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As stated in the Post Gazette article representatives of StudentsFirst will be at the meeting. Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor of D.C. public schools and a Broad disciple, is CEO of StudentsFirst. It is said that Eli Broad provides financial support to StudentsFirst.
Regardless of who is providing the forum for a meeting, Randall Taylor (who is involved in organizing the meeting) has made it clear that he is not a supporter of the current Broad approach. A discussion and debate of different approaches can be helpful. Who knows, maybe Broad can be converted to a different way of thinking! Word is however that the emphasis of the meeting will be plans for East End schools, especially Westinghouse and Peabody.
Based only on memory i would not be surprised if Mr. Taylor favored charters or at least a version that would allow some schools to secede from the district.
I enjoy political posturing. With all due respect to Mr.Taylor, this is an insult to teachers everywhere. Then again, I don't ever remember Mr.Taylor being an advocate for teachers when his voice DID matter.
Even people who generally prefer regular public schools may see a role for charters, if only to keep school districts on their toes.
For example, while people did not seem to feel strongly one way or another about most of the 22 school closings 5 years ago, Hazelwood residents came out in force explaining why Burgwin school should not be closed. The district closed it anyway. A charter school might be a very positive option for that neighborhood.
As the article explains, assignment to the gender academies is not optional- students east of Negley will default to Westinghouse unless their parents notify the district that they object, and their options are not great- space permitting the response will be to send students to U Prep/ Milliones, which is inconvenient and facing problems of its own. It does not seem that Ms. Rhee is involved w/ this issue.
I wouldn't do anything that Rhee suggested either -- but she DID NOT come to this meeting!
Read the news reports of the meeting to see what happened. Randall, if you're reading, please comment on the presence of Students First representatives at the meeting, too.
The meeting was really all about VOUCHERS. There were more questions than answers.
None of us can afford to let our public schools fail.
Vouchers are a solution for ONLY a very FEW people.
Agreed that our public schools are NOT serving the majority of Pittsburgh children, HOWEVER, that is where we MUST focus attention and support___and DEMAND better for our children___WHATEVER IT TAKES.
The organization I am partnering with is STUDENTS FIRST PA. They are completely separate and unaffiliated with Michelle Rhee's Students First, how they have the same name you have to ask them.
I share as many reservations about Michelle Rhee as Mark Roosevelt. She cost a good man Adrian Fenty, former mayor of Wash. DC, his job.
This meeting was co-sponsored by Students First PA. They funded our effort through printing costs and the hiring of outreach workers to advertise the meeting. The meeting was an hour and a half. We spoke first about the voucher proposal in Harrisburg. We then moved on to issues in Homewood. We spoke about the current state of Faison, the new program??, and a few horror stories. WE then turned to the history of Westinghouse fiasco.
I asked group about a campaign to opt-out of Westinghouse. This would be done when District seeks to gain, by law, the permission of parents to send their child to single gender we call on parents to say no. I would not say do not send your child to Westinghouse, but if only 25 students sign up the District has a problem. They would be forced to come to community to ask what could be done to have your children opt back in? We will say the community would like to contract with successful educators in communities like Homewood to design a comprehensive pre-K-12 education philosophy and plan for Homewood. We will emphasize the designers will be educators with a proven track record of success educating children in communities like Homewood. No more experiments!
I just went to their website. The first thing you see is support for school choice. Anyone or any organization that supports choice and/or vouchers is no friend of public education.
What's your point, Questioner. A kid was murdered--executed--on a quiet street near Carrick five or six years ago. A couple others were wounded. It can happen anywhere, and at any time. Again, I read a report that the gender academies are school-within-a-school set ups at Westinghouse. Why am I not reading that here?
Mr.Taylor, again, you had your chance to be a teacher advocate when you were on the board. I don't recall you being a proponent of teachers. It would seem to me that your comment here would have made local media, after all, Rhee and Broad have been firebrands on all of the national networks.
Well, let's say I'm a parent deciding where to send my kid to school and there is no neighborhood option. Am I more comfortable with my kid being assigned to a location where there was a murder 5 or 6 years ago, or to a location where there are murders on an almost weekly basis? In which case am I more likely to seek a non-PPS alternative? If I am an administrator- which of these scenarios is more likely to raise a red flag about mixing neighborhoods which have had issues?
As for a school within a school- PPS can call arrangements anything they want, but we have not seen the board sign off on a school within a school. What they voted on was a school that would offer both single gender and mixed classes. If as explained the plan is to make core classes and some electives single gender, it is no different than what has been going on at the existing Westinghouse for two years now.
