Last Chance at English High: We are Not Alone

As has been done all over the nation, they make cosmetic changes (certainly necessary) but assume things like changing the name of a principal to head master or paint the building or "demand more of teachers" will be enough instead of a long-term plan to inundate the school with resources.

Jeff Kaufman posted this article from the Boston Globe to ICE-mail with this comment:

Interesting article forwarded by a friend in a closing school….as he wrote, “we are not alone.”

First read George Schmidt's Comment:

1/13/08

Jeff:

Sixty-six percent of students had failed at least one class. More than a quarter had failed five of their six classes. Nearly half of the ninth-graders were failing. More than a third of them were absent regularly. A teacher groaned. "That's kind of crushing." The lights flickered on. The assistant headmaster delivered an inevitable message: Teachers would have to do even more.

Sad thing is that nobody in the article seems to be willing to say that all the "standards and accountability" pushing by the "headmaster" simply cracks up against the realities of poverty, just as Rothstein and others would have suggested. There is an element of unreality in that interview in the principal's (headmaster's) office with the girl who wanted to drop "AP Biology". If the headmaster had so many answers, why didn't he just get the people who are pushing the corporate "school can do it all" solution he's implementing to provide child care for the student's family? Instead, he packs up his data driven data sets and heads into a classroom to bully a teacher.

George Schmidt
Chicago


Boston Globe:

LAST CHANCE FOR ENGLISH HIGH
Harsh realities Amid visions of a turnaround, overwhelmed teachers find that a new approach can't solve all the old problems

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff | December 27, 2007

Second in an occasional series.

In the hallway outside her classroom, Marlene Diaz disappears amid the swirl and din of students. It is five minutes past class time. The young English teacher shouts to be heard. Her voice is hoarse, as it has been many afternoons this year. "You're late," she calls. "Let's go, let's go!"

She herds a group into the classroom and closes the door. She makes a mental count of the empty seats; five of 17 students are not there. A knell of frustration rings inside her. She takes a breath and marshals her stamina. It is her last class of the day.

"Good afternoon, my seedlings," she says and walks the rows of tables, handing out photocopied pages. She has been trying to teach her ninth-graders to write basic essays, and it has not been easy. Some of them have only a rudimentary grasp of grammar and language. Several are repeating the class after failing in previous years. Today, she hopes to inspire them with examples of good writing.

As Diaz launches into her lesson, a boy draws circles on his desk with a blue pen. A girl points her cellphone camera at a classmate and says, "Do something stupid." Another girl lays her head in her arms on top of her backpack and shuts her eyes.

"You lost a soldier," a student says to the teacher.

Diaz walks over and taps the sleeping girl's head with the stack of papers in her hand.

"Yo," the girl responds, without looking up.

"Miss," another girl says to Diaz. "Nobody's paying attention to you."

The words might as well have echoed through the halls of the school, taunting the teachers and administrators who just three months earlier had begun the year with a giddy hope of reversing the academic decline of one of the worst-performing high schools in the state.

Decaying for decades, The English High School in Jamaica Plain, the nation's oldest public high school and once one of Boston's best, was threatened with closure by the state last year. But education officials decided on a last-ditch attempt to turn the 186-year-old school around.

State officials gave the school's headmaster unprecedented power to manage English, and a year to show improvement. The headmaster lengthened the school day, started tutoring centers and study skills classes, and pushed students to enroll in college-level courses. He dismissed teachers he believed were not committed to his mission and hired enthusiastic ones who said they were. He told the faculty he would demand more from them than ever. And after weeks of intensive preparation over the summer, teachers arrived at a freshly painted school this fall with a belief they could achieve the headmaster's ultimate goal: Graduate every senior and get them into college.

But a third of the way through the school year, a new reality is setting in. Teachers, shouldering the main burden of reforming the school, are confronting the fact that many of the students lack even the most basic skills. And in a school that serves many students from poor or immigrant families, the challenges of dealing with difficult home lives has proved daunting.

Some teachers are exhausted and overwhelmed. Two of more than two dozen new teachers have quit.

"This was going to be the year where everything changes," said Diaz, who is in her third year at the school. "Now, frustrations are setting in."

In coming days, teachers would receive an even grimmer picture. Assembled in a darkened classroom, they watched as a staccato of sobering statistics about the recently completed first term were flashed on a screen:

Sixty-six percent of students had failed at least one class. More than a quarter had failed five of their six classes. Nearly half of the ninth-graders were failing. More than a third of them were absent regularly.

A teacher groaned. "That's kind of crushing."

The lights flickered on. The assistant headmaster delivered an inevitable message: Teachers would have to do even more.

Two months earlier, veteran math teacher Jerry Gallagher sat alone at his desk, aimlessly flipping through the syllabus for his calculus class. It was back-to-school night, when teachers had planned to show off the school's all-out effort.

Teachers had called parents to invite them to the event and sent letters home with students. Teachers spruced up their classrooms. Secretaries put out plates of pastry and fruit.

More than an hour had passed. Not one parent stepped foot in Gallagher's classroom. The food in the school lobby sat mostly untouched.

Gallagher bowed his head and sighed.

"Just because we're doing something brand new doesn't change the dynamics," he said.

That was October, when teachers were beginning to understand the magnitude of the job they had undertaken and perceive that some of the school's most ambitious efforts were already suffering.

Attendance, after a brief spike early in the year, slipped to 85 percent in the first term, back to last year's level and far short of the state standard of 92 percent.

Frustrated by the increased amount of class time and homework, some students have simply left. Since the start of the year, more than 100 of English High's 800 students have transferred to other schools or been discharged because they stopped coming to class.

"These kids have been so accustomed to getting by doing the minimum that when somebody tells them that's not good enough, it can get stressful," said Junia Yearwood, a veteran English teacher.

It has taken a toll on teachers, too. Diaz has struggled to keep her frustrations in check. But at the same time, walking through the hallways near her classroom, she has also taken heart.

On one wall are the names and photos of newly elected student officers, members of the school's first student government in four years. On another bulletin board are the names of 28 students who have been inducted into the National Honor Society - more than in recent years.

She was especially touched by notes tacked to another wall - Thank you letters, written by students after teachers and an assistant headmaster staged a huge Thanksgiving meal in a school hallway the day before the actual holiday. Students and teachers had hauled desks from classrooms and placed them end-to-end, draped them with blue table cloths and piled them with roasted chickens and pies. Nearly 400 students feasted and relished what seemed to be a new kind of bond with teachers.

"I remember when I first came to English High, I didn't feel it was the best," one girl wrote. "I wanted to change schools so badly, but I feel I have a chance for my last year with you by my side."

Diaz hopes at least some of her students feel that way. Sometimes they behave so badly in class that she has been reduced to counting loudly to regain their attention. Already, she is worried that some may be on a track to fail. It eats at her and makes her think of her own youth. Raised by immigrant parents in a Dorchester housing project, Diaz had felt intense gratitude for the teachers who took the time to care for her and spur her on. Now 26 and in the teacher's role, she sometimes wants to scream at her students that at stake is nothing less than their lives.

"It's so overwhelming and disheartening knowing where these kids can end up, and how high the odds become when they act this way," Diaz said.

