I am not taking any bows that we predicted this type of person would be hired in a post last week. We are getting exactly what we expected when we stated:
The next Education Secretary will almost certainly be be a pro-private school voucher, pro-charter school, anti-public education zealot.
It is even worse. DeVos who is now against Common Core but is talking about Common Core like standards. She worked with Jeb Bush on education.
Almost makes me nostalgic for Rod Paige.
Almost makes me nostalgic for Rod Paige.
Here is the lowdown on DeVos from Mitchell Robinson, a Michigan State University Professor via the Diane Ravitch blog.
The news that Donald Trump has named Betsy DeVos as his choice for Secretary of Education is just another brick in the wall for Mr. Trump's plan to turn the US into a giant flea market, selling off the bits and pieces of a once great nation for parts to the highest bidders.
I had to laugh in recent weeks as folks set off alarms at the rumors of Michelle Rhee or Eva Moskowitz being appointed to the position. The truth is Rhee and Moskowitz are mere amateurs at this school privatization scheme. For Pete's sake, Ms. Moskowitz still spends her days actually stepping foot in to schools in NYC, terrorizing students and teachers. And Rhee, a former Teach for America recruit, whose "go to" classroom management technique was taping the mouths of her reluctant "scholars", has been in hiding after a disastrous run as Superintendent of DC's schools, an experiment that ended in failure for all concerned, and threatened to dim the rising star of the corporate reform movement-until recently, when she had her icky hubby reemerged for a photo op at Trump Tower.
Betsy DeVos, on the other hand, is a pro at this game. And unlike Rhee and Moskowitz, who depend on the kindness- and financial backing-of others, Betsy has the financial wherewithall to bankroll her own plans. Like her new boss, Ms. DeVos-allegedly-won't be beholden to any "special interests" in her efforts to turn our public education system into a Sotheby's auction.
Rest assured, also, that unlike Ms. Moskowitz, Betsy DeVos hasn't been spending any of her valuable time in... "schools" lately, and certainly hasn't been close enough to real, live students to tape them up-even though I'm sure she approves of Ms. Rhee's approach to building a safe and welcoming classroom learning environment. No, Ms. DeVos has been busy dreaming up new ways to capitalize on the billions of taxpayer dollars currently being wasted in children, teachers, and schools, and helping her puppet in the Michigan's governor's residence with his plan to destroy the state's schools.
Remember, Michigan is the state where the Governor poisoned the water in one of the city's largest cities, and more than 400 days later has still refused to replace a single water pipe. And the state whose lawyers recently claimed-and I swear I'm not making this up-that the state's children had no "fundamental right to literacy."
This is Betsy DeVos' and Rick Snyder's dream for how a state should govern-that a state and its elected officials have no responsibility to provide clean drinking water or a quality education for its children. It's a dystopian vision of the future that absolves a state's leaders and institutions from providing, maintaining, repairing and supporting its schools, roads, water systems, and infrastructure, or protecting its most vulnerable citizens from the permanent damage caused by a poisoned water supply.
So, if you want to know what our new federal education policy is going to look like under Secretary DeVos, what has happened in Michigan under Gov. Snyder-and bankrolled and supported by the DeVos family, provides the best example of what to expect.
Robinson continues by describing something called "skunk works' which is as sinister as it sounds.
The idea behind the "skunk works" plan was to radically increase the use of technology (i.e., virtual charters, online classes) to dramatically reduce the number of teachers needed, and to decouple tax dollars from schools by providing every student in the state with an "education debit card" that could be used for a wide range of educational experiences (i.e.m music lessons, art classes, sports teams).
The ultimate goal here was to create a new "value school" model in the state, delivering schooling at a per-student cost of roughly $5000 over $2000 less than the average reimbursement provided by the state for each child enrolled in a district's schools- with "edupreneurs" pocketing the balance. For Snyder and DeVos, the purpose of education is not to help develop a more informed and educated citizenry, or to help children to become more fully human by providing a comprehensive, high quality curriculum, including music, art, and physical education in addition to the rest of the disciplines. The purpose of education under Snyder and DeVos is to turn the state's once excellent system of schools into an educational WalMart, bosting "low, low prices" in place of quality instruction...
Ms. DeVos is the perfect ideological mate for Mr. Trump: neither seems concerned with allowing petty little things like rules, regulations, or ethics get in the way of them pursuing their agendas. The Constitution only applies to the "little people," not the billionaire "deciders" who will make the rules in the Trump administration.
