UFT Delegate Assembly: I Go AWOL

I've reached the point where I go to DAs for social reasons --- to see people and schmooze. And to hand out literature as part of the gauntlet delegates face as they enter. I considered writing a piece on the history of Ed Notes for the new delegates in a craven attempt to get more readers for this blog but I decided to hand out the MORE lit. But first I had to race over to Staples down the bloc to print up the 2-sided leaflet listing our candidates and the lessons of Chicago. There was a separate leaflet announcing our meeting on Saturday with Xian Barrett from CORE/CTU and our newly anointed presidential candidate Julie Cavanagh. And a leaflet with the resolution below. Lots of busy bees.

I'm waiting for reports to come in and will report more on the DA -- if you were there email me reports or leave a comment. The reason is that I never went up to the meeting. 


Once most people were inside by 5PM I left to head over to the Change the Stakes meeting. Of all the meetings I attend CTS is one of the best since half the people are parents. They were featured on the great NY Times article on Sunday - see MORE/CTS/Parent Voices Members Featured in NY Times Article on Testing.

Then I had to leave that meeting early to make my fiction writers group meeting at 7 which always takes place in a restaurant. So I got to eat short ribs for the 2nd time this week. Some diet. I weigh more than I did Friday night when I got back from Portugal where they gave us 3 meals a day with not all that much walking. Anyway, we had invited 2 new recruits so I wanted to be there. We started the group over 6 years ago as an outgrowth of a course at Gotham Writers -- why pay when we could do it ourselves. It has to be one of the longer running writers groups even though only 2 of us from the original group are left. We have a few people on hiatus and when one of our leaders put out an ad she got 40 replies. Amazing -- people are really serious about this writing stuff. I only write fiction occasionally (though Unity would call what I write here "fiction") to force myself to use my imagination. I'm sort of -- or supposed to be --- in the middle of a novel but only when I have a group deadline do I actually write. And finding it a very hard thing to do but as intellectually challenging as anything.

So I got home almost at 11 only to find that a wire was disconnected from the alarm -- I think I found a suspect. At least I caught some of the John Stewart show covering the debate. Really funny stuff. Now I'm watching Craig Ferguson and it's almost over and I have to go to a play tomorrow night so goodnight.

Oh, I heard some good news. MORE may have gotten this resolution on the agenda at the DA. Peter Lamphere spoke on it. There has been a lot of discussion on listserves and he media about this issue of diversity at the specialized schools. There was a very good discussion at the MORE meeting on Saturday where I learned a lot about an issue I hadn't been paying too much attention to. If I weren't so tired I'd share all that info with you but time to go to sleep after a brief celebration over tonight's Yankee rain out. Here's hoping for 40 days more of rain in Detroit.

 

Resolution on SSHS exam

Whereas high achieving Black and Latino students with demonstrated interest and abilities in science and math have been disproportionately excluded from admission to the Specialized Science High Schools, and

Whereas the admission process to the Specialized Science High School is based on a single exam that favors students that take specialized test preparation classes, including those provided by private tutors, for months and even years prior to the exam, and

Whereas of the top 165 specialized High Schools in the country ONLY NYC uses a single exam as the entrance criteria (NY Daily News October 1, 2012) while the rest of the country uses different combinations of exams, grades, recommendations and interviews, and 

Whereas students from families without the financial means for, or awareness of, the extensive test preparation classes are seriously disadvantaged in admittance to a SSHS, and

Whereas the closing and division of middle schools and comprehensive neighborhood high schools has both narrowed student access to the laboratories and programs specializing in science, technology, engineering and math that support student efforts to enter the SSHSs and at the same time intensified competition to enter the SSHSs, and

Whereas the United Federation of Teachers supports racial diversity and integration of the public schools

Be It So Resolved,

That the United Federation of Teachers support the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s Federal Civil Rights Complaint against the SSHS admission process and offer assistance to that effort, and

That the UFT establish its own committee to consider alternatives to the current admission process that may help to admit a more inclusive and racially and economically diverse student body to the SSHS and gifted and talented programs in NYC public schools generally.

(Offered by the MORE Caucus to the October 2012 UFT DA)

UFT Delegate Assembly/MORE Announces Election Candidates

MORE chooses Julie Cavanagh, Brian Jones, Camille Eterno and Marissa Torres to head slate in UFT elections with more candidates to come.

The first UFT Delegate Assembly of the year, and the last one for many new chapter leaders and delegates will take place this afternoon. I have been at these meetings since 1972, with over a decade hiatus in the 80s through '94 when I became chapter leader and resumed going to the meetings. Ed Notes has been a regular since 1997. See my late August post (on the 6th anniversary of the ednotesonline blog): My Path from Ed Notes to MORE Through ICE and GEM Part 1 of 4. (Okay, okay, so I never did do the other 3 parts -yet.)

Before I get to the news of the MORE candidates (check the MORE blog - morecaucusnyc) –

Today is a special DA that takes place every 3 years. Let me explain.

Elections for chapter leaders and delegates take place on a 3-year cycle (2009, 2012, 2015) and the October DA following the previous spring election is the first one the newly elected will attend. With enormous turnover in these positions in so many schools, expect a vast new crop of people to show up. (Portelos as the only CL ever elected from the rubber room should be there -- I'd love to see him live stream the DA but that would get him more severe penalties than he is getting from the DOE -- imagine, being put in a UFT rubber room.)

And once these newbies experience the level of control exerted over the meeting by the Unity/leadership, many often never return. Though do expect a batch to have already been recruited into Unity -- they know not what they do.

I should point out that with over 1700 schools and at least one delegate and chapter leader in each, plus extra delegates in the larger schools, plus the potential 300 Unity caucus retirees and assorted other delegates, the potential audience could be 3700. But the main room only holds 860, with the overflow sent to overflow rooms so they can watch on TV. (Hope they show reruns of the Simpsons instead of Mulgrew pontificating and laughing at his own lame sense of humor.)

What does that tell you about the interest in the leadership in holding meaningful meetings?

Over the years I've seen up to 1500 people show up at these triennial meetings, the highest total over the 3-year period. Expecting these numbers in the past, the meetings were often held at a major hotel to give at least a semblance of interest in a democratic process (and those macadamia nut cookies at the Brooklyn Marriott were oh so delicious). But that has long been abandoned by Unity, so expect a very crowded and often unruly crowd jostling in narrow spaces. Some will turn around and just go home in disgust.

