As Legislature gets ready to convene, education leaders offer their wish list. (Yes, money is on it.)
Whenever the General Assembly makes decisions affecting schools, educators complain their views are overlooked.
So, I asked education leaders to tell me what the Legislature should tackle in 2013 and what it should avoid:
Herb Garrett, Georgia School Superintendents Association:
The issue that I wish our returning lawmakers would address is the continued underfunding of our state’s public schools. As you know, we are now about to enter our 12th consecutive year of the infamous “austerity cuts,” and there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight. While five other states are mulling the idea of actually adding days to their students’ school years, two-thirds of our school systems are unable to offer even the 180-day school year that used to be considered normal. At some point, we simply must ask if we are doing the right thing by our children.
During this continuing saga, there will be much conversation this session about changes to our “flexibility and accountability” models. Most of the discussion around this topic has been ongoing as part of the work of the recently-concluded Education Finance Task Force, and most of it seems to be a sincere and honest effort to encourage systems to find more innovative and effective ways to educate our youth.
The only negative about this is the continued insistence by some policy-makers that we copy Florida’s questionable accountability model of assigning letter grades to schools, even though our DOE friends are hard at work designing a numerical school rating system to comply with our NCLB waiver. Effective leaders know that you can’t expect and encourage improvement by using embarrassment and punishment as so-called “motivators;” we still have a few folks who need to learn that lesson.
We will undoubtedly have some legislation related to our Race to the Top grant. For example, there will be efforts to define just what percentage of a teacher’s and principal’s annual evaluation will be determined by student scores on state-mandated assessments, and those discussions are certain to become heated. Even more contentious might be the talks over how to use student achievement as an evaluation measure in classes where there is no state-mandated test. Interesting times, for sure.
Finally, as always, there is no doubt that there will be other issues that pop up due to specific interests of legislators or pressure groups. School vouchers and neo-vouchers (aka, “tax credit scholarships”) will probably still be debated; legislation mandating the procedure for handling sports-related concussions is already being drawn; and, those interested in strengthening anti-bullying legislation are looking for ways to involve school personnel in the handling of “cyberbullying,” even when such activity occurs off-campus.
I have been contacted by a North Carolina chiropractor who is on a mission to stop kids from having to carry heavy backpacks. He claims to have a “contact” in our legislature who he hopes will introduce a bill limiting how much students’ backpacks can weigh. I guess we can weight those at the same time we determine each child’s BMI. Good grief.
Angela Palm, Georgia School Boards Association:
We hope whatever they do, they will move cautiously, weighing the impact on all students and with consideration to the fiscal impact locally. The AJC did an article a while back about the possible expansion of the tax credit program. That’s definitely an “avoid.” Expanding private options will not close the funding gap in the state budget.
One proposal we have heard mentioned several times is a constitutional amendment to allow local legislation to elect superintendents. We believe that should also be avoided. Tying a new teacher evaluation system to compensation would also be an “avoid.” If a new system is put into place, there should be implementation and time to get some feedback and make any needed adjustments before the question of tying it to compensation is addressed.
They need to make sure the resources are provided to prepare adequately for the Common Core assessment. We hope there will be close collaboration among the Legislature, the Governor’s Office, and Department of Education as parts of Race to the Top are rolled out to more districts and the No Child Left Behind waiver is implemented so everything works together.
Tim Callahan, Professional Association of Georgia Educators:
As you know teachers have a lot on their plates right now, with the implementation of the Common Core and a new evaluation system for both teachers and principals – part of our Race to the Top grant. We hope that legislators will be aware of how both those issues are impacting our schools and our school personnel.
We believe that ensuring all students attend a complete 180-day school year and providing teachers with 10 additional days of professional learning and prep time are two “restoration” priorities for the Legislature to consider. Both are critical for successful Common Core roll-out and a smoother and more thoughtful transition to the new evaluation systems.
The tragic events in Connecticut may well see some additional legislative activity around the issues of school safety.
We would suggest some legislative attention toward smarter standardized testing. We are testing too much and relying too heavily on tests to measure things they were never designed to measure.
Finally we would hope that they avoid focusing on the charter school amendment and punishing groups who opposed it. We need to move forward with purpose to address a wide array of challenges facing Georgia’s education system. PAGE is prepared to do that and we hope that our legislators are as well.
Tracey-Ann Nelson, Georgia Association of Educators:
Lawmakers did a lot of work on the Education Finance Study Commission and significant legislation will come out of those findings. We know there will be an effort put forth on parent trigger legislation.
We hope legislators will also work toward ensuring that every child in public school in Georgia is afforded 180 days of instructional time. (Clearly, the 180-day school year has demonstrated a successful academic impact on kids.) Other states are moving toward more than 180 days. In Georgia, we have systems with significantly less instructional days and the resulting academic outcomes make it hard for our kids to garner success.
We know the state budget remains in difficult standing and we hope lawmakers makers the link between investing in kids in K-12 and economic development for the state.
–From Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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118 comments Add your comment
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
6:30 am
Why can’t Herb Garrett give a simple direct answer, to a simple direct question:
****Why won’t your organization take the ethical high road and rescind Beverly Hall’s Superintendent of the Year award?****
What message do you send to the educators who didn’t cheat by allowing her to maintain the award? Aren’t you completely disrespecting those educators?
Why, knowing full well that the award was based on a corporate culture of fear and intimidation of educators which lead to the largest systemic cheating scandal in US educational history, won’t your organization rescind the award?
What does that say about the integrity of your organization that it won’t rescind the award? Are you that willing to support the status quo, at all costs, that you will continue to honor an educator whose actions are now universally condemned (by anyone not named Shirley Franklin) as disgraceful and reprehensible?
You have plenty of examples of organizations that did the right thing to follow. Lance Armstrong, who is a much larger public figure than Beverly Hall will ever hope to be, had all seven of his titles stripped by the Tour de France, even though it was almost a decade after the fact the evidence came out. The Olympics took Marion Jones medals, almost a decade after the fact when they found she cheating.
But thanks to the AJC, your organization didn’t have to wait a decade. It wasn’t long before your organization had incontrovertible evidence that Beverly Hall’s “accomplishments” were based on deliberate deception evidence that has been confirmed in an exhaustive 800 page report. She “knew or should have known.” You, Herb Garrett, know. Yet you still continue to honor her? To what end?
If your actions are just in maintaining the award, at least explain why they are just. If not, send a message to every educator in Georgia who did it the right way and rescind the award.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
6:40 am
Excuse the typos. They were in error. See Herb, how easy it is to admit you made a mistake? I could have said, “Maureen added the typos to discredit me.” (Actually, even if I had said that, it would be more plausible than what Hall and Augustine came up with; or have you forgotten, “We see no need to investigate; we expect outliers every year”?)
It’s the right thing to do Herb; it’s what ethics requires. It’s what educators in Georgia deserve.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
6:49 am
@Herb Garrett these are the words of your own organization concerning Values, Beliefs, and Vision.
The constant goal should be transparency in reporting both accomplishments and failures, as requested by citizen input in the community conversations conducted by the Vision Project.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
6:57 am
Given these words:
The constant goal should be transparency in reporting both accomplishments and failures, as requested by citizen input in the community conversations conducted by the Vision Project.
Where is your organization’s transparency?
More words from your organization about Beverly Hall:
“A system-wide culture of low expectations has been reversed. Low income, but top-performing students who never even thought about attending college are now enrolling in prestigious and competitive universities both in Georgia and elsewhere. The faith of the civic, business, and philanthropic communities in the school system has been restored. And, the nation has taken notice.”