Betsy DeVos was the absolute worst possible choice for Secretary of Education, so it's no surprise that Trump chose her for this cabinet post. Her appointment is much closer to Trump's choice of Steve Bannon as Chief Strategist than it is to his choice of Reince Preibus as Chief of Staff. One is a party insider who will make the "trains run on time; the other is an arsonist who would happily burn the station to the ground.
Betsy DeVos' mission is no less than the total destruction of public education. her apparent support for charters is merely a head fake to the right to distract us from her ultimate goal of "decoupling" state and federal dollars from supporting schools of any type.
Under Secretary of Education DeVos, we will see the emergence of a two-tiered educational system:
One, a system of elite private and religious schools for well-to-do, mostly White parents with the means to afford expensive tuition payments, staffed by qualified, certified teachers, with a rich curriculum based on face-to-face instruction in clean, safe, well-maintained schools...
The other, a parallel system of "fly by night" virtual and online "schools" that open and close seemingly at random, and for-profit charters operated by scam artists like Northern Michigan's Dr. Steve Ingersoll, with little to no state or federal regulation or oversight, and a bare bones, "back to the basics" curriculum delivered by unqualified and uncertified "teachers".
The idea behind the "skunk works" plan was to radically increase the use of technology (i.e., virtual charters, online classes) to dramatically reduce the number of teachers needed, and to decouple tax dollars from schools by providing every student in the state with an "education debit card" that could be used for a wide range of educational experiences (i.e.m music lessons, art classes, sports teams).
The ultimate goal here was to create a new "value school" model in the state, delivering schooling at a per-student cost of roughly $5000 over $2000 less than the average reimbursement provided by the state for each child enrolled in a district's schools- with "edupreneurs" pocketing the balance. For Snyder and DeVos, the purpose of education is not to help develop a more informed and educated citizenry, or to help children to become more fully human by providing a comprehensive, high quality curriculum, including music, art, and physical education in addition to the rest of the disciplines. The purpose of education under Snyder and DeVos is to turn the state's once excellent system of schools into an educational WalMart, bosting "low, low prices" in place of quality instruction...
Ms. DeVos is the perfect ideological mate for Mr. Trump: neither seems concerned with allowing petty little things like rules, regulations, or ethics get in the way of them pursuing their agendas. The Constitution only applies to the "little people," not the billionaire "deciders" who will make the rules in the Trump administration.
Betsy DeVos was the absolute worst possible choice for Secretary of Education, so it's no surprise that Trump chose her for this cabinet post. Her appointment is much closer to Trump's choice of Steve Bannon as Chief Strategist than it is to his choice of Reince Preibus as Chief of Staff. One is a party insider who will make the "trains run on time; the other is an arsonist who would happily burn the station to the ground.
Betsy DeVos' mission is no less than the total destruction of public education. her apparent support for charters is merely a head fake to the right to distract us from her ultimate goal of "decoupling" state and federal dollars from supporting schools of any type.
Under Secretary of Education DeVos, we will see the emergence of a two-tiered educational system:
One, a system of elite private and religious schools for well-to-do, mostly White parents with the means to afford expensive tuition payments, staffed by qualified, certified teachers, with a rich curriculum based on face-to-face instruction in clean, safe, well-maintained schools...
The other, a parallel system of "fly by night" virtual and online "schools" that open and close seemingly at random, and for-profit charters operated by scam artists like Northern Michigan's Dr. Steve Ingersoll, with little to no state or federal regulation or oversight, and a bare bones, "back to the basics" curriculum delivered by unqualified and uncertified "teachers".
I'm guessing that the leadership at Teach for America is practically salivating today.For the rest of us, welcome to the Hunger Games of public education...
Betsy DeVos needs to hear, loudly and clearly, that her cynical, selfish, profit-focused vision of public education isn't constitutional; it's predatory.
Her approach is not that of an educational leader; it's that of a vandal.
Tell her that these are OUR public schools, and we value them and need them. And that we won't let her, and her new Boss, destroy them.
I have nothing to add but maybe this will wake people up that we are in a very bad situation.
Betsy DeVos needs to hear, loudly and clearly, that her cynical, selfish, profit-focused vision of public education isn't constitutional; it's predatory.
Her approach is not that of an educational leader; it's that of a vandal.
Tell her that these are OUR public schools, and we value them and need them. And that we won't let her, and her new Boss, destroy them.
I have nothing to add but maybe this will wake people up that we are in a very bad situation.
Oh well. The system is shit. The uft is shit.
ReplyDeleteGood post James an another nail in the teaching profession coffin. The writing is on the wall. Get out of the teaching profession.