MORE chooses Julie Cavanagh, Brian Jones, Camille Eterno and Marissa Torres to head slate in UFT elections with more candidates to come. 

Well, this is getting long enough and I will wait to do my own personal tribute to Brian, Camille and Marissa later on. But just a few words.

How interesting that Brian has a 3 or 4 year old, Camille a 2 and a half year old and Julie a 14 week old. And Marissa is so young. Truly a mixture of an old and new generation of teacher/parent leaders.

I love working with Marissa on any project we have worked on --- I'm sure many will get to know her well.

Camille is one half of the wonderful power couple with her hubbie James. Just amazing long-term activists who broke away from New Action in 2003 when they sold out and helped found ICE.

On November 9 Brian will be doing a one on one at Cuny with the great Jonathan Kozol -- what does that tell you about the enormous respect there is out there for the work he does? And his work on our film has made him a national figure.

I don't have to tell you how much I have admired Julie since I met her a little over 3 years and have been proud to call her not only a political colleague but a true friend (and I don't always make many) --- you know, the kind you feel perfectly comfortable calling in the middle of the night if you need help (and she has promised to visit me in the home). I wanted to do a film for so many years and Julie was the key to making that happen, the kind of partner I so desperately needed to work with. I am eternally grateful.

I truly believe Julie has the same leadership potential as Karen Lewis --- interesting that both did not have extensive involvement in union politics until the ed deform crunch hit them and their kids head on. Both truly organically (Julie's favorite word) grown activists. I know Karen knows and admires Julie very much. As do teachers and parents and activists around the city and all over the nation who have worked with her and seen what she can do.

But Julie really does not want this election to be about her and she will probably be pissed at me for even writing this.

Anyway, I look forward to assisting with the installation of the nursery in the president's office at 52 Broadway.

Support the MORE slate in the 2013 UFT elections

Julie Cavanagh for President.

Julie is a UFT chapter leader who has been teaching in Red Hook, Brooklyn since 2001 and contributed extensively to the fight for public education. In 2009-2010 Julie, alongside a NYC parent and student, sued Mayor Michael Bloomberg for the right to protest school closings and charter schools, and later she joined with parents as the only teacher petitioner in a lawsuit to fight the appointment of then NYC Schools Chancellor Cathy Black. Since 2009 Julie has worked with various grassroots groups to organize protests and forums in an effort to educate and engage the public to challenge the corporate education reform movement and to promote real reform in our schools and communities. Much of this work can be seen in the film she co-narrated and co-produced, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman. Her writings have been featured in the Huffington Post, Daily News, Labor Notes, and Public Sector Inc and she has appeared on MSNBC’s Up with Chris, Fox and Friends, and Inside City Hall.

Brian Jones for Secretary.

Brian has taught elementary school grades for nine years, and has organized teachers and parents to challenge budget cuts, charter co-locations and the high stakes standardized testing. Brian faced off against Michelle Rhee and Geoffrey Canada on national TV, and co-narrated the film, The Inconvenient Truth Behind Waiting for Superman. Historian Diane Ravitch has called his writing about public schools "brilliant". Brian has contributed to several books on education, and to publications as diverse as SocialistWorker.org and the New York Times.

Camille Eterno for Treasurer. 
Camille has been an English teacher in New York since 1996. In her second year as a teacher, she was elected to be chapter leader at the Queens Gateway to Health Sciences. As chapter leader, Camille won grievances that even the UFT leadership said were not winnable. She helped organize her chapter into an activist force that was a major presence at many union rallies. As a leader in the Independent Community of Educators, she was instrumental in the nearly successful battle against the giveback laden 2005 contract. Camille developed a well deserved reputation throughout Queens High Schools as a chapter leader who was not afraid to stand up to management when they wrongfully abused UFT members. She is currently serving in her third term as a teacher delegate from Humanities and the Arts High School in Queens.

Marissa Torres for Assistant Treasurer




Marissa has been an elementary school teacher and a union activist since 2002. She taught ESL students in West Harlem where she served as Co-Chapter chair and organized teachers and parents to challenge budget cuts and co-locations. She now serves as a delegate for PS261 Brooklyn. She is committed to the fight for public education and is excited to be a part of a caucus that wants to build a broad social justice movement with parents, students, and teachers.

Portelos Strikes Again: The Three R's - Rubber Room is Retaliation

Walcott/Bloomberg aren't interested in quality and effective teachers. Is there any better proof than the Portelos case?

Good morning,

Please see this clip I put together during lunch at the Rubber Room.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKxgS8_HwyU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This is just one of the issues I uncovered that lead me to the Rubber Room. Countless taxpayer funds. That's the story. I made these allegations to investigators on January 26, 2012. At that point I had no allegations against me and my record was stellar. Just 4 days later 18 allegations against me started. Coincidence. The fact that DOE officials took part in covering it up takes this untold story to new heights.

The three R's -
Rubber Room is Retaliation
-Francesco Portelos
mrportelos@gmail.com
protectportelos.org
Parent
Educator
UFT Chapter Leader
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.

 ==============
The opinions expressed on EdNotesOnline are solely those of Norm Scott and are not to be taken as official positions (though Unity Caucus/New Action slugs will try to paint them that way) of any of the groups or organizations Norm works with: ICE, GEM, MORE, Change the Stakes, NYCORE, FIRST Lego League NYC, Rockaway Theatre Co., Active Aging, The Wave, Aliens on Earth, etc.

Don't Cry for Me Portugal

Just because I returned Friday night from a 2 -week visit to Portugal, don't blame me for this NY Times story on Monday: Austerity Protests Are Rude Awakening in Portugal with reports of a possible general strike on November 14.

Portugal has long been regarded a role model in the grinding euro zone crisis. In return for an international bailout, its government cut services and raised taxes while its citizens patiently endured with little of the popular outcry seen elsewhere in southern Europe.

That is, until now. 