The nation has taken notice? INDEED! Yet these are still, to this day the words you use to laud Beverly Hall. Is this what the educators of Georgia deserve to read on your website?
yuzeyurbrane
December 26th, 2012
6:58 am
My prediction: good luck on getting any restorations. Georgia is pathetic when it comes to public education. They have voted for charter schools and the private sector solution and will now wash their hands of any additional state resources to traditional public education. Why? They are ideologically driven and also have no vision for the state beyond lowering taxes on the wealthy. But Georgians voted for them and therefore deserve what they get. So maybe there is a rationale to keeping Georgians dumbed down.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
7:06 am
@Herb Garrett since you just used these words, it makes your decision to not rescind Beverly Hall’s award look all the more hypocritical. Just to be clear, these words exist, right now, on your very website:
“Effective leaders know that you can’t expect and encourage improvement by using embarrassment and punishment as so-called “motivators;” we still have a few folks who need to learn that lesson.”
Yet you have named a (now disgraced) educator Beverly Hall as your Superintendent of the Year, someone who utilized embarrassment and punishment as essential ingredients of her corporate culture and used them to squash reports of cheating?
Yet you Herb Garrett continue to honor her on your very website???? And then you want us to then trust the integrity of your words on education issues?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
7:25 am
Maureen can you not use your bully pulpit to ask Herb Garrett why Beverly Hall’s award is still in place?
And please, no references to the “passage of time”.
Both the IOC and Tour de France understood the importance of restoring integrity by rescinding their awards. As did Downtown Athletic Club when it rescinded Reggie Bush’s Heisman. As did the NCAA when in vacated Joe Paterno’s wins during the Jerry Sandusky scandal. (Though they didn’t use the exact words, it was basically a case of “knew or should have known” and “emphasizing public praise to the exclusion of integrity and ethics”)
Maureen, I’m sure you would agree reporters were doing their duty to ask these organizations if they would be rescinding their awards in light of what was uncovered. Therefore, as this is your domain, do you not also have a duty to ask Herb Garrett why, unlike Marion Jones, Lance Armstrong, Reggie Bush, and Joe Paterno, Beverly Hall is still honored by his organization?
And if he won’t respond, don’t we have the right to ask what then, his organization truly stands for, if it continues to, after the AJC’s groundbreaking work, stand by Beverly Hall on their very website?
Joel
December 26th, 2012
7:46 am
Wow, there’s a lot about teachers making more money and sticking their noses where it doesn’t belong (cyberbullying) but nothing about improving the lives of the adults their students will become.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
7:54 am
Joel I would suggest to you the problem isn’t teachers making more money in so much as it’s a status quo determined to continue supporting administrative bloat at any and all costs.
Also, you can best believe it’s not teachers who are looking to deal with issues outside the school; it’s administrators who don’t want to enforce discipline inside their schools, so they resort to “making a show” to show they have backbone on discipline issues. Looking at the schools, one knows nothing could be further from the truth.
mark
December 26th, 2012
7:58 am
My family laughed when I told them I only had 182 day contract this year and my students will only show up 176 days. Those family members laughing includes, 80 years in education experience. Three teachers and one retired administrator. The same ole southern backward folk jokes came out. After I told them the chip rodgers story and the great things he has done for Georgia, they said, “why don’t you vote these guys out” I had to inform them of the (R) by their name made them holy, therefore elected.
member of legislature
December 26th, 2012
8:07 am
I would like Mr. Garrett to point out where we can print more money to fund schools, and other projects the the federal government has mandated on the state. Since he is so smart, I suggest he run for governor and suggest a balance budget without any cuts to education.
dc
December 26th, 2012
8:14 am
Yeah, more money is the answer….since it’s worked so well in the past 30 years. After all, doubling after inflation of tax money spent per student has resulted in some truly incredible results….NOTHING!
The first half of the answer is to reward the best teachers, those who both give their all (and there are many), and who get results. And the second half is to get rid of the awful teachers (and yes, there are many of these as well).
Then we’ll see public school results go through the roof.
Eddie Hall
December 26th, 2012
8:16 am
I would agree that funding restoration should be a priority, but most of the pet peeves of legislators should be avoided . Does anyone know what the bill cost local systems to implement that requires someone available at all times trained in diabetes management?
We suffered through many years of elected Supts. That was awful .
williebkind
December 26th, 2012
8:31 am
Yep those teachers will need more money with the charters schools opening up taking all those kids who would really volunteer to go to school. What is left? Those undisciplined kids, parents who depend on the teachers to teach their kids, and smaller class rooms possibly. How much money should the tax payer pay per student from k1 thru k12, $10k pyr, 12k pyr, or more?
Joel
December 26th, 2012
8:31 am
Is anyone able to tell me what difference those four more days of school will make? Or why 180 days is better than 240, or 100?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
8:34 am
“The first half of the answer is to reward the best teachers, those who both give their all (and there are many), and who get results. And the second half is to get rid of the awful teachers (and yes, there are many of these as well).”
@dc the system doesn’t do that. In many cases, it rewards teachers who are compliant regardless of their merit. It actively harasses good teachers who take a stand on issues of integrity for the betterment of their students, just like those APS teachers who had their contracts terminated when they testified to state investigators about cheating. (Just ask MACE, unlike GAE and PAGE they aren’t so invested in the status quo they can’t tell the truth about this dynamic.)
The best way to reward good teachers isn’t through pay. It’s through good teaching conditions; support for discipline, support against administrative retaliation. But when you notice every advocacy organization Maureen quotes is influenced by the bureaucratic/administrative status quo in Georgia, you see why neither of these things are mentioned.
If you want to blame teachers in Georgia for anything, blame them for choosing, with their ever decreasing pay, to support organizations that have repeatedly demonstrated they don’t have teachers’ best interests at heart.
It would be like tens of thousands of chickens turning their noses up at PETA (”too radical”) to join the “Truett Cathy Chicken Empowerment Group” and then complaining they are being sacrificed for mass consumption.
Teachers, at what point do teachers stop blaming Truett Cathy and start looking at who you chose to protect you and ensure your fair and safe teaching conditions?
The fact that tens of thousands of Georgia teachers seemingly cannot comprehend this simple straightforward analogy is probably the most damning indictment of teachers as a whole in Georgia.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
8:41 am
“Is anyone able to tell me what difference those four more days of school will make?”
@Joel, next to none. 180 days of poor teaching conditions will have no direct tangible affect.
176 days of good teaching conditions with support for discipline and against administrative retaliation would do more for teaching in Georgia than 180, 190, or even 200 days of the current dysfunction.
But notice none of the organizations Maureen cites can even discuss it. Heck, if you can’t even muster up the integrity to rescind Beverly Hall’s award, how can you even begin to expect to be taken seriously? Even the IOC, with all it’s shortcomings, knew to rescind Marion Jones awards did it not?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
8:50 am
“I would agree that funding restoration should be a priority”
Why Eddie Hall? What have Georgia school systems done to show they deserve it? Look at almost any system that furloughed teachers and you well see tens of thousands, if not millions of dollars in administrative bloat.
$2100 dollar conference chairs in DCSS central office? Close to a million in administrative bonuses to APS, all based on test fraud? Tens of millions unaccounted for in construction budgets? $40,000 dollars to investigate rumors in central office in Clayton?
Why should the legislature support that type of behavior with taxpayer dollars?
Lynn43
December 26th, 2012
8:51 am
Beverly Fraud must have had a bad Christmas.
Whirled Peas
December 26th, 2012
8:52 am
My wish list includes getting the “educators” out of my pocket. I will spend my own hard earned money to get my kids out of public schools and send them to a good school.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
9:02 am
“Beverly Fraud must have had a bad Christmas.”
@Lynn43 if I had spent Christmas safely ensconced in the comfort of a $2100 office chair, it wouldn’t change the validity of my words one bit.
Now if you are willing to engage in debate, please point out where I am wrong.