One afternoon in November, a teacher pulled Fred Daniels out of his world history class and walked the senior to a small classroom set aside this year for tutoring students who fall behind. The teacher introduced Daniels to a clean-cut Boston University business student named Edwin Pimentel.

Pimentel is one of 15 tutors at English High's two new Learning Centers. He is 18, a year younger than Daniels.

Daniels sat next to Pimentel at a round table. The tutor flipped through an orange math text Daniels had pulled from his backpack and asked him what chapter he needs help on. Daniels grinned sheepishly. He has hardly opened the book.

Daniels is in his sixth year of high school. He arrived at English last year after a string of expulsions and stints in juvenile detention. But he is bright, and determined to become the first in his family to earn a diploma. The school is determined, too. A school secretary calls him every morning at 5 to rouse him from bed.

He has done well in some classes, but he is failing Algebra II Honors. In the third week of school, the tall, muscular teen had wept in frustration in his headmaster's office and threatened to drop out of school. His algebra teacher was moving too fast, and he was too embarrassed to ask for help.

Daniels stayed in school but started skipping math.

His teacher had recently hunted him down in a hallway and offered him a deal: He would not receive the F on his first-term report card if he agreed to get help at the Learning Center.

He took it. Now, Daniels rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a stack of homework papers.

"All of this, I'm not gonna lie," he said, dropping the stack on the table. "I literally copied people to get credit."

"That's not good," Pimentel said. The tutor wrote a problem on a pad of paper and asked Daniels to solve it. Daniels went through the steps, talking out loud. The two worked, passing the pad between them.

Half an hour later, they stopped. Pimentel believed Daniels understood most of the basic principles and was not hopelessly lost.

A teacher who runs the Learning Center told Daniels he should return the following week. Daniels nodded, smiling as he left.

"I'm trying to be optimistic about my future," he said in the hallway. "But everything in the past is catching up to me. I guess I set myself up for failure."

Daniels did not return to the Learning Center the following week - or the one after that.

Valeria Cabrera stood in the front office waiting to meet with her headmaster early one November morning. Her brimming backpack pulled her posture ramrod straight. She cradled a stack of binders.

The 17-year-old had fought hard on the first day of school for a full slate of advanced courses. But two months later, she felt pressures mounting. She wanted to drop Advanced Placement biology.

Twice as many students are enrolled in college-level courses this year. And no one drops an AP class without the headmaster's permission.

José Duarte motioned the girl into his office. Cabrera is ranked third in her senior class of 165, a new member of the National Honor Society and a winner of a statewide college scholarship because of her high MCAS scores.

Duarte was counting on students like her - a first-generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic whose dream is to attend a school like Princeton - to succeed. English High has not had a Princeton admission since the 1970s.

Cabrera sat with her arms crossed. "Do you know I have four AP classes?" she asked Duarte.

He nodded and smiled. "I put you in them."

"That's like six hours of homework every night," Cabrera said, then ticked off her other responsibilities: baby-sitting her younger brother, college applications, a class at Harvard Medical School.

"I hate to see you drop AP biology, for someone who wants to go into the sciences," Duarte said.

"It damages my other classes," she said.

"Let me push you back," Duarte said. "For the next two weeks, let's put you in the Learning Center."

"But . . ."

Duarte cut her off. "Don't just say no."

"But no," Cabrera said. "Sometimes there's a line."

Duarte knows about a line. After overseeing English High the last eight years, he knows it well.

The next week, he allowed Cabrera to drop AP biology and pick up AP Spanish - a language in which she is already fluent.

Diaz hurried down the hall to borrow a dustpan from a fellow English teacher.

"Have they come yet?" she asked.

The teacher nodded.

Diaz wore gray slacks, an argyle sweater vest, and a crisp white blouse, not her usual end-of-the-week outfit of jeans and blue English High sweatshirt. Earlier in the day, she had frantically decorated a bulletin board. She dusted and swept.

State observers, on their first visit to gauge the school's progress, were due shortly at her sixth-period class. How many of her students would show up? Would they be ready to present the essays they had spent more than a month perfecting?

The assignment had seemed simple. She had asked each student to pick a subject they know well and explain it in writing.

When she had made the assignment in October, she had allotted two weeks. But day after day, the students struggled to organize their thoughts and express themselves on paper. She gave deadlines, but extended them when students didn't finish.

The bell rang and students filed in. Diaz counted eight students. Nine were absent.

"Are you ready? Are you ready?" she asked.

The door opened and five state and district officials, including the headmaster, walked in. They wore suits and carried folders. Diaz flushed. Her ears started ringing. She began writing on the board but caught herself misspelling a word. Silently, the officials sat in a row at the back of the room, arms crossed, chins in hands.

A boy volunteered to present his essay. He stood at the front of the room and began reading from a piece of paper. He paused frequently and took deep breaths.

When he finished, a girl peeked in her notebook, where she had written questions that the class had come up with earlier and raised her hand. Why did he choose to write about surviving high school? she asked.

The boy said he had heard rumors in middle school that seniors would flush freshmen's heads down the toilet. The panel of officials chuckled. Diaz relaxed. After a parade of other presentations, the officials left the classroom as wordlessly as they had entered.

Diaz was grateful, even proud, of her students' efforts. They had shown mastery of some of the basic writing techniques she had been trying to teach them. She gathered the students at the front of the room, where they buzzed in triumph. "Great job, you guys," she said before dismissing the class.

Alone, Diaz gathered her students' papers and treated herself to a piece of the Puerto Rican candy she keeps in a locked cabinet by her desk. She savored the victory of her students' success. But even as she did, she thought about the difficult road ahead. The essay was but the first of at least five essays the students would have to write before June. It was already nearing Christmas. She would need to be tougher.

Spitzer and Green Families: You Scratch My Back...

Why do people trust ANY of these guys?

Today's NY Times has one of those delicious little articles that expose the depth of corruption in the political world. "Spitzer and Family Help Pay Supporter’s [Mark Green] Debts"

The Spitzer family gave Green $50,000 to retire his debt.

The article says:

The contributions were the latest exchange of political largess between the Green and Spitzer families. Mr. Green’s older brother and pre-eminent political backer, the Manhattan real estate developer Stephen L. Green, donated $135,000 to the governor’s election campaign in 2006.

Why didn’t Stephen Green bail out his brother?

“He can’t help retire the debt because he was so generous before,” Mark Green said. Indeed, the elder Green and his wife donated $270,000 to his brother’s campaign, either directly or through businesses they control. Mark Green received an additional $200,000 from other family members.

“It’s a family matter, but trust me on this, Steve was so generous, as a matter of law, he cannot help retire the final debt.” Asked whether his brother had reached the legal contribution limits for his businesses, Mr. Green would not elaborate further.

During the 2006 campaign, the business donations were criticized by government watchdog groups, which said the contributions were a symptom of the loopholes in state campaign finance laws that allow wealthy businesspeople to exceed spending limits by donating through limited liability companies they control — a tactic used particularly by real estate developers.

So, the political shell game is on. Stephen Green gives Spitzer $135,000 and Spitzer gives his brother Mark $50,000 back so no one exceeds any limits. Think Spitzer will do anything that might in any way harm Green's real estate interests?

Now, here comes the funniest line in the entire piece by Mark Green:

“This is now a relationship among friends. “I am not a registered lobbyist and I have no interest before the state.”

