Showing posts with label Teachers College. Show all posts

Monday, September 2, 2013

So that's why Teacher College welcomes testing; other Pearson secrets, from Huffington Post

Alan Singer wrote in "The Huffington Post" September 4, 2012 "Pearson 'Education' -- Who Are These People?" that Pearson PLC the publishing magnate that has secured breath-taking influence over testing and curricular materials in New York State and beyond, has close connections with Teachers College Columbia University.
Recall that Thompson for Mayor campaign chairwoman Merryl Tisch was honored with being asked to speak at Teacher College's 2013 invocation, which occasioned Diane Ravitch's may 6, 2013 blogpost, "Teachers College to Honor Doyenne of High-Stakes Testing." TC's press release feting Dr. Tisch follows below this post.

"Susan Fuhrman, President of Teachers College-Columbia University is listed as a non-executive director of Pearson. As of February 29, 2012, she held 12,927 shares of Pearson stock valued at $240,000. As a non-executive director she also receives an annual fee of 65,000 or almost $100,000. Fuhrman has been a non-executive director since 2004 and has received fees and stock I estimate worth more than a million dollars, certainly a substantial sum, but not the $20 million I initially reported," wrote college professor Alan Singer in Huffington Post.

Pearson, powerful in the education field, American publishing, the Financial Times and the British Economist magazine.
To boot, from Wikipedia: the British corporation, "Pearson holds 47% in Penguin Random House, the world's largest consumer book publisher, and 50% stake in the Economist Group, the publishing group which specialises in international business. Pearson has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange."
Singer goes on to name the most powerful names behind the mysterious mighty Pearson:
Glen Moreno (Chairman of Pearson)
Dame Marjorie Morris Scardino (born in Arizona a mere American commoner, before moving to Britain and somehow getting the title of "Dame") -who saved Pearson at the turn of the century from being a "basket case" http://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/mar/09/pearson.city
She was replaced as Pearson CEO a month after Singer's Huffington Post piece. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/business/media/scardino-ceo-of-pearson-to-step-down.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1353416506-jFFHYW5vCZm1S6CATWdNRQ&_r=1&
2002 PBS Frontline story on the big four in testing back in the industry's relative 2002 infancy: The Testing Industry's Big Four: Profiles of the four companies that dominate the business of making and scoring standardized achievement tests.
(The Big Four of American Education Testing: Harcourt Educational Publishing (Market share: 40 percent of test-design market), CTB McGraw-Hill (Market share: 40 percent of test-design market), Riverside Publishing (Market share: 20 percent of test-design market), NCS Pearson (Market position: Leading scorer of standardized tests))

The Libyan Dictatorship Partially Owns the Company Scoring Your Kids' Standardized Tests (corroborated in Singer's article) http://www.truth-out.org/buzzflash/commentary/item/10561-the-libyan-dictatorship-partially-owns-the-company-scoring-your-kids-standardized-tests

Interesting aside from Dan DiMaggio of Truth-Out: ("Anecdote: The testing industry has grown so fast and been so desperate for workers that they even re-hired my friend Todd Farley after he published a must-read book, Making the Grades: My Misadventures in the Standardized Testing Industry, in which he denounces the entire industry based on his fourteen years scoring and designing tests.")

United Opt Out: BOYCOTT PEARSON NOW http://unitedoptout.com/boycott-pearson-now/

Diane Ravitch blogpost: Does Pearson Own American Education? UPDATE!

TEACHER COLLEGE'S PRESS RELEASE, FETING DR. MERRYL TISCH, CHAIRWOMAN OF THOMPSON FOR MAYOR, CHANCELLOR OF NEW YORK STATE BOARD OF REGENTS:

“TC alumna Merryl Tisch, Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents. Tisch will speak at the first master’s degree ceremony on May 21st, which starts at 9:30 a.m. As Chancellor, Tisch, a former first-grade teacher, has championed public education as “the greatest civic and civil liberties issue of our time.” She galvanized the state’s bid to receive federal Race to the Top funding, helping persuade teachers unions and other players to commit to increased charter school development and creation of a system that substantially based a teacher’s performance evaluation on students’ test scores. She has spearheaded creation of a statewide data system that ties student performance to specific teacher input – and to the school of education that prepared that teacher. On her watch, the state has provided annual $2 million grants to low-performing schools that have a demonstrated plan for turn-around. And she has expanded teacher preparation beyond the standard range of players and perspectives, leading the way in accrediting new preparation programs housed in museums and other non-traditional venues.”

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Who Is Destroying Public Education in New York State?

From Diane Ravitch's blog, August 7, 2013

Carol Burris, principal of the year in New York state, has written a devastating critique of the leadership of New York state.

Let’s name names.

State Commissioner of Education John King (who taught for 2 or 3 years and founded a “no-excuses” charter chain that has a high suspension rate) chose to set the passing mark on the new tests so high that the failure rate was certain to soar.

