"Hi. I've never had any administrative experience of any sort in a school system, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."
12 June 2007
Credentials? I don't need no stinking credentials.
"Hi. I've never had any administrative experience of any sort in a school system, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."
The Sell-Out
This morning Mayor Adrian Fenty unceremoniously dismissed DCPS Superintendent Clifford Janey and installed Michelle Rhee, whose classroom experience consists of three years teaching and whose administration experience consists of . . . well, nothing.
Much like we appoint absolute no-nothings to run major corporations and bring in total outsiders to perform surgery to escape the "medical industry establishment," Fenty has taken the bold move of placing a person whose major credential is that she runs a boutique teaching program that's the darling of the right-wing.
Rhee's New Teacher Project trains teachers for urban school districts, and that's a good thing. However, the other side of that coin is that Rhee's non-profit produces studies that blame teachers unions for making "it difficult for systems to get rid of poor teachers." This canard, one of the key talking points from libertarian and other elitist anti-education groups, functions on the notion that unions run the schools. If only it were so. For better or worse, administrators run the schools and are responsible for keeping poor teachers in the classroom: a diligent administrator who does his or her job supplies bad teachers with bad reviews and documents problems. Unions protect teachers -- good or bad -- who have good performance reviews. Unions ensure that due process is followed, even if under the Bush regime the notion of due process and rule of law are seen as "quaint notions."
As I have one child in the system and will soon have another, I hope Rhee succeeds, or at least doesn't do any more harm than has already been done. However, Janey should not be forgotten so easily. He implemented a much more rigorous curriculum and system of standardized testing, and as expected, scores dipped because everything became suddenly more difficult (which by the way is why the Post's series this week should be taken with a grain of salt: it relies heavily on test data from the previous year, a year in which the curriculum and tests changed: it was all new to the teachers and the students).
But I get ahead of myself. For those who think Fenty has brought in a breath of fresh air to the system, think again. It doesn't take long to watch the strands of the web appear:
*Kaya Henderson, the newly appointed deputy chancellor, once worked for Rhee at New Teacher Project and is currently on the board of EdBuild.
*EdBuild, most recently profiled by Colbert King, has received a 57.6 million dollar contract from the now more or less defunct Board of Education.
*Former Board of Education member Julie Mikuta left the board and shortly thereafter joined EdBuild, a "non-profit" whose sole purpose was to funnel DC's funds for school modernization into its well-connected founders' pockets.
*EdBuild's first president, Neil Albert, became the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development under Fenty.
What a tangled web we weave...
As for Rhee herself, consider this interesting quote that finishes up the Washington Post article:
In my limited understanding of English, I usually associate someone who does a job for the "long haul" with someone who does that for a "career," but I suppose that's the Old Speak, and then there's the curious notion that she seems to be blaming Janey for leaving so soon (his tenure coincidentally has only been 2.5 years), when it's pretty clear he was staying up until Fenty showed him the door.
I'm willing to bet that Fenty's shadow education agenda includes quick sell offs of valuable and irreplaceable school property to reap windfalls for connected local developers.
Much like we appoint absolute no-nothings to run major corporations and bring in total outsiders to perform surgery to escape the "medical industry establishment," Fenty has taken the bold move of placing a person whose major credential is that she runs a boutique teaching program that's the darling of the right-wing.
Rhee's New Teacher Project trains teachers for urban school districts, and that's a good thing. However, the other side of that coin is that Rhee's non-profit produces studies that blame teachers unions for making "it difficult for systems to get rid of poor teachers." This canard, one of the key talking points from libertarian and other elitist anti-education groups, functions on the notion that unions run the schools. If only it were so. For better or worse, administrators run the schools and are responsible for keeping poor teachers in the classroom: a diligent administrator who does his or her job supplies bad teachers with bad reviews and documents problems. Unions protect teachers -- good or bad -- who have good performance reviews. Unions ensure that due process is followed, even if under the Bush regime the notion of due process and rule of law are seen as "quaint notions."
