Dishonor Among Thieves: Merryl Tisch Wrote Letter For Cuomo That He Ostensibly Wrote to Her

A NORMI-LEAKS SPECIAL

NOTE: Photo of Merryl Tisch posted earlier removed at request of the source who does not believe Tisch is a crook. No comment. Normi-leaks hungry for more.

Ed Notes has learned that the letter Governor Cuomo supposedly wrote to Merryl Tisch and the State Board of Regents calling for a change from weighing teacher evaluations based on state tests from 20 to 40% was in fact written by Tisch herself with the assistance of Deputy State Ed Commissioner John King and former Tweed Chief Talent Officer Amy McIntosh (Google her name and come up with all sorts of goodies). There may be a vote on Monday.

For background see posts at Gotham where you can read the entire "Cuomo" letter:

Cuomo: test scores should play a bigger part in teacher evals by Anna Phillips

Chris Smith reads Cuomo’s position on teacher evaluation as a bargaining chip for Bloomberg. (NYMag)

John King

To watch Tisch lie through her teeth numerous times, watch this NY 1 video:  http://www.ny1.com?ArID=139094

You will fall off your chair when she talks about the governor's right to comment and all the points he is making - which are in fact they are the points she, King and McIntosh made in the letter they wrote in the name of Cuomo - he is a busy guy.

She says that parents were part of the 63 member teacher evaluation task force though not a single parent representing parent interests (as opposed to some official who is also a parent) was on the task force despite demands from parent interests to be included. The task force consisted entirely of Regents members, school administrators, teachers, academic “consultants” and other educrats.

She also claimed that teacher evaluation added an “objective” measure of teacher effectiveness and that this new system must be implemented by next fall.

Behind it all is an attempt to end LIFO and use flawed tests.

Questions will be raised this week within the UFT over what looks like a reversal of a deal the UFT made with Regent head Merryl Tisch and State Ed Commissioner David Steiner last year. Was the UFT dealt dirty or were they partners?

Go back to the original agreement between the UFT and State Ed (Tisch and soon to be ex-commissioner David Steiner. Michael Mulgrew at the Delegate Assembly where they sold the plan to the members waxed poetic (as poetic as you can imagine Mulgrew waxing) over how wonderful dealing with these two slugs was compared to Klein and Tweed. For my money, I'll take Joel Klein over Merryl Tisch any day because he lied so openly - she actually tries to give an air of integrity - for a billionaire (and Bloomberg's next door neighbor - hey, how about a rally in front of her house - kill 2 birds with one stone.)

Can't wait to watch Mulgrew skip and dance over this one at the Delegate Assembly this Wednesday.

It is interesting in perusing the 63 member list, (below the fold) you will find some UFT and NYSUT people there ostensibly representing the interests of teachers. Interesting that Tisch says there was a lot of agreement. But why believe her on this. I would love to hear more from Jackie Bennett who many respect for her thoughtful analysis (even though the tows/toes the Unity Caucus line) especially on how flawed the tests are. See here and here.

Bennett, Jackie United Federation of Teachers
Gentile, Aminda Vice President United Federation of Teachers
Hinds, Janella United Federation of Teachers
Mendel, Michael United Federation of Teachers

Adams, Heather New York State United Teachers
Neira, Maria Vice President New York State United Teachers

Some comments from the listserve:

Patrick Sullivan:
I'm pretty sure Tisch is a mom herself.    I recall her daughter wrote an op-ed calling for a Bloomberg third term.  Maybe that's what she was thinking.   I don't think Tisch would see any value in including public school parents in decisions concerning our children.

Leonie Haimson:

Merryl Tisch’s daughter Jessica , wrote that oped in favor of overturning term limits and a third term for Bloomberg, based upon his terrific record at running our schools. 

Her oped is here: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/item_E7oQ1Nm80l89vCCqQXIUNK;jsessionid=AD5CBD148EEE8F9FAF48848B84A5F43F

And Steve Koss wrote about it here: http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2008/04/audacity-of-hubris-and-money.html

Jessica is now director of policy and planning for NYPD's Counterterrorism Bureau.

Perhaps parents could use our own counterterrorism bureau to protect our kids against the policies of the Regents and SED.

LINK: Teacher Reviews Will Put More Focus on State Tests

Posted by Leonie Haimson to NYCEDNews List:

NYS Regents now want to do end run around the law to allow state tests – which were not designed for that purpose – to account for 40% of a teacher’s evaluation,  despite all the evidence that  test-based value added evals of teachers are unreliable, unfair to teachers and damaging to kids.  This system – rushed through the Legislature to get Race to the Top funds - were originally supposed to account for 20%, with another 20% from “local assessments”.- MORE: Teacher Reviews Will Put More Focus on State Tests
The list below:

Final Performance Tonight of Rockaway Theatre Company Production of "Lend Me a Tenor"

Excerpt from my column in The Wave (www.rockawave.com), Pub. May 13, 2011


Are Rockaway People Crazy?

 Yes, I'm talking to you - if you haven't gotten your ass down to the Rockaway Theatre Company to see "Lend Me a Tenor." I couldn't believe it. Last Saturday's show was not overflowing with crowds clambering to get into a show that could easily play on Broadway. I guess you all would rather pay over a hundred bucks a ticket and $40 for parking instead of $15 ($! 2 for seniors) and free parking. Here is a show that will have you roaring with laughter on a set superbly designed by Tony Homsey where you can see doors opening and closing in perfect synchronicity as the wild, perfectly choreographed slapstick takes place with controlled mayhem as directed by Peggy Page. Peggy, who directed the first version of the show in 2002 has even topped herself. I should know.

Peggy helped guide me through my acting debut in last December's production of "The Odd Couple." How nice to see so many participants from that show taking part in this production. The great comic actor David Risley (who played Felix) takes his acting to a new level as Max. David loves to carry the load in a play and he has a major load in this play which he carries off to perfection.

The Pigeon sisters, Kim Simek and Susan Corning, return as Maggie and Julia, two sexy women of different generations chasing after a famous opera singer but not always getting the right man. I've seen Susan in every single show she's been in and every time I see her I want to ask for her autograph. Kim, a middle school science teacher (who spent hours backstage at our show marking papers) is a rising young star at RTC.

