Board of Education members, CEO should read and think about 'The Money Myth' and the problems with a 'Bottom Line' approach
Board meeting testimony 06/24/09
Jackson Potter
In 2003 several regulatory agencies in the Bush administration and lobbyists from the banking industry were shown with chainsaws and garden shears cutting away the nation’s remaining financial regulations. We all know what happened next, our entire banking system collapsed. This story is analogous to what is happening in education today. There are reformers like Arne Duncan — and dare I say Mr. Huberman — who extol the virtues of data driven expectations. Who promote the idea of school accountability by closing down “failing” schools, dismantling parent led LSCs — all of which are an obstacle to progress, according to them.
And by doing so at a larger scale we will have unleashed innovation, good will, disrupted the cycle of poverty, and revived the promise of an American meritocracy that everyone has the ability to enjoy.
June 24, 2009, above, CORE co-chair Jackson Potter (at podium) delivers his remarks and his "homework" to the Chicago Board of Education. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt,Only one problem — the models currently purported to do all of the above, don’t deliver on their promises.
And we as educators, parents and students in the schools — the three main groups in education today who have been largely excluded from the conversation — are the canaries in the mine. We are here today to tell you that all the cutting of teacher positions, massive firings in the turnarounds, and destabilization of neighborhood schools by contract and charter proliferation, are not working.
In fact they are, in many respects, deepening the problems we already face.
What we need is more professional autonomy in our schools to develop authentic curriculum and design policies that work (like in my school) because teachers have buy-in to implement them. Instead of pushing NCLB notions of best practices, standardized tests that focus on math and reading — arithmetic procedures but not mathematical reasoning or word recognition but not comprehension — we are creating "bubble kids" at the expense of active participants in the society who are highly engaged lifetime learners.
In teacher ed programs, we are taught the importance of differentiated instruction and student centered / project based pedagogy; but once in CPS we are pushed into merit pay based on test scores and one size fits all scripted curriculum.
And because I am a teacher I have some homework for you. Make this book required reading "The money myth".
Think outside the box of 125 S. Clark
One last request, Mr. Huberman, when we last spoke you said you might be willing to meet with members of the Grassroots Education Movement and CORE — a coalition composed of the very groups that are often left out of the conversation.
When are you available to meet with us?
By: Rosita Chatonda
Teacher
Thank God for CORE. Our union has become an extension of CPS. We literally pay them to stop us from suing CPS. However, one issue that has had an effect on many teachers is the use of student coerced testimony against teachers. In January an incident occurred in my classroom. A very troubled student flew into a rage and verbally and physically assaulted me. I made a police report, an incident report and reported the incident CPS for assault leave. My principal latter falsified the incident report and coerced the student to make false allegations against me. Latter the student admitted she was lying. Several other students supported me by telling the truth. However, CPS will not drop the issue. Nick Canella the CTU Union Representative refused to file a grievance. What can be done? I know many other teachers who've had this problem.