-Do you support Herb Garrett skirting the issue as to why they still display Beverly Hall’s Superintendent of the Year award on their website. Do you find that an ethical decision on their part?
-Do you find it in the best interests of teachers and students that none of the organizations Maureen cited will deal directly with either discipline or administrative retaliation given they are two major reasons good teachers leave the profession?
-Do you disagree that, with their own choice of who they choose to represent them, Georgia teachers are not somewhat responsible in being active co creators in their own misery not unlike if chickens rejected PETA (”too radical”) and joined the “Truett Cathy Chicken Empowerment Organization??
Please @Lynnn43 point out the error in my words or arguments, and move the debate forward.
Fred in DeKalb
December 26th, 2012
9:04 am
Beverly Fraud, in the examples you cited about rescinding awards, they were all in the field of sports. Surely you know that integrity in sports is far more important than integrity in education.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
9:08 am
“Beverly Fraud must have had a bad Christmas.”
@Lynn43 I would ask one more question at this time. What is the bigger problem, that I am asking these questions or that thousands of Georgia teachers and parents aren’t asking these questions, or specific to this blog, aren’t demanding Maureen asks these questions on their behalf?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
9:15 am
“Surely you know that integrity in sports is far more important than integrity in education.”
@Fred it does seem that Herb Garrett is acutely aware of the above statement, does it not?
I guess in Herb Garrett’s world integrity in education is even less important than integrity in entertainment. Even the Grammys rescinded the Grammy for Milli Vanilli once it was disclosed they were the musical equivalent of Beverly Hall.
Herb?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
9:31 am
“Beverly Fraud must have had a bad Christmas.”
@Lynn43 safe to assume one of two possibilities due to lack of response.
You’re either off the blog, or enjoying Herb Garrett Playbook on Ethics and Integrity and the non response to questions of both.
red herring
December 26th, 2012
9:35 am
public education has been a black hole for taxpayer dollars for the last 25 years. especially the salaries of administrators (look at past ajc articles for their bloated salaries and sheer numbers of these positions). we need to move towards more class room teachers, less administration (esp. curtailing salaries in these areas), and actually demanding results or making changes if none are forthcoming. hopefully charter schools and the likes will help bring pressure to bear on how much taxpayer money is spent on education. am all for education just not for excess and there is plenty of it in education. why don’t we look at setting spending levels on public school administration at levels similar to what is spent on private school administration. and NO you don’t need to base it on number of students. when i was educated we didn’t have multiple layers of superintendents, principals, vice principals, deputy school supt., etc, etc.
Fred in DeKalb
December 26th, 2012
9:35 am
Beverly Fraud, as long as APS has the cover of the Chamber of Commerce, we won’t see hard hitting questions you seek. Follow the dollar. Now DeKalb and Clayton counties are a different story…..
Pride and Joy
December 26th, 2012
9:46 am
Herb Garrett misses the point concerning heavy back packs. Other schools require back packs to have wheels — that almost totally solves the problem of a heavy backpack. The chiropractor’s concerns are valid. In kindergarten, my children weighed only about 45 pounds each. When they went to the school library to check out four books each, those hard back books were too heavy to carry in their back packs on their tiny bodies.
What is really concerning is that the public school teacher scolded me for carrying my children’s back packs for them when they were heavy with four library books, supplies, lunch and so on.
Wheeled back packs make much more sense but they WERE NOT ALLOWED in my child’s school because they “take too much room.” Our childrens’ health comes first.
Herb also misses the point about funding. There is PLENTY of money — it just doesn’t make its way to the individual schools because of corruption in the school administration. Traveling to nice warm tropiclal climates in the Carribean and the Bahamas and the like for “conferences” is nothing but an obvious paid vacation. Mary Lin elementary’s principal is using SPLOST tax funds for his own private bathroom — there’s 10k literally down the drain of our tax dollars.
We waste tax payer dollars everday in APS and Dekalb County schools. We don’t need to pay more taxes here; we need to run the crooks out of office and that’s why parents like me voted for amendment one — to escape the corruption.
Pride and Joy
December 26th, 2012
9:49 am
To Beverly Fraud — I am one of those voting tax payers who want Beverly Hall’s “award” rescinded — and burned.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
10:03 am
“Beverly Fraud, as long as APS has the cover of the Chamber of Commerce, we won’t see hard hitting questions you seek.”
Maureen is this why you are silent? What other legitimate reason do you have otherwise?
Did not reporters ask the NCAA about Joe Paterno?
Did not reporters ask the Tour de France about Lance Armstrong?
Did not reporters ask the Downtown Athletic Club about Reggie Bush’s Heisman?
In that same vein, do you not have the same responsibility to journalistic ethics to query Herb Garrett? And if you won’t ask, does that no give legitimacy to Fred in DeKalb’s statement, as not one single poster has ever (to my knowledge) questioned the legitimacy of asking Fred Garrett?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
10:07 am
Sorry, that’s Herb Garrett (who I’m sure must be aware Maureen has posted, and at least given a cursory glance, or otherwise been made aware.
As they say (ESPN is it?) C’mon man! It’s your organization. Own up to it.
dc
December 26th, 2012
10:10 am
@BF, agree re the “disincentives” in the current system. And these will continue, until there is some objective way to measure teacher effectiveness. Thus (IMO) the resistance from so many teachers to something like using increases!! in standardized test scores (or lack of increase) to measure each teacher. In particular, the least effective (and sadly, most dangerous) teachers will continue to scream out about how that measure is “unfair” to them.
Until something like that happens, we’ll continue to be at the mercy of those who decry that there is no way to reward and punish, because teacher measurements are too subjective.
Another View
December 26th, 2012
10:13 am
There should be a 30 minute moratorium between posts.
mountain man
December 26th, 2012
10:19 am
“Is anyone able to tell me what difference those four more days of school will make? Or why 180 days is better than 240, or 100?”
I would say that having a 180-day year rather than a 176-day year would give more than 2% more instruction time (maybe). If your boss gave you a 2% raise, would you refuse because it was not enough? An additional solution might be to make sure all the “high-stakes” testing is done in the LAST DAYS of the semester. No testing a week or two earlier, so there is “dead time” after the testing. The legislature can easily make the 180-day calendar a reality: just legislate that 180 days are required and let the counties come up with the money to fund it.
Is 180 days enough? Not if we want to compete with China, India, or European contries. I challenge you, Maureen, to list the instruction days in the different systems correlated with their educational standing.
living in an outdated ed system
December 26th, 2012
10:23 am
I think the statements by the education leaders are remarkably short-sighted and demonstrate they aren’t thinking about the major problems affecting public schools. It’s not about the funding and its not about the longer school calendar. It’s about how the money is spent, and aligning funding with innovation. It’s also about corrupt school boards and how to not only reward success but also deal with failure, both at the school level and school board level.
I would like to see our education leaders show some intellect and vision by articulating some “Big Hairy Audacious Goals” as stated in the noteworthy book: “Built to Last” by James Collins and Jerry Porras.
indigo
December 26th, 2012
10:29 am
I’m sure many hope their friends and relatives get to keep their high paying little or no work patronage jobs.
After all, they can always lay off more teachers.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
10:37 am
“If your boss gave you a 2% raise, would you refuse
Yes I would Mountain Man, and here’s why: I would refuse it for the red herring it is and instead focus on addressing working conditions
If I advocated for people who worked in an atmosphere of administrative retaliation where the people they are told to “manage” are allowed to openly defy, disrespect and even physically threaten and assault often with minimal-or zero-consequences, I wouldn’t even allow THAT debate to be derailed by a token 2% increase in pay.
But PAGE and GAE routinely avoid THAT debate; is it because the people who retaliate against teachers and don’t support them in discipline are also lining the pockets of PAGE/GAE?
