Sunday, May 27, 2012

"How billionaires rule our schools"

http://dissentmagazine.org/article/?article=3781 (Winter 2011)

20 comments:

Questioner said...

How many regular citizens understood in advance that PPS was getting involved with Broad and what that means?

Anonymous said...

I am unsure if concerned citizens and even employees really get how Broad-Gates has dictated PPS. I don't see an end.

Anonymous said...

Did PPS have a ethical obligation to let me know as a tax payer what they were getting into?

Anonymous said...

Please, let's keep this topic in the forefront !

http://ugotnerve.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/teacher-abuse-is-real-and-rampant-but-more-and-more-of-us-are-standing-up/

teacher Abuse is REAL and rampant!!!

Anonymous said...

Scary

Scary what three coporate foundations can do with money, very undemocratic.

Anonymous said...

I watched the Board meeting from May 23rd and cannot believe that many of the ELECTED board members have no concern regarding the spending of $513,000 to have an outside consulting firm come into 3 of our schools to just implement taylor made routines! when French and Lippert were pressed on the issue by Dr. Holley and Mr. Brentley their repsonses were vague at best.
I understand that Success Schools is being paid for through a grant and that grant money cannot be used to hire teachers, but I am pretty sure there are other ways to spend that half million dollars to improve our schools.
If central administration is so good and compentent, why aren't their principals capable of handling behavior and routines in our schools? Instead, upper administration allows principals to blame teachers for behavior issues. When will principals be held accountable for the school environment?
Sorry to keep venting but it is absolutely sickening to keep seeing the decision makers "pawning" off their jobs to consulting companies!

Anonymous said...

The answers about money and where it is coming from were also 'hedged' by P. Camarda and J. French.

Their answers are rarely clear and straightforward.

The deceptive practices at Central Office are beyond anything ever witnessed in Pittsburgh Public Schools.

They are shamelessly arrogant, condescending, self- absorbed, and without competence as administrators responsible for more than 25,000 students.

Watch the meetings online.

Anonymous said...

What student in their right mind would major in education only to be targeted, abused, and possibly fired by 3 years of teaching?!?

Anonymous said...

Watch the May Agenda Review and listen to Jan Ripper's response to Colaizzin questions about what was to be accomplished by Success Schools. Some one should put out a transcript. It makes NO sense.

Anonymous said...

@ Anon 11:04

A couple of kinds of young people -- those who aren't plugged in enough to realize what's going on. That's a pretty big percentage, particularly at smaller state schools among education grads.

They hope that instead they'll get students who want to try their hand at it for a few years -- and then move along, preferably to jobs where they can tell people how to teach with their vast experience.

The third kind may be the saddest -- they really think that it will be different for them. They'll be just like those teachers in movies. They won't be mean, burned out, angry teachers and they'll turn around the lives of every child in their class (and probably a few more they just see in the hall.)

A few of the last group will at least stick around long enough to learn from the more experienced teachers and do well. Then...will you know what will happen to them then. :-p

Anonymous said...

Jan Ripper said that Success Schools (now at Clayton) will be used at the three schools as a "WHOLE SCHOOL MODEL."

Jan Ripper is Director of Student Services. The "services" offered by Success Schools (quoted from their brochure) are as follows:

"POPULATIONS SERVED:


- Alternative Education


- Special Needs Students


- Overage Students


- Underachieving & Undercredited Students


- Students with Disruptive/Disciplinary Issues



SERVICE OPTIONS:


- Alternative Education & Residential Schools


- Dropout Recovery/Prevention Programs


- Independent & Partnership Charter Schools


- School-within-a-School Programs


- Residential Juvenile Justice Programs


- Job Training & Career Readiness Programs


- Training and Consultation Services"



Jan Ripper said that this is a "WHOLE SCHOOL MODEL". "The question that must answered by Linda Lane, C. Otuwa and Jan Ripper is:

HOW do these "populations", "services", and "options" apply to University Prep at Milliones? and WHY?

Furthermore, tell us HOW these programs fit Faison and King and WHY?

Does anyone at CO know what they are doing and why?

Anonymous said...

What is Jan Ripper's role in our successful schools?

Do CAPA and Sci-Tech and Obama and Allderdice use the "behavior modification" techniques used by Success Schools?

Then why do UPrep, Faison, and King need these Skinnerian and Pavlovian techniques to shape children into mindlessness?

When teachers and administrators must resort to such methods to operate a school, its time they find another 'life's work'!

Anonymous said...