Almost as funny as corporate job cutting down-sizer Mitt Romney telling people in economically depressed Michigan he is committed to fight for every job.

Oh, yes. The UFT has supported both Spitzer and (not too enthusiastically) Green in the past.

Israeli Teachers Strike

One of the points Michael Fiorillo made at the Teachers Unite forum on The Big Business of Public Education was the global nature of the attack on teachers, their unions and on public schools. Here is part of a comment from an Israeli on a post at Pissed off teacher:

As a teacher, you must be aware of the teachers' strike. Teachers are getting half the salary of a bank teller. Teachers are receiving money each month from welfare in order to survive. Try teaching in a situation far worse than the misery caused by Reich Chancellor Klein and Reich Fuhrer Bloomberg.

Two years ago 14,000 teachers were fired and the principals were given unparalleled powers. Sound familiar?

The Impact of Scanning on a School

Updated 11am: See Gary Babad's comment below

We know the fear there is out there about weapons, etc., especially since Columbine. Though if those guys wanted to do the same even with scanning, no one would have stopped them unless they were scanned first outside the grounds of the school.

Many schools have scanning every day and there are always reports of the impact, from having to stand outside for a half hour and missing their first class, to the dehumanizing aspects.

The report below is from a school in eastern Queens with a higher proportion of middle class parents, who often seem to be the most outraged at how their children are being treated. It is often pointed out that there seem to be few complaints from parents in the poorer inner city but that may be due to a complex set of reasons.

I've heard more from teachers, generally on the left, who object to the degrading dance the poorest, most at-risk students must go through. Given the general conditions, even before scanning, the number of weapons used in attacks by students seemed pretty low compared to the population, but it is understandable that safety is on people's minds.

But when you throw police into the mix, with an all-too-often attitude of perps and peeps - we've heard of kids getting arrested for refusing to take off their hats – a more hostile environment is created. Ed Notes has been opposed to police in the schools, which can make a bad situation worse and that as much as possible, educators who at least have some modicum of experience in dealing with kids on a regular basis, should be left to address these issues. But schools must be given the educator (rather than police) resources to do the job adequately and as painlessly as possible.

You'll note below that the principal of John Bowne did not seem happy when the scanning was imposed on the school. Didn't BloomKlein give principals all that power and shouldn't the decision to bring in scanners have been left to him? As you can see, at least he is to some extent responsible to a PTA, which we're sure would be abolished by BloomKlein ( I wonder how the anti-parent policies of Bloomberg would play in the hinterlands in a presidential campaign?)

Frankly, in today's pressure cooker environment in schools, it's more likely for a teacher to go postal.

A report from a parent on the nyceducationnews listserve:

At John Bowne's PTA meeting last nite, the issue of scanning was brought up by the principal. We had scanning on Dec. 17. I asked what the attendance was for that day and the principal said the drop was between 18 and 23%. He was not a happy camper about the whole situation either. He estimated that the overtime alone cost the school about $10,000.00. And he was also not happy about the disruption to the education process. He had deans, APs, secretaries, teachers, etc. bagging and tagging electronic devices? Another mom asked what was confiscated, other than eds - 2 pockets knives, a box cutter and a couple bags of pot. The principal said that he made 4 announcements yesterday that eds would not be tolerated and hoped that the kids got the hint that scanning was going to be done today (but we didn't hear that from him). When I got home, I asked my daughter about the announcements and she didn't ge the hints. However, she promptly started texting and sending out My Space alerts to her friends. Sure enough, this AM, the outside of the school was crawling with (what I assumed) police officers (another waste of our tax dollars) and school security officers.

Gary Babad adds:
For anyone who has not seen it, the NYCLU report, "Criminalizing the Classroom" is a comprehensive look at this issue, with history and some chilling anecdotes, but also a set of alternative proposals for maintaining school security. One can navigate to and download the entire PDF file.
http://www.nyclu.org/policinginschools

Big Business of Public Education Forum Attracts a Crowd

Updated Friday, Jan. 11

It was standing room only at today's Teachers Unite-sponsored forum on privatization. Speakers Michael Fiorillo and Leonie Haimson wowed the crowd with their knowledge and analysis of the privatization of public schools. Michael concentrated on the historical and broad context, while Leonie focused on the impact of BloomKlein on NYC.

Michael is an ESL teacher and chapter leader at Newcomers HS in Long Island City and Leonie is the founder and director of Class Size Matters and the co-founder of the NYC Public School Parents blog.

The mixed crowd consisted of teachers new to the system and veterans and there was a rousing discussion afterwards with some the fault lines between newbies and vets being exposed. Teachers Unite, under the direction of Sally Lee, will attempt to address some of these issues at future events. (We've talked about holding a "bridging the gap" open discussion at some point.)

Why have these forums (we've held 3 events so far) tempted over 50 teachers to come out on a Thursday afternoon/evening and attracted the interest of some influential people in the ed/political world (look for more fabulous speakers in the future)? Because these crucial discussions are taking place no where else. One of our goals will be to figure out how to include more audience participation as there were still many questions left unanswered and the sense that people would have staid around even longer.

I put together a list of resources for the participants and will post them later.
I videotaped the event and will try to get sections up on the web within the next 2 weeks.

Look for the next forum on big business and privatization on March 27.

Run, Bloomberg, Run

graphic by DB

by Norman Scott
From The Wave, Jan. 11, 2007
www.rockawave.com

A story in the NY Times, "Obama’s Surge Deflates Forum and Talk of a Bloomberg Run," on the day before the New Hampshire primary may have been premature in burying Michael Bloomberg’s independent run for the presidency. I hope he does run, but not because I am a supporter.
One has to ask why so many veteran NYC educators have such disdain for Bloomberg and his henchman Joel Klein. They have witnessed close up and personal the destructive nature of what has been done to an already fragile school system.
There is no question that the NYC schools needed major reform. But not on the basis of bringing competitive business practices like merit pay for teachers and students, competitions between schools, bottom line results resulting in punitive measures for schools and personnel – all while funneling money to private interests that leech off the system.
Not only are they an indication of educational policy gone awry but also a tale of major incompetence that has invited comparisons to the mismanagement of the Bush administration.
Hopefully, a presidential campaign by Bloomberg will focus national attention on the Bloom/Klein educational "reform" disaster.

Small learning communities
With so many initiatives by Bloom/Klein being wrong-headed, the idea of setting up small learning communities with a regular Ed and special Ed teacher working together seemed to have possibilities. I have heard of some cases where, if carefully managed, with small class sizes and with lots of teacher input, it has worked. Do you think any of these factors are in operation on the small learning communities set up by the NYCDOE? That’s a rhetorical question. There are such setups at our own Beach Channel HS. Let us know how they are working out.

Beach Channel staff shaken by Far Rockaway HS closing
The staff at BCHS is preparing for an influx of 9th graders next year that will have nowhere convenient to go other than BCHS. Worried about a disproportionate influx of ELA and special ed students who will not be accepted at the small schools replacing Far Rock, there is the additional factor of increased gang activity due to rivalries between students at the two schools. Will the DOE provide in increase in resources to BCHS to handle the influx? Or will the DOE squeeze the school to force it into a closing of it’s own? You can find hints of an answer in items one and two above.

