Diane Ravitch on "The Partnership for 19th Century Skills"

This one from Diane is just brilliant.

The Partnership for 19th Century Skills

Published by Diane Ravitch on July 6, 2009

I for one have heard quite enough about the 21^st century skills that are sweeping the nation. Now, for the first time, children will be taught to think critically (never heard a word about that in the 20^th century, did you?), to work in groups (I remember getting a grade on that very skill when I was in third grade a century ago), to solve problems (a brand new idea in education), and so on.

Let me suggest that it is time to have done with this unnecessary conflict about 21^st century skills. Let us agree that we need all those forenamed skills, plus lots others, in addition to a deep understanding of history, literature, the arts, geography, civics, the sciences, and foreign languages.

But allow me also to propose a new entity that will advance a different set of skills and understandings that are just as important as what are now called 21^st century skills. I propose a Partnership for 19^th Century Skills.

This partnership will advocate for such skills, values, and understandings as:

• The love of learning
• The pursuit of knowledge
• The ability to think for 20 oneself (individualism)
• The ability to stand alone against the crowd (courage)
• The ability to work persistently at a difficult task until it is finished (industriousness, self-discipline)
• The ability to think through the consequences of one’s actions on others (respect for others)
• The ability to consider the consequences of one’s actions on one’s well-being (self-respect)
• The recognition of higher ends than self-interest (honor)
• The ability to comport oneself appropriately in all situations (dignity)
• The recognition that civilized society requires certain kinds of behavior by individuals and groups (good manners, civility)
• The willingness to ask questions when puzzled (curiosity)
• The readiness to dream about other worlds, other ways of doing things (imagination)
• The ability to believe that one can improve one’s life and the lives of others (optimism)
• The ability to believe in principles larger than one’s own self-interest (idealism)
• The ability to speak well and write grammatically, using standard English

I invite readers to submit other 19^th century skills that we should cultivate assiduously among the rising generation, on the belief that doing so will lead to happier lives and a better world.

(Ed’s Note: Diane Ravitch wrote the above for the blog of Common Core, which advocates for comprehensive education in the liberal arts and sciences. She is the organization’s co-chair. It is published here as well, with her permission.)

REMINDER: PROTEST MAYORAL DICTATORSHIP IN OUR SCHOOLS! MONDAY JULY 6, 5PM

Didn’t the SUN SET on Mayoral Control?

DENOUNCE THE PHONY BOARD! NON EDUCATORS SELECTED

PROTEST MAYORAL

DICTATORSHIP IN OUR SCHOOLS!

SUPPORT INDEPENDENT PARENT AND STUDENT UNIONS

MONDAY, JULY 6, 2009

at 5 pm

TWEED - 52 Chambers Street

PUBLIC EDUCATION IS AT RISK

STOP THE NO BID CONTRACTS

STOP the SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPE LINE

We are calling all Registered Voters,Community Leaders, Politicians, Parents,

Teachers, Students and all Educational Professionals

to come out and Rally for Public Education!

DID YOU KNOW THAT . . . ?

On July 1, Bloomberg-Klein created a bogus Department

of Education with his Deputy Mayor as its President.

1,000+ teachers are sitting in detention “Rubber Rooms”

daily doing absolutely nothing at an expense to taxpayers

in an amount over $100 million dollars per year.

Teachers who blow the Whistle on School Corruption get

“U” ratings & are subjected to a hostile work environment.

Standardized Test Score data on children from poor

neighborhoods are being used to feed the “School to

Prison Pipeline.”

No Bid Contracts are given to fortune 500 businesses that

are personally affiliated with the Mayor.

Special Education Students & English Language Learners

are not receiving a FREE and APPROPRIATE Education.

SCHOOLS MUST BE A MODEL OF AND – FOR – DEMOCRACY:

GIVE HS STUDENTS A REAL VOICE

Support Guidance Services, Career and

Youth Development Programs in our Public Schools!

COME OUT, RECLAIM & SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS!

For more info, Call: NYCNSC at (718) 857-1427 NEW YORK COALITION FOR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL CONTROL

NY Times damns the entire Calif. school system -- and gets it dead wrong

Caroline Grannan slams NY Times at the Examiner as she goes after the current Sunday magazine article about the California gubernatorial race, which states:

"Test scores in (California) public schools are plummeting” – in the reporter’s voice, without attribution or elaboration.

Caroline says that all indications are that California test scores have been moving upward (not that we give any credence to any testing results in the age of testing steroids. She says:

It’s an ongoing issue to public education advocates who view ourselves as resisters against efforts to “run schools like a business” that the privatization faction insists on portraying our schools in a far worse light than they deserve. Why would the Times leap into that with a flat-out inaccuracy – stated in an authoritative tone implying that no backup is even needed for such an obvious truth?

Now I love this one:

And speaking of troubled institutions, does the Times staff not realize that its survival is as fragile as the California economy? Sorry to repeat myself, but here's my message, again, to my colleagues in the press: Your existence is fragile. Your credibility is what you have left. Please try to take care of it.

Sorry Caroline, I wouldn't expect much credibility from the paper of record on weapons of mass destruction and BloomKlein are wonderful.

The Taking of PS 123

Thanks for the idea to anonymous commenter at
UPDATE on Moskowitz B&E at 123: Rally on Tues July 7

Executed to perfection by David Bellel.

UPDATE on Moskowitz B&E at 123: Rally on Tues July 7

I am reposting this because of the updates below.

Eva Moskowitz should be arrested and charged with breaking and entering.
The staff of 123 should call the police.

NOTE DATE CORRECTION FOR RALLY AT 123:
Tues. July 7. But I have no contact info available yet so check the sidebar for the latest before you go over there. There may be people at the Monday rally at Tweed to talk to.

MORE NEWS: Moskowitz, PS 123 Principal and possibly some staff to meet at City Hall (The Red Room) on July 8 (that was the source of the confusion on the leaflet.) This is one meeting the press should check out.


Gonzalez just about says it all. Kudos to the teachers and parents at PS 123. Assume the DOE is lying. They wanted Moskowitz to wait till no one was there to catch them.

Graphic by David B.