That is, until my wife and I spent the last two weeks visiting Porto, Portugal's 2nd largest city, cruising the Douro River valley, and finishing up with a few days in Lisbon, my new favorite European city. What did we do wrong? Or right? I did my best to leave the spirit of teacher union activism along the streets of Lisbon, like dropping bread crumbs, by wearing my red MORE tee-shirt. And Viola, it worked:

Suddenly, the Portuguese, too, have joined the swelling ranks of Europe’s discontented, following Greece and Spain, after the government tried to take another step up the austerity path last month. For many here, it was one step too far, driving tens of thousands into the streets in the largest protest of Portugal’s crisis. Taking a page from the playbook of their Spanish neighbors, Portuguese protesters are planning to encircle the Parliament building here in the capital for the budget announcement. For their part, Portugal’s powerful trade unions are preparing a general strike for Nov. 14. Arménio Carlos, the leader of the CGTP union, compared Mr. Passos Coelho to Pinocchio, accusing him of constantly changing his austerity message. 

Now, I did have some warning from tweets from Lisbon-based Paulo Maurício ‏@ActionAndWords who was kind enough to fill me in with some of the background as I traveled. I was interested in left politics in Portugal. Paulo sent me an email with some background when I asked him why protests seemed so different  than Greece and Spain. He responded Oct. 7:

In Portugal protest and struggles are much more organic: we have one great Union ( CGTP-IN) with strong roots in workers; a Communist Party (PCP) that have great influence in that Union and in society, and BE (left-Block) another party that result from a coalition of left organization some 12 yr ago and organize much of the left-wing people that do not what to commit either to PCP and to Socialist Party. The Socialist Party (PS) have been [around] for long years, with the party now in the coalition in government PSD and CDS (two right wing parties), responsible for right wing policies.

CGTP convened a General Strike for November 14. In October 13 the March Again't Unemployment that begun... October 3 will end with the encounter of the column that come from North and that one from South in Lisbon. Later this week the Government will present the Parliament the new budget. It is expected that its presentation leads to some new wave of what I could call 'inorganic' protests and reinforce the wave to the General Strike.

I contacted Paulo because I wanted to get a left view. Helena, our wonderful tour guide, not a leftist, had touched on these issues. She told us that the Trotsky parties had 12 seats but lost half of them in the last election. I was interested because of the connections I have here with people who are members of Trotsky parties.

Helena seemed to take the position that Portugal had overspent and had to take its punishment from the IMF. I argued for the Paul Krugman position (I'm reading his new book, "End this Depression Now,"that the austerity plans pushed down the throats of Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal would shrink the economies so much a depression would follow. The answer Krugman says is MORE government spending, not less. Strictly Keynesian and I am a fan.

Germany, which one Lisbon Apple store employee told me while I was charging my laptop (long story) was using slightly different tactics than Hitler used to gain the same dominance of Europe, lent the money in the first place and all the results of the austerity will go to the pockets of the banks. All Portugal and the other nations have to do is threaten to blow up the Euro (though I still have a 100 left over and better spend it fast) unless the interest rates are reduced.

One of the scary ideas Helena, who is not only a tour guide but a teacher and a literary and historical scholar, presented was that she is hearing a growing number of Portuguese people saying, "Maybe democracy is not such a good idea," looking to a strongman or the military as a "solution." Exactly what they were saying in Germany c. 1932.

Helena, in one of her lectures on the history of Portugal, reminded us that the nation was the last in Western Europe to emerge from dictatorship as recently as 1975 when the 50-year Salazar regime came to an end in a military coup. One generation and hit by severe economic times, people are ready to head back to the 30's.

Helena, who while not identifying her politics seemed centrist-slightly right. She is a free-lancer with that mentality. But one interesting thing she said was that in Portugal (and probably most of Europe) there is absolutely no difference between left and right when it comes to a single-payer health care system, a major difference from here.

Let's not underestimate where we may be headed and Krugman makes it clear ---- we may still not have hit the big one that might even top the Great Depression. Imagine the European economy totally deteriorating, Mitt Romney and the tea party in control of all branches of the government squeezing the economy into oblivion which will accelerate a worldwide crash that will bring an end to even the tiny vestiges of democracy that exist.

Some on the left see a Romney win as a long-term good thing in that there will rise a counter movement with a much expanded Occupy movement, an idea I have toyed with -- like at least we might get a Roosevelt following on a Herbert Hoover scenario. I no longer think so. Look how easily the Occupy encampments were destroyed. Mitt or Obama will bring the troops home to suppress the revolts that might take place here and we will drift even more to the right than the left.

You know how Nixon now looks more liberal than Obama? And Regan looks left compared to the gang running the Republican Party? Will we one day look at Romney the same way? Maybe not.

Romney Appeals to White Tribalism in Ohio

The Progressive, Monday, 15 October 2012

Here are some excerpts:

Author Thomas Frank calls this brand of politics "Pity
the Billionaire ... a revival crusade preaching the
old-time religion of the free market." Frank argues the
post-Obama resurgence of the right is not about racism
or culture wars, but a populist politics of resentment.
The right, he explains, has effectively defined the
economic crisis as "a conspiracy of the big guys
against the little," and their solution is "to work
even more energetically for the laissez-faire utopia."

It's not either-or as Frank contends, however. The
right is invoking "producerism," telling Americans
bruised by the downturn that your pain is due to social
factors, which are presented as coded racial
categories.

Political Research Associates, a group of scholars who
study right-wing movements, defines producerism as a
call to "rally the virtuous 'producing classes' against
evil 'parasites' at both the top and bottom of
society." The concept stretches back to the Andrew
Jackson era, and weaves "together intra-elite
factionalism and lower-class whites' double-edged
resentments." Today, the parasites at the top are
liberals, bureaucrats, bankers, and union "bosses"; the
ones below are "welfare queens," teachers, Muslims, and
"illegal aliens." They are all taking money from the
hard-working Americans in the middle.

By historical standards Romney should be a Walter
Mondale, a candidate who has lost even before the race
begins. But he is effectively utilizing the politics of
white resentment because of Obama's dismal economic
record. Tens of millions of low-wage workers feel their
world is coming apart and they don't know whom to
blame. To them, change may mean lower wages, fewer
hours, no health care, or a lost home. Romney plays on
fear by linking it to Obama. In Sidney he said, "The
president seems to be changing America in ways we don't
recognize," which elicited chants of "USA! USA! USA!"

It's not that the United States is inherently right
wing, as many commentators claim. In Ohio, autoworkers
say there is almost universal support among their
co-workers for Obama because the auto bailout saved
their jobs. But the bailout affected less than 1
percent of all U.S. jobs. In a recent poll the
president has the support of only 35 percent of white
working-class voters compared to Romney's 48 percent.

