Ed Notes Online: Fox Business Network

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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Stuart Varney Show on Faux Business Network Invites South Bronx Teacher After Evan Stone Appearance

AD: Listen to South Bronx School internet broadcast on Evan Stone and Faux Educators 4 Excellence at 9pm tonight: The Mind of a Bronx Teacher
Take part and get a gift certificate.

Okay. I'll admit it. Sometimes even I am afraid to look into the mind of a Bronx teacher, who runs the South Bronx School blog, never sure exactly what will fly out. But I love the guy. And not just because he joined the ICE/TJC slate in the UFT election. Some people find him a little rough at the edges, but it works for me. So follow these developments and don't forget to listen tonight.

The Evan Stone/Sydney Morris faux anti-union E4E group with the Missing 700 have been publicized by the faux press at the Wall St. Journal and Fox - from now on to be known as Faux - News.

Real teacher/blogger South Bronx Teacher, who took exception (Little Evan Stone Unfair And Unbalanced).

So did other bloggers:

NYC Educator: Ship of Fools
Miss Eyre (Educators 4 Actually Being Educators)
I took my shots too in these posts:
She's Coming For The Ed Deformers - and ...

The Stuart Varney show on Faux Business Network, so wants to work over teachers, they gave Evan a nice long slot to spout his position. He does have time on his hands after leaving teaching after 3 (or is it 2) years. Children first, you know. Interesting how Faux Business Network doesn't seem to be using value added for all the analysts in the business world who failed to call the financial crisis. Ahhh, that business world version of tenure. And how about that Alan Greenspan?

Well South Bronx's diatribe led to an invitation from the Varney show:

Would you be willing to come on our show next week and tell us why Evan Stone is a “dog?” We want the other side of his argument and you seem quite passionate about it. Feel free to email me anytime. We’d love to do this Wednesday, Thursday or Friday next week.

Jake Novak
Senior Producer
Varney & Company
Fox Business Network
212 601 7991

Now lots of people would jump at the chance. But SBS has a few issues. First he is anonymous and a target of the DOE. At one point he used his blog to expose his school admins for covering up their own abuse of children. They sent him away for awhile but he as exonerated and they are gone while he is still there. A rare win for the good guys. Do you think the Varney show is really interested in a veteran teacher who put his career on the line to protect children?

SBS replies:
Hmmmm. Interesting. First thing that comes to my mind is what General Ackbar said as the Rebel Alliance came out of hyperspace.*

Will Stuart Varney climb into my colon as deep as he did for Stone?

SBS asked a bunch of fellow bloggers for advice:
Here's some Advice from the advisers:

1. They want you not to be vulgar but to defend what they term vulgarity. That's a no-win.
2. No way would I take that bait... Publicity is great, but fox news? What is the point of going on- its not news, its not even real debate- its all manufactured, scripted, and preplanned. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction
3. even if he has facts and arguments prepped they won't let him go there. They will use this as an assault because he has been so graphic. They will flash stuff on the screen about past even if he did good by exposing his admin and was punished for it. They have an agenda and want him because it fits their agenda.
4. I think it's a trap. They will bait you by extracting some of the most outrageous stuff you wrote and will try to make you look bad as a way to smear all teachers. I think Arthur Goldstein or Michael Fiorillo or Leonie. But I bet they wouldn't go for a sub which would reveal their true intention.

What did South Bronx School Decide to do?

Not taking any bait. Rule #1 is control the message. And that is how I plan to proceed. Their request will be honored but instead of doing it on FAUX News it will be honored on my internet radio show Tuesday night at 9PM. It will be an hour of rebuttal. Forthright, lucid, intriguing, yet delightfully and blissfully tasteful. If any wishes to join me in the deconstructing please feel free. I am offering a $5 gift card for Dairy Queen.

Earlier this week in my blog; http://southbronxschool.blogspot.com/2010/09/little-evan-stone-unfair-and-unbalanced.html I wrote about an artificial turf organizer Evan Stone appearance on FOX Business Channel https://www.dropbox.com/s/9wzwn2b25lwkt77/FBN_09-14-2010_10.16.47.wmv Evan and Educators4Excellence bill themselves as an alternative for teachers. An alternative for what should be asked. In this broadcast, I will discuss why I think Evan and his cohorts are not good for education, and most importantly students. The call in # is (917) 932-8721
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bronx-teacher

I'm going to take that Dairy Queen offer and add a few shekels and go get myself a Dairy Queen Blizzard.

But I'll offer my Blizzard to Jake Novak if he shows some balls and invites Goldstein and Fiorillo (both of whom also ran against the Unity Caucus leadership - so they have some chops as critics of the UFT - on the show.

*It's a trap!!!!!!

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"A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

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

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

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

History of the UFT Pre-Weingarten Years

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

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

This chapter looks interesting:

Class struggles: The UFT story, part 3

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

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

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

Effective Union Organizing

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

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

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

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

You Don't Have A Choice - Join the Revolt

Ex-Harlem Success Teacher Comments on Eva the Diva

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

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

Davis Guggenheim Compared to Riefenstahl

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

Timothy Tyson
Professor of African American Studies and History
Duke University

How Teaching Experience Makes a Difference

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

Full article with charts here.

Weingarten/Gates Foundation announce drone-driven teacher evaluation

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

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

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

More at Substance

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

On standardized testing in our schools

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

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

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

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

The US Is Facing a Weimar Moment

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

Chicago View of Unity/UFT on Charters

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

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

Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance

Ed Notes Greatest Hits: HSA Rally and Founding of GEM

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

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

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

Ed Notes Extended

Tuesday, September 21, 2010