Harlem Success Academy expands further into P.S. 123 in Harlem

Juan Gonzalez, Daily News

Friday, July 3rd 2009, 4:00 AM

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/07/03/2009-07-03_charter_schools_bad_move_workers_break_into_classrooms_as_moskowitz_seeks_more_s.html

Simmons/News

Classrooms being packed up without teachers or principals knowledge at P.S. 123 in Harlem.

No one was expecting the moving men when they arrived Thursday morning at PS 123 in Harlem.

Not Principal Beverly Lewis, nor any of her staff, nor any of the school's parent leaders.

"These strangers suddenly appeared, went up to the third floor, removed the cylinder locks from a bunch of classroom doors and started moving out all the furniture and computers, and piling everything up in the gym," said one teacher who was conducting a summer school class when the men arrived.

The tense confrontation that followed reveals why Harlem has become Ground Zero in a growing neighborhood resistance to mayoral control of schools.

It is a wakeup call to the politicians in Albany not to give Mayor Bloomberg a blank check to run roughshod over parents and teachers.

The moving men claimed they had orders to empty and refurbish all the school's third-floor rooms to make way for an expansion of the Harlem Success Academy.

That's the charter school operation run by former City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz. The same one Schools Chancellor Joel Klein routinely praises as Exhibit A for educational reform. Moskowtiz's program currently uses a few third-floor rooms at the school.

The teachers at Public School 123 are no ordinary bunch. They and the parents have opposed the unilateral decision Klein made in May to turn over more of their valuable classroom space to Harlem Success.

Theirs is not a failing school and they were told talks were continuing over how to divide the space.

They saw the sudden arrival of the workmen Thursday as a signal that the discussion was over. So several of them rushed upstairs to confront the strangers, blocked the doorways and occupied the rooms.

"I told them, you're not taking my books and furniture out of here," said one teacher.

Police were called in. After an hour-long standoff, an official from school headquarters called to say that no one had authorized Moskowitz's movers to be in the school.

The workmen then vacated the building, leaving furniture and boxes strewn in the hallways and piled high in a corner of the gym.

Afterward, Harlem leaders labeled it a sneak attack.

"This is mayoral control run amok," said State Sen. Bill Perkins. "Eva Moskowitz has been treated with such privilege by the mayor and Joel Klein, she acts as if she doesn't need any authorization to do things."

"We had an agreement with DOE that no construction is to begin in the school until there is another meeting with all sides to work out space needs," said a spokeswoman for City Councilwoman Inez Dickens.

DOE officials conceded there was a "mistake in communications."

"As soon as we were made aware of the situation today, we told the charter school to stop," DOE spokeswoman Melody Meyer said.

Moskowitz denies impropriety.

"There is a space allocation agreement that the DOE has clearly, repeatedly, consistently and in writing said would become effective on July1," Moskowitz said.

The renovations of the new rooms for Harlem Success can't be delayed, she said, because classes at her school begin on Aug. 12 - weeks earlier than the regular public schools.

"Dr. Lewis and the [teachers' union] are deliberately taking steps to prevent us from renovating these rooms," Moskowitz said.

Lewis declined to comment.

Bloomberg recently made some bizarre remarks about possible "riots in the streets" if Albany doesn't renew mayoral control.

Well, the teachers and parents at PS 123 sent a very different message Thursday: In Harlem and all over this city, parents and teachers are getting fed up with mayoral dictatorship.

jgonzalez@nydailynews.com

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/07/03/2009-07-03_charter_schools_bad_move_workers_break_into_classrooms_as_moskowitz_seeks_more_s.html#ixzz0KCVUft4W&D

David (Bellel) Does Tony (Avella)

Our ICE/GEM spies at the mayoral candidate forum the other day came away pretty impressed with Tony Avella. Some guy named David (he is ubiquitous) did a tape. NY Times article here.

http://dbellel.blogspot.com/2009/07/tony-avella-on-education.html

Brooklyn Dreams: DOE Tries Again to Push a Charter into South/Central Brooklyn

PUBLIC HEARING JULY 16 at SHELL BANK MS
(NOTE CORRECTED DATE)

Where do they get these charter school names? Brooklyn Dreams?

Ed Notes covered the Battle of Marine Park (Norm in The Wave on Marine Park Protest Ramifications of The IS 278 Victory) where the IS 278 community brought out masses of people to defeat the DOE attempt to force the Hebrew Language Academy charter school, the brain child of another scion of a billionaire Bloomberg buddy (a BBB). Questions were raised as to how the IS 278 community would respond if an attempt was made to shove a charter into a different school in the neighborhood.

This massive email went out about a hearing on Thurs. July 16 at 7 PM. Should be interesting.

(Shell Bank MS is across the street from Sheepshead Bay HS, one of the few large comprehensive HS in that area of Brooklyn that has not been closed down.)

PLEASE ATTEND THIS IMPORTANT HEARING. IT SEEMS THE DOE WILL ONCE AGAIN BE TRYING TO FORCE A CHARTER SCHOOL INTO ONE OF OUR LOCAL PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDINGS!

Charter Applicant Hearing
I.S. 14 – Shell
Brooklyn, New York 11235
(Between Avenue Y & X) Accessible buses: B36, B44 & BM3 OR call MTA travel directions at 718-330-1234

A public hearing is open to anyone interested in learning about the proposed charter of:

Brooklyn Dreams

Speaker comment is welcomed. Written comments will also be collected on the day of the hearing and can be submitted via e-mail to: charterschools.nyc.gov

Included on the agenda will be time for public comment on a newly proposed charter school in New York City. The following schools will Pursuant to Education Law 2857(1), the New York City Department of Education is required to hold a public hearing to solicit comment from the
Community in connection with any proposal for a charter school.

