on-the-edge-speakers-series/

http://laschoolreport.com/matt-damon-takes-the-stage-but-ravitch-wins-the-applause/

@Ravitch Webinar

I had the opportunity last night to be in the room with Diane Ravitch while she interacted with bloggers on the web using an interesting technology from Shindig. For over an hour I stood behind her taping her off the screen. Now I could have taped her off the screen I guess at home but I have an idea for a possible small documentary by gathering footage from her book tours - I wish I were going with her but alas, we hope people all over the nation -- like in Pittsburgh the other night where a thousand people showed up (I hear they have a tape) - will take footage capturing the excitement and upload it to a site I set up (contact me if you have footage even if on a phone.).

I'll put up the video in a few days. Diane was on NPR and will be on Brian Lehrer on Monday morning.

Gotham School linked to the blog list or reviews I've been keeping with this note: Dozens of bloggers and educators have published their sunny takes on Ravitch’s book. (Ed Notes)

I consider the use of "sunny takes" an editorial comment by Gotham and objected in a comment.

Isn't it nice to have the "sunny side" of Ravitch's book being presented by so many real teachers from the grassroots where no one is paid or looking for advancement? Can someone point me to a similar group putting out the "sunny side" of Michelle Rhee's or Joel Klein's or Wendy Kopp's writings? And by the way - if you are classifying these reviews as the "sunny side" how about pointing to legit crit (not personal invective) showing where Ravitch is mistaken? Call it the cloudy side. To me painting these reviews as one-sided when some are very thoughtful examinations with some balance -- ie. Debbie Meier makes some critical points. I too while agreeing with most of it also feel that the role of the unions in ed deform need to be addressed and Ravitch didn't -- yet. I hope she does.

Listen to her Onpoint appearance on NPR.

Diane Ravitch Launched in Pittsburgh, Yinzer-Style in Front of A Thousand People

How awesome is this? Ed Deformers must be quaking.

Friends,

We here in Pittsburgh were honored to launch Diane's national book tour Monday night with a crowd of 1,000 people. We actually had a sneak preview, since as you know, the book did not officially get released until yesterday. Rather than a formal review, I've written the following piece describing the event, which was also a giant education justice rally, and how our local movement reflects Diane's message. I thought you might especially enjoy seeing the photos.

"Diane Ravitch Launched, Yinzer-Style"

I look forward to learning how things went in Philly last night … and am sending Diane lots of positive energy to keep her going on this national tour, which is bound to be absolutely exhausting. Kudos to all of you for propping her up with your words and these important reviews. She told me Monday that we bloggers are critical engines in this national public education movement of ours is … that's powerful. And what responsibility!

Thank you for everything you do,

Jessie

Yinzer Nation + Education = Yinzercation

Reign of Error: What’s Wrong With Preaching to the Choir?

This is my column for publication in The Wave this Friday. But since today is publication date of Diane Ravitch's new book I'm posting it to join with bloggers all over the nation who are part of the Ravitch support network. This is not a complete review. There are so many great bloggers out there who will do a better job than I can. (See Afterburn for links to some of the reviews out today.)

The book will go way beyond the choir. What is happening is that people who were ed deform supporters are becoming aware of the implications and the Ravitch book will nudge them over to the real reform camp. There are still gaps in her narrative which I will cover in follow-up posts.

Diane's book needs more than a review but a chapter by chapter analysis (which Gary Rubinstein touches on). So I intend to do a series of posts on the book -- and the thoughts it has provoked. I have notes. Lots and lots of notes. I only hope I can manage to read my own handwriting.

Reign of Error: What’s Wrong With Preaching to the Choir?

By Norm Scott

When it comes to the education wars I’m often accused of preaching to the choir – that my rhetoric will convince no one who doesn’t already agree with me. I’m fine with that. No matter what I say I won’t convince the other side and people in the middle will come to their own conclusions when the flames of education deform touch them personally. Many teachers in NYC have not been touched yet but are about to with a new teacher evaluation system hitting schools this year. So I expect the choir to grow. My goal is to activate the choir and share information they can find useful.