Jodee Timpone, who as Assistant Stage Manager helped keep me upright when I was backstage, is up front and center as Diana in one of the sexiest performances you will ever see (excuse me for a minute while I take a cold shower). I've never seen Cliff Hesse fail to deliver a top-notch performance and here he hits the nail on the head again as Max the impresario who takes watching the bottom-line to extremes. I've seen Barbara Kelly's wonderful dancing in so many shows but never saw her act before and as Maria she can inspire fear as she dominates the stage whenever she is on. Baltar Beckheld plays her husband Tito, the famous Italian opera singer, even though in real life he is Swedish. Both of them are reprising the roles they created in the 2002 production. Baltar can really sing opera and I hope to see more of him on the RTC stage in the future.

The always great Frank Ciaiti, who taught me everything I ever knew about acting, is the hilarious bellhop, doing the kind of contortions that requires a full-time chiropractor to be on call. (As one of my friends who showed up said, "He's your TEACHER? He's 24 years old.) The only complaint I have about Frank is that I don't get to see him act enough. But he also likes to direct as he will be doing along with Susan Corning in the upcoming (October) RTC production of  "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."

We almost didn't make the show as we had a surprise call from cousins whose flight to South Africa was cancelled earlier in the day and they were stranded at a hotel at Kennedy. We rescued them and took them to the show. A young couple, they had never seen a community theater show before and were very suitably impressed. Believe me, they are the last people who I would have thought would enjoy the show. The unique way they close the show is worth the price of admission by itself.

So, you Rockaway Crazies. This weekend is your last chance to see "Lend Me a Tenor," Friday and Saturday nights and the Sunday matinee. I'll be there taking attendance.

NOTE: The Sunday matinee has been canceled due to the death of someone in a cast member's family. Tonight is the final performance. And I won't be there taking attendance as I have tickets to a Broadway show. Not to be a total hypocrite, they are TDF and we're taking the subway.

John White's First Act in New Orleans: Fire 250 veteran teachers

I've been telling you for years that bloodless John White is a vampire who only comes out at night - really, I've never seen him in the daylight - just look at that picture. Oh, and he's another Teach for America grad and a Broad Academy grad. Yes, TFA and Broad ride the point of ed deform.

From: "Hill, Lance" <lhill@tulane.edu>

Louisiana contracts with Teach For America to bring in approximately 300 teachers to New Orleans every year, so regardless of the qualifications of the current veteran teacher corp, the state has to annually fire several hundred veteran teachers to make way for novice temporary teachers.  Some veteran teachers gain jobs back in the other state-run schools—largely replacing TFA teachers who leave the state-run schools to teach in charter schools.  

The layoffs are done under the pretext of closing down schools, but with a commitment of hiring 300 TFA teachers, the veteran teachers would have to be fired even if not a single school closed.  Of the 250 teachers slated to be “surplused,” the state will fire 87 under a new teacher evaluation program based on classroom evaluation by principals.  

 http://bit.ly/lCacjE

Recovery School District will use teacher evaluations in deciding layoffs

Published: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8:15 PM     Updated: Thursday, May 12, 2011, 8:16 PM

By Andrew Vanacore, The Times-Picayune
Follow

Share47

Share Email Print

Almost 250 teachers will lose their jobs this summer at New Orleans schools run by the state's Recovery School District in what's become an annual occurrence as officials close down underperforming schools and convert others into charters.

View full sizeChris Granger, 

 READ ARTICLE BELOW THE FOLD

Walcott Appointee David Weiner: Report from the Trenches

I reported earlier on David Weiner's (vampire John White's replacement)  meeting with Evan and Sydney which generated this report from a former teacher who worked under Weiner with an unsurprising perspective on the UFT role in so many closing schools - not as an opponent of the DOE but as a partner:

David Weiner was appointed as principal at PS 314 in Sunset Park Brooklyn – his first job as a principal in NY.  It lasted for two years, the first year he spent all his time on closing the school and  excessing 60 % of the senior teachers he kept all the young ones.  At that time teachers at PS 314 were furious as the 27, or 28 year old was closing the school - with the help of the UFT. Weiner and the UFT had a hiring committee, They interviewed and selected teachers for the new schools -- some complained but the UFT did not do anything to stop this discrimination.  The Dist. Rep.(Ellen Driesen) was part of the problem.  One BIG circle of corruption! (UFT, DOE, Weiner).

During his second year Weiner was the principal of one of the mini schools PS 503, most of his teachers were young, He used to go drinking with some of them on Fridays. Part of his second year-- he did not work at the school on Fridays, because he attended Columbia University to get his PHD in Urban Education-- it seems that he did not finish yet, because he is not called DR. Weiner.

He must be in his early 30s and he is well connected to Klein.  People at the school used to say that Weiner's father was Klein's heart doctor. Plus, at PS 314, teachers always  wondered-- what the hell this man from Boston, educated at Harvard  was doing in Sunset Park, Brooklyn with Spanish immigrants--- The answer was... he was using this school as a stepping stone.  He did not speak (Spanish) to work with the big ESL population -- it was pure politics.

Weiner worked in California as a kindergarten teacher for 2 years before working in Brooklyn. He calls himself a Literacy specialist, however he doesn't have any knowledge about it.  He has no personality or social skills,  He used to walk around the school and ignore all the teachers.

Walcott Appointee David Weiner Meets With E4E's Evan Stone and Sydney Morris at Tweed

NORMI-LEAKS

An Ed Notes Exclusive (Not a joke):

Among David Weiner's first appointments in his new position as deputy chancellor for talent, labor and innovation, was a meeting on Thursday May 12 with the leaders of Education 4 Excellence Sydney Morris and Evan Stone. Clearly, his priority is to come up with an innovative way to use E4E to undermine teacher rights. Expect an escalation in E4E's activities with direct access to principals and behind the scenes pressure to allow E4E into school buildings to meet with teachers.

The secret cameras Ed Notes operatives installed throughout Tweed, captured the meeting. Audio is too fuzzy to release but you can just imagine the conversation. An ed notes cluster and free ticket to a screening of the response to WfS goes to the best dialogue submitted by readers.