As I have one child in the system and will soon have another, I hope Rhee succeeds, or at least doesn't do any more harm than has already been done. However, Janey should not be forgotten so easily. He implemented a much more rigorous curriculum and system of standardized testing, and as expected, scores dipped because everything became suddenly more difficult (which by the way is why the Post's series this week should be taken with a grain of salt: it relies heavily on test data from the previous year, a year in which the curriculum and tests changed: it was all new to the teachers and the students).
But I get ahead of myself. For those who think Fenty has brought in a breath of fresh air to the system, think again. It doesn't take long to watch the strands of the web appear:
*Kaya Henderson, the newly appointed deputy chancellor, once worked for Rhee at New Teacher Project and is currently on the board of EdBuild.
*EdBuild, most recently profiled by Colbert King, has received a 57.6 million dollar contract from the now more or less defunct Board of Education.
*Former Board of Education member Julie Mikuta left the board and shortly thereafter joined EdBuild, a "non-profit" whose sole purpose was to funnel DC's funds for school modernization into its well-connected founders' pockets.
*EdBuild's first president, Neil Albert, became the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development under Fenty.
What a tangled web we weave...
As for Rhee herself, consider this interesting quote that finishes up the Washington Post article:
"I'm not a career superintendent," Rhee said. "We see the harm that comes when people come in and in 2 1/2 years they're off to the next job after making 4 percent gains. I only took this job because I believe I can do it over the long haul."
In my limited understanding of English, I usually associate someone who does a job for the "long haul" with someone who does that for a "career," but I suppose that's the Old Speak, and then there's the curious notion that she seems to be blaming Janey for leaving so soon (his tenure coincidentally has only been 2.5 years), when it's pretty clear he was staying up until Fenty showed him the door.
I'm willing to bet that Fenty's shadow education agenda includes quick sell offs of valuable and irreplaceable school property to reap windfalls for connected local developers.
08 June 2007
Ticketmaster = Teh Evil
It's not like this tidbit is breaking news, but Ticketmaster is a grand example of the evils of monopoly power in any industry. I was browsing about for DC United tickets, and I discovered that you have to buy them through this criminal outfit (unless of course you can still buy them at the stadium in person), and it's true that pretty much any ticket you want to buy online for a major sporting event or concert goes through the abyss of shit known as Ticketmaster.
I remember the heady days when banks were trying out their new found power to charge you to take out your own money from ATMs, when fees were something like $1. Sounds quaint, right? At least the little competition that remains in the banking industry keeps those institutions from charging five or ten bucks a pop. With Ticketmaster, with no discernible competition or regulation in sight, you will find yourself being levied a "convenience charge" that would make a loanshark blush with shame.
For instance, I looked at the cheap seats for DC United. The published price is $18. Sure you're in the corner so pretty much you have a great view of the ass of the player taking the corner kick, but little else. Ticket-Disaster tacks a $4.65 charge on that ticket. Without getting too technical, that's roughly a 25% surcharge for the ticket. In what way is that convenient?
If you're an oldster as I am you remember Pearl Jam's ill-fated attempt to thwart the ticketbroker monopoly, and you'd be hard pressed to argue that their quixotic attempt didn't contribute to their descent from one of the more powerful bands of the 1990's to has-beens.
"I fought the law, and the law won."
FU, ticketmaster, FU.
I remember the heady days when banks were trying out their new found power to charge you to take out your own money from ATMs, when fees were something like $1. Sounds quaint, right? At least the little competition that remains in the banking industry keeps those institutions from charging five or ten bucks a pop. With Ticketmaster, with no discernible competition or regulation in sight, you will find yourself being levied a "convenience charge" that would make a loanshark blush with shame.
