omg. can he interview my some time? i am a parent who sent 5 kids through cps.
people attack me when i say that karen lewis has no credibility with me.
imma restart this, and answer some things point by point here.
grrr.
ok, for starters.
turnaround doesnt really have anything to do with rttt
it has been in existence as long as i have been in chicago (30 years)
the process is indeed included in the illinois bid, and is now required in all illinois districts. but lots of things that schools already do is in rttt.
now, ausl.
there are not just some company connected to the mayor. she knows this.
they were doing turnarounds under daley. else she wouldnt have the bogus long term stats that she later spews.
they are, in fact, a non-profit under the university of chicago. yes, the premiere education research and teaching university period. for the last 100 years. founded by john dewey. the lab school. anybody not familiar with any of that, please take a second to fix that.
because the way she tosses that off is the most infuriating lie of the whole interview.
what happens in a turnaround?
well, she has the first part right. everyone is fired. 100%, just like she said.
what she didn't say, and what she also knows perfectly well, is that everyone is entitled to reapply for their jobs, and 50% are REHIRED.
yes, they do can the occasional lunch lady. they can be a part of a culture of disrespect for their charges like anyone else. that is who gets the axe. the kid haters.
what about that $300k infusion?
that is the contract cost of the management. those are on the top, because, well, they are on the top. they are bringing in phd's, top talent in the country.
they also bring in their own materials, and their own teacher support. did she forget to mention that? that part of that cost is investing in high quality professional training for the teachers that are rehired? must have slipped her mind.
the discipline stats she gives are also bogus. she is mixing apples and oranges. the high suspension and expulsions are in school specifically for kids who are having issues in school. they sign a contract to adhere to behavior standards above and beyond the cps disciplinary rules. they are held to that contract. even if nobody read it.
i have a son who volunteered for a year at an asul charter. it was a neighborhood school in the bronzeville neighborhood. took all comers.
he was a volunteer for city year, which is an americorps program. if you have ever seen bill clinton in a red jacket, that's them. he tutored kids in math, and ran afterschool programs. yes, test scores did go up 2 years at a time.
it's part of what they do- bring the community in.
you cant buy that.
does that kind of thing fall by the wayside after asul leaves? it might well. those kind of resources dont grow on trees, and failure to find them, or let them in, is a factor in the success or failure of any school.
ok, argh, i cant go on.
i will tackle one more issue.
selective enrollment high schools.
i am extremely proud of the civic leadership of the last mayor in recognizing that gifted children should be entitled to an appropriate education.
for years the city bled middle class families to expensive suburbs when the kids hit school age. those that made it out of grade school left when they got the letter saying they couldn't get into the couple hundred seat available for high achieving kids.
no one wanted to send their kids to most cps high schools. no one. but least of all the parents who had done the right things over all the years to raise a child that is ready to learn at an accelerated pace. they just tore up roots and left.
within 10 years, under that evil mayor dictatorship, a new selective enrollment hs was built in each of the 6 districts in the city.
at the same time there was an explosion in investment in expanded ap classes, introduction of ib programs, expanded career programs. ACROSS THE CITY.
it stemmed the tide. fewer families are forced to make the choice between their homes and their kids. families are moving back to the city.
the elementary schools have had an equal investment in capitol and programming.
i can pick apart the infamous 'arnes list' for you if you care to examine just one great nontroversy in detail.
really. stop slandering my city.
karen lewis, shut your lying yap.
the ignore button is the little red x.
= new reply since forum marked as read
- I understand he also likes Nickelback. Which taken alone isn't that bad, but once you add it all up you have to conclude that he's pretty much worthless.
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