Evan and Sydney headed over to the big rally after the meeting where I ran into them and we engaged in a mini-debate as we walked. I asked them what they were doing there and they said, "we are against layoffs like everyone else is." They were alone so there was no presence from E4E that I saw as an organization and it would have been a perfect opportunity to bring out all those teachers who supposedly support them to make a show of force that they were more interested in stopping layoffs than killing LIFO.

We did agree on a certain level of whether the UFT put on an effective rally. But more on that some other time.

What I gleaned from our brief conversation was that E4E sees teachers as a hierarchy of effectiveness where I see people as either being competent or not. I asked them if they actually knew ineffective teachers at their school. They were circumspect given they still have ties to their school, which to me means that they think there are some lousy teachers there. I asked if their principal has done anything about ineffective teachers and again they were careful. So these advocates for children when it comes to their own back yard are silent. My guess is that even if LIFO were gone these teachers might still be there due to political relationships which is the driving force in most schools.


By the way, will Sydney and Evan lose their F-status jobs in the upcoming layoffs, which will cost them any claim to still being teachers?

We had a deeper conversation than what I am reporting and I do like engaging them because it illuminates my thinking and it also exposes some thinking that I think more teachers than we like to think agree with. I remember a guy I worked with in my last years who had tremendous resentment about the people he thought were getting away with stuff in his school while he worked his ass off. I too admit to some of that thinking in my early years. So instead of just calling Evan and Sydney and Ruben and other E4E people names, we should go after that way of thinking. Yes, there will always be incompetents, lazies, people who use the system, etc. The simple answer is that every single job has people like this, but the fact that we deal with children, often poor, puts a microscope on us (same with social workers, etc.) (I would point out that bad police have a much more serious impact.)

How do we deal with this? Not by using test scores. My answer has always been a degree of greater control over the schools by teachers themselves, who would be very hard on those who don't pull their weight. (I counter pose these people to those who are simply incompetent.)

Gotta go now. Maybe more thinking about this later.

Parent Group Beat WalBloom on Parent Elections

This is really great news. GEMers have been working with Mona, Chris and Muba over the past year.

Advocates for Justice PRESS ADVISORY For immediate release:    MAY 13, 2011	PRESS ADVISORY: Press Conference -- May 13, 1:00 PM on the steps of the Tweed Courthouse, 52 Chambers Street, New York, NY
Contact:  Advocates for Justice                        212-228-6320 x 8 Arthur Schwartz, Esq.                        917-923-8136 Chris Owens, Executive Director      718-514-4874 Mona Davids, NYC Parents Union     917-340-8987
WHAT / WHY: Press conference regarding successful parent pressuring of the Department of Education to re-do advisory elections and the continued need for specific parent concerns to be addressed by the Department of Education prior to Wednesday, May 18th. WHEN: Friday, May 13, 2011, 1:00 PM WHERE: Steps of the Tweed Courthouse, 52 Chambers Street, NY - Main office of the New York City Department of Education WHO: Advocates for Justice (Arthur Z. Schwartz, Esq., President; Chris Owens, Executive Director) New York City Parents Union (Mona Davids, President) Parent plaintiffs in the legal action (Muba Yarofulani, Faye Hodge, Julius Tajiddin, Mariama Sanoh) Elected officials, including Hon. Charles Barron, Member, City Council of New York (Confirmed) Below are excerpts from the Press Release issued yesterday regarding the new elections. Parents Win New Education Elections  Department of Education sets re-do of Advisory elections and pushes back later rounds of voting per NYC Parents Union demands; other issues to be resolved during the next few days    May 12, 2011, New York, NY --- The fledgling New York City Parents Union and six other parent petitioners earned a victory today that benefits all New York City public school parents.  Based on many problems with the implementation of elections for the 36 Education Councils in New York City, the parents started legal action to block the elections, and the City of New York and the New York City Department of Education today agreed to invalidate the current election process and implement a new one commencing on Wednesday, May 18th. ...  Advocates for Justice, a public interest law firm, represents the New York City Parents Union and other parents in this matter.  Arthur Z. Schwartz, Esq., President of Advocates for Justice, stated the following:    "The Department of Education agreed with us to re-run the Education Council elections and to make sure that all parents have an opportunity to vote -- including those without internet access -- to make sure that information about every eligible candidate is available prior to the commencement of voting, and to resolve all eligibility issues before the voting begins, rather than afterwards.  Although there are still details to be worked out, some of which could result in subsequent litigation, we've put our legal action on hold.  It is our hope that the Department will work with the NYC Parents Union, all of the parents and elected officials to resolve all disputes expeditiously over the next several days."   Ms. Muba Yarofulani, President of the President's Council District 18 in Brooklyn and a Vice President of the NYC Parents Union, stated "This day is a victorious day for the NYC Parents Union and the six petitioners who represented the previously unheard voices of all NYC public school parents. The flawed Community Education Council elections, which actually disenfranchised parents, will hopefully be done in a satisfactory and more compliant manner." ... Chris Owens, Executive Director of Advocates for Justice and a former Community School Board member, said, "The Department of Education's action today is an excellent first step of many that are needed.  There remains room for improvement in the Education Council selection process and ideas have been put forward by many people.  The Department of Education should make every effort to make these elections the best they can be and not just 'good enough.'  In the long run, this may require changing the State's education law as well.  Parents deserve to have their voices heard all of the time and not just during crises or through legal action."  ... # # #
Quick Links      Advocates for Justice     NYC Parents Union  Advocates for Justice A Legal Foundation 275 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1760 New York, NY  10001 - 8407 212-228-6320 x 8 COwens@advocatesforjustice.net	About Advocates for Justice  Advocates for Justice is a not-for-profit legal foundation founded in January, 2011.  Advocates for Justice is a voice for "the Other America," the vast majority of the American people who work hard, live righteous lives, but have to struggle for survival.  Advocates for Justice is recognized as a tax-exempt public foundation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Sadly, The Reflective Educator is Leaving NYC: We Wish Him the Best

Since I first started monitoring An Urban Teacher's Education blog early in the school year, I have gained enormous respect for The Reflective Educator. I have run into him a few times at various events but if you read his blog you know he is one busy guy.