I’ve been reading the just released book, “Reign of Error: TheHoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools”by educational historian Diane Ravitch who has also been accused of preaching to the choir. Ravitch covers a lot of ground, using lots of charts and graphs to show how the claims by education deformers (Ravitch refers to them as “corporate reformers”) that our nation’s schools are in crisis and are failing and declining compared to other nations is not only not true but part of a design by people tied into the educational-industrial complex to get their mitts on a large chunk of the billions spent on education in this country.

At the heart of the education wars between deformers and real reformers is the role poverty plays in the education equation. Deformers claim we can fix poverty by changing the schools. Real reformers claim we must do both: attack poverty and fix schools that are deemed not to be working, not by merely closing them, which is the key mantra of deformers. Ravitch shows the debilitating effects of poverty on children and how the education deform agenda of closing schools, blaming teachers, pushing a narrow test-driven curriculum down their throats, opening charters as competition – I can go on but will spare you – actually undermines one of the few areas of stability so many of these kids have – local neighborhood school, often packed with teachers who spend many years there. I know all about that, having spent 27 years teaching on one school in a high poverty area of Brooklyn. We may not have been the best school all the time for every child but my colleagues and I were there year after year, often teaching the children of our students (and I once taught the grandchild – scary “getting old feeling” indeed.)

After spending over 200 pages savaging the deformers, she goes on to offer ideas for real reforms, most of which are not cheap, including investing in early childhood education and reducing class size. Maybe some of the money saved from not bombing Syria can go into implementing some of these real reforms. I’ll be doing a series of follow-up posts on the Ravitch book on my blog. See her Sept. 11 appearance at Judson Memorial Church:  https://vimeo.com/74638155.

Diane Ravitch endorsed Bill di Blasio due to his having the most real reform-like program of all the mayoral candidates. I had lots of angst over whether to vote for Big Bill – I don’t really trust him to be as progressive as he is claiming to be. As I walked to the polling booth I got a text message from The Wave: vote for Sal Albanese. My nascent Rockaway chauvinism, very heightened since Sandy, took over and I did it – with pride. The Wave made a strong case for casting a vote for someone who couldn’t win but to send a message. I don’t think that worked this time. I would hate to see The Wave sit this one out because di Blasio didn’t come to Rockaway – but I bet he will now.

Little Bill (Thompson) pulled out before all the votes were counted. The vaunted support of the UFT, which spent almost $3 million supporting Thompson – over $15 a vote – did not work out. Michael Mulgrew is being mocked for saying, “We’re not about picking a mayor. We’re about making a mayor, making the winner. And that’s what we’re gonna to do.” Oy! Cringe time. Even as a critic of the UFT leadership and the manner in which it went about its endorsement (lacking, as usual, the democratic process), I still give the UFT credit for dragging Thompson, a notoriously poor campaigner, into second place over Christine Quinn. I have no doubt Quinn would have finished second if not for the UFT support for Thompson.  But in the long run it all means nothing as Big Bill seems to have pulled off the impossible by getting 40% and avoiding a run-off in the midst of a very crowded field.

Now it’s on to the race with Lhota, a throwback to the Rudolph Giuliani era who has to convince  the public he is and is not a Bloomberg/Giuliani clone. He totally support Bloomberg’s educational deform policies which have so divided the city. And he is calling di Blasio divisive for his “tale of two cities” theme. I personally don’t mind seeing the 99% divided from the 1% – a fitting note on the 2^nd anniversary of the Occupy movement.

Norm blogs at ednotesonline.com

AFTERBURN

• 
  Diane Ravitch's blog

  Mother Crusader Reviews “Reign of Error” - Darcie Cimarusti, aka Mother Crusader, reviewed “Reign of Error” for public radio WHYY. She explains how she got involved in the battle to save her communi...

   
• 
  Accountable Talk

  Reign of Error: A Short Review - Diane Ravitch was kind enough to send me and a number of my fellow education bloggers an advance copy of her outstanding new book, "Reign of Error: The Hoa... 

   

  Gary Rubinstein's Blog

  Let It Reign! - The reformers can wait for Superman all they want. We’ve got Wonder Woman. ‘Reign Of Error: the Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to Amer... 
  

 And of course RBE's killer review from Saturday:

NY Post Launches Attack Against Diane Ravitch In Review Of Her New Book

There have been attacks against Diane Ravitch in the past, but the one by Kyle Smith in the Post is particularly vicious.