Legally Questionable Meeting on July 1, 2009

To: All New York City Borough Presidents and the Public
From: Nicola DeMarco
Re: The Bogus meeting of “The New York City Board of Education” on July 1, 2009
Date: July 2, 2009

Legally Questionable Meeting on July 1, 2009 at 52 Chambers Street, New York
1. Who called the first “Board of Education” meeting today?
2. Under what legal authority was it called?
3. Since the Board of Education was originally created by the 1969 New York State law on school decentralization, and no similar state law was enacted on July 1, 2009, under what legal authority was a “Board of Education” created today?
4. Where are the minutes of the meeting?
5. Was it open to the public? Where was the meeting announced?
6. Did that announcement contain specific details as to the time, place and date of the meeting? Did that announcement contain a phone number, address and/or email for the public to contact for details?
7. Are all the members chosen to serve on the “Board of Education” residents of New York City?
8. A Deputy Mayor serving as President of the Board of Education is a conflict of interest, violates the separation of powers since the Board of education is no longer part of the executive/mayoral branch. Never before has a Deputy Mayor served on the Board of Education.
9. If the Mayor is angry that the State Senate is not meeting to vote, why isn't he angry that this bogus "Board of Education" is not meeting or doing any work until September 10, after school opens and only met yesterday for less than an hour? With over 1.1 million children depending on them, that is gross negligence.
11. Although the vast majority of children in our schools are Black and Latino, only 2 of the seven members of the bogus “Board of Education” are Black or Latino. How does this represent the needs of the students?
12. What is this teaching our children about democracy?

Nicola DeMarco

Seung Sings

As we reported, DOE PR chief David Cantor's accusing the people wanting to celebrate the expiration of mayoral control of "tribalism" led to many comments, including calls for his resignation on the NYC Ed listserve. Below, GEM's Seung Ok answers a critic of the critics with this marvelous response. (By the way, I didn't find Cantor's comment as offensive as some did and encourage him to comment more often as it gives us so much material.)

I would disagree with you first on your evaluation that schools were failing before the the conception of mayoral control. As you say, we need to look at the facts. It was a mere 50 years ago, that we had essentially apartheid in this country. Even with the ruling of Brown vs BOE, can we with a straight face state that school funding has ever been equal between suburban white areas and the inner city schools? Right now, as I'm writing this, each student on the island gets 1000 dollars more funding than NYC students. And the ridiculous claim by Kline that the teacher to student ratio is 1 to 16, is at best data manipulation and at worse a fraud. I have been teaching 12 years, and I have yet to see that ratio (34 is currently what I see at my school).

The only good thing that charter schools like Harlem success has shown, is that if you throw money at the problem, it does narrow the achievement gap as was noted in the NY Times recently. However, it's sad that equality has now come to mean "lottery" and that we as a society can not pledge to make that type of funding a reality to all public schools, not just charters begging for private funding.

So, here is the crux of it. Because Bloomberg and society doesn't have the political courage, monetary self sacrifice, and sincerity to fully fund public schools - we do the next best thing - play the blame game and dumb down the tests to pretend the achievement gap is closing. I teach in east new york, and let me tell you about the massive educational fraud happening under Bloomberg.

Lets talk about common sense, shall we. Remember when you were in school, if someone failed a class, what do they do? They attend summer school, and get that 1 credit. Well now, it's not a mere 1 credit you receive, it's 4, 5 , up to 16 credits. And often times there is no standard. The worse case of this in my school were holiday credits, where students came in and did 4 mornings of busy work handout sheets that were never graded, nor went over by a licensed teacher. And they got their credits. Isn't this just social promotion to the nth degree?

More common sense. The current raw score on the Algebra regents is 30 questions right out of 87. The current raw score on the Living Environment regents (an extremely watered down curriculum than the old biology course) is 39 correct out of 85 questions. This is an example of negligent fraud mayor Bloomberg has brought upon education. I know as adults we may disagree on many things, but can't we at least agree that 33% and 46% of knowledge acquisition equalling a "proficient" 65 is utterly negligent on our part.

The truth is, these practices negatively impact generations of black and brown students a lot more than white students. When we lower the minimum standards so much, and on top of that threaten teachers and schools for closure based upon these high stakes testing, in essence we are stifling the standards of education for a whole generation of minority students. This is certainly a race to the bottom.

Here's is a further statistic for you - from the US Census. In 1960 the average number of African Americans (aged 25 and over) completing 4 years in high school was 22 percent. In 2000 (before the mayor took over) African Americans average 79% compared to all races 84 %. So in spite of the years of underfunding, overcrowded classrooms, disparity of health care, and income, the gap has been narrowing. Unfortunately all of these real modest gains are now being undermined by the watering down of education that is the legacy of mayoral control.

What I would ask of you, is to think about the core issues at stake here and not to trivialize the extent to which race does come into play. This issue is not about political correctness, it goes at the heart of the injustice that is occurring now. When community members and parents see what is going on in their schools - and the lack of voice that exists, to hear that word "tribal" used in what supposed to be a sincere debate, is tinged with the history and current practice of inequality happening now.

Seung Ok

More from Seung:

There is a Seung saga based on his calling Randi out at the DA during her farewell address that is still being played out and we will be publishing a follow up soon.

Read the background:

UFT Delegate Assembly, Democracy NOT

Unity Hack Attack Part 2

Seung-Yong Ok of GEM spoke on Bernard Gassaway's CUNY Talk Show WHCR (90.3 FM for Bronx or Manhattan or vwww.whcr.org) on Friday, June 12 at 6:30PM to 7:15PM.

Topic: Mayoral Control and Ramifications.

SEE WHY SEUNG WAS SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THE EVILS OF MAYORAL CONTROL, HE CALLED OUT WHILE RANDI WAS LISTING HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

CAPE: Concerned Advocates for Public Education

Looks like some potential synergy with GEM.
Read all about it at Norms Notes.
CAPE: Concerned Advocates for Public Education

Educators and Parents Organize to Protect and Preserve Public Education

The Ed Notes Governance Plan: The Battle Just Begins

Soon after the riots ended, people started dancing in the streets at midnight. Ok, take off those dancing shoes. Nothing much in terms of the power structure really changes. The overwhelming majority of teachers and parents had little power before mayoral control. They had even less in the earlier round of mayoral control before 1967 and they will have little power in whatever will be coming.

Already the borough presidents are getting along, going along. Some groups were pushing governance plans that gave these useless clowns more of a role. Now they will see the fruits of that policy.

The suck-ass UFT is still the suck-ass UFT.

If there really is a reversion to elected community school boards, we will see the old local political machines which have been lurking in the background jump back in to take control.

