Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Search for new superintendent

Anonymous wrote:

"New Post 
In search of Linda Lane's replacement: 

The Foundations and their leadership have begun their 'campaign' " to further advance the ambitious agenda that was started under Mark Roosevelt's tenure and nurtured so expertly by Linda Lane." http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/2015/09/08/Gregg-Behr-Pittsburgh-schools-must-continue-the-legacy-of-Linda-Lane/stories/201509080021 

They say that Ms. Lane's report card makes for "impressive reading", citing graduation rates, enrollment in post-secondary education, and retention rates for Pittsburgh Promise students. 

Does anyone care to make the case -while citing the evidence- why Ms. Lane's tenure has in fact failed to educate the children of Pittsburgh Public Schools? "

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

They want a "national" search. We all know that Donna Micheaux ( a Broadie) will be the next superintendent. They intend to keep on with the same old agenda even though it's a failure. I hope they aren't singing Lane's praises to try to get her to NOT retire. Good grief!

Anonymous said...

Good grief is right! The Post Gazette is singing her praises. The things the outsiders just don't know is really great example of bad journalism. The very worst thing that could happen to the people of Pittsburgh and of course, PPS, is to promote from within and carry on business as usual. The board can control insiders! Lane couldn't leave soon enough and please take her "leadership team" with her!

Anonymous said...

In response to question, facts related to any of Lane's successes, anything she has been credited with via the news has been done by people who no longer work for the district. Anyone running a story on the spectacular number of people who have left district in past one to two years? Nope, not a word!

Anonymous said...

Here is another good one...Lane quoted as saying she still wants to work, like teach or do leadership training with principals. Such a good idea considering she has never been a principal and has never done any leadership training with principals in PPS, nor facilitated or directed, planned, or developed any leadership training for principals in PPS or anywhere else. If that doesn't tell you who the real Linda Lane is then God help you and your brain.

Anonymous said...

PPS will hire her as another high paid "consultant." Watch and see. Remember Judy Johnston and her gig?

Anonymous said...

Correct me if I am wrong. Didn't Dr. Wallace and Dr. Faison both retain an office in the administration building after retirement? Didn't they both serve as consultants?
Linda Lane will no doubt serve as a consultant. Perhaps even serve (as a consultant) on the search team for her replacement. Probably be able to take a tax write-off for the expenses too. just sayin

Anonymous said...

Reform? How much does the union and the district pay THE WORST newspaper in the country to put out this dogeral-like prose? If this district were a Burger King, it would be shut down. Legacy? The word is infamy,not legacy. Is this a joke? I dare anyone to walk into Wobbly Westinghouse, Uprep what a name for a zoo, Morrow the horror, Perry the Pathetic, and any other school except CAPA, Sci-Tech, and Alderdice,and please stay in there all day for a month, and film it, write about it, send the pictures and prose off to a REAL NEWSPAPER.

Anonymous said...

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has in fact editorialized PPS's failure to educate it's children. "Disgrace" was it's chose of words. The above article on Linda Lane was the 'Perspective' of the CEO's of the Foundations that have invested into PPS over the years.

Opposing views make for good journalism.

Anyone care to submit an op-ed as a rebuttal or make the case for what is needed?

Anonymous said...

If Dr. Lane wants to "work" maybe she should go back to the classroom, particularly U-Prep or Perry and let's see how effective she can be! Walk the talk Dr. Lane.

Anonymous said...

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette works for PPS by making sure that they cover up stories for them. In addition, the Gazette and every other WKRP bush league media venue. This is what happens when a newspaper and district are run like Mayberry with Barney Fife at the helm. This paper is being currently investigated ethical violations. Furthermore, anyone who praises this district and its superintendent is either related to one of the two, getting paid by one of the two, or afraid of one of the two. The latter is the scariest, especially since the Gazette is ranked as one of the worst newspapers in the country, as well is as every other Pittsburgh newspaper. However, abuse of ethos at the media level will not continue, because Pittsburgh is a great town with extremely intelligent, very versatile, enormously talented people, who once Pittsburgh's infrastructure hits its apex "down goes Gazette and PPS, Down goes Gazette and PPS".

Anonymous said...

Sorry 11:11AM ____not one of the "extremely intelligent, very versatile, enormously talented people" have had the courage to construct a cohesive argument for the public as to why PPS has failed to educate it's children.

Period.

Anonymous said...

WANTED: Someone willing to make Pittsburgh Public Schools Great Again.
And yes It can be said and asked - is there a Trump-like individual out there in this beautiful city of ours who is willing to disrupt the status quo?

Anonymous said...

post that followed P-G article is right on the money!
J C19 hours ago
The taxpayers money will be wasted on a farcical nation wide search. The next super is most likely the Eli Broad trained deputy to Linda, just as she was the Broad trained heir to Roosevelt's reign of errors. Our schools have been infected with an Eli Broad & Bill Gates virus for quite some time.