Tuesday: Ravitch Book Publication Date and Video of Ravitch at Judson Church

I am rushing to finish the book for my review. It is so packed with info I have to keep going back to reread in order for my weak brain cells to absorb it all.

I know there are so many talented bloggers out there I can't imagine being able to say much more than they will. Bloggers with advanced copies will start reviewing tomorrow when the book is officially published.

Here is video I shot of Diane at Judson Memorial Church on Sept. 11, 2013. The speaker system echo doesn't make it easy to hear everything.

Salon has published a major expert of Reign of Error.

Diane Ravitch: School privatization is a hoax, “reformers” aim to destroy public schools

http://www.salon.com/2013/09/15/diane_ravitch_school_privatization_is_a_hoax_reformers_aim_to_destroy_public_schools/

The New York Post wrote one of their typical hatchet jobs against Diane and the book  -  http://nypost.com/2013/09/14/author-shows-how-ridiculous-arguments-are-against-school-reform/ and Perdido Street School blog quickly responded with a great post which can be found here:  http://perdidostreetschool.blogspot.com/2013/09/ny-post-launches-attack-against-diane.html

Note this funny contradiction in Kyle Smith's hack work. After attacking the shit out of teacher unions Smith says:

Here’s a reform agenda: Stanford economist Eric Hanushek has calculated that if we could raise our overall education standard to that of Canada (a pretty high bar — Canada ranks just below Massachusetts, which is the No. 1 US state in education performance), that one factor would increase the pay of US workers by 20 percent (in inflation-adjusted dollars) over the next 80 years.

But he forgets to mention that Canada and Massachusetts are amongst the most highly unionized education systems. DUHHHHH!

Ravitch and New Book Today at Judson Church

I'll be there taping and interviewing and some MOREistas will be there to distribute the hot off the press new newsletter, MORE Stuff in Your Mailbox. If there is one thing to fault Diane on in her book (and I haven't finished all of it) is her allowing the unions off the hook for their complicity in ed deform. I do get there are long-time relationships she has. But there were also long-time relationships with ed deformers that have been broken. There are ways to tweak them and I believe Ravitch has at times begun to put her toe in that water though I can't be specific. I hope someone asks her about the UFT and Thompson at this point in the mayoral race.

Oh, you have to have a ticket.

 Diane Ravitch to Present New Book on Education, Following Voters’ Rejection of Bloomberg’s Policies in Democratic Primary

*First Major Discussion of Education Following Blowout Victory for Democrats Seeking a Break from Bloomberg*

**TODAY, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 6PM at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, Manhattan, NY** 

 

WHO: Diane Ravitch, education leader and expert; Parents, Advocates from Alliance for Quality Education, Class Size Matters and New Yorkers for Great Public Schools *400 attendees expected*

WHAT: Noted education leader and expert Diane Ravitch will deliver the first major remarks on education and the mayoral race following voters’ massive rejection of Bloomberg’s policies in the Democratic primary; she will discuss her new book “Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools.”


Ravitch has endorsed Bill de Blasio for mayor, and will lay out solutions for a successful school system that can work for every student under the next mayoral administration. A question and answer session will follow.

WHEN: TODAY, Wednesday, Sept. 11^th 6PM-7:30PM

WHERE: 55 Washington Square South, Manhattan, NY

###

E4E Slammed in Minnesota by PEJAM

The new strategy is to convince the public that teachers really do want the corporate reforms, but that it is actually their own unions that are keeping them silent.  It is a devious approach that can pit new teachers against veteran teachers.  These newer groups receiving money from Gates, the Waltons, and other corporate foundations are started and led, by mostly TFA alumni, and recruit heavily among TFA corp members and other younger teachers.... (PEJAM)

DFER tried this tactic trying to claim E4E had the voice of NYC teachers ( Joe Williams' DFER Propaganda Laugh Riot ...) while pointing out that few voted in the election and one fifth of those who did vote did not do so for Unity, trying to give the impression they were E4E types while neglecting to mention it was MORE, as anti-E4E as you can get, that garnered those votes.

Yes, E4E facing increasing failure in every venue has to keep jumping to other states like bedbugs to try to remain viable. They have to find ways to spend those bucks ($3 million recently from Bill Gates, who might as well dig a trench and throw his money into it.)