The Romney rally was stunningly white. Among the
estimated 9,000 people, it was hard to find more than a
handful who looked to be Black, Latino or Asian.
Attendees complained about welfare and high taxes
destroying the country. Romney fed the resentment by
claiming Obama was going to "raise the tax on savings,"
"put in place a more expensive death tax," and raise
taxes on "a million" small businesses.

Democrats dismiss Romney as a snake-oil salesman. Joe
Biden pointed out in the debate against Paul Ryan that
the GOP counts billion-dollar hedge funds as small
businesses. That's true, but it doesn't account for the
popularity of their ideas. You see, the Republicans
have turned small business into a catch-all group the
way "working class" once served that function for the
left.

....

The Democrats
mimic the right even when they control all of
Washington. Obama says he will make business more
competitive, cut taxes, sign trade deals, bomb the
world into democracy and drill, frack and mine for
energy. The Democrats' dilemma is they are in the
pocket of Wall Street, but need votes from groups that
want the economic pie to be sliced more evenly. The
result is liberals worship the same free-market god as
conservatives, but have no conviction about it.

Absent an alternative, many voters veer right because
they are reaching for the only lifeline they see.
"Energy independence" and "a military second to none"
are not just catch phrases. They provide millions of
decent-paying jobs for the white working class.

I have more to say about the really great trip with Road Scholar (formerly Elder Hostel). Their tours are not just touristy but educational. Helena gave us a number of lectures and we came home with a deeper knowledge of Portugal and a yearning to go back, especially to Lisbon. Here are a few pics. I have hundreds and am encouraging my wife to take on the job of filtering through them and creating a slide show. But first she has to get to the New Zealand pics from last year.

Helena tells us about the Alfama neighborhood in Lisbon

Oh, what views of Lisbon.

Cartoon: Meet Your Education Policy Makers At The Federal And State Level

Cartoon by Robert Rendo.

Robert Rendo gives free and permanent license to anyone who wishes to use this image in their literature, tweets, websites, blogs, etc. to fight the corporate education reform agenda and to restore public education to educators and cognitive scientists who are maintaining the same fight. While Robert Rendo retains copyright, he encourages everyone to use the free permanent license to utilize the image as advocacy. The sole condition for usage is that the name "Robert Rendo" is credited for the illustration. This notice of free licensure can be used as well and is equally encouraged. If image obtainment is a problem for the reader, please e-mail Robert Rendo at artwork88@aol.com, and he will e-mail the image in any file format the user requests.

Would you hand your child's private information over to Murdoch Owned and Klein Run Wireless Generation?

Jack Cavanagh's first press conference

Julie Cavanagh, a special education teacher in Brooklyn, explained: “As a public school teacher I am concerned not only for the privacy of my students, and the way this data will be provided to for-profit enterprises, but I am also worried that this national database may be used to blacklist members of the teaching profession.

Several high-ranking former executives and employees of the News Corporation in the UK were being investigated for violations of privacy and bribing public officials.  As the State Comptroller wrote, "in light of the significant ongoing investigations and continuing revelations with respect to News Corporation, we are returning the contract with Wireless Generation unapproved."  Since then, the scandal has continued to grow, with the number of indicted News Corporation officials expanding in number.

Yet four months later, in December, the NY Board of Regents approved NYSED’s plan to provide this confidential student and teacher data to a limited corporation, called the Shared Learning Collaborative LLC (SLC). The Gates Foundation awarded $76.5 million to form this LLC, with $44 million going to Wireless Generation, to design and operate the system. --- excerpt from letter sent to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the New York State Board of Regents

How nice to have Julie Cavanagh representing the interests of teachers here.

And Leonie and other parents. Plus Nancy from Change the Stakes.
Leonie sent this good news along:

We had a press conference at noon at Norman Siegel’s law offices today; lots of TV cameras were there and WNYC radio so watch/listen for the story tonight and tomorrow.

The letter Norman sent Friday to the AG and the Regents is posted here:   http://bit.ly/W6H2qV

Though the press release below is pretty self-explanatory, more background information is available here: 

http://bit.ly/SXiQk2 

This is an issue that every public school parent should be extremely concerned about.

More soon, Leonie

Posted at: http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/

For Immediate Release:  October 14, 2012

For more information contact:

Norman Siegel: (347) 907-0867; NSiegel@stellp.com

Leonie Haimson: (917) 435-9329; leonie@classsizematters.org

Attorney and Parents Send Letter to NYS Attorney General & Education Officials Questioning Legality of Providing Confidential Student Data to Limited Corporation and Demanding Parental Right to Consent

On Sunday, October 14, at a press conference held at the midtown law offices of Siegel Teitelbaum & Evans LLP, attorney Norman Siegel and New York parents released a letter sent Friday to Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the New York State Board of Regents, demanding that the agreement between the NY State Education Department and the “Shared Learning Collaborative” be released, setting out the conditions and restrictions on the use of confidential student and teacher data to be provided to this limited corporation.  The letter asked that parents be informed exactly what information concerning their children will be shared with this corporation, why the transfer of this data does not violate federal privacy protections, and demanding that the parents have the right to withhold their children’s information from being shared.   The letter is posted at http://bit.ly/W6H2qV

Background: In Aug. 25, 2011, NY State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli informed the NY State Education Department that he was rejecting its proposed no-bid contract with Wireless Generation to build a state data system, composed of confidential student and teacher information because of privacy concerns. Wireless Generation is a subsidiary of News Corporation.  Several high-ranking former executives and employees of the News Corporation in the UK were being investigated for violations of privacy and bribing public officials.  As the State Comptroller wrote, "in light of the significant ongoing investigations and continuing revelations with respect to News Corporation, we are returning the contract with Wireless Generation unapproved."  Since then, the scandal has continued to grow, with the number of indicted News Corporation officials expanding in number.

Yet four months later, in December, the NY Board of Regents approved NYSED’s plan to provide this confidential student and teacher data to a limited corporation, called the Shared Learning Collaborative LLC (SLC). The Gates Foundation awarded $76.5 million to form this LLC, with $44 million going to Wireless Generation, to design and operate the system.  According to the SLC’s website, New York is one of five states – along with Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, and North Carolina – participating in Phase I of this project, starting in late 2012. The pilot districts are Jefferson County School District (CO); Unit 5 (Normal, IL); District 87 (Bloomington, IL); Everett (MA);  Guilford County Schools (NC), and NYC. Four more states – Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky and Louisiana – have committed to join Phase II in 2013.  Though New York City is one of the pilot districts, the city’s parents have been told nothing about this project, and the state has not shared its agreement with the SLC about the use and protection of this data, despite several requests to do so.