For instance, I looked at the cheap seats for DC United. The published price is $18. Sure you're in the corner so pretty much you have a great view of the ass of the player taking the corner kick, but little else. Ticket-Disaster tacks a $4.65 charge on that ticket. Without getting too technical, that's roughly a 25% surcharge for the ticket. In what way is that convenient?
If you're an oldster as I am you remember Pearl Jam's ill-fated attempt to thwart the ticketbroker monopoly, and you'd be hard pressed to argue that their quixotic attempt didn't contribute to their descent from one of the more powerful bands of the 1990's to has-beens.
"I fought the law, and the law won."
FU, ticketmaster, FU.
06 June 2007
Failing the test.
I'm certain the Bush faithful and the enemies of liberal education will be hooting and hollering over this study showing that test scores have improved under No Child Left Behind. However, it really shouldn't come as a surprise that a law that considers education to consist of two subjects (math and reading) measurable simply by standardized testing and enforces a draconian system of punishment for schools unable to meet the limiting standards would have such results: after all, central administration, principals, and teachers all understand that their schools' fates rise and fall based upon two tests in the spring. So out with enrichment activities and silly subjects like social studies and science (although only temporarily: science will be tested soon under NCLB guidelines), and in with more teaching to the test.
It is in fact the absolute worst concept of education ever devised: the notion that the education process can be summarized by any standardized test. At a time when universities are beginning to re-examine, re-prioritize, or simply rid themselves of SAT scores because it has become abundantly clear how flawed those assessments are, it seems counterintuitive that the Department of Education should be so enamored of standardized testing.
And then you realize how truly limited the BushCo institution is. For them, the world is divided into black and white, right and wrong, good and bad, and nothing is ever complicated, nuanced, or conflicted. Since everyone's given the same test, the theory goes, then the results are valid across all populations. Hmph. Isn't it pretty to think so?, as someone once wrote. It'd be nice and simple to be able to measure a school so easily. Unfortunately, those of us who operate in the real world understand that schools are not created equal and do not compete on level playing fields. Schools in which 70% of the students receive free or reduced lunch, in which a large percentage of the parents work two jobs and/or don't speak English as their primary language, and in which must devote significant chunks of their budget to security concerns are simply not playing with the same ball that wealthy, established, suburban school districts play with.
We should recognize this difference and take it into account. I for one believe that my son is better served in his current school, with all its faults, than he would be in one of the outlying schools or private schools in which diversity -- economic, racial, social -- is not lived but is rather a vaguely understood concept. However, they don't test that under NCLB. They don't insist that public schools in wealthy neighborhoods reach benchmarks on economic diversity so their students can understand that not everyone receives a car when he or she reaches the age of 16.
People might object to such a requirement as "social engineering." They'd be right, but they'd also be incorrect not to recognize the current testing regime as another form of social engineering that is producing its own "successes" inevitably in its structure.
It is in fact the absolute worst concept of education ever devised: the notion that the education process can be summarized by any standardized test. At a time when universities are beginning to re-examine, re-prioritize, or simply rid themselves of SAT scores because it has become abundantly clear how flawed those assessments are, it seems counterintuitive that the Department of Education should be so enamored of standardized testing.
And then you realize how truly limited the BushCo institution is. For them, the world is divided into black and white, right and wrong, good and bad, and nothing is ever complicated, nuanced, or conflicted. Since everyone's given the same test, the theory goes, then the results are valid across all populations. Hmph. Isn't it pretty to think so?, as someone once wrote. It'd be nice and simple to be able to measure a school so easily. Unfortunately, those of us who operate in the real world understand that schools are not created equal and do not compete on level playing fields. Schools in which 70% of the students receive free or reduced lunch, in which a large percentage of the parents work two jobs and/or don't speak English as their primary language, and in which must devote significant chunks of their budget to security concerns are simply not playing with the same ball that wealthy, established, suburban school districts play with.