One of my hopes was to entice him into the work of GEM - he brings so many desperately needed skills to the table. That he is also a UFT chapter leader was gravy. But, sadly, that was not to be as he is moving back to Seattle. He will still keep blogging and probably stay in education.

There is a war going on with the enormous funding the ed deformers have behind them and we desperately need his articulate voice.

There are probably lots of lessons in his story along the lines of "can one take on such a giant role in a school knowing full well that it is trying to fill a pond with an eye dropper?" Now if the DOE actually supported teachers like him, the story might have been different.

Wishing him the best.

Blowback on NY Times front page sob story attack on LIFO yesterday

On another front there was some serious anger especially on the part of the new, young idealistic teachers who support LIFO - these people are never featured. Liza Campbell and others wrote to the reporter and we'll follow developments. Will be see Liza featured on the front page with a story that links to GEM and NYCORE like the Times linked to E4E? By the way, see another great piece at Gotham Community (In The Face Of Adversity, An Evening Of Celebration) by Liza - also a 3rd year teacher up for tenure - and what guts to be out there fighting Wal/Black/BloomKlein instead of sucking up like E4E.

I gotta say- it's meeting people like the Reflective Educator and Liza Campbell who keep me from walking off into the sunset.

See our report on the Times story yesterday

Samantha Sherwood, Another TFA/E4E Sob Story in the NY Times

 Special Scott Garden Pics below the fold

What Next For Michelle Rhee? A Fashion Statement

                                       MICHELLE RHEE

Rhee KKK Fashion Dolls

Michelle Rhee Steps Out With Scott Walker To Accept DeVos Accolades

15 comments

By karoli

Yesterday 'liberal school reform crusader' Michelle Rhee went to Washington DC alongside Wisconsin governor Scott Walker to accept accolades for their joint crusade against public schools from right-wing organization American Federation for Children. MORE- Michelle Rhee Steps Out With Scott Walker To Accept DeVos Accolades

Samantha Sherwood, Another TFA/E4E Sob Story in the NY Times

The E4E/TFA direct pipeline to the press operates full force. Another pathetic TFAer goes begging for her job by attacking senior teachers. NY Times outdoes the NY Post.

An undisguised puffpiece, extolling a TFAer facing layoffs; would it be so much better to lay off an experienced committed teacher instead? What BS. Of course, any and all layoffs are wrong, but this is ridiculous. A sign that the NYT is back squarely in the mayor’s camp? - Leonie Haimson

The other day, I asked a bunch of young teachers in schools packed with young teachers worried about layoffs if teachers in their school are talking about ending LIFO as a solution: "Absolutely not, they responded," a clue about how much this article is about WalBloom PR. - Norm Scott

Here we go again. Just as I predicted (LIFO Math), the sob stories about the young - Teach for America - which automatically translates into idealistic - and a member of E4E - not because she is idealistic but because she wants to save her ass from being laid off.

Today, on the front page of the NY Times which is clearly joining the WalBloom campaign against LIFO. Too bad reporter Fernanda Santos is being used in this campaign. Frankly, it undermines her credibility as a reporter. Where are the sob stories of ATRs who have become fodder? Or the politically U-rated for union activity like Peter Lamphere? Let's see a front page NY Times story on these people who will become the major targets if LIFO disappears. I challenge Fernanda Santos to compare Sherwood and Peter as teachers.

The most outrageous statement by Sherwood?

Most of all, she wants to be judged on performance, not time on the job. “I’ve gotten nothing but satisfactory reviews, the school’s administrators want me to work for them, I’ve demonstrated I’m effective in the classroom,” Ms. Sherwood said. “The reality of it is,” she added of more experienced teachers, “there are people out there who just got settled in and aren’t doing their jobs.”

How does Sherwood know there are people who aren't doing their jobs? Does she see them in her school? Unlikely, given this:

The school where Ms. Sherwood works, Mott Hall V, on East 172nd Street in the Soundview section, is typical of those that would be hit hardest by the cuts. It is relatively new (it opened in 2005), and its staff is made up primarily of junior teachers; the principal, Peter Oroszlany, said 60 percent of them had spent five or fewer years in the classroom.

So how does a reporter like Fernanda Santos just allow a blatant statement attacking senior teachers just go by without eliciting exactly how Sherwood knows that? She will toss off the usual E4E attack on ATRs (most of whom exist due to closing schools) or U rated (ignoring the political attacks on teachers like Peter Lamphere).

(By the way, I seem to remember that the Mott Hall franchise of schools are not just average schools, but I could be wrong.)

Note the formula in this story: the kids are poor - free lunch, etc. A list of all the things Sherwood has done for the school. We could match every E4E with a GEMer doing as much for their schools. How about a story about someone like Michael Fiorillo, Julie Cavanagh, Sam Coleman, Lisa North, Liza Campbell etc. and what they do for their schools? Or the young teachers threatened with layoffs who support LIFO and started petition by 5 year teachers and under (Petitions to Support LIFO and Seniority: Five Year...)? A story on teachers who even though threatened support LIFO would seem to be much more interesting.


Here's another nugget:

She[Sherwood] works Saturday mornings to help students prepare for the state’s standardized tests..

Note the impression left is that she is volunteering when in fact there are teachers all over the city who get paid to come in on Saturday. There is no way Sherwood would be coming in on Saturdays as so many teachers do to supplement her low salary? Never for the young TFA idealistics.

Here's a brief section. Read on until you gag - or go gaga. And one more question: will Sherwood get tenure with so many 3rd year teachers having tenure extended for a 4th year? Just curious.

New to Teaching, Idealistic, at Risk for Layoff

By FERNANDA SANTOS

Published: May 10, 2011

Samantha Sherwood had lofty aspirations when she settled on a family-studies major at the University of Connecticut, like redrawing welfare rules or weaving together a sturdier safety net for people in need. She figured that she could change the world in big, broad strokes, and that she might pick up a fancy title and ample salary along the way.

Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times

Samantha Sherwood became a teacher through a program that puts top college graduates into poor schools.

Ms. Sherwood, 25, could lose her job under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's budget.

-----

Instead, Ms. Sherwood, 25, joined up with Teach for America, the program that puts top college graduates into the nation’s most poverty-stricken schools, deciding that the best way to make a difference would be, as she put it on Monday, “to be there, where the rubber meets the road.” Ms. Sherwood called layoffs “a Band-Aidfix” for the city’s budget problems, but said that if they were necessary, performance should decide who got to stay and who had to go. Last year, she joined Educators 4 Excellence, a group of teachers who advocate for merit-based pay, an evaluation system that takes into account students’ test scores, and the strengthening of tenure requirements.

Nice link to E4E. BARF TIME!!

Premiere Screening: The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For "Superman"

It's been quite a ride. In the midst of all the chaos of the school year (Klein, Black, closing schools, co-locos, full time teaching, PEP meetings, etc.) a film was made. A real film that is over an hour long. With amazing editing and original music. And credits. And a gala premiere coming May 19 (ALL 500 SEATS ARE ALREADY RESERVED) with Diane Ravitch as our keynote speaker (Diane also gave us an exclusive interview for the film). Holy Cow!

Look. I've been shooting all this stuff for years with the idea of making a film. But I could never come up with a good enough concept that seemed workable. Organizing is not my strong suit - I needed to work with people who could drive a project like this. Enter Julie Cavanagh, who had been promising since I met her in July 2009 she would look at my footage and develop some ideas.

Last August I invited Julie to my brand new man cave (which always seems filled with women and female cats) and we developed a short 8-minute film which we called Educational Dysfunction at the New York City DOE (which you can view here) about how the DOE discriminates against children with special needs. As a special ed teacher for a decade, Julie had a lot to say. We completed most of the film that afternoon. Looking at it today, I can see how many of the ideas and concepts were used later on. It was Julie's first experience working on a film and she was hooked.

The idea for The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman was hatched that day. During that afternoon we happened to look at the trailer for Waiting for Superman and were disgusted. The first instinct was to do a spoof but the hype over the next few weeks made it clear that a more serious response was needed. I gave her a video camera and she started doing interviews. A bunch of GEMers signed on to do lots of the most important stuff (I will write a lot more about them later) and we were off. In fact at that point I was able to take a lesser role in the nuts and bolts of the project and play more of a "tell me what you want me to do" role. Julie played the role of majordomo. (I learned from working on another film with someone similar to Julie that you must have someone play that role.)

One of the major decisions we made was to have on screen narrators involved in education guide people through the movie. Julie was clearly going to be one of them. It didn't take long to think of Harlem teacher Brian Jones, roughly the same age as Julie with a decade of experience, as co-host. (Brian, who stood toe-to-toe on Education Nation with Geoffry Canada, has professional acting experience.) Brian has a young baby and is a very busy guy but he has been there for every aspect of the film, including all the publicity work that is being done.

Brian and Julie gave structure to the film. I went up to Harlem to interview Brian and we did a wonderful day of shooting at various locations in Williamsburg with both Julie and Brian. The two of them look great on camera and really anchor the film.

We thought the project would take 6 weeks. It turned into 9 months. We started evaluation previews in mid-Februrary (not quite Spiderman but close) and kept revising and shooting more footage as the film grew from 52 minutes to over an hour. We had so much great material we could have done a 3 hour film. At this time I won't get into more details.

The reaction as been amazing. The best advertising we had was the negative reaction to WFS after all the hype. We have had requests from all over the nation asking for copies.
 
We expect many local screenings if you didn't get into the premiere. That the film was made from the efforts of working NYC educators (except for me) and parents is remarkable. I mean it is a real film, not those you-tuby things we've been doing. I watched "Inside Job" in the plane going over to Paris and I saw a lot of that in our film.

The actual film didn't cost us anything other than time (certainly valuable) and our camera equipment - which I bought to take to the AFT convention in Seattle last July anyway. The basic costs right now are reproducing the DVDs and paying for Riverside Church so we need to raise money to cover that. I put up a DONATE button on the sidebar if you want to help. Also on the GEM blog. Or make out a check to Ed Notes Inc. and mail it to 518 Beach 134 St. Rockaway Park, NY 11694.

Below is the press release for the premiere of the film 

Press Release

Date:  May 10, 2011     

Contact:

Lisa Donlan, Parent and President CEC1:  917-848-5873

Julie Cavanagh, Teacher PS 15, GEM/CAPE: 917-836-6465

Brian Jones, Teacher PS 30, GEM: 646-554-8592

The Grassroots Education Movement Releases Film in Response to Waiting for "Superman"

Premiere Screening: The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For "Superman"

This month, The Grassroots Education Movement will present a new documentary, written and directed by New York City public school teachers and parents, created in response to Davis Guggenheim’s highly misleading film. Waiting for "Superman" would have audiences believe that free-market competition, standardized tests, destroying teacher unions, and the proliferation of charter schools are just what this country needs to create great public schools.

The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting For "Superman" highlights the real-life experiences of public school parents, students and educators to show how these so-called reforms are actually hurting public education. The film discusses the kinds of real reform – inside schools and in our society as a whole  –  that we urgently need to genuinely transform education in this country.

Harlem Premiere Features Special Guest, Diane Ravitch

The official premiere of GEM's film will take place at the Assembly Hall of The Riverside Church (enter at 91 Claremont Ave ) in Harlem on May 19th from 6 to 10 pm. This event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the Mission and Social Justice Commission of The Riverside Church. Education historian Diane Ravitch will be our honored guest. The evening will include a panel featuring NYC parent Khem Irby, NYC public school teacher Brian Jones, and a NYC public school student, as well as Dr. Ravitch.

Seating at the premiere is limited. Reserve your seat online here:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGJXN2V2NHBnVk1GOVFVYnZfSnp4cFE6MQ

 [NOTE: ALL SEATS HAVE BEEN FILLED]

For more information about the film, visit: 

www.waitingforsupermantruth.org.