A governance model that can really have a chance to work is to give the individual schools some level of autonomy.

What, you say? Didn't Joel Klein do that by destroying the districts and then the regions and creating autonomy zones? I actually liked Klein's concept of having power reside at the school level. But that is not what Klein really did.

First of all, he empowered principals in a limited way so they could spend the money with more freedom. But they were still fettered (is that a word?) to a narrow system of rewards and punishments based on standardized tests. Thus their empowerment existed in a straight jacket.

But the real point is that principals were totally empowered over teachers - with the assistance of the UFT, of course. Whatever checks and balances that existed at the school level between those schools where the UFT chapter was active (very few actually) or where individual teachers were willing to stand up, has been totally destroyed. Funny, how we never hear about restoring those checks and balances.

Thus, under BloomKlein, school communities as an entity, which include parents and teachers, were not empowered. In reality, by putting all the school-level power in the hands of one person, who often turned out to be incompetent or a monster, and backing that person to the hilt (until they assault someone) BloomKlein disempowered school communities.

Well, to be clear, as a teacher under that old system for 35 years, the principals were still mainly all powerful, especially the ones who knew how to manage and intimidate teachers and parents.

What has never been tried is to give teachers and parents real power by allowing them to choose the school leaders from a list of approved choices by the state.

What about the districts? Klein destroyed the geographical concept of districts by creating super networks. That just doesn't work. Even at the region level which consisted of contiguous districts, people spent a lot of time travelling.

Geography does count. The original 32 district plan was fairly decent size, but redrawing them might be a good idea. Maybe to match the Community Board zones.

What about a district school board and superintendent? The Ed Notes governance plan (with lots of input from the ICOPE concept that has been floating around) still has to figure that one out.

Should there be a school constituted by a member from each constituent school? Maybe a mixed board. One thing we should not see is a small board subject to manipulation by political machines. By putting power at the school level, those machines would have a hard time getting traction. I could live with a superintendent who monitors the schools and provides district level services to the schools. If these services are not delivered effectively, the schools need a way to take action or seek alternative sources.

What about high schools?
Remember that even under community control, the high schools were still centralized. I envision a mixed model but would need more input from people on this issue. High schools have been so separated from neighborhoods under BloomKlein. Bring back the concept of a zoned neighborhood high school with options to opt out. But keep it under local control. If the school is not functioning figure out why and fix it, not close it. If they decide at that level to have 4 small schools, that's fine. But Bill Gates would have to go there to sell his wares, not to one dictator.

That's enough on governance for now. My hair is starting to hurt.

Parent Commission response to the sunset of mayoral control

Mayoral control will sunset tonight at midnight. We predict that there will be no rioting in the streets, no chaos or confusion. Instead, many parents will celebrate the removal of an oppressive dictatorial system that has not served their children well. We look forward to working in the future with the Senate, the Assembly and the Governor, to install a new governance system, with adequate checks and balances and a real voice for parents, in which no one, no matter how wealthy and powerful, can make all the decisions when it comes to our children.The Parent Commission on School Governance and Mayoral Control

Leonie Haimson
leonie@att.net

Patricia Connelly
patricia.connelly@gmail.com

Ed Note Comment on the Parent Commission Report
(at great risk of life and limb)
The Parent Commission statement contains levels of ambiguity. Underlying it still seems to be a question of what kind of governance system. Will the PC support a system of mayoral control with checks and balances? Or will the PC be willing to look at the current system of governance - as of 12 midnight - which is the past system of governance - remember we revert- and look at ways to put checks and balances on they old/new system of community control, which to me makes more sense than finding ways to leave the mayor in control but curb his power. Also, is there anyone who doesn't feel it's time for Joel Klein to go on to ruin some other institution?

In case your feeling up about the sunset, read this in the Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/nyregion/01control.html?ref=nyregion

UPDATE: STRINGER BETRAYAL, EXPECT MORE POLITICIANS TO JOIN IN

Man. borough Pres Scott Stringer did not appoint Patrick Sullivan as his rep on the Board of Education – and says that along w/ the SI president, he will continue to support the Bloomberg/Klein policies, disappointing Manhattan parents, who believed that he was on their side.

Photo by David B: Stringer and Markowitz do Vichy

Lisa Donlon replies:
Moved to the other side? He was born and raised there!

Stringer was an Assembly member who voted FOR Mayoral control and despite a number of critical reports on CEC effectiveness, overcrowding, the lousy capital planning process, etc. he has not recanted his pro Mayoral control position. Removing Patrick, the only reasoned and critical voice in the wilderness (of Tweed), is a real blow to the parents of Manhattan and the whole city. Patrick, I guess even in that powerless and lonely position, you were effective enough to warrant NOT being appointed.

Wear that like a badge of honor and join your local school board instead- we need you for the long haul!

Lisa Donlan
CEC One

Report From PS 15 in Battle With PAVE Charter School

Ed Notes has been in touch with the PS 15 community over the issue of the PAVE charter school which was supposed to leave the school is not and is demanding more space.

PAVE is another example of the child of a billionaire who contributed to Bloomberg getting a school to play with at public expense. We previously reported on the Michael Steinhardt's (donor to NYU and Brooklyn Botanic Garden) daughter's (Sara Berman) involvement in the Hebrew Language Academy, which resulted in massive protests by the IS 278 community in Marine Park.

In this case it is the son of a billionaire, Spencer Robertson, who is behind PAVE in Red Hook.

Our first report was on June 13. Here is a follow-up:

There has been an article in the Daily News, which the CHARTER SCHOOL arranged for, so their side of the story could get out. In fact, they let the reporter in the building (which is a no-no, but since she was already there, our PTA president found her and spoke with her at length. We didn't realize the charter school directors were using the article to break the news about their request for an extension in our building. Furthermore, the article did NOT take our real concerns in consideration I guess we were lucky to get any quotes in, but it doesn't really help us. Here is a link: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2009/06/12/2009-06-12_charter_eyes_a_fair_share.html

After our PTA meeting we held in the library, we got an article in a free paper, the Carroll Gardens Cobble Hill Courier, which was, like most are,full of mistakes and misquotes making us (teachers/staff/parents) look hysterical and making the charter school directors look like reasonable calm people. This one made my blood boil!

http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2009/06/19/carroll_gardens_-_cobble_hill_courier/news/carroll_gardens_-_cobble_hill_courier_newsboujwnv06192009.txt
(If is doesn't work, just go to www.yournabe.com and search this headline "A schoolhouse divided".)