Apart from the lack of parental disclosure and privacy concerns, the SLC website makes it clear that this student data will be used to help companies develop and market educational products.  However FERPA, or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, appears not to allow the sharing of confidential student information for commercial purposes.

Leonie Haimson, the Executive Director of Class Size Matters, said: “Just this week in Washington the Federal Trade Commission announced sweeping new protections for children’s privacy data. The reason is simple: abuses are rampant, and once a child’s identity is in the marketplace it cannot be called back or protected. We stand with the FTC, every major privacy advocacy group, and all concerned parents in opposing any action to relax child privacy protections, including this plan by the NY State Education Department and the NYC Department of Education, to share confidential information about our public school students without their parents’ knowledge or consent.”

Janice Bloom, a member of ParentVoicesNY and a parent of a kindergarten student and a 3^rd grader in a Brooklyn public school, said, “I am outraged that the state and the city would have agreed to share our children’s confidential data with a private corporation, without telling us anything about it. I am even more upset that this data is apparently being made available to companies for the purpose of marketing commercial products to the public school system. Parents need to be fully informed of the purpose and ramifications of this project, and provided with the right to opt out.  I do not believe that public schools should be in the business of exploiting children for profit.”

Karen Sprowal, the mother of a 4^th grader, added: “As a parent of a special needs child, I need to be especially vigilant as to where my child’s information ends up, who gains access to it and for what reason.  I think that the State and the City owe a detailed explanation to me and other NYC parents what the purpose of this project is, as well as an apology for having decided to go forward without telling us a word about it in advance.” 

As Nancy Cauthen, a member of the organization Change the Stakes and the mother of a 6th and a 10^th grader in NYC public schools said: “The erosion of privacy that this project represents is part and parcel of the pillaging of public education for private gain.  The fact that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation is involved makes me even more fearful that my child’s privacy will be violated and abused.”

Julie Cavanagh, a special education teacher in Brooklyn, explained: “As a public school teacher I am concerned not only for the privacy of my students, and the way this data will be provided to for-profit enterprises, but I am also worried that this national database may be used to blacklist members of the teaching profession.  Though the National Academy of Sciences and other expert groups have concluded that teacher evaluation systems based on student test scores are not to be trusted, the Gates Foundation seems intent on foisting these systems on the nation.  When the DOE’s unreliable teacher data reports were released, Murdoch’s NY Post not only published them in the paper, but tracked down and harassed teachers who had received low ratings. ”

Tracy Pyper, the Advocacy Chair of the Westchester/East Putnam Region PTA, said:   "I was extremely troubled to learn that NY State has decided to hand over student personal information to Rupert Murdoch's Wireless Generation, without asking or even telling their parents about this.  And while I realize that at this point, only NYC data is being provided, it is just a matter of time before all of our children in NY State may have their confidential information shared.  Once parents are made aware of how the state is making critical decisions about our children’s private information, without parental consent, they will be very concerned.  I strongly urge the State Education Department to halt all further action until they can explain exactly what personal information will be provided to Wireless Generation, what safeguards they are taking to protect the information, and most importantly, give parents the right to opt out.”

Norman Siegel, attorney, concluded:  “The risks are real and immediate. The State Education Department has a fundamental responsibility to protect the privacy rights of public school children and their families. Before a single child's information is turned over to the Shared Learning Collaborative (a joint venture of the Gates Foundation and Wireless Generation LLC), our education officials must guarantee that no harm will come to New York school children by meeting the following requirements:

 

·         Publish the agreement with SLC in printed and electronic form, include a thorough  explanation of its purpose and provisions, and make it available to parents and local school authorities statewide;

·         Hold hearings throughout the state to explain the agreement, answer questions from the public, obtain informed comment, and gauge public reaction;

·         Notify all parents of the impending disclosure, and provide them with a right to consent;

·         Define what rights families or individuals will have to obtain relief if harmed by improper use or release of their private information, including how claims can be made;

·         Agree to allow no disclosure of public school records until the State Education Department and the NYC Department of Education meets all of its ethical, security, and statutory obligations to the parents and public school children of the city and state;

·         Ensure that the privacy interest of public school children and their families are put above the interests of the Shared Learning Collaborative, News Corporation and its agents and subsidiaries.”

###

Attorney Norman Siegel & parent groups announce potential breach of student privacy and violation of parental rights

Media Advisory:

Norman Siegel and NYS parent groups will release letter to state officials, protesting potential serious breach of student privacy and violation of parental rights.

Where: The Law Offices of Siegel Teitelbaum & Evans, LLP, 260 Madison Ave, 22 floor. (Btw. 38 and 39 st.)

When: Sunday, October 14 at 12 noon.

For more information, please contact Norman Siegel at NSiegel@stellp.com ; (347) 907-0867

Leonie Haimson at leonie@att.net ; (917) 435: 9329

MORE/CTS/Parent Voices Members Featured in NY Times Article on Testing

“I want my school to use tests to help instruction, to help find out if kids don’t know fractions,” she said. “I don’t want my child to feel like her score will decide if her teacher has a job or not. -- NY Times article

Excellent NYT article on growing opt-out movement here in NYC where two groups, Change the Stakes (an outgrowth of GEM's testing committee that has taken on a life of its own) and Parent Voices are featured.

UPDATE FROM LEONIE:

A few minor comments: NYSED claims we need field tests because they "saved money" by printing out only a few copies of the test? Ridiculous!  Developing, giving and scoring separate field tests are much more expensive that printing out different versions of a test.

Also, it’s startling to see Adina Lopatin quoted as the deputy chief academic officer at DOE.  When she started at DoE a few years back, as chief of staff in Liebman’s Accountability office, she was just one year out of graduating from college (BA in History from Yale in 2005).  She has no experience teaching (not even in TFA!) or in ed policy. I remember asking her why test scores were such an overwhelming part of the school grading system, and suggesting that survey results be given a larger portion, and she intimated that she agreed.  Sad. Now she is high up in the DOE publicity/anti-teacher policymaking machine. See her [short] employment history here:

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/adina-lopatin/2/a67/534?_mSplash=1

I work with CTS which began as a mostly teacher group as part of GEM but has morphed into a parent dominated group with many teacher voices included and the great statistician Fred Smith. Really one of the most enjoyable groups of people to work with I've met. (We meet once a month for those interested and have both a local and national listserve -- next meeting Weds. Oct. 17 at CUNY, rm 5409 at 5:30PM).