ReplyDeleteUmmm.... there are only so many private schools in the USA. Trump is proposing giving only 10 grand to parents. Most decent private schools cost at least twice that. Not worried too much. Way more concerned with what the new evaluation system will be for NYC teachers.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. With so much of the media relentlessly and breathlessly reporting Trump is an antisemitic, homophobic, misogynistic, racist, national socialist, xenophobic axe murderer whose appointments signify the end of the world - and so on and so forth - it is impossible to actually identify the truly awful events.
ReplyDeleteThis Secretary of Education appointment might be bad but previous over-the-top reporting only obscures that.
(With the press and their lefty cheerleaders now thoroughly discredited, at least among Trump's growing supporters, an opportunity is now missed. This appointment is not a good fit for the white rust belt Trump supporters who are not reflexively anti-public school and anti-union. It is an establishment (country club) Republican appointment. But who retains a shred of credibility to make that argument to those rust belt folks?)
1:43,
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of great Catholic elementary and high schools in the 5 boroughs that are under 10 grand. No one in their right mind would choose a public school (unless it's specialized- Bronx Science) over one of them, especially if a parent has a voucher. Long overdue. Kids, especially in the Bronx, have been segregated and discriminated for far too long. Good riddance DOE//UFT.
The lack of student discipline is the real downfall of the public schools. When children are allowed to abuse and degrade teachers and each other with no consequence, the educational environment is ruined. The discipline problems of years ago; gum chewing, passing notes, talking in class, etc. were not attacks to human dignity. The human degradation of teachers that occurs in my school every day is unimaginable, emotionally draining and heartbreaking. Will vouchers save the children who want an education and are stuck at a school like mine? maybe. Will the drain of the serious students finally get public school administrators and decision makers to see how they have screwed up? No. Will the teachers be blamed? Yes. Do I have faith in the UFT? No. Sorry to be so grim on Thanksgiving. I hope you all forget this nonsense for a little bit and enjoy the day.
ReplyDeleteRight. And ignore the fact that black males make up 7 percent of the population but 46 percent of the inmates.
ReplyDeleteCareful Ann 8:41 James and the other liberal fools will say your attacking the students. It's time to wake up nyc mist educated and least intelligent. I know you didn't travel much as an atr James but you need to spend a few weeks in many of the cities high schools. Even you would say something is wrong. Call it crazy call it mentally challenged call it behaviorally challenged call it psychologically challenged you pick the term but it doesn't make a difference. This behavior is Widespread and engrained. It's not based on ethnicity or skin color. I don't dislike the students I dislike how they behave. It's not my fault but we need to address the conditions without being called racists, nazis and bad people and educators. I use to love my profession now I just tolerate my job
ReplyDeleteThere are over 1 and a half million students in NYC public schools. Let's say for sake of argument that half of those kids parents decide to use vouchers to sent there kids to a private school. Does anybody think there are half a million seats available to take these kids? Multiply this fact across the whole country. School choice simply can't work. Also, private schools get to choose who they take and who they kick out. (Charter schools "say" they don't do this, but legally they have to take kids who win their lotteries and are not suppossed to kick kids out) Does anyone really think that private schools are going to want to take in difficult kids or keep them for that matter? If every parent gets ten grand these private schools get to take the pick of the litter. So, as the commenter mentions above, I too am not too concerned with vouchers. Here in NYC we have a ton of more difficult situations facing us every day as the UFT sits by doing nothing.
ReplyDelete8:29 is correct. It's discipline. That's at the root of most of the problems we see public high schools. It's not race. I'm white, my school in the Bronx -All Hallows, was 1/3 Black, 1/3 Hispanic and 1/3 White, when I went to elementary and high school there in the mid and late 70s. All boys, strict, and I knew of none that were expelled. I still know some of those guys - mostly middle class, with a few notable exceptions. Go into public high schools- completely segregated, kids on cellphones listening to music and filming, and teachers being verbally and physically abused with no consequences. You can try to blame skin color, but the problem is with the DOE/UFT policies (or lack there of, I.e. restorative justice) and the lack of parental involvement. The racial stuff is ignorant. The prisons were full of ethnic Whites when they were poor and oppressed. Trump's policies may force the hand of the DOE/UFT if they hope to survive.
ReplyDeleteWere Obamas/Duncan's policies, in practice any different ? On the hypocrisy level they were worse.
ReplyDelete9:13,
ReplyDeleteHalf aren't leaving in one group at the same time. It will be slow. As the public schools are emptied, they will be turned into charters. Some public schools will remain for the dumping of those students that are tossed out.