One of the directors of the charter school found out about the meeting and confronted our principal, (who did NOT know about it) and basically told her to bring it...not in those words, though. Then the charter school directors brought in NONUNION construction people to consult for work they want done on the new rooms they get for next year! Our custodial staff had to let them know that was NOT going to happen in a union building!

Background articles from NYDailyNews.com (read with a grain of salt)

Charter eyes a fair share

A Red Hook charter school that had agreed to limit its stay in a public school building to two years has kicked up more controversy by asking for additional time.

Billionaire's son opens school, is he qualified?

The son of a billionaire who contributed more than $10 million to Mayor Bloomberg's school projects opened a new charter school this year, despite questions about his qualifications. Spencer Robertson founded the PAVE Academy.

PAL kayos Red Hook charter school bid

A bid by Red Hook public school parents to keep a charter school out of Public School 15 has apparently failed.

City charter school plan for PS 15 is put on hold

City officials have agreed - at least until meeting with neighborhood leaders next week - to hold off on the plan to house the PAVE Academy in PS 15's Sullivan St. building for the next two years.

Sunrise, Sunset...

I was told by more than a few people that the only fair thing to do is extend mayoral control before midnight for a month or more so Bloomberg can maintain control of the schools while the state legislature disusses the issue further.

The use of the term "fair" in relation to BloomKlein is meaningless. These guys have had 7 years to figure this crap out. Everyone knew the date of expiration. That we are down to the last hours is a sign that there are many people unhappy.

Why are we leaving this decision in the hands of the dysfunctional legislature?

Why not vote? Or draw lots? Or see who can piss further? Anything but the NY State legislature.

Let it sunset!

On the Eve of a Glorious Sunset...

Update from Albany and the Parent Commission

If you've been following some of the debates by parents on mayoral control (Debating the Parent Commission Position on Mayoral Control, Tweakers Take a Hit: Time Out From Testing Pulls Out of Parent Commission) the discussion continues:

This report came across on the NYCEdNews listserve last night:

It's looking like we may have something to celebrate tomorrow afternoon. It's looking likely, but it's not certain, that mayoral control will temporarily sunset tomorrow. It seems unlikely that the Senate will rubber stamp the Silver/Padavan bill. If a temporary extension of the current school governance law is approved by the Senate, the Assembly would need to be called back to vote that extension for it to become law. In the interim of a day or two, the sunset would be in place.

A short extension of the current law to provide the time for that full debate would be better than rubber stamping a bad bill and reauthorizing dictatorial control of the schools

One person responded:

I think even a short extension of the bill is a dangerous move. We cannot count on the legislature to do right-when they function they are dysfunctional. The passing of the Silver bill should teach us a lesson. The reason why we are even on this deadline has just as much to do with their power politics as work that we have done. If it weren't for their stalemate, I fear we would have a law that would give the mayor a majority of votes on the board and have him select the chancellor which is totally unacceptable if we want any mechanism for change. We cannot underestimate the money of the Mayor or the long hand of the Obama/Duncan belief in Mayoral control and to charterize and privitize.

I would warn about over confidence, but some people are planning a celebration of the end of mayoral control:

Teachers, Principals, Guidance Counselors, paraprofessionals, secretaries, parents, families and community members will be gathering to celebrate the end of Bloomberg and Klein’s control of the New York City Schools beginning at 4:30 P.M. Tuesday June 30, 2009 in the park on the east side of 52 Chambers Street in Manhattan. At the stroke of midnight, June 30, we will serve eviction papers on Joel Klein to remove himself and his cronies from 52 Chambers Street, The “Boss Tweed Courthouse” immediately. For more information of this celebration, call Nicola DeMarco at 917-374-5220 or 718-884-2069 or email at nickdmarco@hotmail.com

The proposed celebration elicited this response from the DOE's public relations chief David Cantor:

I can see someone disliking the mayor, the chancellor, objecting to the way they run the schools, working to protest and change system. This is just tribalism. David Cantor

Tricia responded

Call it whatever you like, without change to the system, New York's middle class families and the communities they support don't stand a chance under this regime. Between rampant overcrowding, refusal to build schools on the neighborhood level, teaching to the test, and a very public show of disdain and dismissive behavior towards their taxbase, well I can't really think of anything that's serving the needs of my "tribe" for one.

Ellen:

Tribalism? What a strange choice of words? Would you mind defining your term? My dictionary says the most likely meaning "strong loyalty to the group," which I have no problem with. Or did you mean to deem us a bunch of tribal savages? In either case, the group identify has been forged in opposition to the attacks perpetrated upon our families and professions, so it makes perfect sense. Haven't you realized yet what you've accomplished?

Richard:

And the clubby alliance with Jack Welch, McKinsey, Broad, Gates, the Manhattan Institute, Alvarez & Marsal, IBM, Snapple, Edison, the testing companies, the accounting companies, Zuckerman, Murdoch, et. al, which could not care less what parents, teachers etc. on the ground said or thought, that's not tribalism?

Gary:

From a member of the "tribe", Hear Hear! David, perhaps if your bosses bothered to engage in some adult dialogue with stakeholders in the system, instead of throwing tantrums and threatening Soviet takeovers and riots in the streets, things would have been different. Alas, we have a Mayor who reveals himself to be nothing but a spoiled brat who thinks his billions entitle him to get whatever he wants. Maybe some comeuppance will help him mature a bit, but I'm not holding my breath.

And my 2 cents:

Funny you use the term tribalism David. A recent email from Randi used the term "lord of the Flies" in referring to someone who dared call out during her farewell address. You guys have to stop meeting like this. If it is tribalism it is due to the climate you guys created by empowering and supporting so many awful principals . Need I say Rohloff or Reidy and why not check out lehman where so many teachers are deserting a sinking ship? But you guys will turn the other way when an entire math dept at Bronx high school of sci is wiped out. Maybe you didn't notice at yesterday's demo at ps 57 the young teachers who joined in and were so vocal, with some tfa alum. The hostility of so many members of the NY teaching staff has never been at a higher pitch. Keep tossing those spears. People are starting to catch them and throw them back.