Note Diana Zavala (center in black) from MORE and Change the Stakes  and Andrea Mata and Janine Sopp (far left) from CTS with their kids. MORE is committed to working with parents and accepts parents as members.

Dear Teacher, Johnny Is Skipping the Test

Benjamin Norman for The New York Times

PROTESTING Andrea Mata, second from left, back row, and other parents have banded together to oppose a focus on tests.

By SONI SANGHA

Published: October 12, 2012

LATER this month, children at 169 New York City elementary and middle schools will, for the second time in a calendar year, take a 40-minute “field test” in math and English language arts to determine which questions will go on future state standardized exams.

Enlarge This Image

Diana Zavala

Diana Zavala’s son Jackson during a protest in Washington this year that marched on the White House.

The Battle of New Orleans: Support Karran Harper Royal

New Orleans is ground zero in the war to privatize education. Remember Arne Duncan's "The best thing to happen to NO was hurricane Katrina."

I just sent Karran a hundred bucks after Diane's plea (below). Just watch this video of Karran I shot at SOS this past summer and you'll know why. Karran is part of a network of amazing parents associated with Parents Across America, which Leonie Haimson helped get going.

(By the way, Leonie is coming out to Rockaway this Monday to speak at the CEC 27 event. I will be there to tape it.)


SOS12 Karran Harper Royal: How [some] African Americans and Civil Rights Leaders Got on the Wrong Side of the Ed Reform Movement from Grassroots Education Movement on Vimeo.

Karran Royal Thanks You–and Me by dianerav

Yesterday I urged you to send donations to help Karran Harper Royal in her campaign to win a seat on the New Orleans school board.

Karran faces an uphill battle against the leader of the charter sector in New Orleans, who has received $110,000 from the supporters of privatization.

I sent her $100 via Paypal. Others sent whatever they could: $5, $10, $20, $50, or more. If 1,000 people who read this post each sent Karran $10, we could match the campaign fund of the privatizers. If each sent $20---well, you can do the math. We can make a difference for an articulate, brave, dedicated and clear-eyed parent advocate.

Karran has stood up for public education. Let's help her.

This is the email I received this morning.

Hi Diane,

Thank you so much for your blog post regarding my campaign. Today I began receiving donations from various parts of the US and was very confused. I haven't had a chance to be online, so I did not know at the time about your blog post and it was tweeted by one of my Parents Across America members as well. I just knew that within a short period of time I was receiving donations from people I did not know. I was baffled. It is heartwarming to see that people are supporting my candidacy because they believe in me. It's especially special to me that you are supporting me and would write such a lovely post. I am so honored. Again, thank you very much.

Karran Harper Royal #86
Orleans Parish School Board, District 3
Let's Redefine Reform
Twitter @Karran4Kids
Facebook Karran4Kids
www.karran4kids.com
Donations Accepted
Make Checks Payable to:
Karran Harper Royal Campaign Fund
P.O. Box 791834
New Orleans, LA 70179

Parents Sue SUNY Over Charter Authorization

We are suing SUNY Charter School authorizers and the NYC DOE! The deadline to sign on to the lawsuit is SUNDAY! Please email williamsburggreenpointschools@gmail.com to get a copy of the Retainer form.

Here's the info:

WAGPOPS! parents are officially launching a lawsuit against the NYC DOE and SUNY regarding their approval of Citizens of the World Charter Schools for District 14 (Williamsburg, Greenpoint, parts of Bushwick and Bed Stuy). WAGPOPS! (Williamsburg and Greenpoint Parents: Our Public Schools!) is a grassroots of parents and community members across the district coming together to support our neighborhood public schools. WAGPOPS! believes in pressing the State Department of Education and the NYC DOE to support reforms that work for all of our schools, like small class size, funding arts, sports and after-school programs, expanding early childhood education, promoting policies that encourage parent engagement in our schools, and ending high stakes testing (at the bare minimum allowing parents to Opt Out with out punishing schools and teachers).

We believe that SUNY and the NYC DOE neglected the law when they disregarded evidence of the negative impact on our district when they approved Citizens of the World Charter Schools. The creation of new schools, including charter schools, is a part of city planning, and the impact on a district of any new school must be considered very seriously. District 14 elementary schools are profoundly under-enrolled (for example, PS110 must enroll 8 more students by 10/31 or give back $50K). Given the target demographics in Citizens of the World proposals, the presence of these schools, in particular, will reverse the trend towards de-segregating our neighborhood elementary schools and ensure that our segregated elementary schools remain segregated.

Please consider signing on to our lawsuit. Our neighborhood schools need all of our support. And see if you can get others to sign on too.

We need parents to fill out this retainer and fax it to: 646-349-2986 (Fax)

The DEADLINE IS SUNDAY!!!!

This lawsuit is designed to stop the Citizens of the World Charter Schools from opening in D14

PLEASE GET MORE PEOPLE TO SIGN ON TO THE LAWSUIT!!! We're aiming for the hundreds.

If you don't have access to a fax, PLEASE let me know so that I can get the retainer(s) from you.

Here's some information. WAGPOPS! is available to answer any question you may have as well.

- EACH parent fills out their own retainer (mothers and fathers can sign one separately)
- Only parents living in D14 can sign on. You CAN sign on if your child is not yet in school, is homeschooled, is in private school, or is in school out of district, as long as you live in D14.
- OR if you don't live in D14, but have a child in school in D14, you can sign on.
- PLEASE print your name and information clearly
- There is no charge for this suit. The lawyers are working for us pro bono. a They will be hosting a fundraiser separately. but there is no obligation to participate.

ALSO, the next WAGPOPS! (Williamsburg and Greenpoint Parents: Our Public Schools! meeting is on Monday, November 5th at 6:00pm in EST at Beacon Leadership Center at MS50 (183 South 3rd Street between Driggs and Roebling).

You can find out more about WAGPOPS! , "like" us at: http://www.facebook.com/WilliamsburgGreenpointParents

Here's a copy of the OpEd that gives background to these schools: http://thewgnews.com/2012/09/the-demise-of-public-education-mr-mrs-moskowitz-push-more-charters-on-williamburg/

THANKS SO MUCH!