State Education Dept. and Board of Regents performance shameful
Someone ought to start an investigation as to why NY State is one of the most regressive in the nation when it comes to over testing, amongst other items. Who to blame? Start with the Board of Regents, which appoints the state education commissioner, who happens to be the hapless Richard Mills. It is time to take the appointments of these people out of the hands of politicians and hold an election, as is done in many other states.

Political action as a teacher
As someone who was an unwilling entrant into teaching in 1967, I’m convinced that becoming an educational activist both in the union and in the community I worked in (Williamsburg) gave me perspective and an understanding of the forces that impacted on the daily events I was witnessing. The powers that be at the schools and district level and in the UFT were not very happy, but I was young and didst not know what I was doing. But I’m very glad I became an activist. Regularly meeting with like-minded people enabled me to work with parents and community and gave me insights I was able to use with the kids. These types of meetings continue today. A current project is:

The big business of public education
Millions of dollars are exchanged between New York City’s Department of Education and private companies. How do these relationships impact our classrooms? What can be done about the seemingly inescapable trend of schools privatization?
I’ve been involved in helping set up forums addressing these issues in conjunction with Teachers Unite, an organization (www.teachersunite.net), under the direction of Sally Lee, that builds ties between educators and community organizers, using these political/education forums to build an informed teacher constituency where educators can relate their experiences in schools to larger political trends.
The 2007-2008 forums focus on the impact of privatization and the corporate model on classroom life in NYC public schools. Next year, with the law giving the mayor total control of the schools due to sunset in 2009, we will tackle the thorny issue of school governance. These forums are open to the public.

Rockaway Theater Company
I spent the past season as the videographer for the Rockaway Theater Company and the more involved, the more impressed I was about the quality work they do. Recently, I finally delivered DVD’s of all the shows. Working on them was delightful, as it gave me a chance to see the shows time and again, something I never get tired of. If I don’t chicken out, I might even take their acting course, taught by a remarkable young actor who delighted audiences with his antics as the narrator in Rockaway Café and as “Larry” in “Inspecting Carol.”

Rubber room movie
The trailer for a movie about the rubber room, also known as Teacher Reassignment Centers, has been released and can be viewed at www.rubberroommovie.com.

UFT to start it’s own grading system
As I was finalizing this piece, I read a report by Elizabeth Green (the most relentless education reporter in NYC) that Randi Weingarten was going to create a union-sponsored grading system as a counter weight to the one being used by the DOE. Fraught with lots of minefields, this idea bears watching. I’ll comment next time.

Education Notes Prognostications for 2008

Teachers urged to give steroids to low scoring children to pump up scores.

Teachers ordered to take steroids during height of testing season to counter "testing fatigue."

What the hell: Teachers told to give steroids to all children.

Roger Clemons becomes NYCDOE Chancellor. NY State Ed Commissioner Richard "DICKIE BOY" Mills gives Clemons special waiver. "He has even more qualifications than Joel Klein to be Chancellor. He has 4 children,” says Mills.
Test scores and grad rates break Bloom/Klein record for inflation.

Bloomberg is elected President on a platform of nationalizing schools before selling them off to private interests. Russia's Putin puts in best bid and owns the entire school system of the United States. The business community cheers the advent of a Soviet style system that will prepare children to work long hours without complaining.

Joel Klein arrested for handing out cash to children in front of schools. His claims he was only paying kids for getting high scores on tests were laughed out of court.

Bloomberg Presidential Campaign being Derailed by Obama?

I am saddened at the story in today's NY Times, "Obama’s Surge Deflates Forum and Talk of a Bloomberg Run."

We will be missing an opportunity to focus national attention on the BloomKlein educational "reform" disaster. Not only are they an indication of ed policy gone awry but also a tale of major incompetence that has invited comparisons to the mismanagement of the Bush administration.

Photoshopped by DB at pseudo-intellectualism

Seduced and Abandoned by Intel: My Poor Sad XO Laptop

It does tricks too

When I saw the chance to get my hands on one of the XO laptops when One Laptop Per Child offered a 2 month "Give One Get One" deal where for $400 you get one and so does some kid in the third world, as a tech freak, I jumped at it.

Mine arrived last Thursday and it is so cute - little green and white thing with a 7 inch screen. And so light and rugged. Just toss it into a bag and go. I took it to a meeting the other day and when we needed a bit of info I found a wi-fi link in the restaurant and googled it. It comes with a bunch of stuff that kids will get a kick out of but we shouldn't expect the tech savvy kids in this country to love it more than the stuff they already have. But to a kid in Combodia, it is way cool. You can even charge it up like a windup toy. Check out the OLPC web site for info.

Kids in the Andes in Peru using the XO.
Photo from the NY Times article.

Enter the Evil Empire
Saturday's business section of the NY Times has a very informative article written by John Markham, titled "Intel Quits Effort to Get Computers to Children."

"The project has been a lightning rod for controversy largely because the world’s most powerful software and chip making companies — Microsoft and Intel — had long resisted the project, for fear, according to many industry executives, that it would compete in markets they hoped to develop."

Maybe it was all pie in the sky when former MIT Media Lab boss Nicholas Negroponte started the One Laptop Per Child in an effort to bring inexpensive technology deep into the third world by producing and inexpensive laptop that costs $200. I'm a fan of MIT Media Lab because of the work they've done with tech ed, including developing the prototype of the LEGO brick we use in robotics. And I love the constructivist ideas (ok, I'm out of the closet) of Seymour Papert and was a big fan of the Logo programming environment he developed at MIT.

The XO laptop uses a processor from Advanced Micro Devices instead of Intel's chips and the Linux open-source operating system. Microsoft’s Windows and Office software are nowhere to be seen.

Is this idea a threat to industry giants Microsoft and Intel? You bet it is. Intel wants to sell their own $350 version and it's sales force around the world has been trashing the XO. And of course, Bill Gates, that paragon of virtue when it comes to ed reform (in many cases with the twist that Windows and Office are part of the package) – well, don't expect any of the Gates money to go to places where the XO is used. A $200 laptop with software for schools in the US where you could equip an entire classroom for about $5000 instead of 5 or 10 times as much? What kind of ed reform is that where the business world can't make a buck or 2?

One of the hidden costs of the BloomKlein takeover of the NYC public schools has been the catastrophe visited upon whatever tech program existed in the schools before they came on the scene and the enormous amount of money Intel and Microsoft have walked away with. I know where too many bodies are buried to go into depth on this and won't write much about it until everyone I know is clear.

Markham writes:

“They played another dirty trick in Peru,” [Negroponte] said. “It’s a little bit like McDonald’s competing with the World Food Program.”

In Peru, where One Laptop has begun shipping the first 40,000 PCs of a 270,000 system order, Isabelle Lama, an Intel saleswoman, tried to persuade Peru’s vice minister of education, Oscar Becerra Tresierra, that the Intel Classmate PC was a better choice for his primary school students.

Unfortunately for Intel, the vice minister is a longtime acquaintance of Mr. Negroponte and Seymour Papert, a member of the One Laptop team and an M.I.T. professor who developed the Logo computer programming language. The education minister took notes on his contacts with the Intel saleswoman and sent them to One Laptop officials.

In a telephone interview Friday, Mr. Tresierra said that his government had asked Intel for a proposal for secondary-school machines, and it had responded with a proposal offering the Classmate PC for primary grades.