First of all, it's not neighborhoods that have the issues, it's the drug dealers from those neighborhoods that want to control their own turfs. Anyone who has been involved in the schools for more than a few years laughs at the notion that it is all about where one lives. Of course, the problem is for those that get caught in the crossfire. Carrick has this problem. Allderdice has this problem. Oliver has this problem. Why is it such a surprise that the board is implementing the east end model at Westinghouse? The best thing a school can do is to ensure that no drug activity takes place on its grounds or in its corridors. Dealers and their associates simply don't see school as profitable anymore and by junior and senior year, aren't coming to school. A school can keep an organized approach in the halls and remain vigilant at all costs.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of drug activity on the grounds or in the corridors of Westinghouse, but the statistics show higher levels of violence in the streets around the school- which is enough to make many parents look for other alternatives.
Can you elaborate on your comments on June 23rd 4:42? If you didn't know the connection it will be difficult to understand since I am a mom that googled it.
This is a direct link with Rhee and more Broad. Also, was Derrick Lopez involved?
Per Randall Taylor the organization that helped sponsor the Westinghouse meetng has no connection with Michelle Rhee or her Student First organization.
35 comments:
As stated in the Post Gazette article representatives of StudentsFirst will be at the meeting. Michelle Rhee, former Chancellor of D.C. public schools and a Broad disciple, is CEO of StudentsFirst. It is said that Eli Broad provides financial support to StudentsFirst.
Regardless of who is providing the forum for a meeting, Randall Taylor (who is involved in organizing the meeting) has made it clear that he is not a supporter of the current Broad approach. A discussion and debate of different approaches can be helpful. Who knows, maybe Broad can be converted to a different way of thinking! Word is however that the emphasis of the meeting will be plans for East End schools, especially Westinghouse and Peabody.
Who will be presenting the information on plans for East End School, especially Westinghouse and Peabody?
It's a shame that Randall had to resign to make his point.
Michelle Rhee? I will not touch anything she is associated with.
This meeting will be about charter schools.
Too bad.
So you'd rather let someone come in and not be challenged? This throwing up the hands attitude is part of why things are so bad.
PURE Reform may not have changed anything yet...but at least they maintain a place where things are talked about and argued.
Going to a local meeting isn't going to give Rhee a foothold here. Especially if people at that meeting challenge the "Students First" agenda.
Based only on memory i would not be surprised if Mr. Taylor favored charters or at least a version that would allow some schools to secede from the district.
I enjoy political posturing.
With all due respect to Mr.Taylor, this is an insult to teachers everywhere.
Then again, I don't ever remember Mr.Taylor being an advocate for teachers when his voice DID matter.
Even people who generally prefer regular public schools may see a role for charters, if only to keep school districts on their toes.
For example, while people did not seem to feel strongly one way or another about most of the 22 school closings 5 years ago, Hazelwood residents came out in force explaining why Burgwin school should not be closed. The district closed it anyway. A charter school might be a very positive option for that neighborhood.
Does any of this involve the new Derrick Lopez position?
Michelle Rhee makes Roosevelt and Lane look like capable, honest and kind people.
She is poison.
Repost of a link in a different thread. It belongs here too.
Do NOT be fooled by any shade of Broad. I am not a teacher, I am a Mom.
http://www.schoolsmatter.info/2011/06/duncan-supports-snyders-privatization.html
Mr. Taylor,
Do not bring more layers of Broad into Pittsburgh.
Excuse me,.... Mr. Taylor
From the PG, an article about an option discussed at the meeting in response to dissatisfaction about plans for Westinghouse:
"Parents told to reject enrolling their kids at the new Westinghouse"
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11173/1155348-298.stm
I thought that the gender academy issue was optional. As such, what is Taylor talking about, and why bring someone like Rhee into town.
Mr.Taylor, what can you be thinking?
As the article explains, assignment to the gender academies is not optional- students east of Negley will default to Westinghouse unless their parents notify the district that they object, and their options are not great- space permitting the response will be to send students to U Prep/ Milliones, which is inconvenient and facing problems of its own. It does not seem that Ms. Rhee is involved w/ this issue.
I wouldn't do anything that Rhee suggested either -- but she DID NOT come to this meeting!
Read the news reports of the meeting to see what happened. Randall, if you're reading, please comment on the presence of Students First representatives at the meeting, too.
The meeting was really all about VOUCHERS. There were more questions than answers.
None of us can afford to let our public schools fail.
Vouchers are a solution for ONLY a very FEW people.