UFT Calls ATR Meetings in Response to Independent Organizing

---interesting how the UFT ATR meetings were announced the very day that atr's were having their own meeting!  Very interesting in deed! --- a NYC ATR

As ususal, the UFT only responds when signs of revolt are brewing see  NEST+M Teachers Meet With Mulgrew).

Here is the announcement of the ATR meeting this past Weds.
       ATRs Meet Wed. Oct 10 5pm - Inform Atrs in your schools...

The UFT is a demilitarized zone where any signs of attempted militancy are buried.

Below, note the email below (in red) from Amy Arundell sent out around 8PM on Oct. 10, the day the GEM ATR committee held a meeting. 

First, here is a response from an ATR, in blue:

My two cents: in general, when union administrators start seeing the rank and file members start taking actions that administrators should be taking (for example have meetings with ATRs, making an email list to stay in touch with ATRs, and other organizing activities), then the Union Administration starts to take action.

Often the union administration's response is often just the appearance of a response.  For example there are a growing number of members who are willing to take political against mayoral control.  So the union made a committee to "look into that."  (This was in this past June, at the Delagate Assembly). There was someone at the DA that commented: "didn't we do that  years ago?"  

To me, it seems, the Union is setting up another committee to think about possibly going against mayoral control, just to give the impression that it is doing something.  The committee will probably come up with some weak response, or in another five years another committee will be formed, and someone will say, again, "didn't we form a committee years ago?"

I am not totally putting down the administrators.  They have accomplished many good things (more than Chicago). But in terms of going against mayoral control, they could definitely do better.  And the way to get them to have a stronger response is to start organizing members.  And one way to start doing that is to get as many emails from the UFT ATR meetings as possible.  When  ATRs are isolated from each other they are very weak and in the dark. Being connected and forming an unofficial union chapter is an important step to get better responses from the official union.  (Can you believe this: it seems that we have to form a union inside of a union?!)

From:  "Amy Arundell, UFT Special Representative" <listmaster@uft.org>
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:51:26 -0400
Subject: Informational meetings for ATRs


Dearcolleagues,
The union is holding a series ofinformational meetings at  borough offices this fall forteachers, guidance counselors and social workers  in excess.These meetings were organized to answer your questions aboutyour  rights and responsibilities as members serving in theATR pool.All meetings will be held from 4-6p.m. You will meet your  borough representative, districtrepresentatives and other borough staff who  are there tosupport you.The meeting dates, locations andparticipants are as  follows:    Tuesday, Oct.16,  Staten Island Borough Office, for teachers,guidance counselors and social  workers
    Wednesday, Oct.24,  Bronx Borough Office, for teachers, guidancecounselors and social workers
   Thursday, Oct.25,  Brooklyn Borough Office, for teachersONLY
    Monday, Oct.29,  Brooklyn Borough Office, for guidancecounselors and social workers ONLY
    Thursday, Nov.1,  Manhattan Borough Office, for teachers,guidance counselors and social workers
    Monday, Nov.5,  Queens Borough Office, for teachers, guidancecounselors and social workers
We welcome your attendance.Sincerely,Amy Arundell

UFT Special Representative                                                                      

I'm adding this news from the NEW Caucus in Newark (a CORE/MORE type).

NEW Caucus Members and Supporters:

Tomorrow, NEW Caucus is leading the session at Abbot Leadership

Institute!  

Details below - See you all there! 

CLASS THREE: The Newark Public Schools “Teacher Pool”

Some Newark Public School teachers are being paid, but are not working (Employees Without Placement). Many of these teachers have been displaced due to school closures and consolidations. What’s up with that?

Join us and the NEW Caucus as they break down the “who” and “why” of the Newark Public Schools teacher pool.  This is a class all parents, teachers, administrators, concerned community members and students should attend!

 
Guest Presenters: NEW CAUCUS

-Leah Z. Owens, Newark Educator
-Branden Rippey, Newark Educator
-Brian Hohmann, Newark Educator
-Hafeezah Abdullah, Newark Educator
-Jason Hopkins, Newark Educator

MORE Member Patrick Walsh With More on WBD Movie

Patrick is back at it again with a follow-up to his brilliant review of --- you know, that crappy movie.

The Rich Are Different: Why Won’t Back Down Won’t Back Down

October 10, 2012

Almost a century ago, long before America had produced almost 400 billionaires and political opposition to plutacracy  had degenerated into a slick, sick joke, F. Scott Fiztgerald in a short story entiled “The Rich Boy, ” wrote the following:  “Let me tell you about the very rich.  They are different than you and me.”
I’ll say.  And our generation’s very rich are far richer than Fitzgerald could have possibly imagined.
One example of the difference can be seen in the fact that Won’t Back Down, a movie that suffered the worst opening in box office history for films released in over 2, 500 theaters, will not – as would just about any other film that no one paid to see — be going gentle into that good night.    No way.   Not by a long shot.
But then again, Won’t Back Down is not just any other film that no one paid to see.  It is a film that billionaires paid millions to make in order to help trick people into privatizing our public school system and making it the private property of the billionaires.   This is to be done by parents backing a scam called the Parent Trigger Legislation, itself the creation of the very, very rich as a mechanism to make themselves  even richer still.
The very rich can sometimes be an amusing lot and they like to call this despicable hustle “ community organizing ”  in the same manner that they like to imply or outright declare that they are leading a struggle for civil rights.
This week the billionaire funded phony “education reform” group which shamelessly calls itself Parent Revolution kicked off nothing less than a 32 city tour of Won’t Back Down in order to get down with a little “community organizing.”  The Revolutionaries are flown in from California and put up in five star hotels on the billionaire backer’s dime.  And why not?  The great thing about being a billionaire is that money is essentially meaningless. Spending millions and  millions attempting to deceive people is something akin to us buying a pricy coffee. Not a problem.    And get this: the Parent Revolutionaries and their billionaire backers so love the little people of this country that the tickets on Won’t Back Down’s 32-city tour are free. That’s right.  Free.  Zippo. Zilch.

More from his post here:

Brizard Out: Substance Has the Scoop a Month Ago

John Lawhead is kind enough to remind us:

Substance reported that Barbara Byrd Bennett would replace JC Brizard over a month ago in George Schmidt's amusing 'race to the elevator' piece.

http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=3573

Eat your heart out Russo, who complained at the time that George had an advantage because he was in the building and able to get the Byrd Bennett photo. Russo of course reports on Chicago from Brooklyn - but claims he can see Lake Michigan from Park Slope.