I spoke to some people from LA in Chicago this past weekend and they are also dealing with E4E and have opened up a dialogue with them, viewing most of the teachers involved as naive and misguided and hoping to bring some enlightment to them. Good luck. The leadership will never let anyone get near their rank and file -- one reason they no longer seem to be holding open -- or any - meetings here in NYC -- we often stood outside and handed out leaflets as to what they were all about.

PEJAM points to "reporter" Beth Hawkins hawking E4E -- playing the role Gotham plays here I guess.

Here is the full post from PEJAM:

Public Education Justice Alliance of Minnesota(PEJAM) pejamn.blogspot.com

E4E: The Sheep Clothing for Corporate...

The neoliberals, corporate foundations, billionaires, and others looking to privatize our public schools work hard to sell their actions as that of local grassroots organizations whose only concerns are for the children, especially poor, urban, and minority children.  These astroturf groups have worked their way into every state, including Minnesota.  We have the well-financed MinnCAN and Students First among others, but in their efforts the corporate reformers keep running into the public school teachers and their unions who actually do care about ALL children.

These corporate "reformers" have long realized that if they are going to privatize the public schools, they must eliminate the the voice of the teachers, and the unions that protect their right to speak in defense of their students.  The "reformers" have had a great deal of success, convincing both Republican and Democratic politicians to pass legislation that weakens teacher unions and public education.  The push-back, however, has been growing steadily.  Led by rank-and-file members who have demanded more action from their own union leadership or have taken over the leadership as C.O.R.E. did in Chicago, teachers are calling out the corporate reformers for what they are - privatizers and union-busters.

The corporate reformers are feeling the heat, but they will not go away quietly.  A new strategy has evolved in recent years with the help of the "happy-face" of the corporate reformers - Teach for America (TFA).

The new strategy is to convince the public that teachers really do want the corporate reforms, but that it is actually their own unions that are keeping them silent.  It is a devious approach that can pit new teachers against veteran teachers.  These newer groups receiving money from Gates, the Waltons, and other corporate foundations are started and led, by mostly TFA alumni, and recruit heavily among TFA corp members and other younger teachers.

In many cities, it is Teach Plus that has taken on this role.  It's stated goal is "to engage early career teachers in rebuilding their profession to better meet the needs of students and the incoming generation of teachers."  Here in Minnesota, Educators for Excellence (E4E) is the group leading the effort to hide the union-busting/privatization agenda behind "real teachers."  This past week, E4E officially launched in Minnesota, following a typical corporate product launch strategy.

MythPost
Beth Hawkins, the "education reporter" for MinnPost and one of the Twin Cities biggest cheerleaders for the corporate take-over of public education, is now trumpeting Educators 4 Excellence (E4E) and their claim to offer teachers "a bigger voice in education policy."  Hawkins presents E4E and its members empathetically, as idealistic teachers who have been marginalized in education policy decisions and ignored by unresponsive teachers unions.

Hawkins and MinnPost are helping Madeline Edison, now the full-time Executive Director of Minnesota's E4E, with the corporate style rollout of the "new" reform group.  They are selling a movement that is not only not needed, but in fact is detrimental to public education.  MinnPost published three "news" stories about E4E in four days (See here, here, and here).  MinnPost is an on-line "newspaper" run by Joel Kramer, father of Minnesota's first family of corporate education reform and the former owner of the daily newspaper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  The Star Tribune probably would have covered the E4E "news" itself, had it not been so busy shilling for E4E's older sibling of corporate education reform - Teach for America (TFA) - (see here, here, and here).

Launch of a Corporate Product
Launching a new product, or in this case an organization, is not done with a single press release, or event.  "Reform" groups like E4E use the same marketing strategies of their financiers.  David Lavenda, a product strategy and marketing executive offers some advice for a successful product launch on FastCompany.com, including the following:

Start early. Don’t expect reporters to write about you when you want. Get a head start and begin preparing long before you plan to launch. A rolling launch is a great way to keep the conversation going.

Get partners involved. Channel and marketing partners who have a financial stake in the success of the launch are natural allies. The more people that are talking about the release, the better chances it will get pickup.  