“We told them this is a final decision, we are running the primary-grade project with the XO,” he said. “She wasn’t very happy.”

He said the decision to purchase the XO had come after the government had run a pilot project with the computers. “We were very happy with the results,” he said.

I think I will be too. The XO even has a little camera that can take stills and short videos. Last night me and the guys were watching the football games at my friend's house with the XO logged on to a neighbor's wi-fi. Need to know who Joe Namath's backup was when the Jets won the Super Bowl? Babe Parilli. And the XO took pics of all the chips, dip and Chinese food we consumed. I won't share and gross you out. Urp!

More on ATRs' from Pissed Off

Pissed Off Teacher after reading out item below about Klein going after ATR's has this report from the trenches:

Excerpt (go to her blog to read the entire item):

An ATR in my school came to the cafeteria today visibly upset about something. When pressed, she told us that she had been called down to the APO's office. It seems APs, deans and school aides have been complaining about her classroom management. It is interesting that this incident came about today, the day after the above story came out. This woman has been in the school since September and in all this time has only had two classes that she could not handle. The classes she could not handle are classes that give their regular teacher a hard time. Yesterday, she had the class from hell. One AP walked into the room and got the kids to settle down for a little while. Unfortunately, this pompous a** did not show his face until the last twenty minutes of the period and did not stay around for long.

A coincidence?

Last week we had our Shanker fest and talked about the '68 strike and how the UFT framed it as a fight for due process after a bunch of teachers were transferred. It is way more complex than that but the enormous amount of people under attack while the UFT sits by makes for an interesting contrast.

A follow-up comment from Ira on ICE-mail:

I really think this sums up quite succinctly exactly what they are doing -- ATR's can never be expected to control difficult classes so they are going to make sure they get them as often as possible and then they will probably be observed when they are in one of those classes.

Eduwonkette Goes to Washington...

....figuratively, that is. Jimmy Stewart better duck [for old movie buffs.]

Eduwonkette's blog is migrating over to the Education Week at this new address.

"I will not be an employee of Ed Week - they'll just be hosting the site. They're not responsible for my views, nor I for theirs."

That's good news, though we'll miss the funky pink atmosphere. The national exposure Ed Week can provide should be a plus for the good guys. Not bad for a blog a little over 3 months old.

Education Notes 2008 Prognostications

Randi Weingarten is elected AFT President and roams the country trying to get Hillary Clinton elected – in 2016.

Joel Klein arrested for handing out cash to children in front of schools.

Teachers urged to give steroids to low scoring children to pump up scores.

Teachers ordered to take steroids during height of testing season to counter "testing fatigue."

What the hell: Teachers told to give steroids to all children.

Roger Clemons becomes NYCDOE Chancellor. NY State Ed Commissioner Richard "DICKIE BOY" Mills gives Clemons special waiver. "He has even more qualifications than Joel Klein to be Chancellor. He has 4 children. Test scores and grad rates break BloomKlein record for inflation.

Bloomberg is elected President on a platform of nationalizing schools before selling them off to private interests. Russia's Putin puts in best bid and owns the nation's entire school system.

In sports:
The NY Jets draft Patriots' QB Tom Brady's infant children and all future unborn that he might have with super models.

Klein to Go After ATR's Weingarten Says

A correspondent reports:

Randi's visit to the Queens Rubber room

Aside from a lot of useless prattle, she also indicated that Klein was going after ATR's as a form of featherbedding. She, as always, the unsuspecting, unknowing, innocent lawyer, does not seem too sure about her ability to uphold the union's ironclad policy of protecting atrs. What else is new?

Raging Debates on KIPP and Class Size...

.... took place during the week off.

The KIPP/charter school discussion, with a KIPP teacher taking part, came about spontaneously at NYC Educator in this post from Reality Based Educator and has already inspired 56 comments.

The class size debate is part of a series of posts at Eduwonkette, where her able assistant Skoolboy, Leonie Haimson and a cast of thousands deep massaged the class size issue.

Check out 2 of the push-button issues on today's ed/pol pallet.

You big asshats

Pissed Off Mom Reports:

My son called me about 10 mintues ago to inform me that his school is now formally a prison. He said when he arrived there were police surrounding the building and scanning was happening. He said that he turned around knowing full well that he was going to be stopped. The police officer stopped him and said "Hey where do you think you are going?", his reply ummm the college is over there. Glad he is almost 7 feet tall with a full beard that I almost made him shave off over the break.

Yeah that's right my child walked away with my permission and called me with his cell the one he has to hide under a rock before entering the building, the only reason he will be staying at this school is he graduates this year, otherwise I would be all over there in a minute pulling his big giant behind out of there. Enough is enough already. This is a place of EDUCATION, not demoralizing your students and staff. You big asshats.

THE BIG BUSINESS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION

Teachers Unite presents:

THE BIG BUSINESS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION: How will we reclaim public schools from privatization?
Thursday, January 10th, 5-7p.m.

CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave. (between 34th and 35th St.), Room C201
Photo I.D. is required to enter the building
Space is limited. RSVP to sally@teachersunite.net.

Millions of dollars are exchanged between New York City’s Department of Education and private companies. How do these relationships impact our classrooms? What can be done about the seemingly inescapable trend of schools privatization?

Speakers:

Michael Fiorillo, Chapter Leader, Newcomers High School

Leonie Hamison, Executive Director, Class Size Matters

Discussion to follow

This forum is the third in a series of events where educators can relate their experiences in schools to larger political trends. The 2007-2008 forums focus on the impact of privatization and the corporate model on classroom life in NYC public schools.

Teachers Unite provides leadership opportunities that build ties between educators and community organizers, and political education forums that build an informed teacher constituency. Teachers Unite is an organization for educators who act in solidarity with the communities they serve. www.teachersunite.net

Rubber Room Trailer Released

Greetings all and Happy New Year,

Five Boroughs Productions is proud to announce the release of our trailer for The Rubber Room, which is now available for viewing at www.rubberroommovie.com. Although all aspects of production have not been completed, we are excited to show you a preview of some of the footage we have obtained so far.

We here at Five Boroughs Productions would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of you for your continued support and feedback over the last 2 and a half years of researching and filming this project. Indeed, this project would not be possible without your participation, no matter how small your contribution.

In 2008 we look forward to making great strides in the completion of this project including funding and distribution. As always, your input as well as word of mouth is welcome.

All the best in 2008,
--
Jeremy Garrett
Executive Producer
Five Boroughs Productions
www.rubberroommovie.com

Playing Bullshit Bingo at Faculty Conferences

At the new ednotes humor blog. Check for daily postings from back issues of Ed Notes.

Pinkey Opposes Referendum

Ed Notes reprint: Jan. 2004

by Pinkey the Cat

Hi guys! I saw that piece by my sister Pippin in the last issue. Yeah! She’s the brains behind this operation! She leaves her brains in the litter box every time she uses it.

Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about those 115,000 people who signed petitions to Reduce Cat Size. I am glad Mayor Bloomberg got that off the ballot. I am perfectly happy being the size I am. If that referendum had passed I might have ended up being the size of my shrimp sister (who at least I can still beat up.)