Signs you school is infected : (if you take the time to read this lengthy post, please do some of your own research and help take our schools back, it has been done in other states)
1). Schools in your district are suddenly closed because they are "under-utilized," but smaller charter schools pop up in their place?
YES, has happened quite a bit, we sell our closed schools to charter schools for peanuts

2). Even top-performing schools, alternative and schools for the gifted, are inexplicably and suddenly targeted for closure or mergers?
Hello! Remember Schenley? All that big bad asbestos? ALL PPS schools are filled with it! We are not allowed to tack to walls in my school because we might release it. Hmm.

3). Repetition of the phrases “the achievement gap” and “closing the achievement gap” in district documents and public statements. Repeated use of the terms “excellence” and “best practices” and “data-driven decisions.” (Coupled with a noted absence of any proof.) The production of “data” that is false or cherry-picked, and then used to justify reforms.
Sound familiar?

4). Power is centralized. Decision-making is top down.
Yes, decisions being made do not reflect the will of the public.

5. Local autonomy of schools is taken away. Principals are treated like pawns by the superintendent, relocated, rewarded and punished at will. Culture of fear of reprisal develops in which teachers, principals, staff, even parents feel afraid to speak up against the policies of the district or the superintendent.
But you won't find news about it because they are afraid to speak up for fear of losing their jobs like their fellow staff members already have.

6. Sudden increase in number of paid outside consultants.
Read the board minutes please! One consultant is being paid $1800 per day!!! I don't think my neurosurgeon makes that much! And the district has gotten worse, my back got better! Lol

7. Teachers are no longer referred to as people, educators, colleagues, staff, or even “human resources,” but as “human capital.”
Oh, YES. We even receive email from directors of human capital & talent management

8. The district leadership declares that the single most significant problem in the district is suddenly: teachers!
The REAL money-suckers are those who are demanding "accountability" and blaming teachers while cashing their 6-figure paychecks. PPS has something like 8 deputy superintendents right now.

9. Teachers are no longer expected to be creative, passionate, inspired, but merely “effective.”
Yes. All that matters anymore is the student test scores.

10. Excessive amounts of testing introduced and imposed on your kids.

Anonymous said...

part 2
Signs your school is infected Part 2

11. Teach for America, Inc., novices are suddenly brought into the district, despite no shortage of fully qualified teachers.
YES! Teach for America tried and Linda was raging mad when that didn't pass. Also check out the bevy of bright young thing consultants over at Bellefield.

12. Strange data appears that seems to contradict what you know (gut level) to be true about your own district. There is a strange sense of sabotage going on.

13. A rash of AstroTurf groups appear claiming to represent “the community” or “parents” and all advocate for the same exact corporate reform that your superintendent supports — merit pay, standardized testing, charter schools, alternative credentialing for teachers. Of course, none of these are genuine grassroots community organizations.
Hello A+ schools, I'm talking to you. And what about all these butt-in-ski groups including the mayor going on record about who they think the next super should be? Gates money talks, he even flew Peduto to Seattle when PPS Union was protesting a little too much over new cut scores

14. Or, existing groups suddenly become fervidly in favor of teacher-bashing, merit pay or charter schools. Don’t be surprised to find that these groups receive money from corporate ed reform foundations like Gates or Broad.
Yes. Even our beloved urban league, Esther Bush, & Jake Wheatley are on the payroll

15. The superintendent receives the highest salary ever paid to a superintendent in your town’s history (plus benefits and car allowance) – possibly more than your mayor or governor — and the community is told “that is the national, competitive rate for a city of this size.”
Well probably pretty darn close, especially for someone with limited urban experience and no principal experience

16. Your school board starts to show signs of Stockholm Syndrome. They vote in lockstep with the superintendent. Apparently lobotomized by periodic “school board retreat/Broad training” sessions headed by someone from Broad, your school board stops listening to parents and starts to treat them as the enemy. (If you still have a school board, that is — Broad ideally prefers no pesky democratically elected representatives to get in the way of their supts and agendas.)
We ALL know only ONE guy EVER disagrees and they act like HE's crazy

17. Annual superintendent evaluation is overseen by a fellow named Tom Payzant
Don't know exactly who is evaluating that charlatan, but this guy is referenced in PG
Articles as someone who has given "expert advice" to PPS

18. A+ schools (or something like it) appears in town and claims to be grassroots. It may invite superintendent to be keynote speaker at a political fundraising event. It will likely lobby your state government for corporate ed reform laws.
Yep, and add penn can, students first, teach for America etc

19. The Gates Foundation gives your district grants for technical things related to STEM and/or teacher “effectiveness” or studies on charter schools.
Yep. Lots of strings attached to his money.

20. Local newspaper fails to report on much of this.
Yep. They all think Gates "generous benefactor" Pass the pitcher of kool-aid.

21. Local newspaper never mentions the words “Broad Foundation.”
Nope, but if you google it I promise you'll be alarmed

Questioner said...

Re # 2- Yep, it turned out that only the Schenley auditorium had any significant amount of asbestos in its plaster- but the auditorium of Peabody/Obama, where the IB program was moved, has a much HIGHER level of asbestos in its plaster.

But Superintendent Lane can say with a straight face “I really believe we send messages to our children about how much we care by the spaces we put them in. It’s another way to show we care.”

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2015/06/01/Grandview-teacher-wins-award-to-convert-closet-into-a-classroom/stories/201506010022

Questioner said...

=> another Broad hallmark- PR speak, always.