At what point to teachers, who aren’t given authority in the classroom, at least take authority with GAE/PAGE by withholding dues until teaching conditions are put front and center?
And if they don’t, do they then deserve about as much sympathy (as a whole) as chickens who reject PETA (”too radical”) to join Truett Cathy’s Chicken Empowerment Organization only to find themselves served up for public consumption?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
10:39 am
“There should be a 30 minute moratorium between posts.”
Explain why Another View; of course you’ll have to wait approximately 6-8 minutes LOL
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
10:51 am
“Thus (IMO) the resistance from so many teachers to something like using increases!!”
The resistance isn’t in the measure; it’s the complete lack of trust the well earned lack of trust in how it’s going to be implemented. It’s asking teachers to put their hands in data being “interpreted” by people who seemingly can’t get allowing teachers to be disrespected, threatened and physically assaulted is not acceptable.
These same people often can’t even handle these students one on one yet they want to judge teachers handling them in a group setting, based on statistical analysis that statisticians have routinely rejected as having validity.
If we spent even a tenth of the time we spend on giving teachers authority as we did accountability we might find we would get ten times the results; of course we might also find we need a tenth of the current bureaucracy we need now, and since they pay PAGE and GAE to represent their interests, you aren’t going to hear much about cutting them.
And why should you, when GAE and PAGE teachers continue to shell out dollars?
Dr. John Trotter
December 26th, 2012
10:56 am
Hey Maureen: I noticed that you didn’t ask anyone from MACE about what should be the concerns about education at the upcoming educational session. Perhaps you know what we would say. Answer: Teaching conditions. The MACE Mantra has always been that you cannot have good learning conditions until you first have good teaching conditions. The first teaching condition that has be to be established in every school in Georgia (yes, and in particular the urban schools where discipline basically does not exist) is student discipline. But, I note that the “educational leaders” that you consult with don’t have much to say about this all important issue. Each teacher will tell you that if the administration does not support them classroom discipline that two or three disruptive students can destroy the learning environment for those students who want to learn. But, here in Georgia (and elsewhere in the country), there is a complete blind spot to the importance of classroom discipline.
There are four basic problems in America Public Education (APE): (1) Defiant and Disruptive Students; (2) Irate and Irresponsible Parents; (3) Angry and Abusive Administrators; and (4) The Worshipping at the Altar of Standardized Tests and the Resulting Systematic Cheating that Accompanies the Adoration of These Tests. We have been saying these things for years at MACE.
MACE also pointed out way before the media got involved that DeKalb and Atlanta were “gangsta systems.” We talked about the “systematic cheating” in both systems. We had four people on our “Greatest Educational Hypocrites in Georgia”: (1) Beverly Hall; (2) Crawford Lewis; (3) Mark Elgart; and we added another later in the process, (4) Edmond Heatley. Our list was composed when these people were in the height of their power. On was indicted and two resigned under less than glorious situations. We are just waiting for the shoe to drop on the hypocrisy of Mark Elgart and his phony, money-grabbing private organization called SACS.
We presume that MACE is too prescient for this illustrious newspaper. Ha! But, I thought good journalism meant that you went to the sources which or who have been correct in the past to attempt to gain a kernel of truth of what will take place in the future. Ha! No problem, though, Maureen. MACE is used to being right in our views and stances but also being ignored by the lamestream media.
http://www.theteachersadvocate.com
http://www.georgiateachersspeakout.com
Dr. John Trotter
December 26th, 2012
10:57 am
By the way, why are my comments always “Waiting for Moderation”? Are my thoughts that “radical”? Ha!
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
10:57 am
@Another View; what’s the greater harm; the question gets asked on this blog more than once in 30 minutes, or Herb Garrett doesn’t get asked the question at all?
The answer of course is simple; Maureen asks the question, and Herb Garrett gives a simple, direct answer
What’s the word I’m looking for…ah yes, Integrity I’m sure Herb is aware of it, even if he apparently isn’t a strong proponent of it it when it comes to who his organization chooses to honor for Superintendent of the Year.
Herb?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
11:00 am
Well Dr. Trotter, I would suggest you also name Beverly Hall the Superintendent of the Year. Seems that way you will be prominently featured within the blog post itself.
Mid Ga Retiree
December 26th, 2012
11:11 am
“Back in the day” when our local school system had 180 day school years, there were 3 or 4 days set aside for “fun”, such as field days, senior days, etc. When the school system had to cut the number of instructional days, do you think they cut the “fun” days? No, they didn’t. Do you think administrative salaries were cut when austerity measures were put in place? No they didn’t. Do you think I’ll ever support raising taxes for the education system as long as the administrators and policy makers aren’t serious about cutting the fat from their budgets and actually “instructing” instead of having “fun”? No, I won’t.
Dr. John Trotter
December 26th, 2012
11:12 am
@ Beverly Fraud: I presume that this total lack of integrity in education is why Norreese Haynes and I have entitled our book, The MACE Manifesto: The Politically Incorrect, Irreverent, and Scatological Examination of the Bullsh*t Involved in American Public Education (APE). Of course, you know that we have spelled the word completely but cannot do so in this family newspaper. Ha! There is just so much bullsh*t that is endemic to APE. These so-called “educational leaders” are the problems. Hey Bev, keep pouring it on! I enjoy reading your humorous yet revealing posts.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
11:14 am
My favorite PAGE story (though not proven as such, I’m sure it’s an urban legend, but resonates nonetheless)
A PAGE representative goes to a school to meet a principal to let her know, in no uncertain terms, that PAGE will not tolerate the disrespect being shown to one of the PAGE teachers. Turns out the principal had her pet poodle in the office, fresh from a dog pedicure.
The poodle starts barking, so the principal says in a stern voice, “Sit”. So he immediately sits on the floor, whimpering and covering his eyes.
No, not the dog; the PAGE representative!
As stated, no doubt an urban legend, but it resonates nonetheless
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
11:18 am
Well I’m curious MidGa Retiree, would you support Beverly Hall maintaining her status as a Superintendent of the Year? Would you applaud Herb Garrett for allowing her to maintain that honor?
After all, we don’t want to do anything to damage anyone’s self esteem do we?
mark
December 26th, 2012
11:20 am
it is tough to keep the good ones when you cut my pay by 2 to 3% a year. We have two openings, one science and one math!!! apply within. filled the science position, now we just need a math teacher. anyone, anyone, buller. By cutting my pay and all the other good ones, our motivation to look else has been increased. good luck Georgia!!
RCB
December 26th, 2012
11:26 am
Same old. Same old. No mention of anything to help teachers, really. Until egregious actions of those former APS administrators are punished, what are we to think? Beverly Hall should have been indicted months ago. The big elephant in the room is discipline. Until you remove those problems from the classrooom FOREVER, results will continue to deteriorate and teachers will be blamed for poor results. I don’t give credence to any of these wish lists until administrators take that responsibility on themselves.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
11:34 am
@Mark if they had a choice, what do you think most Georgia teachers would take?
A 2% raise, or real support for discipline and a legitimate way of addressing administrative retaliation?
I would suggest that, as much as anything, causes Georgia teachers to look elsewhere.
Dr. John Trotter
December 26th, 2012
11:34 am
Your points are well-spoken, RCB.
Pride and Joy
December 26th, 2012
11:47 am
mark makes a very good point about the math teaching position being open. With all these educcation majors out there why aren’t any applying?
The answer is because education majors are unqualified to teach math and are actually afraid to try. One education major recently graduated and I told her about an open position for math teacher — FIFTH grade math teacher and she said she wouldn’t apply because “she’s not good at math and doesn’t understand it.”
WHUUUUT?
ANY high school graduate should feel confident to teach fifth grade math…and should never even have a high school diploma if they don’t understand math. HOW do we graduate students from college with education degrees when they don’t understanbd fifth grade math.