Imagine the costs to this society if we reduce the size of every cat. Where is the money going to come from? Why there must be a hundred countries we haven’t invaded yet. That 89 billion for Iraq is practically gone. And I was hoping it would be invested in Friskies research. I urge you to stand firm against the "reduction of cat size" referendum.

Er...what did you say?

You mean it's "Class size"?

Never mind.

Can The Past Divine The Future?

Let's start the New Year with a...

....guest column by NYC teacher C.B. Abraham

I have been reading Ed Notes forever. I happen to believe in the concept of a loyal opposition. One can be “in the opposition” without being opposed to the system itself. It keeps the ruling party from running roughshod over those that disagree with the ruling elite’s actions. In short, an opposition party helps to maintain equilibrium.

There, in the December 26^th online issue of Ed Notes “Shuffling the deck on the UFT Titanic” I read the following about Sandra Feldman: “But she trained as a teacher and was a socialist with a trade union background”. As I said, I have been reading Ed Notes for a very long time. That word “socialist” rang a distant bell. And then I fell out of my chair.

As readers of Ed Notes know, sometime during November of 2003, a new Chapter Leader disagreed with the president of the union concerning extra money for teachers in certain curriculum areas. For this, according to Ed Notes, the chapter leader was called a "socialist." Fast-forward 4 years and lo and behold, the specter of merit pay has taken on a new life. It is now called a "bonus". A rose by any other name?

The bonus pay idea has the potential to be so divisive that it will put union members at each other’s throats. Why should anyone work in a school, teaching the same children, under the same conditions, with the same teaching credentials and be paid differently from their neighbor?

All of us, ruling party and opposition, should salute those schools that turned down the money tied to performance. They would not allow any member of their chapter to be construed as a dunsel in the education process. Those chapters understand what it means to be united. They understand the idea of a union.

If that past prediction on merit pay has come true, then what other treats await us in the coming year?

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and a prosperous new year.

C.B. Abraham

Ed Note:

Here is the original article published in the Jan. 2004 edition of Education Notes:

Randi Calls Chapter Leader a Socialist for Disagreeing With Her at Chapter Leaders Training
Reports from Chapter Leaders attending UFT Chapter Leader training on Nov. 23. 2003

Randi gives updates on the union-initiated grievances and says that we are in a holding pattern until the next municipal election. [Is she saying that the grievances won’t be won until we elect a new mayor?] Expect “negative blow back” in the media each time we make any kind of advance.

Eventually she postulates the following idea:

Perhaps more prep time (she may have mentioned money here as well, but our correspondent is not 100% sure ) could be given to teachers in Title 1 schools in an effort to enable these schools to be adequately staffed. A chapter leader from a middle school questioned this and told her to ask for more money and time, not for a select group of schools, but for all schools in the system. Anything less would fracture and divide the membership, create different levels or tiers for the teachers in the UFT and would have the same effect as Merit Pay.

Randi responded by calling him a socialist. She later apologized.

There are reports that Randi also suggested that higher pay for math and science teachers might be inevitable. If true, this would be a major giveback. What next? Elementary teachers asking for higher pay because they teach longer hours? High school and middle school teachers saying they should be paid more because of the amount of papers they mark.

One more note: This is not the first time UFT leaders have resorted to red-baiting as a way to brand people who oppose them. Expect a lot more of this kind of thing in the upcoming [2004] UFT elections.

[Note also the red-baiting that took place in the 2007 elections.]

Not On The Test

Here's a new song about school testing that John Forster & I (Tom Chapin) wrote.
It helped usher in the New Year on National Public Radio, appearing on "Morning Edition" on January 1, 2007.

LISTEN
http://64.23.8.93/audio/NotOnTheTest.mp3

Not On The Test
by John Forster & Tom Chapin
© 2007 Limousine Music Co. & The Last Music Co. (ASCAP)

Go on to sleep now, third grader of mine.
The test is tomorrow but you'll do just fine.
It's reading and math. Forget all the rest.
You don't need to know what is not on the test.
Each box that you mark on each test that you take,
Remember your teachers. Their jobs are at stake.
Your score is their score, but don't get all stressed.
They'd never teach anything not on the test.
The School Board is faced with no child left behind
With rules but no funding, they're caught in a bind.
So music and art and the things you love best
Are not in your school 'cause they're not on the test.
Sleep, sleep, and as you progress
You'll learn there's a lot that is not on the test.
Debate is a skill that is useful to know,
Unless you're in Congress or talk radio,
Where shouting and spouting and spewing are blessed
'Cause rational discourse was not on the test.
Thinking's important. It's good to know how.
And someday you'll learn to, but someday's not now.
Go on to sleep, now. You need your rest.
Don't think about thinking. It's not on the test.

---

This new song does not yet appear on any Tom Chapin CD. You can download the song for free, either on Tom Chapin's website (here), or on Tom's Myspace page.

Brandeis HS Rejects Merit Pay by Default

There's an interesting article in The Chief on the process focusing on Brandeis HS which I have also put up on Norms Notes here.

I've received requests for details of the merit pay plan in terms of the future. I put this out to the ednotes chapter leader/delegate list and will put responses in the comments section of this post.

1. If there is no 55/25 pension does the plan go on hold for next year? Is there a deadline?

2. Does it have to be re-voted every year? When would that vote take place? In other words, would the vote for the 2009/10 school year take place in the fall of 08 like this vote did? or if a school voted for it is it set in stone for the future or until the DOE offers it to other schools?

3. Is there an intention to expand the program throughout the school system or will it be limited to around 250 schools?

Feel free to include details on what took place in your school.

How did you as a chapter leader address the issue? If you are not the CL how did your CL address it.

Anonymity guaranteed but if you don't mind it to be published say so.

Leaving "No Child Left Behind" Behind by Richard Rothstein

http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=leaving_nclb_behind

Black Boy Middle School, Parts 1-3

I found this as a comment on the NYC Educator blog. Really good stuff:

i just want to remind ye teachers what you are fighting for. i carved out a sense of self in school because of you folks. when the line dips in the yearly graph for energy and commitment to the classroom, remember what i say: teachers were my parents growing up. school was my sanctuary. i'm remembering those days with images and words here. come by to get rejuvenated.

Black Boy Middle School, Parts 1-3
http://youtube.com/watch? v=wdgEz...feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch? v=3xaBZ...feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8gVI07rDY7A

Videos from Panel for Educational Policy Meeting

November, 2007

Leonie Haimson of Class Size Matters raises the issue of the DOE missing the deadline for releasing class size data in addition to talking about the number of seats needed in schools to accomplish serious class size reductions. Joel Klein responds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQuYTYwg7oo



Joel Klein reacts angrily to Betsy Combier's charge he doesn't care about kids when she questions him at the Nov. '07 Panel for Educational Policy meeting in NYC on why charter school but not public school kids get $44 million in busing money.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsPFU7LyJNU

What's really behind the decision to close a school while leaving another open?

Full story posted at http://iceuftblog.blogspot.com

Pick up today’s Daily News and you might get the impression that community organizations that sponsor small schools can basically decide whether those schools survive or not. The first article, Bushwick parents and kids celebrate exit of embattled Acorn High principal, Rachel Monahan describes how the ACORN School of Social Justice, with their CBO, ACORN, was able to oust a principal who was blamed for the school’s poor performance and a DOE letter grade of F. The school was obviously saved from closing with a change in leadership despite its poor grade. ACORN was willing to continue to help the school although it is unclear what they were doing to allow the school to take such a precipitous decline.

