Caught Cheating: Bennett Resignation Exposes Corruption of Corporate-Ed Agenda

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/08/02-3



Former Indiana and current Florida schools chief Tony Bennett built his national star by promising to hold "failing" schools accountable. But when it appeared an Indianapolis charter school run by a prominent Republican donor might receive a poor grade, Bennett's education team frantically overhauled his signature "A-F" school grading system to improve the school's marks. (Photo: AP)

"...The Washington Post's education correspondent Valerie Strauss picks up on the AP investigation, and writes:

The amazing story is told in a series of e-mails obtained by the Associated Press, which show how Bennett pushed staff members to make sure that the charter school headed by Christel DeHaan, an influential Republican donor, did not get a “C.” Anything other than an A was not acceptable, he made clear. After all, he had been going around the state talking about how his standardized test-based school reform program had been working wonders. A “C” for this school would, apparently, hurt his accountability reputation.

The school grading system that Bennett adopted in Indiana was, ironically, pioneered in Florida when Jeb Bush was governor, from 1999-2007. After Indiana voters pushed out Bennett late last year, Florida’s Board of Education wasted no time in bringing Bennett over to run the Sunshine State’s public schools. It was not a coincidence that the board is dominated by Bush supporters, and that Bennett was a member of Chiefs for Change, a group of former and current state superintendents that Bush assembled to advance his brand of corporate-influenced school reform. Indiana (and other states) use the A-F school grading system for several reasons, including how much money schools receive and which schools should be taken over by the state because of poor performance.

MSNB's Chris Hayes covered the story during his evening news hour on Thursday:  (video at site)..."

Flor-i-duh

Hang em high

You'd be shocked at how many GOP legislators are writing Florida education law that puts public schools at a disadvantage in the grading process versus the charter schools that many legislators are RUNNING themselves

Bennett is a Jeb Bush education clone too and Jeb was no friend of the teachers or public education.

http://floridacharterschools.org/news/florida_gop_lawmakers_urge_break_with_common_core_testing_group/

Hell just froze over.

Floridatexan wrote:
Hell just froze over.

Nah, never been a Jeb fan since I knew he was out to totally privatize public education with his schemes. Had a friend who blew the whistle on Jeb's plan to funnel money to religious schools and he got fired and ended up settling out of court for a good sum of money.

PACEDOG#1 wrote:

Floridatexan wrote:
Hell just froze over.

Nah, never been a Jeb fan since I knew he was out to totally privatize public education with his schemes. Had a friend who blew the whistle on Jeb's plan to funnel money to religious schools and he got fired and ended up settling out of court for a good sum of money.

Why should low and middle income families not have the same choice of where their children go to school as higher income families?  Families who are willing to make other sacrifices so their children can to the school of THEIR choice and not governments.

Which schools have the better record?  Government/Union run schools or private schools?

Here, I'll give you a hint from the teachers union themselves.

National Education Association General Counsel Bob Chanin stated in July 2009.

Chanin: "It is not because we care about children. And it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power. And we have power because there are more than 3.2 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of millions of dollars in dues...."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwxiRXqH_hQ&NR=1

Says it all, does it not?

Markle wrote:

PACEDOG#1 wrote:

Floridatexan wrote:
Hell just froze over.

Nah, never been a Jeb fan since I knew he was out to totally privatize public education with his schemes. Had a friend who blew the whistle on Jeb's plan to funnel money to religious schools and he got fired and ended up settling out of court for a good sum of money.

Why should low and middle income families not have the same choice of where their children go to school as higher income families?  Families who are willing to make other sacrifices so their children can to the school of THEIR choice and not governments.

Which schools have the better record?  Government/Union run schools or private schools?

Here, I'll give you a hint from the teachers union themselves.

National Education Association General Counsel Bob Chanin stated in July 2009.

Chanin: "It is not because we care about children. And it is not because we have a vision of a great public school for every child. NEA and its affiliates are effective advocates because we have power. And we have power because there are more than 3.2 million people who are willing to pay us hundreds of millions of dollars in dues...."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwxiRXqH_hQ&NR=1

Says it all, does it not?

Markle,

There might be schools that are broken in South Florida, but from Central Florida north to Jax and westward, they aren't broken. For the most part the only charter schools that perform as well as public are the ones that cherry pick kids from the public schools and that does occur. You have noticed that most private schools here refrain from using the McKay scholarships, have you not? Yep. True.

From another site:

There have been lots of skirmishes over charter school data over the years. But few have created as big a ruckus as the 26-state study of charter schools released recently by Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes, or CREDO.

When public schools can go by the same rules as charter, then you can make an equal comparison. They have longer days and less required testing than the public schools across the state. For instance, at the school where I teach, there are 90 out of 180 instructional days set aside for some sort of testing that is REQUIRED. Why aren't charter schools mandated the same? Why are they allowed more instructional days clear of any type of testing?

Markle, the parents of kids in failing schools have options already. It's sad you have no clue what they are and how long they have been in existence. Jeb Bush and his cohorts would scrap the whole system (i.e. toss the baby out out with the bath water) for a small percentage of failures that exist today.

...and lastly, you want to compare public to private schools and they are not the same entities. Public schools teach all who show up, private schools do not. Show me the classroom for behavior disordered children or even the classroom for Downs Syndrome at either Catholic High or Pensacola Christian.

Want to compare the top 10% at public and then private? Bring it.