Watch a "sneak peak" of the film online here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iMROy6VATs

For a review/press copy of the DVD, contact Brian Jones: 646-554-8592

UPDATE: ELECTIONS STOPPED - Parents sue to stop Community Education Council elections

I've been too busy to keep up to date on one of the bigger scandals of the WalBlackBloomKlein administration: the attempt to stifle parent voices. CECs - the watered down version of the old district based school boards have increasingly taken an anti mayor position. So Tweed is doing what it can to kill opposition. Here is a quickie report but we'll do more when we can. Lots of good stuff on Leonie's listserve but I can't track it all down now.

THIS NEWS WAS RELEASED LATER IN THE DAY

Advocates for Justice PRESS RELEASE For immediate release:  MAY 10, 2011	BREAKING NEWS: Education Elections Are Stopped
Contact:  Advocates for Justice                        212-228-6320 x 8 Arthur Schwartz, Esq.                        917-923-8136 Chris Owens, Exec. Dir.                     718-514-4874 Mona Davids, NYC Parents Union     917-340-8987
Community Education Council elections are stopped; Parents and City Attorneys meet to discuss issues "We did agree -- and it is public information -- that the election processes for the Community Education Councils, the Citywide Council for English Language Learners, the Citywide Council for Special Education, and the Citywide Council for High Schools are on hold." May 10, 2011, New York, NY --- Advocates for Justice, on behalf of the New York City Parents Union and six (6) parent petitioners, met this afternoon with attorneys for the City of New York and the New York City Department of Education to discuss the problems plaguing recent elections for the Community Education Councils. Advocates for Justice President Arthur Z. Schwartz, representing the petitioners, said that "All parties agreed that the discussion and negotiations pertaining to this matter will be kept confidential at this time.  However, we did agree -- and it is public information -- that the election processes for the Community Education Councils, the Citywide Council for English Language Learners, the Citywide Council for Special Education, and the Citywide Council for High Schools are on hold.  Any information to the contrary is inaccurate." Community Education Councils and the other citywide education councils replaced Community School Boards when Mayoral control was given to Mayor Bloomberg in 2002.  Elections take place every three years.  This year, Community Education Council candidates were to submit their names for eligibility review and possible inclusion on the ballots no later than April 22nd.  Candidate forums were to take place between April 28th and May 5th.  Each parents were then entitled to vote in an "advisory capacity" for candidates running within their child's school district and citywide.   Once the advisory elections conclude, a set of "selectors" -- officers from local Parent Associations -- would then vote for the Council members later in May.  The selectors could choose to adhere to or ignore the results of the advisory voting.  Results of the voting would have been available by the end of May. Citing numerous problems that undermined the participation in the first phase of the election as well as the fairness of the election itself, the parent petitioners are seeking improvements in the process and a "do-over" of the first phase of voting -- the "advisory" votes.  Until the talks are resolved, the lawsuit is on hold.  # # #
Quick Links      Advocates for Justice     NYC Parents Union  Advocates for Justice A Legal Foundation 275 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1760 New York, NY  10001 - 8407 212-228-6320 x 8 COwens@advocatesforjustice.net	About Advocates for Justice  Advocates for Justice is a not-for-profit legal foundation founded in January, 2011.  Advocates for Justice is a voice for "the Other America," the vast majority of the American people who work hard, live righteous lives, but have to struggle for survival.  Advocates for Justice is recognized as a tax-exempt public foundation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE BELOW THE FOLD

The Title of "The Worst Charter in the World" Goes to.....

"The Department of Education has also ordered the school -- the Williamsburg Charter HS -- to sever ties with its management company because of fiscal concerns raised in an audit last year. That independent audit found significant deficiencies in grants-fund management, student invoicing and oversight of financial controls"
 

"City Department of Education officials said they were planning to visit the school later this month to examine its expenditures."

What's the hurry? Too busy closing down public schools to make way for the charter slugs.

What a joke the DOE has become. Later this month. When the outrages at this school have been reported for years.

Sure close down public schools but allow these schools to exist.

I'm glad to see that this story is not dead. I was in touch with a teacher who left last June and she told me horror stories - but didn't want to go public not only from fear - though Calderon is a bully - but because she felt an attachment to the kids and didn't want to hurt the school. That is how they get so many teachers to be quiet.

This is gansta charter. Some of you may remember how the charter took over a renovated librarly at IS 126 which we reported on years ago. Susan Ohanian posted about it and got threatening emails from Eddie Calderon and his henchmen. Here is a comment from Susan:

This all started because I was outraged by the denial of public school access to the library which had been lovingly renovated by the librarian and volunteers she solicited. Take a look at the video. If you care about kids and about libraries, it will break your heart.

And remember the Wanted poster, a story picked up by the Times?




This comment on the NY Times about Believe Charter Schools which we exposed last week with a photo of a Wanted Poster with a hundred dollar bounty for recruiting new students, shows outrageously high salaries:

As a former employee, I can honestly say that I cannot BELIEVE (no pun intended) that there is not enough oversight from the Chancellor to expose the atrocities that are happening on an almost hourly basis at all there of these schools. Principals/”Superintendents” are fired and escorted out of the building midday, months after being publicly hailed and showered with praise by the CEO Melendez. There have been three different principals in the last two years, and the recklessness and haphazard manner with which decisions are being made about how many is spent, and who assumes positions of leadership make it seem as if ideas were drunkenly drawn from a baseball cap. There are people in that building making six-figure salaries who have not made a single contribution to the students or organization at large in their three years. What a great way to make a quarter of a million dollars! The majority of leadership positions are held by people in with less than one, or even zero teaching experience which has led to a major disconnect between themselves, the rest of the staff, and the kids. Don’t trash all charter schools…trash this one and all the others like it. Stop giving 5 years extensions to places like this and then walking away for long periods of time only to do one day “state visits” which consist of student and staff file checks and cursory classroom observation which are hardly enough to unveil the corruption that exist just below those surfaces.

Boy, do I have emails from Eddie Melendez over the last 6 months - nasty, gangster-like stuff - after he tried to harass Susan Ohanian, one of the top educators in this country. Eddie is a classic POS (Piece of Sh-- for those not familiar with the term). Semi-literate ramblings.