The QUALITY of teachers has sharply declined because the requirements for teachers are so low. WHen people cannot pass a teacher certification test, they should have their degree revoked and the college that graduated them should be put on probation.
Lee
December 26th, 2012
12:27 pm
Not much substance from the “education leaders” of this state. To wit:
- More money.
- Less accountability
- Less testing
- Less choice
Same old, same old….
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
12:44 pm
Herb Garrett, by now I would surmise you have been made fully aware of the questions that have been posed to you, and the readers have been made fully aware of your steadfast refusal to answer them.
Your silence speaks volumes as to the integrity of your organization, does it not?
When you rue the passage of Amendment 1, and look to criticize the efforts of those who convinced the voters to support it, I would suggest you not look strictly to them for blame.
That vote was as much as an indictment of those who are so deeply ingrained in the status quo that they can’t even tell the truth about someone whose actions were as reprehensible as Beverly Hall’s, as your organization apparently is unable, or unwilling to do as it was “for” the Amendment itself.
I would suggest you look yourself squarely and firmly in the mirror and ask if that vote was as much a vote against what you are still willing to represent, as much as anything.
The same mindset that still supports Beverly Hall is exactly what the voters are sick and tired of. And by your choice to still honor her, do you not epitomize that mindset?
It’s no wonder you apparently have been shamed into silence. Not admirable mind you, but at least understandable.
Broken system is broken
December 26th, 2012
1:15 pm
In my county, teachers were furloughed, days removed from the calendar, gifted students dumped into regular Ed classes, arts and foreign language positions eliminated – but parents went ape crazy when the prospect of cutting middle school football was mentioned. Oh, yeah, and one of high schools is getting a new athletic complex. Seriously, charter schools can hardly do any worse than the embarrassment that calls itself “public education.”
fools errand
December 26th, 2012
1:22 pm
for startes how bout more than a single track to graduation:
GA has a “one size fits all” grad track;
common sense reforms knowing that every child is not going to college:
companies need skilled labor not another pencil pusher.
with everything run with electronics have classes to begin basic eletronics and electricity; wait that may make to much sense;
4 maths and one of them is Pre-Cal for every student: REALLY? I know it sounds great but Communism on paper sounds great too. there are so many easy fixes, that will cost very little; but the rush to charter schools and vouchers held by the political elite who are hell bent on ruining public education and bring back segeragation
My goodness...
December 26th, 2012
1:22 pm
I have a simple question that no one has been able to answer when it comes to funding…how much is adequate, enough, whatever term you want to use?
Attentive Parent/Invisible Serfs Collar
December 26th, 2012
1:40 pm
Beverly-my fingers are sore just reading all those valid comments. Beverly Hall was implementing the Standards for Learning and Teaching and Jim Comer’s affective emphasis and other programs that have known poor academic results. When the 90s reforms did not get their covering assessments, the Urban League wanted all other school districts to implement what Atlanta had already implemented.
That is in effect what is happening now with Common Core and Race to the Top. Cobb, Cherokee, and Fulton must join the dysfunction. Except this time the poorly understood assessments were funded first. When you do not believe tests are valid anyway because they measure out of context book learning, cheating in the interim until all measurements effectively disappear is no biggie.
The fact that kids cannot read is not the administrators concern. They are quite excited at APS about Georgia’s new definition of student achievement. New criteria makes for a better result when nothing has actually changed.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
1:55 pm
@Attention thank you. It escapes me why people just don’t get it, and are not more outraged at people like Herb Garrett. It befuddles me why an education commentator like Maureen wouldn’t just jump at the chance to ask such a question.
I can understand why you may not get as many responses to your information. The sheer volume of what you have to plow through, and then disseminate is daunting to say the least. As our the scope of its implications. It’s not unlike Morpheus asking if you want to take the red pill.
But my question is even something a seven year old would be able to understand, such is it’s truth and simplicity: Why would you continue to honor a cheater, even after you found out she cheated?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
1:56 pm
As is the scope that is…
AnnieAD
December 26th, 2012
2:06 pm
Another view, agreed. Beverly Fraud is establishing a bully pulpit through this blog.
No one wants to read her rants and raves .. Maybe once, but that is enough!!
Rolling Square Brick
December 26th, 2012
2:07 pm
@Beverly Fraud you sound awfully familiar. Too much time?
HaHa
December 26th, 2012
2:08 pm
I was just thinking the same thing, AnnieAD
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
2:19 pm
Another view, agreed. Beverly Fraud is establishing a bully pulpit through this blog.
AnnieAD is that not the very purpose of posting on a blog; to establish a point of view.
AnnieAD, are you implying (by your silence on the issue) that on a moral and ethical level, you find it more problematic that someone holds Herb Garrett accountable for continuing to honor Beverly Hall than the support of Beverly Hall itself?
Really AnnieAD?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
2:22 pm
While we are at it AnnieAD can you point out the errors in logic in the posts I made? Can you point out, specifically why it would be ethically wrong to bring up the points I bring up?
Or will you, like others before you on this blog, beat a quick and hasty retreat when forced to defend the validity of your words?
SEE
December 26th, 2012
2:33 pm
As a teacher, I am okay with my pay. It’s not much, but I didn’t go into teaching thinking I would get rich. I believe what is driving most teachers is the fact that not only has their pay decreased, but their workload and responsibility has increased 10 fold. They continue to change the curriculum every year, but offer little to no training on the new concepts that are to be taught. They’ve increased class sizes, but reduced resources, forcing many teachers to pay out-of-pocket. (i.e. I’m paying for things like pencils and copy paper out of my own pocket.) I’ve been offered no resources…everytime I teach a new concept I have to scour the internet for teaching materials. You can imagine how time consuming this can be.
I don’t know where the money is going…but all I ask for is training on the new curriculum (real training, not “webinars”), access to resources and teaching materials. Really, is this too much to ask?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
2:38 pm
AnnieAD? Annie? It’s a simple question really. My posts about Herb Garrett bothered you enough to respond, but Herb Garrett’s continued support of Beverly Hall does not?
@SEE is it that the workload has increased, or increased in ways that make zero sense and are to the detriment of students and teachers?
dahreese
December 26th, 2012
2:39 pm
There has never been a time when public education was overfunded. For that matter, there has never been a time when public education was fully funded – anywhere in this country.
This charter system that will soon be moving in, and run by the governor and some of his bullyboys, is an insult to Georgia’s public education, its college teacher training programs and a slap across the face to the teachers – from the governor.
And the governor and Republicans need not think teachers (active and retired) will not remember it during the next elections.
If the “trigger amendment” passes (which will allow parents to takeover a school if fifth-one percent of them decide to, and this will be pushed door to door by charter school corporate shills), will lead to one thing – administrators who work for the charter school corporations will put the bottom line first (profits for the corporation) and the better education for the kids will come second.
Otherwise, why would/are Wall Street firms pushing charter schools? (Think about it)!
And we can all hope that Beverly Fraud is not a teacher.
You don’t have to be a blind conservative not to see it, just an ignorant one to deny it.
SEE
December 26th, 2012
2:39 pm
Beverly Fraud, you may have some very valid points, but you’re constant posting is undermining those points. In order to influence people, sometimes you must pull back. Focus on one idea, make your point succinctly, and don’t feel the need to respond to everyone. This usually generates more thought to what you say to those who want to listen. To those who don’t, nothing you say will change their minds. I believe that is what posters such as Another View and Annie are referring to.
S
December 26th, 2012
2:40 pm
I confess to not reading the article but one of the first things they should be wishing for is textbooks, etc. withOUT typographical and grammatical errors! I cannot comprehend how we expect our children to receive a good education when their textbooks, school handouts, etc are FULL of mistakes!