Oh, I'm on plane in Madrid but I can see 52 Broadway from here.

Cheers,
Norm Scott

Twitter: normscott1

Education Notes
ednotesonline.blogspot.com

Grassroots Education Movement
gemnyc.org

Education columnist, The Wave
www.rockawave.com

nycfirst robotics
normsrobotics.blogspot.com

Sent from my BlackBerry

Join MORE in its Quest

I hope you read the post by NYCEducator on Unity Caucus along with the comments. Read the Unity C defender and the responses (including mine). And add yours.

Really, right now is there an alternative to MORE which is in the early stages of building positive alternative leadership (PAL) to Unity? Unless you support Unity policies (contrast to Chicago) how can you stay away?

I've had little internet access except through my phone. I'm in the Lisbon airport waiting for a flight to Madrid where we catch the plane home. If we make the tight connection after a 2-week trip to Portugal I will be home in time to attend the Oct MORE meeting tomorroe where I hope to see a rousing endorsement of the top 5 candidates on the MORE slate running against Unity and who knows whatever else pops up in the election?

I'm excited at the progress MORE, which didn't have a name until this past May, has been making with very few resources, both material and personnel. Starting out with meetings of key activists from many of the already existing groups over 2 years ago, there was a decision to start from scratch rather than try to merge existing cultures.

The Chicago CORE model has been a guide but we still have to find our own way - the struggle to be as open and democratic as possible while not getting bogged down makes us walk a fine line, especially in choosing candidates that many of us know well from having worked with them while giving new people access and opportunities. Even more importantly, building a working structure that works well beyond the elections. I was initially one of the lone voices against running because I felt we might take a step backwards through the election efforts and end up weaker than where we started in April 2013, esp if we do very poorly in the elections, which given the process is always a possibility. I'm interested in the longer term because in the past I found the elections were debilitating rather than growing a caucus. But I have more hope this time. I am telling people they better get it right so I see some progress soon just in case I drop dead.

Though not everyone from the old orgs have signed on yet, a blend of new and experienced activists have signed on. I hope you've been reading the amazing stuff coming out of MORE members like Julie, Brian, Patrick, Michael, Megan and others, with lots more people to come, a wonderful blend of people.
Hope to see some of you tomorrow where you can sign up with MORE for the 10 buck membership fee and get immediate voting rights.
MORE does ask that people support the mission statement while, unlike Unity, leaving people free to debate the points in public forums.

-------
October 13th 12-3 pm
            CUNY Graduate Center365 5th Ave @ 34th St.

Join MORE for our next general meeting this Saturday, October 13th. 

We will be discussing the upcoming UFT elections and voting on the top five positions of the slate. 

Bios of the candidates will be sent out this week in our weekly update.

We will also hold committee meetings as well as breakout sessions to tackle the work we face in the coming months.

Did you know 217 schools qualify for closing under the New York City Department of Education guidelines? 

We will hold breakout groups to launch our efforts to support, educate, organize and mobilize around this issue and MORE!

October 13th 12-3 pm
CUNY Graduate Center
365 5th Ave @ 34th St.
Rm. 5409.  Bring ID.

Cheers,
Norm Scott

Twitter: normscott1

Education Notes
ednotesonline.blogspot.com

Grassroots Education Movement
gemnyc.org

Education columnist, The Wave
www.rockawave.com

nycfirst robotics
normsrobotics.blogspot.com

Sent from my BlackBerry

Sleight of Hand: Joel Klein’s Misleading Autobiography that Corrupts our Education Policy

“Sleight of Hand” describes Joel Klein’s father, a federal postal employee who passed a civil service exam and later retired with a secure federal pension; and his mother, a bookkeeper. The Klein family income was about at the national median income, perhaps much higher. The public housing project in which young Joel lived was almost all white and attractively landscaped.---Richard Rothstein

When I and Joel had our hug when he announced he was leaving the DOE it was based on a blog post I wrote that we both came from similar backgrounds and had some similar history -- before he went bad. Basically, as Rothstein points out, we both came from a lower middle Jewish working class background -- his dad was a postal worker and mine was a garment worker while his mother worked as a book keeper and mine staid home after 25 years as a garment worker after I was born.

I never would claim my background was deprived --- there was no question I would go to college from the day I was conscious and for Klein to misrepresent himself as equivalent to poor kids of color for political reasons is shameful.

Leonie had a comment:

Not the only misleading thing Klein has ever done or said...by far, but an interesting addition to a long list. 

Here is Rothstein's post:

 

From: Richard Rothstein
Date: October 11, 2012 9:36:14 AM EDT
 

Subject: Sleight of Hand: Joel Klein’s Misleading Autobiography that Corrupts our Education Policy

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I have today posted a blog summary of an article on-line in The American Prospect. The article reports that Joel Klein has used a misrepresentation of his own upbringing to support a flawed school reform agenda. 

Klein’s misrepresentation (his claim that although he lived in public housing as a youth, he overcame severe socioeconomic disadvantage as the result of efforts of yesteryear’s excellent teachers) is possible because Americans have mostly forgotten how public housing was once created for white, middle class families like Klein’s. And so we have also forgotten how federal, state and local policy combined to segregate our metropolitan areas by race. We mistakenly view this segregation as the accidental, “de facto” result of market and demographic forces. This misunderstanding of history makes it extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, to address the concentrated disadvantage in inner-city ghettos that prevent children from succeeding in school.

The blog post is reprinted below.

Richard Rothstein

http://www.epi.org/blog/joel-klein-teacher-quality-poverty/

            “Sleight of Hand,” an article in the November-December issue of The American Prospect, describes how federal, state, and local housing policies, including the public housing program, were designed a half-century ago to segregate our major metropolitan areas, and how the residential patterns created by public policy at that time persist to this day.

The article does so by way of describing the childhood of Joel Klein, former New York City schools chancellor and now C.E.O. of a Rupert Murdoch company selling technology and software to public schools. Klein has often used his life story to prove an educational theory – that poor quality teachers are the cause of disadvantaged children’s failures. The life story is that he grew up poor, in public housing, “a kid from the streets” with little interest in education until a high school teacher “saw something that I hadn’t seen in myself.” And this life story, Klein and his allies imply, proves that if only disadvantaged students today had the kind of teacher from whom he had benefited, they too would excel and succeed.