Read all the comments about the Believe horror story at the NY Times CityRoom blog.

Other Ed Notes stories:

Eddie Calderon-Melendez , founder of the Believe High School Network, which runs the charters, said the use of shared space is negotiated every year. ...

http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/

clipped from Google - 5/2011

Ohanian on Brooklyn Charter School Thug

Jun 04, 2010

Ultimate charity fund-raising event: A roast of Eddie Calderon-Melendez. Charge $50 a plate and invite current and former employees (mostly former). We'll make enough to cure cancer. Williamsburg Charter High School has been unfairly ...

http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/

Dirty job: charter teachers janitors

By YOAV GONEN Education Reporter
Last Updated: 7:05 AM, May 9, 2011
Posted: 1:50 AM, May 9, 2011

More Print

EXCLUSIVE

Read it and sweep.
A Brooklyn charter school's finances are in such disarray that it axed 20 staffers mid-year and teachers have been left to sweep hallways and vacuum classrooms because of a custodian shortage, teachers told The Post.
The Department of Education has also ordered the school -- the Williamsburg Charter HS -- to sever ties with its management company because of fiscal concerns raised in an audit last year.
That independent audit found significant deficiencies in grants-fund management, student invoicing and oversight of financial controls.

Gregory P. Mango

HISSY FIT: Edward Calderon-Melendez, founder of troubled Williamsburg Charter HS, snaps on a Post photographer yesterday in Brooklyn.

It also questioned the intermingling of funds between the charter and the Believe High Schools Network -- whose CEO, Eddie Calderon-Melendez, founded both the school and the management group.
"These findings raise serious concerns about the financial viability and fiscal accountability of the school," DOE officials wrote to the school's board of trustees this winter.
In 2009-10, the charter paid the network $2.3 million for staffing, payroll and other support services -- among the highest support fees paid by a charter school in the city.
Public records show the school paid an additional $767,000 in taxpayer funds for consultants.
This year, the school entered into a pricey lease agreement for space in a new building on Varet Street in Williamsburg that calls for $79 million in payments over a 30-year term -- including a payment of $2.3 million for 2010-11.
Despite the city's directive, the school has refused to end an affiliation with the Believe Network, which teachers claim has diverted money away from instruction.
"We don't have enough textbooks for all the students in the classroom. We don't have enough paper to make copies," said one teacher, who requested anonymity. "If we want our rooms cleaned, we can borrow the vacuum cleaner."
She added that teachers were running after-school programs "pro-bono" because of a lack of funds.
"I feel that we're so poorly fiscally managed -- on purpose or not on purpose, I don't know," she said.
Approached outside the school, an enraged Calderon-Melendez charged at a Post photographer -- but later answered questions via e-mail.
He said the network's fee of 18 percent of per-pupil revenue was comparable to other charter-management fees -- although it's more than twice the average for nonprofit charter managers in the city.
City Department of Education officials said they were planning to visit the school later this month to examine its expenditures.
yoav.gonen@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/dirty_job_charter_teachers_janitors_gf3EOafev6ctPthWOQQ1eP#ixzz1Lr2mIIrT

We'll Always Have Whatchamacallit

Last Updated: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 9am

There are advantages to getting old and having brain cells abandoning the sinking ship in droves. When you travel to places you've been to in the past, it feels like the first time. We returned from a week in Paris May 3, our 6th time there over 43 years, a celebration of our 40th anniversary. Of course our actual anniversary is June 6 - the invasion of Norman - but we often don't do things in ways that make sense.We wanted to be here for the heavy part of the gardening season, so we went to Paris at a perfect weather time.

We like urban trips and we pretty much stay in one city for a week. We swore before we left that this time we would take some day trips outside the city. But we just couldn't leave Paris, even for a few hours. I can't even say what we did every day, other than make sure to eat three meals. Or more.

Now I am more of a two-a-day meal guy while my wife is committed to three meals, so as usual there was a tug of war going on. I want to walk all day, everywhere - if you use the Paris diagonal streets properly, you can cover large distances and pretty much walk the entire city.

Some highlights: great food at every meal, an awesome Metro system where every station had timers letting you know wait times – we never waited for a train for more than 3 minutes – shame on the NY MTA, almost perfect weather, a city in bloom, a short walk on the Paris version of the High Line (one of the only rainy days), a serendipitous visit to the awesome Petit Palais which was closed for renovation on our last trip in 2001.

I won't bore you with a travelogue but there were some other highlights. And lowlights. On our first day my wife wanted to go to the Musee Marmottan-Monet, not far from the Bois de Bologne, a massive park on the western edge of the city.  With our hotel being centrally located on Blvd Raspail just off Blvd St. Germain, I suggested a route - walk to Pl. de la Concorde, then up the Champs Elysee, follow a direct line to the Bois along one of the 12 spokes coming out of the Arc de Triomphe. (Talk about traffic circles.)

Almost three hours later we got to the museum. Someone did more than a bit of bitching - and it wasn't me. After an hour there, I suggested a walk into the Bois where we could find the well-known Garden Bagatelle. Well, the walk became endless - they certainly don't spend much on signs or directions. We stopped for coffee at a roadside stand. A couple of  ladies sitting at a nearby table certainly stood out. A truck pulled up with a couple of young working guys. One of them sidled up to me and pointed to the ladies and winked. Oh, I was starting to get it. Let me digress for a second.

We had been driven though the Bois one night on our 1983 trip to Paris by friends who were living there. They pointed out the well-known action as our headlights picked up the under dressed prostitutes on the side of the roads - and the traffic jam of Johns.

It seems the action also takes place during the day. As we walked deeper into the park, we saw more and more ladies of the day, scantily dressed, some with their own vans.

Yes, we finally found the Garden Bagatelle. which while having a spectacular display of roses (interesting how roses were blooming all over Paris, a month earlier than NYC), was so much less of a garden than we have here at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. But the overriding theme of our first day in Paris – my wife branded it:  The Whore Tour.