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
2:44 pm
“And we can all hope that Beverly Fraud is not a teacher.”
@dahreese can you offer anything, in term of specifics, where there are gaping holes in terms of facts and logic, that would indicate I would not be able to transfer knowledge effectively, if asked to do so?
Can you offer anything, in terms of specifics that would indicate a lack of ethics in the points of view I espouse?
Well?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
2:48 pm
@dahreese can you explain, how, in all the shameful “underfunding” systems like DeKalb can afford $2100 office chairs, systems like APS can afford Cisco servers designed to run several schools running a single school library, a billion dollars spent on a Reading First program found out to not be effective, and on…and on…and on…?
Yes the charter privateers may be the moral equivalent of Somali pirates, but the status quo puts the North Korean government to shame with its ineptitude.
Pride and Joy
December 26th, 2012
2:51 pm
Regarding “Effective leaders know that you can’t expect and encourage improvement by using embarrassment and punishment as so-called “motivators;” we still have a few folks who need to learn that lesson.”
We parents, tax payers and home owners and future homeowners NEED a letter grade to judge the school systems because it is THE most important factor in purchasing a home because it determines the value of our home and it determines the future of our children.
Also, this complaint that letter grading schools is unfair is quite ironic because it is EXACTLY how we grade the kids…
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
2:53 pm
@SEE, I get that. But what I don’t get is when it’s brought to attention, why dozens of posters wouldn’t wonder the same thing? Why Maureen wouldn’t?
What I don’t get is how tens of thousands of teachers sheepishly, compliantly go along with supporting organizations like PAGE and GAE when they continually don’t advocate for better discipline and less retaliation against teachers?
How is this not like chickens rejecting PETA (”too radical”) and joining Truett Cathy’s Chicken Empowerment group instead because they are “good corporate citizens”?
Does that mindset, that seeming pervades the teaching corps, not bother you SEE?
Private Citizen
December 26th, 2012
3:15 pm
Reading this report from the field: “have been teaching for 18 1/2 years… come home from school after 6 (we had 30 minutes added to our day with no compensation) and work until bedtime correcting papers, coming up with interesting (hopefully) lessons that the children may pay attention… We have no money for paper – computer or toilet – and our technology is a joke. The discipline problems have increased as we have been encouraged not to write discipline referrals. On top of this, we are supposed to teach (with no books) children whose parents fight us tooth and nail. And we want them to have a say in our evaluation? Children get mad at us for correcting them and they have a say?” http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/12/22/making-my-child-the-teacher-as-impressive-as-my-child-the-doctor/?cp=all#comment-247931
Not sure I am seeing the connection from the various state-level leadership management parties.
Would be posting more effectively except that my single source only available wired internet monopoly provider internet connection is intermittent today. It seems that our USA “competitive capitalism” has turned into something else, when you have a billion dollar market with zero competition. Like eyeglasses for school children, there is basically zero uptake amongst the public. I really have no conclusion except that the USA has sold out so badly, it is a painful / difficult / shameful thing. And this whole method of using federal tax monies to then come back around and do baited funded intrusion schemes with requirements that cost more than the “funding” is not a very good deal. 3.5 more years of Arne Duncan and then what? Seems to be the current fix is to disassemble schools, make a few “academy” type schools where the existent teachers have to “re-apply for their jobs,” then promote the predictable examples of “excellence” (since the attendance is vetted based on high test scores” and every one else gets what is described above. If Arne Duncan was governing drinking water, the 10% most talented would have water to drink and the other 90% get mud, in the form of no organization and even less textbooks and supply materials. Disorganization. Meddling. Disinformation. Multiple management hierarchies from horizon to horizon, like poppies in Afghanistan, let’s all get high on some more of that authority.
Private Citizen
December 26th, 2012
3:21 pm
access to resources and teaching materials. Really, is this too much to ask?
APPARENTLY IT IS.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
3:34 pm
@Private Citizen, I’ll take on the persona of some other bloggers today.
Oh Private Citizen, such pleasantries you bring up. Wouldn’t they be better off unmentioned?
“And we want them to have a say in our evaluation?”
Yes Private Citizen by definition we are asking functional illiterates, people with mental illness, substance abuse problems, mental disabilities and people who have rarely if ever in their adult life, stepped foot in a school to all be part of the evaluation process of teachers.
Why? Because we value teachers, right Arne?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
3:42 pm
Well I guess we can add dahreese to the list of people who beat a quick and hasty retreat when asked to defend the validity of their attacks.
Attentive Parent/Invisible Serfs Collar
December 26th, 2012
3:44 pm
Private Citizen-Broadband has about as much connection to capitalism as a utility company or a defense contractor. Probably should throw in hospital execs as well. It’s a regulated business and it behaves like it does not have to compete on price, product, or service.
The actual business model that ties into these ed reforms would be more of the Broadband model. Political favorites getting a monopoly or oligopoly and being cronies of politicians and bureaucrats. It’s called Dirigisme or Corporatism or Crony Socialism. But when they start talking about eliminating the distinction between public and private, grab your wallet. The execs will take all the upside gain and foist losses onto the taxpayers. See AIG and GM and Solyndra as examples. Ouch.
Private Citizen
December 26th, 2012
3:50 pm
On the first post-day of Christmas, Comcast gave to me: internet that does not work. http://postimage.org/image/5ykcgm1v5/
Lord have mercy, Am I glad I am not under some zero-hour demand trying to use the internet to make lesson materials for 120 students, otherwise working with no books. Talk about ‘over a barrel / between a rock and a hard place. I think the corporate has caught us chickens in the chicken trap. The five top guys at Comcast are making $20million / year each and their shizzle doesn’t even work and I pay them and have no alternative. This is not the Atlanta corporate vision of Delta, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, CNN, and Chik-Fil-A, each of which do business on a fair playing field with competition and choice for the customers. How is it that Comcast has such power? to operate as a 100% monopoly in markets and to do so with basically zero accountability? And I’m taking MY MONEY and paying those clowns their $20 MILLION annual salary each? And I have NO CHOICE if I want wired internet? Hey OBAMA why don’t you just come over and wrap some BARBED WIRED around my neck? That would be an IMPROVEMENT.
Another Voice
December 26th, 2012
4:14 pm
Real training that integrates arts into core curriculum, as it has been proven that arts helps students think creatively to solve problems.
Traing teachers on the new curriculum, in real terms.
provide textbooks so that children can actually STUDY the lessons. Not just see it once on an overhead or prometheus board.
If the state continues to fund PSAT and SAT for each student, require proof that the student has AT MINIMUM used the online prep programs paid for by the state, so we get our money’s worth …
Kick out the lunatics on the DeKalb Board of Education and replace with responsible citizens.
Allow any city to operate a school district (so that Dunwoody can leave the morass that is DCSS).
Private Citizen
December 26th, 2012
4:18 pm
Collar, Economic Lesson #1, Please localise your economic perspective by beginning your observation, In the United States… In other words, for economics, such broad statements simply do not track the most productive existent models of doing business, also known as competition by competing multiple providers of broadband connectivity. This is how it’s done over in the country that owns the Georgia teacher certification testing, also known as GACE which is not owned in the United States. Pardon. I will not accept casual inaccurate observations about the lack of market for U. S. broadband services. I am certain you understand. PS Collar before you even think again ever of commenting on this subject, read this lone effort from Scientific American, that per the typical U. S. experience (are you listening oh great consumer of hams, Georgia Coach?) there is practically zero uptakes as the populace has not yet been given guidelines by Fox News, Jon Stewart, and Bill O’Reilly, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=competition-and-the-internet
Private Citizen
December 26th, 2012
4:29 pm
It would make more sense for Dunwoody to have their own school system rather than to risk someone from a “main office” 20 miles away to have the power to come in, destabilise, or otherwise wreck and re-purpose their schools and traumatise the faculty teaching their children.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
5:01 pm
@Private Citizen I’m confused by the following:
” I will not accept casual inaccurate observations about the lack of market for U. S. broadband services.”