In another article, Slow death for Brooklyn high school, Carrie Melago, describes how the CBO, East Brooklyn Congregations pulled out of EBC/ENY High School for Public Safety and Law and left the school to be placed on DOE’s death list of closing schools. The school was making some improvements but without CBO support and other political considerations the Chancellor decided to close the school even though the school received a letter grade of D.

While only a mile apart physically, both schools are light years away in how they were treated by the DOE.

Are the differing CBOs the reason? Perhaps. But it is only a part of the story.

Read more at: http://iceuftblog.blogspot.com

Shuffling the Deck on the UFT Titanic

"He won't last 6 months." Thus spoke an observer upon hearing Jeff Zahler was replacing the affable and capable Michael Mendel as the UFT's Staff Director at the end of the last school year. "He doesn't have the temperament for the job," she said.

And so it has come to pass, as Zahler, noted for his red-baiting attack on Kit Wainer during the 2007 election campaign amongst other lovable things about him, will be leaving the post next week, but will remain as the head of Unity Caucus. Oh, those deck chairs.

His replacement will be Manhattan District High School rep for small schools, Leroy Barr. Barr will be the 4th staff director since strongman Tom Pappas left the post a few years ago. Under Weingarten, the staff director position has lost some of its dominance as she is a hands on micromanager (or meddler to some) and there is not a clear chain of command with so many political appointments who can go right to Weingarten over the head of the staff director.

With her expected move to the AFT Presidency next July, Weingarten must firm up the home front just in case a serious opposition should emerge. The brilliant move of buying off the long-time opposition, New Action, can only last so long as their support in the schools dwindles to microscopic levels. (Is New Action Really a Caucus?)

The staff director has often been viewed as the 2nd in command – Sandra Feldman held that position before being elevated to UFT Presidency when Albert Shanker finally gave up the position after holding both AFT and UFT positions for 11 years. She appointed Pappas, who was considered by some a possible replacement for Feldman at one point. But Feldman and Shanker had their eye on Randi Weingarten as a better choice than the rough and tough Pappas, who has run the all-important Retirement Chapter since he gave up his post as staff director. At that time Weingarten handed the position to Queens Borough Rep Elizabeth Langiulli, which quickly turned into a disaster. Then came Mendel who seemed to be doing fairly well (he always seemed to be available) before he was kicked upstairs. Maybe he was too popular.

So, has Leroy Barr suddenly jumped into the race as a possible successor to Weingarten when she moves to take over the AFT this July? We think not, certainly at this time. The leading contenders to take over for Weingarten one day have been Elementary School VP Michelle Bodden (who is rumored for reassignment), the up and coming Vocational HS VP Michael Mulgrew and Mendel. None of these choices really work for Weingarten's purposes, though Bodden is considered the most "presidential."

Ed Notes' position has long been that Weingarten will hold on to the UFT Presidency as long as feasible, but to do so she needs to strengthen the home front to cover for her while she is traipsing around the country. The next election in 2010 will be the telling factor. If she planned on not running at that time one would think there would be a clear successor who could use the next 2 years to make himself/herself known to the members. Barr's appointment only further muddies the waters.

I remember Shanker running through a few successors - Herb Magidson was one around 1975 before he was kicked upstairs to NYSUT – before settling on Feldman, who some people thought would have a tough time filling Shanker's shoes, but in retrospect, managed fairly well. I find it interesting the number of people who tell me they miss her after dealing with Weingarten, which is surprising considering she was not Miss Warmth. But there was a certain "what you see is what you get" with the late Feldman that would be refreshing today. It is hard to imagine she would buy off New Action, especially with Shulman, whom she had no respect for as the leader. And with his old left background, Feldman's right wing Social Democrats USA (SDUSA) party ideals would curdle in her stomach.

Feldman also had a "teacher" mentality even though she did little teaching. But she trained as a teacher and was a socialist with a trade union background. (I was at the AFT convention in Washington in 2004 when she made her farewell speech and was very impressed as she focused on her activities in the civil rights struggles of the 50's and 60's.) Actually, despite the condescending arrogance that at times came from her and her inner circle, I sort of miss her too.

It was well known before Weingarten ever set foot in a school that she was the chosen one. She never taught and rose through the ranks but was a lawyer who was given a part-time teaching position while also working at the UFT so she could claim legitimacy as a teacher as Feldman's successor. Give both Shanker and Feldman credit in that they defined clear successors. Weingarten is too insecure to have her own Weingarten-like successor and this lack of talent near the top will have a long-time impact.

The UFT, the largest local in the world with almost 200,000 members, controls the NY State United Teachers which recently merged with the NEA in NY state (the idea of a national merger is on hold) and thus controls the AFT. That is why Weingarten is assured of being elected AFT Pres.

But there are serious dangers for Weingarten's power base if she turns the reins over to a powerful and ambitious successor as she was. Stories abound of friction between her and Feldman when the latter tried to tell her what to do. Weingarten quickly moved to replace Feldman/Shanker loyalists with her own people. What would stop a successor from doing the same no matter how much she felt she trusted that person? The reins of power are the reigns of power and we know how power can make people so light-headed they become blind.

Maybe Weingarten is trying to trisect – a troika, or quadrisect – a "quadrumvirate"- the leadership so no one person gets too much power or gets too popular with the rank and file.

Both Bodden and Barr are African-American. Weingarten has diversified the UFT Executive Board ethnically and racially, though certainly not politically, as all members, including the 8 New Action members who received the "gift" from Weingarten, adhere rigidly to the Unity line. Ed Notes has long maintained that a politically diversified EB not dominated by people on the UFT dole and that reflected the realities in the schools, would have a positive impact on the union.

Watch to see who emerges as a major spokesperson when Weingarten is not around. It will be very interesting if it does turn out to be Barr, who from my own limited contact seems a decent guy. In his performance as District Rep I've heard generally good things with a few minor complaints. Everyone in the union benefits with a responsive staff director. We wish him well in his new position.

Teachers Unite Presents – Jan. 10, 2008

THE BIG BUSINESS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION:
How will we reclaim public schools from privatization?

Thursday, January 10th, 5-7p.m.
Location TBA

Millions of dollars are exchanged between New York City’s Department of Education and private companies. How do these relationships impact our classrooms? What can be done about the seemingly inescapable trend of schools privatization?

Speakers:
Michael Fiorillo, Chapter Leader, Newcomers High School
Leonie Hamison, Executive Director, Class Size Matters

Discussion to follow.

Please RSVP to sally@teachersunite.net

This forum is the third in a series of events where educators can relate their experiences in schools to larger political trends. The 2007-2008 forums focus on the impact of privatization and the corporate model on classroom life in NYC public schools.

Teachers Unite provides leadership opportunities that build ties between educators and community organizers, and political education forums that build an informed teacher constituency. Teachers Unite is an organization for educators who act in solidarity with the communities they serve.

http://www.teachersunite.net

NOTE: See comment #1 as George Schmidt attempts to answer some of Sean's questions.

Sean Ahern raises the following thought-provoking questions:

I had some questions for the Jan 10 forum.