We should recognize this difference and take it into account. I for one believe that my son is better served in his current school, with all its faults, than he would be in one of the outlying schools or private schools in which diversity -- economic, racial, social -- is not lived but is rather a vaguely understood concept. However, they don't test that under NCLB. They don't insist that public schools in wealthy neighborhoods reach benchmarks on economic diversity so their students can understand that not everyone receives a car when he or she reaches the age of 16.
People might object to such a requirement as "social engineering." They'd be right, but they'd also be incorrect not to recognize the current testing regime as another form of social engineering that is producing its own "successes" inevitably in its structure.
03 June 2007
Plan your summer evenings accordingly.
The Fort Reno schedule is up. If you've never been to Fort Reno, you need to get there. It's an entirely laid back scene appropriate for all ages, from little babies on up. Dogs, too. Many people choose to make a picnic dinner of it, spread out a blanket, and enjoy the evening.
You can, too.
You can, too.
01 June 2007
Displaced Desires
Anyone familiar with the debacle and corporate welfare giveaway that is the new baseball stadium would remember the story of the enterprising entrepreneurs who would be forced to relocate when the new stadium ate up their business locations: the strip clubs and sex shops etc.
Much hand-wringing occurred over the plight of these businesses that had managed to survive in the barren rock and debris around buzzard point, and by much I generally mean that a little lip service was given to how sad it was that these businesses were pretty much zoned out of any other place in the city (a far cry indeed from the early 1990's, when 14th Street still contained the remnants of a sleazy "adult entertainment" center) and would tut tut have to shutter their doors forever.
Then Ward One Councilmember Jim Graham came to the rescue with a bill that would allow these businesses to relocate to "commercial manufacturing zones," which he claims are located throughout the city, but for some reason Ward 5 has become the preferred proposed relocation site for these businesses.
This discrepancy between Graham's claim that these businesses could relocate throughout the city and the media attention on Ward 5 got me interested in what other locations these fine establishments might seek to inhabit. One thing I found was that not far from my house and directly across from the future Harris Teeter in Adams Morgan was one such zone, which surprised me, since the entire C-M-2 zone there is occupied by two story townhouses. I'm wondering what sort of commercial potential I might have purchasing one of those overpriced two up-two downs and turning it into a sex emporium. I might have some luck with the overflow from the Harris Teeter, but then again those places are so small I'm not sure I could do the volume I needed...
The best quote from the Post coverage comes from Kwame Brown, who like an athlete, has taken to referring to himself in the third person: "Kwame Brown does not want nudie bars next to residential homes."
I don't know. Does anyone know why Ward 5 seems to be the focus in this tale of displacement?
Much hand-wringing occurred over the plight of these businesses that had managed to survive in the barren rock and debris around buzzard point, and by much I generally mean that a little lip service was given to how sad it was that these businesses were pretty much zoned out of any other place in the city (a far cry indeed from the early 1990's, when 14th Street still contained the remnants of a sleazy "adult entertainment" center) and would tut tut have to shutter their doors forever.
Then Ward One Councilmember Jim Graham came to the rescue with a bill that would allow these businesses to relocate to "commercial manufacturing zones," which he claims are located throughout the city, but for some reason Ward 5 has become the preferred proposed relocation site for these businesses.
This discrepancy between Graham's claim that these businesses could relocate throughout the city and the media attention on Ward 5 got me interested in what other locations these fine establishments might seek to inhabit. One thing I found was that not far from my house and directly across from the future Harris Teeter in Adams Morgan was one such zone, which surprised me, since the entire C-M-2 zone there is occupied by two story townhouses. I'm wondering what sort of commercial potential I might have purchasing one of those overpriced two up-two downs and turning it into a sex emporium. I might have some luck with the overflow from the Harris Teeter, but then again those places are so small I'm not sure I could do the volume I needed...
The best quote from the Post coverage comes from Kwame Brown, who like an athlete, has taken to referring to himself in the third person: "Kwame Brown does not want nudie bars next to residential homes."
I don't know. Does anyone know why Ward 5 seems to be the focus in this tale of displacement?
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