I thought your complaint in your first post was lack of options in your Internet service was it not?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
5:05 pm
AnnieAD? Annie? Maureen you aren’t moderating posts of people who post effective rebuttals are you? Because they seem strangely absent…it’s almost as though when challenged to defend the validity of their attacks, they are suddenly rendered mute.
Private Citizen
December 26th, 2012
5:43 pm
cinematic representation of when the local school district gets their “concept orders” from the fed and then co-opts the teacher to do their part http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9EsjYrbNQA#t=10m
Private Citizen
December 26th, 2012
6:05 pm
BF, I am not comfortable replying to you by your assumed name as, regardless of the reasons just or otherwise, I do not think the user name is courteous to another. Anyway, my reply is specific to Collar’s generalization about internet distribution as if it is the same thing as ice or steam the world over. It is not. Therefore for economic discussion, I suggest to own what is happening as a condition in the United States, as opposed to a general economic theory. Americans tend to have a horrific tendency to describe what is happening on their street as if it is done the same way the world over. In making such generalization, it is ignoring a greater relevant reality. Ever since the 1980s, U. S. methods of incarceration, denial of healthcare, debt-slavery for university study, and monopolised internet service are each unique to the relatively small U. S. population of 300 million people. The rest of the world does not do it that way, and in particular, what might be called the “rich” sector of the world, in particular, does not practice these same methods. Therefore, generalising U. S. methods and conditions as some type of systematic given or free-standing economic principle/philosophy is a grave error. The “New World Order” seems to have the U. S. hypnotized to believe that the rest of the world is keen to want the U. S. conditions. It simply is not true. Conditions and systems are very different outside of the United States than what we are experiencing. Therefore, as stated, for an American to generalise U. S. methods without owning them is a grave error.
paulo977
December 26th, 2012
6:42 pm
Another Voice “Real training that integrates arts into core curriculum, as it has been proven that arts helps students think creatively to solve problems.”
_____________________________________________________________
Of course ….what has been going going on last semester in the classrooms has been horrifying….
The ‘alleged’ Core curriculum has imposed testing and more testing , directions to teachers on what to teach and how to teach etc etc .
KIM
December 26th, 2012
6:49 pm
@Beverly Fraud: Perhaps you need your own column…or go write a book.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
7:38 pm
@KIM, it seems we have yet another person who is more concerned that I ask a question than concerned why one of the major education organizations in Georgia appears to operate with a lack of integrity in who they choose to honor.
But KIM by all means if you want the status quo to remain in place please provide cover for the Herb Garretts of the world to remain silent on issues of integrity.
Attentive Parent/Invisible Serfs Collar
December 26th, 2012
7:52 pm
Private- I read through your comments.
You do not seem to understand either business or markets or the effect of regulation. That’s fine but when you correct me please appreciate you made that quite apparent.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
8:01 pm
Hello? KIM? Care to explain why you are more upset Herb Garrett is asked a question than Herb Garrett refuses to answer it?
Dekalbite
December 26th, 2012
9:23 pm
The Georgia elected officials need to look more closely at DeKalb Schools and also look into their use of AdvancedED SACS as an accreditating agency. DeKalb BOE member’s Nancy Jester’s recent blog post is quite disconcerting for all taxpayers from a fiduciary standpoint.
http://whatsupwiththat.nancyjester.com/2012/12/26/my-thoughts-on-the-advanced-sacs-report/
Eddie Hall
December 26th, 2012
9:39 pm
Why do you folks in Dekalb, Fulton, and other counties elect bad BOE’s and then complain when they govern bad?
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
10:02 pm
I love this Nancy Jester comment:
“If I were an employee, I would most likely be protected under whistleblower laws. How ironic that I may be removed from office exactly because I discovered and made public the financial misdeeds of the third largest school district in our state.”
Isn’t that exactly what we (unless our name is Markie Mark and we have all kinds of hidden agendas) want from a public servant?
You really want Jester, in “good governance” to remain silent on government waste, and vote in lockstep with people like Eugene Walker. Didn’t those 9-0 votes from the APS board teach us anything?,
In a perfect world Nancy’s last name would be Walker, and Eugene’s would be Jester; it goes without saying that his middle name would be Court.
I’m actually (after a limited view) impressed with her blog. A DeKalb BOE member does something that resonates with integrity. Who knew?
And to piggyback on Dekalblite, when will this assembly have a legitimate discussion about the GAC, the counterpart to SACS, the one that hasn’t been riddled with logical inconsistencies in their “investigations” into school systems?
bootney farnsworth
December 26th, 2012
10:39 pm
its really a very simple thing: the system will grant more monies to be spent in every porkbarrel way possible and continue to ignore the real issues facing education.
-vastly overbloated and unaccountable middle to upper middle management
-the lack of a genuine ombudsman to serve as a watchdog for the people of Ga
-corrupt management everywhere
-plummeting morale
Dekalbite@Eddie Hall
December 26th, 2012
10:45 pm
I walked door to door campaigning for a BOE member change and my district voted our BOE member out for the coming year. Can’t answer for the rest of DeKalb.
bootney farnsworth
December 26th, 2012
10:46 pm
re: Nancy Jester’s comments on whistleblowers.
what protection? as many of us who have tried to address the failures in the system have learned the hard way…………………
your protection is directly proportional to your political connections, as opposed to the connections of the wrongdoer. in short, joe average will be screwed, abused, and pushed towards termination if the blows the whistle.
our system is designed to do one thing: protect management
Dr. Monica Henson
December 26th, 2012
10:48 pm
Maureen, I am disappointed that the “education leaders” you queried include only the status quo defenders GSSA, GSBA, PAGE, and GAE. There are other education leaders in Georgia, include the Georgia Charter Schools Association, StudentsFirst, and the Brighter Georgia Education Coalition. Those of us who belong to those organizations, and their leaders, have relevant commentary to offer if we are asked. The most recent election demonstrated that we are not fringe groups but in fact represent emerging mainstream opinion. The new thought leaders in Georgia education have much to offer besides the same old complaints and demands for more money to resume doing the same old things that have always been done.
bootney farnsworth
December 26th, 2012
10:49 pm
@ dahreese,
actually, in dollar amounts allocated we do OK. problem is the non existent checks and balances in how the money is spent.
bootney farnsworth
December 26th, 2012
10:56 pm
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/shhhh-secret-money-fuels-georgia-political-campaig/nTfJs/
seems to me the last election was much more about the squeaky wheel getting out of state grease than “emerging mainstream opinion”. not denying the charter debacle won, but don’t read your own press clippings too closely too often.
Private Citizen
December 26th, 2012
11:04 pm
Collar, generally we are in accord but I am not flinching on markets, regulation, and economics. If you read the Scientific American article you will note that said “regulator” Genokowski is in conflict with themselves and doing no regulation. In essence, my friend, you’re full of it. This system stinks and yes, I’ve done the footwork. Maybe your investments? outweigh your autonomy. How come you are rootin’ tootin’ about OBE but so complacent about U. S. internet? It means one of two things, either you’ve got skin in the game or you are entirely uninformed in this matter. Look. you’re not right all the time and in this instance a slippery step about macro-econ is not resonant. I dare say, from reading your weblog, that your work experience may be in corrupted unregulated “markets” unless you have hypnotised yourself that economic capture = regulation. My work experience outside of education is in entirely fair-playing-field markets and I suggest we have a difference in both experience and perspective. I am not flinching on my observation of the conditions of U. S. internet. It would be nice if you went and read 30 articles on the topic of international perspective on internet, distribution or as you like to call it, “broadband,” prior to making a smarmy dismissal in this instance. I must say I wonder if your stock portfolio affects your noble judgement. The only reason I say so is that I have seen it so sO SO many times, Americans with opinions about issues they personally experience gain from, yielding what I might call a sociopath’s opinion, philosophy from someone who is on the “take.” There is so much of it in the “investment” society. You still have not answered my question of why Delta, Coca-Cola, Home Depot, CNN, and Chik-Fil-A – all companies originated in Atlanta, why these do business in the play-fair competitive market, and yet why does Comcast have the political power to openly practice monopoly? You play some lame out-of-tune waltz about a regulated utility, but you ignore that a utility monopoly does not take a billion dollars of company money over ten years to pay the salary of five people, and then you’ve got the nerve to lecture me about economics and regulation. I suggest you learn a new term: regulatory capture.