NY Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch, with her appointee, NYSED Commissioner John King, at the historic 8/7/13 NYS Common Core-based test score announcement. Note her straight face, despite the context of being close to people ensconced in the Education Commercialization Complex.
Merryl Tisch, chair of the New York Board of Regents, selected John King (he was in her cohort in a quickie doctorate program at Teachers College) and has supported his every step in setting the bar so high that large numbers of students would not reach it. Tisch is a billionaire who has a hard time imagining what the lives of other people are like. She once, many years ago, taught kindergarten in a religious school. When she was recently honored by Teachers College at its commencement ceremonies, many of the students and faculty protested and wore signs that said “Not a test score.” [Note: the College's President, Susan Fuhrman, is a non-executive director at Pearson PLC, earning about $100,000, and owns $240,000 in the company's stock.]

[Note that Tisch is Chairwoman of Thompson for Mayor; she is Chancellor of the New York State Regents, the body which appointed John King who imposed the draconian teacher evaluation system on New York City, probably the toughest in the state; she has been an endorser of the inBloom online database of student information; she has family connections to the online education system, K12, for homeschoolers and a charter school.]

King and Tisch seem determined to destroy public confidence in public education, to demoralize teachers and principals, and to crush students’ love of learning by making testing the only consequential aspect of their schooling.

Long before the new tests were given to students, state officials predicted that the passing rates would drop dramatically.

Why? Because they want it to.

Merryl Tisch said it was time to jump into the deep end of the pool (meaning that students, whether or not they know how to swim, should jump into the deep end and drown if they can’t swim); Dennis Walcott, New York City’s chancellor (with no educational experience, although he allegedly taught briefly in a daycare program 30 years ago) said it was “time to rip the band-aid off.” Meaning, it is time for students to suffer. Remember, folks, these are the people who are in charge of education in the state and the city. Merryl Tisch has been a member of the Board of Regents since 1996. For 17 years, she has been in a decision-making role in the state. Yet, they shrug off all accountability for themselves.

They made the tests so “hard” that many students who were previously proficient will now qualify for remedial services; the students and their parents will be devastated.

Parents, teachers, principals, and school boards should understand one simple fact: The passing mark on the state tests was politically determined. It has no scientific validity. None whatever.

The best response to the new Gradgrind regime is to opt out of testing next year.

Join other parents. Join organizations like United Opt-Out. Join the Network for Public Education to stay informed.
Say no. Say it loud. Say it often.

Postscript: We can add Governor Andrew Cuomo and his bipartisan crowd in his Education Reform Commission, from Geoff Decker, Gotham Schools: "[CUNY chancellor Matthew] Goldstein, who along with [AFT president Randi] Weingarten sits on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Education Reform Commission, gave the maximum $4,950 to Republican candidate Joe Lhota [former MTA head, and deputy mayor to previous mayor Rudolph Giuliani], a member of CUNY’s Board of Trustees."

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Sign the Petition: Terminate Comm. John King's Employment

New York State Board of Regents: Terminate the Employment of State Education Commissioner, John King

2. Petition by
  Coalition for Justice in Education

PETITION TO TERMINATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF NYS EDUCATION COMMISSIONER, JOHN KING
(references substantiating each charge available at www.coalitionforjusticeineducation.com)

John King has served as New York State Commissioner of Education since 2011. During his tenure, the quality of education in NY has continued to decline; particularly in poor and rural districts.

1 The Commissioner’s solutions rely upon blindly accepting NCLB, RTTT and Common Core policies and implementing more high-stakes, standardized testing for evaluation of students and teachers,

2 implementation of an untested national curriculum,

3 undemocratic corporate management strategies for operating schools,

4 more privatization of schools

5 and insistence that poverty-related conditions are not an excuse for low student achievement.

6 Furthermore, Commissioner King: · Refuses to lend credibility to staff and community-voiced concerns that much of Common Core curriculum and testing is developmentally inappropriate for students, and that NYS teachers received no significant training for the implementation of Common Core,

7 Refuses to allow meaningful dialogue about Common Core tests by imposing a “gag order” on teachers and administrators, preventing them from discussing test questions among themselves or with students,

8 Supports policy to allow private corporate vendors to have access to personal student data, without parental consent, for the purpose of marketing educational services,

9 and ·Remains silent on the stress-related suffering by many students taking recent Common Core tests,

10 Promotes the reduction of the reading of fiction in favor of an increase in informational texts (50% informational texts in elementary school, and 70% for 12th grade readings by 2014)

11 with the generally predicted impact of a further reduction in the joy of reading and learning for all students especially those with learning challenges,

12 Continues to advocate more high-stakes, standardized testing, despite research concluding that it is ineffective for motivating students and increasing their learning,

13· Continues to ignore positive research results for the use of performance-based assessment, such as portfolios, performances, presentations and exhibitions, by more NYS schools,

14· Advocates for more closings and privatization of low-performing schools,

15 despite research indicating that charter schools are generally less effective than public schools,

16 and promote more racial and class-based segregation,

17 and create negative impact on community morale, motivation and development,

18· Advocates the use of poorly designed, ineffective corporate strategies, such as APPR, which de-professionalize teaching,