Agreed that our public schools are NOT serving the majority of Pittsburgh children, HOWEVER, that is where we MUST focus attention and support___and DEMAND better for our children___WHATEVER IT TAKES.
PPS
The organization I am partnering with is STUDENTS FIRST PA. They are completely separate and unaffiliated with Michelle Rhee's Students First, how they have the same name you have to ask them.
I share as many reservations about Michelle Rhee as Mark Roosevelt. She cost a good man Adrian Fenty, former mayor of Wash. DC, his job.
This meeting was co-sponsored by Students First PA. They funded our effort through printing costs and the hiring of outreach workers to advertise the meeting.
The meeting was an hour and a half. We spoke first about the voucher proposal in Harrisburg. We then moved on to issues in Homewood. We spoke about the current state of Faison, the new program??, and a few horror stories. WE then turned to the history of Westinghouse fiasco.
OPT-OUT OF WESTINGHOUSE
I asked group about a campaign to opt-out of Westinghouse. This would be done when District seeks to gain, by law, the permission of parents to send their child to single gender we call on parents to say no. I would not say do not send your child to Westinghouse, but if only 25 students sign up the District has a problem. They would be forced to come to community to ask what could be done to have your children opt back in? We will say the community would like to contract with successful educators in communities like Homewood to design a comprehensive pre-K-12 education philosophy and plan for Homewood. We will emphasize the designers will be educators with a proven track record of success educating children in communities like Homewood. No more experiments!
Yesterday a 15 year old boy was shot in mid day on Frankstown; today there was another incident with shots fired:
http://www.wpxi.com/news/28337248/detail.html
This is not the time to assign students from other neighborhoods to go to Westinghouse.
I went to the website for students first PA.
http://www.studentsfirstpa.com/links.html
Waiting For Superman (Michelle Rhee) has a direct link.
No more.
I just went to their website. The first thing you see is support for school choice. Anyone or any organization that supports choice and/or vouchers is no friend of public education.
Corbett believes vouchers may pass b/f the legislative recess:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_743675.html
Whatever the problems with vouchers- could they make school districts more responsive to the preferences of students and families?
"Someone opened fire on Race Street with an assault rifle."
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/06/23/2-in-custody-after-homewood-standoff/
What's your point, Questioner. A kid was murdered--executed--on a quiet street near Carrick five or six years ago. A couple others were wounded.
It can happen anywhere, and at any time.
Again, I read a report that the gender academies are school-within-a-school set ups at Westinghouse. Why am I not reading that here?
Mr.Taylor, again, you had your chance to be a teacher advocate when you were on the board. I don't recall you being a proponent of teachers. It would seem to me that your comment here would have made local media, after all, Rhee and Broad have been firebrands on all of the national networks.
Well, let's say I'm a parent deciding where to send my kid to school and there is no neighborhood option. Am I more comfortable with my kid being assigned to a location where there was a murder 5 or 6 years ago, or to a location where there are murders on an almost weekly basis? In which case am I more likely to seek a non-PPS alternative? If I am an administrator- which of these scenarios is more likely to raise a red flag about mixing neighborhoods which have had issues?
As for a school within a school- PPS can call arrangements anything they want, but we have not seen the board sign off on a school within a school. What they voted on was a school that would offer both single gender and mixed classes. If as explained the plan is to make core classes and some electives single gender, it is no different than what has been going on at the existing Westinghouse for two years now.
First of all, it's not neighborhoods that have the issues, it's the drug dealers from those neighborhoods that want to control their own turfs. Anyone who has been involved in the schools for more than a few years laughs at the notion that it is all about where one lives. Of course, the problem is for those that get caught in the crossfire.
Carrick has this problem.
Allderdice has this problem.
Oliver has this problem.
Why is it such a surprise that the board is implementing the east end model at Westinghouse?
The best thing a school can do is to ensure that no drug activity takes place on its grounds or in its corridors. Dealers and their associates simply don't see school as profitable anymore and by junior and senior year, aren't coming to school.
A school can keep an organized approach in the halls and remain vigilant at all costs.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of drug activity on the grounds or in the corridors of Westinghouse, but the statistics show higher levels of violence in the streets around the school- which is enough to make many parents look for other alternatives.
Mr. Taylor,
Can you elaborate on your comments on June 23rd 4:42? If you didn't know the connection it will be difficult to understand since I am a mom that googled it.
This is a direct link with Rhee and more Broad. Also, was Derrick Lopez involved?
I am tired of games.
The silence is deafening.
Per Randall Taylor the organization that helped sponsor the Westinghouse meetng has no connection with Michelle Rhee or her Student First organization.
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