AP's Karen Matthews Distorts Rubber Room Story to Fit Agenda

Many people learn to mistrust the media, which so often gets a lot of stuff wrong. So when they come calling, beware what you say and how you say it. AS often as they get things wrong, many also have their own bias and no matter what you say, they will distort it to meet the point they want to make. Fair and balanced? Blah!

When I was referred reporter Karen Matthews from the AP, I could tell by the tone of her questions there was an axe to grind:

"I am working on a story about rubber rooms. As you probably know, the DOE says about 650 to 700 teachers are in these reassignment centers drawing their full salary for doing nothing. Is this something that you are concerned about? Are there people I may not have thought of who I should speak to about this issue?"

I was one of the people she spoke to. Nothing, not one word, of what I said, made the article.

Naturally, the rubber room gang was offended.

Judy Cohen said: I am embarrassed to be part of this article. I donated the photo to show the world the terrible conditions I sat in awaiting due process. Karen Matthews cherry picked things for her story that people said, including what I said. She had an agenda and I thought it was to help us. Who knew? When Jeremy Garrett, producer of The Rubber Room Movie, sent me her contact, I assumed she was an advocate for us. I was wrong. Somehow we must keep trying to get the word out otherwise we fade away in anonymity. Judith Cohen

Joy Hochstadt said:
Karen Matthews of AP called me for an interview about the RR. I told her the real story about the nonsense older teachers, whistle blowers were being accused of. How many people got sick there; how mean clerks are to professionals, how the fire stairs are blocked off, how they harassed me, but all she was interested in was the crap that she wrote about and I kept steering her to the real story until she said she had to call others! I would not speak to anyone at the tabloids but it appears AP is no better. The only fair story was in the NY Times by Sam Freedman. If no one agreed to speak to anyone but him then these other stories could not appear -- Matthews selectively took 1% of what I said, and 1% of what others said and made it into the rag she wanted or was being paid to make it into! Mumm in toto should the word to anyone we do not absolutely know and trust.

Here is TAGNYC's response:

To: Media

TAGNYC has so far received 11 emails forwarding to us a copy of the Associated Press article “700 NYC Teachers Paid to do Nothing”. The sentiment accompanying the forwards is one of anger, disgust, defeat, or all three sentiments. Representatives of TAGNYC were approached to speak to the reporter. We are extremely suspicious of the printed word which is often edited to fit the ‘sexy’ story the media wants to pedal and we cautioned people against speaking to the reporter. Although the article referenced the ludicrous nature of some charges, the main story of the article, and what people will remember, is that 700 hundred teachers are playing scrabble, cards, painting, etc., on the taxpayer’s dime. And this during a national fiscal crises!

So editors, DOE, UFT, New York City Council, NYS Legislature, lets get the FACTS straight. The facts are not ‘sexy’, but they reveal the truth that needs to be hidden so the private aspirations can be realized- political ambitions and increased paychecks and newspapers that sell. You know and we know: It is NOT about the children.

FACTS:

1. The Temporary Reassignment Centers (TRCs) are the crown jewels in Bloomberg and Klein’s plan to destroy teaching as a long term career in NYC’s inner city schools. The TRCs are the backdoor to the street. Principals can selectively place any teacher who is too old, costly, or outspoken in these rooms. In the majority of cases, competence has nothing to do with placement. This is the reason why the number of personnel removed from NYC schools has increased greatly within the last five years.

2. The TRCs were meant to hold personnel accused of ‘serious allegations’ that mandate removal from the school because such persons pose a ‘danger to the students" or the accusations warrant criminal investigation.

3. The Union contract does not protect the NYC teacher. State law, Education Law 3020-a, mandates that no tenured employee within the State of New York can be disciplined without a hearing. Suspension with pay is part of this law. The UFT copied this law into its contract.

4. The Union has decreased the protections NYC teachers get under the 3020-a Law. NYC teachers have less due process rights than our colleagues in the rest of the State. State law allows the UFT to modify the process .

5. The teachers and others in the Reassignment Centers (aka rubber rooms) have nothing to say about how long or how short their stay in the TRCs will be, contrary to the lie that Klein made in his February 8, 2009 interview on Eyewitness News Up Close. Repeat, persons in the TRCs have no way to hurry or delay the process.

6. There is nothing in the UFT contract which stops the DOE from assigning work to persons in the TRCs. The DOE is the employer and as such can assign tasks. Humans interact. It is not human to sit and stare for 6 hours 40 minutes.

7. A tremendous injustice is being committed against many competent and dedicated teachers. Incompetence should be rooted out but we can assure you that that is not what is happening. And that is a fact and can be investigated by anyone with the integrity to NEED to know the truth about what is happening in the inner city schools under the Bloomberg -Klein administration.

TAGNYC

bcc: Press, Education Committee of City Council, NYS Assembly Education Committee, R. Weingarten, J.Klein

Debating the Parent Commission Position on Mayoral Control

We are always for a healthy debate. And here is one on the approach to the mayoral control issue. My opinion is way too much time is spent on lobbying and addressing politicians. Scott Stinger so praised for his role in appointing Patrick Sullivan to the PEP was at the PS 57 press conference we were locked out of yesterday. I didn't see him demanding some of us be let in. His presence condoned the phony Learn NY manipulation of young people who were told what signs to hold and what to chant and ordered not to talk to any of us.

I love these points in the letter below:

We don't believe that letting the politicians direct our battle is the most effective way to make change, particularly if for over a year we have been the voice 100% against mayoral control.

Being a critical mass on the outside pushing for what really needs to change can be much more effective even if you don't win the first time around.

See Protesting BloomWeinKlein: GEM/ICE/NYCORE Show Some Muscle and Tweakers Take a Hit: Time Out From Testing Pulls Out of Parent Commission

Leonie Haimson responds to TOFT

The statement released from Time out from Testing regarding the Parent Commission is untrue.