Private Citizen
December 26th, 2012
11:14 pm
And dear Collar, you my friend do not appear to appreciate what is a rack of servers much less the laws pertinent to the access line between the rack and the rj45 connectors at the houses. I’m going to bust you like crushed ice for a vodka martini if you’re talking this smack and didn’t even read the Scientific American article I posted for you which is quite elemental.
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
11:15 pm
“Those of us who belong to those organizations, and their leaders, have relevant commentary to offer if we are asked.”
Dr. Henson, I wouldn’t be so quick to hitch my horse to an education “leader” who made claims about the supposed gains she made fresh into teaching (13 percentile to the upper 80 percentile if I remember correctly) that turned out to be gains that were totally unverifiable and whose former system is being investigated for systemic cheating as well, cheating that allegedly occurred during her tenure.
Just sayin’
But you are absolutely correct in that Maureen relied only on a status quo, a status quo in this case that can’t even bring itself to repudiate Beverly Hall.
Now on top of the organizations you cited, if MACE had been brought into the conversation, then you might finally get a “no holds barred” conversation on what the legislature needs to do.
INDEED!
Beverly Fraud
December 26th, 2012
11:19 pm
“And dear Collar, you my friend do not appear to appreciate what is a rack of servers much less the laws pertinent to the access line between the rack and the rj45 connectors at the houses.”
Just for that line alone, I’m going to go back and check out that link Private. I, unlike many education “leaders” in Georgia, don’t mind admitting when I am ignorant and uninformed as is the case with rj45 connectors.
Private Citizen
December 26th, 2012
11:45 pm
BF, I have posted something a little more detailed although it contains three links and apparently putting links in a post is cause for automated moderation. In other words, the post must then be reviewed and released to see the light of day. I will place one link here and see what happens. http://www.telephonetribute.com/timeline.html crossing fingers
Private Citizen
December 27th, 2012
12:01 am
Drawing your attention to the entry: ” 1975 – Summary: There are now 1618 telcos and 140 million phones in the U.S. Bell companies supply 85% of the lines; GTE: 10%. Smallest telco had 19 subscribers.”
In other words, 1618 different companies had access to the main lines managed by “Bell.” In a brief 38 years, we’ve gone from that (nationally) to, at least where I live in Georgia, one company owning both the lines and the access to the lines, resulting in zero competition for wired internet service.
Logical Dad
December 27th, 2012
5:48 pm
So, let’s see if I got this straight: Beverly Fraud’s (*snort* how clever!) plan to increase test scores:
- Rescind Beverly Hall’s award,
- Beat more children, and
- Eat More Chikin?
Got it.
(Maureen, you must have the patience of Job to tolerate these…..”people.”)
Pride and Joy
December 27th, 2012
6:44 pm
In her 10:48 commentary Dr. Monica Henson makes a perfect point — there is no commentary from charter school leaders in Maureen’s blog. With 59% of GA voters voting for amendment one to increase charter schools, indeed, charter schools are not a fringe group unworthy of commentary.
We DO need to hear from charter school leaderes as often as we hear from traditional public school leaders.
Beverly Fraud
December 27th, 2012
8:14 pm
You miss the point Logical Dad.
What would you think if the IOC continued to honor Marion Jones by calling her a 3 time (or however many it was) gold medal winner?
What would you think if the Tour de France continued to honor Lance Armstrong as a 7 time Tour de France winner?
What would Maureen think if Janet Cooke had been allowed to keep her Pulitzer Prize, an award she won for what turned out to be a total fabrication?
What would we think of those organizations if they kept their awards in place? Why shouldn’t the GSSA be held to the same standard?
Private Citizen
December 27th, 2012
9:39 pm
I agree that thing with Lance Armstrong is just an impossible situation for the honest cyclists who missed their day because Lance was juiced up on illegal stimulants / endurance drugs.
Jerry Eads
December 31st, 2012
3:17 pm
To paraphrase an old saw: “Schools have been doing so much with so little for so long there’s no doubt they’ll soon expect them to do everything with nothing.” YES, like everything else in the world, public education can always get better. But to say that $1.4 or $1.7 (or whatever it actually was) billion in cuts and as few as 143 days can be continued and demand that schools simply get more efficient is, to be kind, ill-informed.
The Georgia public, and it IS the Georgia public, as it is WE who elect the representatives who are working so hard to trash Georgia’s public education system, deserves having the city and state become the Detroit and Michigan of the South. Any business with even marginally intelligent leadership will be smart enought to set up in a state that actually cares about its future. OR it figures it doesn’t need native employees who can read, write and reason. As Walt Kelly once had Pogo observe: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Dr. Monica Henson
December 31st, 2012
4:41 pm
Beverly Fraud, I hope you enjoy your New Year’s Eve. Don’t hold your breath waiting on a shred of integrity or a moment of honesty to spring forth from Herb Garrett.
KIM
December 31st, 2012
6:05 pm
What is the chance of serious dialog about the decades old problem of underfunded mandates? Underfunded formula? Herb Garrett knows what needs to be done, As for the others who want the money funneled to charters, find a way to fund your projects privately. And I agree with Jerry Eads. We must make better choices on election day: elect ethical and responsible representatives who do their homework with regards to educational funding. I do not agree with TIm Callahan that 180 days is magical. I do think the how whatever the number of days is used is the ticket to student success. Teachers need to be turned loose to exercize their creativity. Banish instructional calendars, district created lesson plans, the paralyzing number of testing days.Keep standards, but allow creativity. Allow field trips, Allow experiencial learning. Put the testing money into experiences,. Let educators take control of the classrooms again.
KIM
December 31st, 2012
6:06 pm
“think that how”
Dr. Monica Henson
January 1st, 2013
3:10 pm
“As for the others who want the money funneled to charters, find a way to fund your projects privately.”
Ha! A significant majority of the voters of this state have conclusively disagreed with you, KIM.
I’d reword your statement as, “As for those who want ever-more millions funneled to districts with failing schools, find a way to fund your boondoggles privately.”
The free market would take care of that problem swiftly and effectively.
Calka
January 1st, 2013
6:49 pm
Add BYOT to that list! Just a nice way to decrease administrative referrals, allow texting in class and then blame it on the teacher if kids are not paying attention…
KIM
January 3rd, 2013
8:55 pm
@Dr. Monica Henson: You and I do not agree with the deep pocket educational materials companies providing your charter so much support (and having provided so much of the advertising $ to get the amendment promoted), and what I will tell you is this: the significant majority of the voters of this state did not conclusively disagree with me. Unfortunately, the way the amendment was written, most felt almost unAmerican to vote against it. Most would never have voted yes if there had been enough opportunity to hear the truth. Metro Atl voted for it also largely because of the “boondoggles”–your word–in Atl and DeKalb. We’ll see what happens when charters in some counties are not closely scrutinized as they will be in some. ASk the parents of the charter in Henry Co. whose children are not getting a diploma from an accredited school…hard to get into college without one.