The rest of the trip was more conventional. Out of the way museums - we avoided the lines at the Musee d'Dorsay - maybe the best museum in the world - and the Louvre where you could spend the entire vacation. Besides, since our last trip in 2001 was packed with rainy days, we wanted to be outside. So we hit the famous Paris Pere-Lachaise cemetary where so many famous people are buried - the Ghoul Tour - check below the fold for some pics – you will not see the conventional Eiffel Tower. But don't expect pics of the "Whore Tour" - though we were sorely tempted to get that show documented.

We had free tickets for the Seine tour on the Bateaux Mouches, which I always avoided because it is such a touristy thing to do. But our family motto is "free is better than anything" so we headed over on Sunday morning and ended up waiting an hour. But it was worth it. I had argued for the nighttime cruise but the time frame didn't work. Funny, but when we got home and my wife checked her notes from our 1978 trip, it turned out we had done the evening cruise that year. Oh, those dying brain cells.

We stopped at the famous cafe Les Deux Magots on our last night - you know, one of the thousands of cafes that Hemingway, Picasso, etc. supposedly hung out at. That gives them the right to charge $15 for two cafe au laits. I was afraid to order a cookie. And yes, my wife's notes from our 1978 trip shows that we stopped there on our last night. We really are stuck in our own version of Groundhog Day.

Well, I'm not quite back to normal - if that word can ever be used in reference to me. I fell asleep the other night at 8PM and woke at 4AM.

Oh, and the dollar vs. the Euro really sucks. The trip ended up costing way more than we expected as at the end of the week it hit $1.48.

But as Humphrey Bogart said to Ingrid Bergman in that famous Casablanca scene - exactly what did he say again?

A small selection out of 300 pictures- mostly grave sites-  below the fold

LIFO Math

Last Update: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 9:30am
 
I remember Joel Klein's first words in his attack on seniority: the schools in the poorest neighborhoods can't attract the same level of experienced teachers that schools in wealthier neighborhoods do. As a matter of fact that was a standard of the Ed deform early attacks on teacher seniority rules. Now of course this line has ceased and been replaced by "we need the young blood in the poorest schools."

Before I go on, I must remind you of something Leonie Haimson and Julie Cavanagh say at every presentation: teacher experience and class size are the only two in class factors that have been proven by research to impact on students in a positive way.

There was another article in the NY Times the other day about how some schools will lose piles of newer teachers who will be replaced by senior teachers forced to transfer to fill their vacant positions if LIFO rules are followed. We can expect these articles daily with sad interviews about how much these teachers love teaching and their kids. Expect the NY Post to devote entire editions to these stories.

So let's do some math on the pro LIFO vs. the whiny "we need to keep excellent teachers" argument. I'm going to use the 5-year benchmark based on the idea that 50% of all teachers leave after 5 years. I picked the 5-year number because the layoffs will probably not go that deep and pretty much anyone in this category will have a job (other than license areas like art and music that can be chopped completely).

So assume Bloomberg's extortion attempt works and there is no LIFO and they go after ATRs, the higher salaried, the U-rated and people who wear spotted ties. All the Teach for America people stay because they are, well, TFAs. Now we know that the attrition rates of TFAs are even higher than the normal rate of 50% over 5 years. Much higher. So even if these "excellent teachers" stay while 25 year horrible and ugly teachers go, the reality is that more than half won't stay past three years and over 5 years the number will be more like 70-80% who leave. No one seems to be crying over losing these "superb" teachers whether there are or are not layoffs.

So if we end LIFO we will still lose half of all the teachers spared in WalBloom fantasyland anyway. And many more who stay may well gravitate out of the classroom anyway. What kind of investment even in a business sense it that?

But if we still have LIFO and the layoffs (meaning Bloomberg's game of chicken didn't work) let's look at those over 5 year slugs that are ruining the lives of children and munching at the public teat. They are the 50% who did not leave after 5 years. And they are not among the people who were denied tenure (an increasing number over the last few years). So this group has undergone a double weeding out process. In the worst case scenario, many may have to move to schools where newer teachers were laid off (to be recalled under LIFO in an orderly fashion - and as we know with 1500-2000 teachers leaving every year through retirement or that 50% who leave anyway they are pretty much guaranteed to be recalled at worst within a year or two, negating the argument that they are lost to the system.)

So what's so bad about replacing a 3 year or under - even if a good teacher – with a 5 year or over teacher? In some cases there might be a loss in talent but if we just take the experience factor into account over the long run doing layoffs under LIFO is a win for the schools that lost people. The replacement group will not leave in anywhere the same numbers as the people they replaced. And they bring vastly more experience to the table than the people who were laid off. Plus by staying, they have already proven they are more likely to be career teachers.

Taken as a whole, which group should we invest in when considering building an effective and consistent, well-trained teaching force? We know WalBloom's answer. But why expect rationality from that source? Lucky for us they are not using their concept to staff nuclear reactors.
--------------
AFTERBURN
 

 http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/uft_vows_wisconsin_protest_over_13KLdJlXJIZvCcefLdSbGK

UFT vows 'Wisconsin' protest over teacher cuts

Video: Chicago Teachers Debate Ed Reform on Education Nation

Good Chicago teacher debate on education reform; Education Nation « Parents Across America: http://bit.ly/iNvGRd. Leonie writes:

An insightful discussion on education reforms among Chicago teachers on the Education Nation/NBC series, aired on May 2.  We have edited out the first fourteen minutes, which consisted of a painfully slow introduction from NBC, Univ. of Phoenix and the other sponsors of the series.
There’s much incisive debate on the show, but one of the most interesting moments is a heartfelt statement at its conclusion from a teacher at Urban Prep Academy on the importance of keeping class sizes small. Urban Prep is the Chicago charter school that Arne Duncan highlights for its results, and yet at the same time, Duncan insists on devaluing the importance of class size. Another indication of the hypocrisy of the corporate reform crowd.

Also note that Bob Peterson of Rethinking Schools just won election as President of the Milwaukee Teachers Union (NEA affiliate). I just got off a conference call with him and congratulated him - or pitied him. But what a great voice for teachers.

He sent along this a few days ago:

If anyone is interested here is a short youtube video in support of my campaign for President of MTEA

http://tinyurl.com/Bob4MTEAPres