We remain committed to the end of Mayoral control and the creation a new system of partnership between the Mayor, parents and other elected officials, with sufficient checks and balances, and mechanisms for enhanced shared decision-making at the school, district and citywide levels.

That is why the Parent Commission, along with other activist parents and teachers, helped organize a successful protest rally today in East Harlem, at the Mayor's press conference, where we made our position clear.


A response to Leonie

We are sorry to differ with Leonie; however, up in Albany the Parent Commission is not discussing the composition of the Board of Education (also called the Panel on Education Policy) where the real power shift needs to take place.

The Parent Commission is not insisting that Sampson change in his bill support for the Mayor retaining control of the majority of seats and thereby votes of the Board. As long as the Mayor keeps control, the stakeholders, we the parents, will not have a REAL voice.

Maybe the Parent Commission believes that they are against Mayoral Control but they are not actively fighting against it up in Albany. That is not to say that they have given up. However, their focus is on getting an Independent Parent Organization with funding and a Constitution Committee.

Many may believe that you ask for what you think you can get in a compromise. We believe that fighting for this while giving the Mayor control over real decisions will not affect positive change for our children. There were different coalitions created around mayoral control--for mayoral control, for some changes to be made within mayoral control and then the PC against mayoral control.

Sitting at the table up in Albany and making compromises with politicians often ends up with them directing the battle. It's so easy to think that sitting with those considered powerful means you will have an impact, but we believe that needs to be carefully evaluated to see if your goals are being furthered or hampered.

Case in point, the Parent Commission decided to write a statement thanking the sponsors of our bill (Huntley and Sampson) for trying to incorporate some of our demands into the new Sampson bill but letting them know that the Parent Commission fundamentally did not agree with the revised Sampson bill because it did little to change the mayor's control of the Board. The politicians asked that the PC not put out this statement and so they did not. We don't believe that letting the politicians direct our battle is the most effective way to make change, particularly if for over a year we have been the voice 100% against mayoral control.

Being a critical mass on the outside pushing for what really needs to change can be much more effective even if you don't win the first time around.

After considerable thought and deliberation, Time Out From Testing believes that our organization has to continue fighting for an end to mayoral control. Partnership in our view, does mean a drastic change in the power structure of the PEP/Board.

We would encourage all of you to call and fax Senator Sampson now and tell him that you want to see a true partnership on the Board where the Mayor will not have the majority of the appointments or votes.
Senator Sampson Phone #: 518-455-2788 Fax #: 518-426-6806

If you are not already on our mailing list and would like to get updates, please go to www.timeoutfromtesting.org and give us your email address.

Jane Hirschmann and Don Freeman for Time Out From Testing


In the meantime

End of Mayoral Control Celebration

Teachers, Principals, Guidance Counselors, paraprofessionals, secretaries, parents, families and community members will be gathering to celebrate the end of Bloomberg and Klein’s control of the New York City Schools beginning at 4:30 P.M. Tuesday June 30, 2009 in the park on the east side of 52 Chambers Street in Manhattan. At the stroke of midnight, June 30, we will serve eviction papers on Joel Klein to remove himself and his cronies from 52 Chambers Street, The “Boss Tweed Courthouse” immediately.

For more information of this celebration, call Nicola DeMarco at 917-374-5220 or 718-884-2069 or email at nickdmarco@hotmail.com

Tweakers Take a Hit: Time Out From Testing Pulls Out of Parent Commission

My guess is that both ICE and GEM would line up with many of the points made by TOFT. My sentiment is to tweak the pre-mayoral control system of community school boards to make it work more effectively. "Horrors, horrors," people say when I utter these words as they hold up a cross. And all those people rioting in the streets over the prospect of a Soviet system without Bloomberg in charge.

I predict that over the next Bloomberg term of office, as phony grad rates rise and almost all of these students entering college require remediation, the debate on mayoral control will shift to "how soon can we drive a stake through its heart?"

Graphic by David Bellel. See Gary Babab satire. From Gary Babad at the nyc public school parents blog

The TOFT statement:

We are sad to report that the steering committee has decided that TOFT can no longer participate in the Parent Commission on NYC Governance (PC). We worked for a year in this coalition to come up with a proposal and then legislation to end mayoral control. We were looking to replace the current Panel on Education Policy with a Board where the Mayor does not control all decisions. The PC bill had many elements to it.

At this point, members of the PC are more interested in seeing mayoral control with minor changes because they are pushing for items like a funded Independent Parent Organization and a constitution commission, but not fixing the major problem – public school education ruled over by an autocratic mayor who claims incredible improvements when all outside evidence indicates the total opposite.

We cannot be part of this. Unless the Mayor's power over our schools and kids' lives changes, and unless we, stakeholders, are at the table, nothing will really change.

Therefore, we hope you will continue to swamp Senator Sampson's office with faxes and phone calls and tell him we want a Board of Education which is a true partnership, not a dictatorship.

Senator Sampson’s Phone (Albany): 518-455-2788
Senator Sampson’s Fax (Albany) 518-426-6806

The Board of Education or PEP must drastically change.
The Mayor can not have the majority of the appointments and votes.

Thanks so much and we will keep you posted,

Jane and Don

Ed NOTE
Some people might say, "What a shame. Bloomberg's divide and conquer strategy." I take the opposite position. This debate is crucial over the long term. Seven years ago it seemed Ed Notes stood alone opposing mayoral control. Then ICE made the UFT's support for it a major plank in our platforms in 2004 and 2007. People like Diane Ravitch and Sol Stern have made major shifts in their position. All this takes time. I know, a generation of children and all that. But until the ravages of one person rule are experienced, the idea will be out there for people to try. We need four years of Arne Duncan and another four of Bloomberg to turn the worm. The vampire has to take a lot of victims before a mob gets out the stake.

Protesting BloomWeinKlein: GEM/ICE/NYCORE Show Some Muscle

Well, it was quite a day, as on less than 24 hours notice, GEM, ICE, the Parent Commission and others came out with a spirited crowd to PS 57 in East Harlem to protest at the Bloomberg/Klein/Weingarten/Patterson pro mayoral control.

The turnout was a sign that the GEM organizing efforts are having an impact. A little more notice and we could easily have doubled the crowd. When the day comes that we can turn out hundreds and then a thousand, we will begin to force the powers that be to take notice.