E4E-Minnesota has been rolling out its launch for well over a year.  It had its origins in a group with another combination of letters and numbers - E3MN, which stood for Empowering Educators for Equity MN.  E3MN began in early 2012, and its first Facebook Event was a meeting with the co-founders of Educators 4 Excellence.

The groups E3MN identity appears to have been a place-holder as the group built it's E4E brand.  They focused on connecting with "marketing partners" by building alliances with other corporate reformers.  The second Facebook Event they hosted in June of 2012 was a happy hour meet-and-greet with MinnCAN.

In addition to building a core group with mostly TFA teachers and partnering with other corporate reformers, the group needed to build a local financial base and Minnesota has its share of corporate philanthropists.  In September of 2012, The Robins, Kaplan, Miller, and Ciresi Foundation for Children awarded E3MN a grant of $17,500.  The foundation's website explains that the grant was to 

"support the expansion of Empowering Educators for Equity (E3MN) to impact student success through teacher organizing and leadership for systemic legislative and contractual changes."

Michael Ciresi, is a famous local lawyer who ran twice for the DFL nomination for U.S. Senate, but lost.  The Foundation that bears his name, and he leads, has become the major supporter of local corporate education reforms.  E4E received the grant from his foundation because they promote an agenda that helps to dismantle teachers' unions, thereby opening the door to the free market...and closing the door on public schools.

"Liberal" Slight of Hand
Ciresi is similar to many Democratic (DFL in Minnesota) politicians and party activists, in that he claims to favor a liberal or progressive political agenda, but more often follows a corporate agenda.  E4E leaders, and presumably many of its members follow this same approach, at least in regard to education.  E4E, like the "reformers" who claim the Civil Rights mantle, does not just focus on dismantling teachers' unions, but also claims to promote a "progressive" agenda.  This is "reformer" slight of hand, a distraction from the real work of E4E.

In Beth Hawkins propaganda piece published last Tuesday, she helps E4E's new Executive Director, Madaline Edison, sell the idea that focusing on "hot button" contractual/union issues "misses the point."  Sydney Morris, the national co-founder and co-CEO of E4E, claims the aim of the organization is "to give teachers a greater voice in making policy on many issues."

Following another element of launching a new product E4E and MinnPost "put the focus on the people not the product."  Hawkins introduces us to a number of E4E teachers who want to speak up for their students on issues beyond the classroom.  They mistakenly believe, however, that E4E will empower them to do that.  Members quoted in the article speak about the fight for immigrations issues and need for early childhood education.  Edison, who has never been a member of the teachers' union, suggested that the unions weren't dealing with these issues and that's why they needed to create E3MN (E4E).

With this claim, E4E accepts and perpetuates the neoliberal myth of unions as greedy and self-interested.  Social justice has long been a part of union work.  Teachers' unions have certainly made mistakes and at times have been on the wrong side of social justice issues, but unions have actively worked for social and racial justice through most of there history.

Another E4E member in Hawkins article talks about her strong family union background and how she wanted to "wear red" in solidarity when union teachers in Chicago went on strike.  Despite her union upbringing, she describes the union contact as "that’s where all the power just goes away."  Beth Hawkins supports this twisted statement by describing the Minneapolis teachers' union contract as "notoriously complicated."

The third E4E story in MinnPost last week was written by James Kindle.   He was a part of the first group of TFA corp members in Minnesota in 2009.  To his credit, he has remained in the classroom.  However, he also portrays the teachers' contract as a barrier to his "autonomy" as a teacher and his ability to speak out for social justice.

Kindle lets us know that he is the son and grandson of teachers, and like his mother, he wants to be able to look back on his teaching career and say, "Oh, yeah. I enjoyed every day."  Unfortunately, if Kindle and E4E (and TFA) are successful in their corporate reform efforts, most teachers will not have much of a career on which to reflect.  Without committed teachers organized in strong unions, the profession will be filled with under-trained temporary workers.

This is how the conservatives have taken the upper hand with regard to education policy.  Many self-proclaimed liberals/progressives, who were once the ardent defenders of a strong, democratic system of public schools, have accepted the argument that the "free market" actually serves the public good and does so in an equitable way.  Making matters even worse, these so called liberals have accepted the idea that unions and collective bargaining protections are relics of the past. 