It does seem like Success Schools may be treading new ground for King and Faison. This wouldn't be a situation where Success is using PPS to design new offerings or build a division to serve these grade levels? Tsk, tsk. Maybe Success should pay PPS for the chance to expand its reach to these lower grade levels.

Anonymous said...

No, Success Schools is smart. They have a huge district run by people who have a very limited view of the potential in children. SS is taking advantage of that to build a reputation for themselves.

They hit pay dirt when Central Administration of such a large District does not have the skills or leadership or knowledge to lead schools in ways that enhance opportunities and futures for urban children.

This SS program will prepare them for nothing but a life of servitude and even prison life, God forbid.

Anonymous said...

You should have heard Lane on PBR. I am so sick of hearing effective teachers, how about effective administration, maybe she should be an effective superintendent. She was very far from being effective at Westinghouse. She has NO Clue.
She is not effective about anything except spending money and getting rid of teachers and PR.

Send her back to Iowa!

Anonymous said...

Jan ripper is positioning herself for a consulting job. There is a rumor that she is retiring in the fall. She will probably move right I to one of these Gates positions.

Anonymous said...

I have a question and maybe someone on this blog can help.....How can the leaders of our district in good faith hire ITL 2's and other additional "career ladder" positions with large pay raises when hundreds of teachers will be furloughed? I mean teachers can potentially lose their means of income for a period of time and the district leaders are still hiring career ladder positions!! In theory, the career ladder positions seem like a great idea but lets face it, this district has a track record of failing at things such as these career ladder positions. The ITL 2's will be paid and additional $11,000 per year and all of us know that the ITL 2 people will struggle to be successful (no fault of their own)because the leaders will change their job description many times, force them to be the principals "assistant" because it is cheaper to have ITL2's rather than an Assistant principal. People are extremely naive if they believe the career ladder positions will increase student achievement and close the achievement gap. I am comfortable in stating that most teachers will agree that smaller class sizes in the "neediest" schools would have a greater impact rather than having a career ladder individual such as an ITL 2.
Please inform me if I am incorrect in my assumption of the "career ladder" positions and wasting of funds that could be spent elsewhere. Thank you fellow PPS teachers.

Anonymous said...

"This SS program will prepare them for nothing but a life of servitude and even prison life, God forbid."

Sad to say Prisons are big money makers for private companies and consultants. See the common theme?

Anonymous said...

This is extremely frightening. Pittsburgh is nothing more than a pawn. I wonder how many school board members did their research before inviting this in. I have heard from many other people in other districts that they knew better than to invite this trouble and didnt even consider Gates money. Seems to me this is a rolling snowball gaining momentum that they can not stop now. Was there a timeline for how long they will be invested in the system? I can't remember... Perhaps the media needs to print the truth but oh wait they are being paid off. I often wondered why they never reported the truth. and now the media prints askewed view on seniority creating a frenzied teacher witch hunt.and then theres the whole you only work 182 days. Um no teachers work 192 days.and noone has ever stopped andcounted there own days with there 3-4 week vacation time. The average profesional works 228 days minus about 7-10 holidays. and they are paid in the summer... my response ...then go back to school and become a teacher. in the urban city that is... sorry rantning. tired of the witch hunt.. tired of the complaining about the scores etc.. when much is out of the teachers hands.. how many people know about the scripted curriculum? so who is to blame? Yes Vam teachers based upon a scripted curriculm that they have zerocontrol over. and an error ridden one at that doomed and set up to fail!!! and further more what other profession requires you to go back to school beyond a bachelors degree?Will Gates be eliminating that since apparenlty people do not need to finish their education. Shouldn't he lead by example?

Anonymous said...

ANONYMOUS 8:58...I couldn't have said it better myself!..Teachers are being evaluated based on a controlled curriculum that was either written or supervised by our Bellefield leaders! The elementary level implemented a "mix curriculum (everyday math & Envisions) two years ago and now with very little notice, the 5th grade will now have a new curriculum (Connected math)! and of course when it fails, the principals will be putting teachers on EIP's. How in the world can these leaders justify changing this curricul so fast. I mean the teachers just learned a new one a year or two ago and all of a sudden BAM! the 5th grade teachers have to learn a new one. Not only are the teachers being set up for failure, the students have been getting comfortable with the "Mixed Curriculum" and now they have to learn another routine/system. therefore, the students are also being set up for failure! Come on parents please start expressing your concerns in public! Your children are being set up for failure by these so called "leaders."