Not that they didn't take notice today. I confronted NYC Partnership's Kathryn Wilde (got her on video) and the LearnNY twinkies who wouldn't talk.

I was amazed at the people who showed, some based on an email I sent out early this morning. If they find a way to get mayoral control renewed by Tues. night (my guess is they will at least get the Senate to pass an extension of some kind) we need to grow these events over the next 4 years so that the next time mayoral control comes up the tweakers will be in retreat.

The biggest outrage was the exploitation of young people, almost all African-American, who were given signs and chants but were ordered not to comment when asked why they supported mayoral control.

Philissa Cramer from Gotham Schools was there and nails it with this comment:
"A smaller number of mayoral control supporters was organized by the lobbying group Learn NY, but most declined to provide their names or why they thought the issue was important."

James Eterno, ICE/TJC UFT presidential candidate running against Michael Mulgrew, was there to lend support and was interviewed by some of the press. Look for a profile soon at Gotham.

And of course Randi was there supporting BloomKlein with her personal PR person Maureen Salter. I got some video of them slinking away.

I took lots more video and hope to get it up ASAP. Photo above by Philissa. Graphic by David Bellel. Marina Ortiz has a wonderful album
http://www.eastharlempreservation.org/docs/Schools_demo062809/index.htm.


Here is Leonie's preliminary report.

Story at Bloomberg: If senate doesn’t extend mayoral control, lawyers will

http://gothamschools.org/2009/06/28/bloomberg-if-senate-doesnt-extend-mayoral-control-lawyers-will/

Also the following news media were there in force to interview protesters:

NY1, Fox 5, Channel 4 News, ABC-TV, the Daily News, the NY Post and others.

It was a great event; thanks to all who came. More later.

Leonie Haimson

David's raw video

Are you a new Chapter Leader, Delegate OR someone who is interested in helping mobilize school staff?

Rank-and-File Teachers Unite!

Are you a new Chapter Leader, Delegate, OR someone who is interested in helping mobilize school staff?

Join our first of monthly meetings where teachers share both their school stories and supportive strategies.

1. Assess your school climate
2. Meet with other teachers in similar situations to strategize
3. Share your visions for building a rank-and-file movement

Please let us know if you're coming: sally@teachersunite.net

Teachers Unite!

Wednesday, July 1st, 3-5pm
Brecht Forum (library)
451 West St. between Bank and Bethune Streets


This meeting being organized by Teachers Unite is an extremely important event. While I also recommend the UFT's training for new CLs, it is very narrow. The UFT really doesn't provide support for CLs. The monthly Dist Rep meetings are geared to laying down what they union expects the CL to do for them. There is rarely a sharing of common problems and brainstorming solutions. Or even considering how schools can act together and support each other. To the UFT, each school is an island.

The goal of TU in these and follow-ups is to fill this gap, while including the aspect of dealing with a UFT/Unity caucus that is more focused on maintaining control than on organizing an effective chapter. (An organized chapter is a threat to the Unity machine because then people start looking at their activities.)

With so many teachers contacting us about the overwhelming power of principals, which the UFT/Unity Caucus has sat by and allowed to occur, there is a need to develop a clearer concept of leadership at the school level.

I've learned a lot about these ideas this past year through activities with Teachers Unite, NYCORE, ICE and GEM.

There seem to be three pillars: educate, organize, mobilize.

The educate level is a crucial precursor to effective organizing and is something UFT/Unity doesn't do except on the narrowest grounds. What they do is propagandize. Thus, teachers at the school level are left isolated and without the kind of information they need to function effectively as a chapter. I learned this lesson as a chapter leader in the mid-90's when I put out the chapter newsletter (the precursor to Ed Notes) more and more often until I was doing one more than once a week. I could see the impact in the attendance at meetings (which used to be about giving them info, with little participation). Now they got that info from my newsletters and the meetings were able to focus on school issues. (This was occurring just as the internet was getting reved up and most teachers didn't have email yet so it was hard copy. Nowadays just hit the "send" button and its done, as long as people open the email and read it. I still think hard copy works and the tools should be used together.)

Now, what info to provide? Do you reveal the activities of the union leadership or just feed colleagues the line being tossed out by Unity, which they can read in the NY Teacher or in the numerous propaganda sheets and through visits by union officials? Some people fear that they will be accused of being anti-union if they give their staffs the ICE or Ed Notes point of view.

I disagree. How can they make an informed decision of they don't get various versions of events so they can make up their own minds? Take the recently restored 2 pre Labor Day days in exchange for a massive pension give-back and a Tier 5, which will further divide teachers at the school level and in fact become a hindrance to the ability to organize a chapter to fight back (imagine how newbies will feel about their colleagues who sold them out for these 2 days).

More and more people,whether a chapter leader or not, seem to have taken it upon themselves to send out info they read at Ed Notes or other blogs to their personal lists. I urge people who read Ed Notes to start doing so. Just don't make the email too long. Use snippets and links so they can pick and choose.

Once people are well-informed at the school level - and I mean informed on every aspect of school life that it is possible to share- the next level is organizing for certain actions. Like grievances. Instead of keeping them quiet like the UFT urges, as long as the person is willing to open up, make them a political fight for the staff instead of a battle of one teacher with the principal. Of course that depends on the grievance, but as a principle, I say fight it publicly.

The next step would be mobilizing people when necessary. More on this another time.


No one has the answers, but Teachers Unite has been exploring these ideas and this meeting is a follow-up to an earlier meeting for people interested in running for chapter leader or delegate where we talked about continuing these discussions even for people who didn't run or get elected. I mean you don't have to be a chapter leader or delegate to provide info to people. I have a friend who has been sharing Ed Notes info for years and talking about how the UFT/Unity machine was operating, or the impact of charter schools which his staff wasn't aware of. Finally, he took the plunge and ran for CL. He was opposed by the retiring CL and the principal. But he won overwhelmingly, partly I believe because he has been laying the groundwork for years.

So, if you are free on July 1 from 3-5pm, and feel it is time to do some basic organizing, rsvp to sally@teachersunite.net. (If you forget, still show up.) I will be posting an agenda soon.