"How will we reclaim public schools from privatization?"

1) What is meant by "privatization" in NYC public schools?

2) Are public assets being sold or given away to private interests? Who's selling and who's buying? Are we talking about ownership or control? Who has lost what as a result of "privatization"?

3) Is it in the interests of the majority of educators and parents to seek a restoration of the old system, with the professional educrats and the UFT leadership back in the catbird seat? If not then what are we seeking to reclaim?

4) Most NYC public schools followed a factory model in the past. What are the differences and similarities between past and present models, between a public school and a privatized one? What do educators and parents and students want that neither past nor present systems provide?

5) Where is privatization coming from? Federal, state, city governments? "A Nation at Risk", NCLB, Put Children First, the Chicago model? Private companies, foundations?

6) Is Mayoral control a necessary component of "privatization"?

7) Do we have testimony from teachers, parents, students, comparing the privatized school with the public school?

8) Does this call to "reclaim public schools from privatization" seek to restore the past, in part or in whole?

9) Who is the "we" that can "reclaim" public schools and who is this "we" reclaiming it for? Does this "we" include the UFT leadership and educrats and pundits who exerted considerable influence over the public schools before privatization became a "seemingly inescapable trend"? Why did that "we" fail to stop "privatization"? What reason is there to believe that this "we" can or should "reclaim" it from the privatizers or that rank and file teachers and parents should be party to any effort to restore the claim of this "we" to control of the public schools? If this "we" includes rank and file teachers and parents of color along with the UFT leadership and leaders and pundits of the educracy such as Diane Ravitch, what changes will be made to empower educators and parents in a new system?

10) Are there any positive effects of privatization or Mayoral control from the standpoint of educators, parents and students that the latter might want to retain after public schools are "reclaimed".

Peace,
Sean

Triangulation 2 from George Schmidt and a Question on Shanker and Democracy

This is a video of a statement/question I made at the Century Foundation breakfast in November sponsoring the Kahlenberg book tour which was taped by CSpan. Weingarten was on this panel defending the UFT charter school and pointing to how the only group in the business community that supported her was the Broad Foundation. I guess that was some response to attacks on the ties between the UFT/AFT/Shanker /Weingarten and the anti-union business community.

I pointed out there was another view on Shanker overall and on democracy in particular and asked why the business community was only interested in ed reform on the cheap - ABM - Anything But Money - but plenty of time blaming the teachers - I didn't get to talk about the "culture of low expectations" or the answer being lots more professional development, but never class size.




George Schmidt on ICE-mail in response to the triangulation post a few days ago:

12/25/07
Colleagues and friends:
Merry Christmas.

It's been the same here in Chicago for some time. And the same story could be written today about Barack Obama as he triangulates his way towards the same policies as the Clintons, only with some New Age charisma added. We know what the Clintons have wrought through corporate "school reform". Let's keep a close eye on what the Obamaites will bring under the same ideology.

AFT and the Chicago Teachers Union also use the Hart polling firm to shore up their prejudices. Rather than leading, they "traingulate," as the NYT story reported Sunday.

But here is one to remember. Four years ago, in December 2003, I sat with the staff of the Chicago Teachers Union while people reported on a Hart poll of the unioni's 35,000 person membership. That data formed some of the basis for Debbie Lynch's 2004 election campaign (as opposed to having a grass roots organization in each of the city's 600 schools). A month later, insult was added to injury when Jan Schakowsky's husband, Bob Creamer (of the same "triangulation" crowd in the Democratic Party) became Debbie's "campaign consultant." Creamer didn't even know that the union's rules precluded a caucus from getting the home phone numbers of voting members to do massive phone banking (one of the stocks in trade of that type of election planning), nor was there any plan for a GOTV push the final week.

Result #1? Debbie lost the election in two phases, first by not getting a clean majority in a four-way race in May, then by losing by 500 votes in June. After a flurry of media events, Stewart took over the reins of the CTU in August 2004. It's been downhill even more quickly since then, as recent numbers show.

Result #2? The Chicago Teachers Union, under the new leadership of Marilyn Stewart, has a sliver over 30,000 members, and is declining faster than anyone can count in the face of school closings and charterizations here in Chicago.

Irony #1. A recent Hart poll showed that the members of the CTU are completely confused on such basic issues as whether Mayor Daley is good for the public schools or not, or whether Arne Duncan (our "CEO", as Klein is your "Chancellor") is, too.

That's leadership for you.

Let's not forget that "triangulation" in the 1930s left the USA unarmed at the time of Pearl Harbor. One of the books handed down to me by my family was a thing called "Common Sense Neutrality", a collection of essays by a bunch of isolationists and pro-Nazis.

My Dad, who was in the U.S. Army in 1941 before Pearl Harbor, talked about using wooden "rifles" and "machine guns" during the massive maneuvers in Louisiana two months before Pearl Harbor. The "tanks" they had to fight with and against were often decorated Model Ts or souped up jeeps. That's one of the reasons why GIs were massacred at places like Kasserine Pass during the early days of combat against Germany.

And, it's still possible that had Hitler not declared war on the USA after Pearl Harbor, a declaration of war against Nazi Germany might have been difficult in the U.S. Congress.

Triangulation has a long and ugly history in this country. Many of our comrades were hounded in later years (after the Nazis had been defeated) for being "premature anti-fascists." I'm glad to have been working with all of you premature anti "school reform" people while Rani and Ed dither around looking for a center that is really way out there on the right (just as, it later turned out, "Common Sense Neutrality" was partly subsidized by the Nazis Fifth Column on the East Coast).

Best for the holidays,

George Schmidt
Editor, Substance


George,
One of the themes of the Kahlenberg book is that Shanker was fighting off the anti cold war "isolationists" on the left who wanted to lighten defense spending and focus on the problems here at home. He pretty much gives Shanker credit for the fall of the iron curtain – the glories of "tough liberalism."

One the ideas behind our forum this Thursday is to look at the reasons this book is being promoted at this time and by whom: Century, Broad, Chester Finn. Reading that Times piece on Sunday tied some things together -- the tough liberal concept is part of the Clinton campaign for the presidency.

If you can stand it watch the c-span program at this link . The panel had Bela Rosenberg, Eugenia Kemble, Diane Ravitch, Randi. I got to ask one question near the end but they cut me off.

Here is a link to a video of the short time I got to speak.

The speaker after me was Velma Hill who headed the earliest efforts to organize paras into the UFT (one of the good things). The old gang gathers.

Kemble is an ideologue in the Shanker mode who wants to kill democracy in order to save it from communism, which to them included anyone on the left or anyone who opposed their "enlightened" policies. Thus they are entirely justified in their minds in changing and manipulating union rules to keep power. Rosenberg wrote many of Shanker's "Where We Stand Columns."

New Century has put up short segments on you tube of each speaker. A pretty intensive effort to get the word out.

Norm

I put up The Nation's piece "Shanker Blows Up the World" here at Norms Notes.

Here is a direct link to my "question" which was in response to Eugenia Kemble's claim that the UFT was democratic and that complaints about democracy came only because the opposition lost all the time. I pointed out that when they did win the high school VP election they changed the rules.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haB1X2HXkhM

The entire cspan video is at: http://www.booktv.org/program.aspx?ProgramId=8957&SectionName=&PlayMedia=No