19 We, the undersigned, strongly believe that New York State’s education reform agenda is fundamentally flawed and must be re-directed in a humanistic, research-based manner; directly counter to the direction Commissioner King has taken. New York State children, parents and teachers need an education commissioner who passionately supports and actively works for:
· De-concentrating the impact of poverty in classrooms and schools,
· Institutionalizing performance-based assessments,
· Ending the obsessive use of high-stakes, standardized testing,
· Developing creative, alternative curriculum, assessments and schools,
· Assisting poverty-stricken, low-performing schools through collaboration with teachers, parents community members and students, rather than through closures and privatization,
· Ending corporate reform,
· Using school practitioners and constructivist-oriented consultants for developing and implementing curriculum & assessments,
· Implementing a moratorium on the Common Core Curriculum,
· Transforming the NYSED to serve as helpful consultants to schools and school districts, rather than enforcers of top-down policies that are disrespectful to teachers and harmful to students.

Therefore, we, the undersigned respectfully urge the NYS Board of Regents to terminate the employment of John King as NYS Education Commissioner, and immediately search for, and hire a candidate who strongly reflects the characteristics described above.

Cent. NY English Teacher's Lament: 'I am a teacher, and I am tired'

By Savanna Kucerak, English teacher, Homer C.S.D., as published by NYSUT:

"I am a teacher, and I am tired"

Tired of coming home every night angry, abused, and insulted.

Tired of being treated as a child, as a robot, as a stepping stone for politician$ and publi$hing companie$ to make more money.

Tired of ignorance littering the air: “the Common Core is an exciting time in education!” or “APPR is just showing off the wonderful work you already do!”

Tired of being told to “wait it out,” that the “pendulum will swing the other way eventually” while witnessing the casualties pile up — casualties with names and dreams and futures and the RIGHT to the BEST EDUCATION we can give them.

Tired of being afraid to stand up for what I know is right for our kids and our country because I am afraid of losing my job and being unable to pay my bills.

Tired of my superiors being afraid to stand up for what they know is right for our kids and our country because they, too, are afraid of losing their livelihood.

Tired of wanting to be better, volunteering to do additional work, and watching helplessly as any progress I have made is brushed aside by the newest educational reform acronym.

Tired of being told, “Ohh, sorry, but my hands are tied,” accompanied by a half smile, a shrug of the shoulders.

Tired of spending hours of my life documenting and sorting and filing instead of revising and learning and improving.

Tired of wasting taxpayer money on binders and tabs and computer paper and ink.

Tired of being a taxpayer, watching as my money is spent on binders and tabs and computer paper and ink instead of STUDENTS and STUDENTS and STUDENTS and STUDENTS.

Tired of paying my student loan bills and nostalgically remembering that I chose to be a teacher, that I wanted to teach, blissfully ignorant of what lay ahead.

Tired of my two degrees and experience and individuality being ignored and devalued.

Tired of knowing what’s best for my students, but being told NOT to do it.

Tired of telling the best and brightest young people NOT to be teachers — and meaning it.

Tired of being told that if I love literature, then I’d better choose another profession.

Tired of Googling “what can I do besides teach?” only to close out of the browser every time, knowing there is nothing I’d be better at or love more than what was formerly known as “teaching.”

Tired of living in a country where my dream job no longer exists – where “teacher” is now synonymous with data-collector, test-prepper, script-reader, automaton.

Tired of grappling with the notion that I now have a job instead of a life or even a career.

Tired of disillusionment poisoning even the best of days.

Tired of telling my students that they will be heard if they support their arguments with evidence, yet knowing in my heart that that is a lie.

Tired of worrying about my own future children, who will either be numbers under this developing “educational” system – or dealing with the wreckage of a failed, expensive national tragedy in which all the best teachers have either abandoned this sinking ship or remain on board as empty shells, whispered voices, gasping for air.

I am tired, but I am still here – and there are many of me.

Join us. Say something. Do something.

Our collective future depends on it.”

S.I. parents chafing under the Common Core perversion of curriculum

The Common Core - that's that toxic result of ill-minded state and federal policy plus a tone-deaf collaborationist union leadership.

"My son made a comment to me the other day. He asked, 'Did I become stupid?'" said his father, James Hardison. "We're supposed to be inspiring students, and giving them what they need to be successful. For a 10-year-old child to feel discouraged like this, something is not right." --from SILive.com, 3/28/13, powered by the Staten Island Advance.

Culture of testing takes a toll on Staten Island pupils and their families (photos/video). [Ed.: It's not mere testing, it's testing to support the Common Core, foisted upon America by the unelected, non-educator, David Coleman.]

MORE -Our working conditions are our students' learning conditions

Check Out New Yorker's App on Inequality and the Subway

This cool app at the New Yorker's website, "Inequality and New York's Subway," takes each MTA subway/elevated line and matches stations with U.S. Census-provided household income.

The results are stark. Along the 6 train in the upper half of Manhattan, the results vary from over $150,000 to under $25,000.

New York City has a problem with income inequality. And it’s getting worse—the top of the spectrum is gaining and the bottom is losing. Along individual subway lines, earnings range from poverty to considerable wealth. The interactive infographic here charts these shifts, using data on median household income, from the U.S. Census Bureau, for census tracts with subway stations.