The difference between the Dems and Republicans is the voucher issue. Now fly by night schools will open up down the block from every public schools and some will take the voucher like some dentists take the plan while others will charge more -- poor people will get shittier schools with less resouces. Parents who can afford Dalton will end up using the voucher as a supplement. After Friedrichs empties out the unions the only remnant of the public schools will be for special ed. You won't even need a charter which is an involved process with some oversight. Look at the zoning battle on the upper west side where parents say they will move or go to private schools. Now that will be open for them. The key for the privatizers is to use public money for them - at that point maybe the answer is to say no taxation without representation and toss the tea over board.
ReplyDeleteMy public school has plenty of resources, plenty of money, but we use it on consultants, paying teachers for sparsely attended after school and Saturday programs, and replacing the computers, ipads, $100-calculators, books and furniture that the children lose and destroy. No, it definitely is not a matter of resources or funds. "Shittier" schools are due to the poor administration from the chancellor on down.
ReplyDeleteNorm is right. Look at what is happening in Michigan. It is a national blueprint. We are under a much worse attack than anything Duncan, Spellings or Paige ever tried. They are just going to open schools here there and everywhere.
ReplyDeleteHere is part of the post in case you missed it.
The idea behind the "skunk works" plan was to radically increase the use of technology (i.e., virtual charters, online classes) to dramatically reduce the number of teachers needed, and to decouple tax dollars from schools by providing every student in the state with an "education debit card" that could be used for a wide range of educational experiences (i.e.m music lessons, art classes, sports teams).
The ultimate goal here was to create a new "value school" model in the state, delivering schooling at a per-student cost of roughly $5000 over $2000 less than the average reimbursement provided by the state for each child enrolled in a district's schools- with "edupreneurs" pocketing the balance. For Snyder and DeVos, the purpose of education is not to help develop a more informed and educated citizenry, or to help children to become more fully human by providing a comprehensive, high quality curriculum, including music, art, and physical education in addition to the rest of the disciplines. The purpose of education under Snyder and DeVos is to turn the state's once excellent system of schools into an educational WalMart, bosting "low, low prices" in place of quality instruction...
This is as bad as it gets.
Yesterday I received a letter from NYSUT requesting that I voluntarily contribute to COPE. As a retiree I made sure to contribute to COPE and I allow $10 per month deducted from by pension benefit. Upon receiving the NYSUT letter I decided to contribute another $10 per month which will also be deducted from my pension benefit. I urge all members retired and active to contribute or join COPE as our dollars will go a long way in fighting the Battles to protect public education.
ReplyDeleteRick Mangone
Chapter Leader Lafayette HS
COPE is an issue for another posting Rich. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDelete"Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteRight. And ignore the fact that black males make up 7 percent of the population but 46 percent of the inmates.
Thursday, November 24, 2016 8:41:00 AM"
Is that a comment 'proving' black male criminality or a comment 'proving' the system is racist? Aren't black females about 7% of the population and about 7% of the inmates?
It seems to me that charter schools are going to take the biggest hit here. As they are still "public schools". They will now be competing with private schools. Look at it this way: Charter School A has to take in any kids that win their lottery. There are quite a few rowdy kids in these charter schools despite the hype. Private School B will now have lots of people lined up to use their 10,00 dollar government voucher. There will be a line of parents trying to get their kids in that school since it will only take in well behaved kids and can kick out the rowdy ones. At the end of the day, there are only so many private schools out there. Charter and district schools will still be educating the majority of kids in the USA for quite a long time. Yes, a few pop up schools will open but as the economy gets better, not many teachers will want to work for their Walmart pay and benefits. Charter schools already have a near 50% turnover rate and they, along with district schools are already facing a teacher shortage now. Once Trump gets sworn in, no college student in their right mind will want to become a teacher. Teacher prep programs are already shrinking. Trump will be the final nail in the coffin for future educators. For those of us veteran teachers, I truly believe we are the last of the career teachers this country will ever see.
ReplyDeleteTwo to four years to find another profession. Good luck with that. We could have had Bernie.
ReplyDeleteCorrect. It proves few of the people commit most of the crime. Black males. Which also happens to be our student body. Which explains the Neverending failure, through relaxed discipline code to as Lloyd them to get away with it. If the system was racist, blacks females would have a much higher prison rate.
ReplyDeleteNYT today did a good deconstruction of the charter/voucher plan. Said that choice is good in a city with plenty of transportation, but less likely in a non-urban area. Also, children need to be supervised and parents want their children taught by a teacher, not a computer. Even though they blew the election, what they said about schools made some sense.
ReplyDeleteYes everyone on the right predicted Trump would lose popular vote by 2 million votes but Trump would win because of elect oral college. NY Times and rest of msm really blew election.
ReplyDelete