The Corporate Reformers and their Agenda
Focusing on "hot-button" issues such as tenure, seniority rights, and teacher evaluations, "misses the mark" according to Madaline Edison.  E4E wants teachers and the public to see these issues as part of a larger "progressive" agenda.  Edison, Kindle, and the other E4E leaders fail to see, or refuse to admit that this is a front for the neoliberal agenda.  Their work will weaken the unions they claim to value and strip teachers of their voices they claim to be empowering.  They are helping to privatize our public schools.

To become a member of E4E, teachers must sign the organization's "Declaration of Teacher's Principles and Beliefs."  A third of this declaration is dedicated to "Restore[ing] Professionalism to Education."  According to the document this is done through teacher evaluations that include "value-added student achievement data" (value-added measure - VAM), weakening tenure, and eliminating "last-in-first-out" (seniority rights).  The document also contends that we can recruit, retain, and support "the highest quality teachers" by implementing "performance-based pay" (merit pay).

These are the positions of the corporate reformers.  To argue these "reforms" will empower teachers, "give them a voice," and/or "autonomy" is naive at best.  Merit pay is not a new idea as educational historian, Diane Ravitch, has pointed out.  It is professionally insulting, divisive, and it does not work, especially in a profession that thrives on collaboration.  Not only has merit pay not worked, Daniel Pink demonstrates that merit pay, in fact, produces worse results!

Value-added is another failed experiment.  Despite repeated research demonstrating the inability of VAM to measure a teacher's performance, corporate reformers continue to argue it will separate bad teachers from good, and good teachers from great.  What VAM actually does is promote more teaching to tests, and penalizes teachers who are willing to take risks.

Attacks on tenure and seniority are at the heart of the "reformer's" efforts and central to organizations like E4E.  Tenure is depicted as "lifetime job security," something that makes it "impossible" to fire under-performing teachers.  Tenure does not guarantee a job.  It guarantees due process, if you are threatened with disciplinary action, including termination.  It requires that administrators demonstrate "just cause" for disciplinary action or termination, and in Minnesota, state statue identifies five areas that can lead to termination at the end of a contract year (see Subdivision 9).  Minnesota state statute also lays out reasons for immediate termination of a teacher (see Subdivision 13)

Tenure in Minnesota is only achieved after a three-year probationary period.  During this time, the district can terminate a teacher contract without cause.  What tenure grants is relatively small, but important power.  It enables teachers to disagree with administration and express that disagreement with less fear of repercussions.  This is one of the few things that does in fact "give teachers voice," and this is what E4E wants to weaken or eliminate.

Seniority works in concert with tenure to protect teachers from arbitrary loss of employment.  In addition to termination due to reasons listed in statute, a teacher can also find themselves unemployed if the school district needs to layoff teachers due to declining enrollment and/or a decline in funds.  Requiring layoffs be done in reverse seniority order or "last-in-first-out" (LIFO), prevents administrators from discriminating with regard to layoffs.  In other words, they cannot layoff a teacher as a way around the due process guaranteed with tenure.  Again, E4E want to eliminate seniority (some argue for making it "one of a number of factors" in determining layoffs), but any weakening of seniority creates a way around the due process guaranteed with tenure.

Losing tenure and/or seniority protections would silence teachers.  This is the exact opposite of what E4E claims as its main goal.  All of these attacks on teachers and our unions are empowered by a misguided faith in meritocracy.  Young teachers are told they are being hurt by more senior teachers being "protected" even when they are "less competent."  They are led to believe that administrators, with standardized test scores, can objectively distinguish between teachers who are competent and teachers who excel.

Those who are truly concerned with ensuring that teachers have a voice and are able to speak up for their students, should stand with the teachers' unions.  Work to get rid of testing and "accountability" regimes that are really about dismantling public education, and defend tenure and seniority.  Then we can work together on behalf of all students, for racial and social justice.

Teachers and the public need to understand the real agenda of Educators 4 Excellence (E4E) and expose this group for what they really are - the sheep's clothing for the corporate education reform wolves.


Posted by: Rob Panning-Miller

Additional information on the origins of E4E's national organization can be found here:

http://raginghorse.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/educators4excellencebrought-to-you-by-the-insidious-arm-of-the-disgustingly-rich/