WHAT?!!?!??!:

http://www.youtube.com/user/DrArleneAckerman

what about this story that part of her buy-out used "private funds"? I mean, I'm all for sparing the school/city budget in hard times, but there's no way that anybody ponied up for this without expecting any considerations in return. Nutter's keeping his Chief Integrity Officer away from the press just reinforces that even "reform" tends to be sheep's clothing around here...

acm

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
— Margaret Mead

Please, tell me you haven't heard anyone "in-the-know" saying that she's being considered.

Please.

Thanks Dan - especially for the reaction to the special YouTube video.

Just to put the icing on the cake, Arlene Ackerman - continuing on her campaign of vengeance - says she is not leaving Philadelphia and implies she's shilling for the voucher and charter movement, hosting seminars and workshops urging parents to flee the District that she helmed just three days ago. Conservatives, enjoy your new partnership!

This comment from The Notebook's post on the Promise Academy staffing mess, specifically with reference to Potter Thomas (also in our Council district!):

I taught at Potter-Thomas as well, and was quite frankly baffled to read this rosy depiction of the school and the Promise Academy "turnaround." The Promise Academy model was a horrendous excuse for school reform. Ackerman's idea of turning our schools around was to throw constant mandates, demands, and non-negotiables that had absolutely no impact on the students. Her idea of reform was to provide a list of posters and test-prep strategies that we were mandated to put on our walls, and threatened with insubordination if we dared to suggest that they were irrelevant to our students' ages or to our instruction. We spent so much time and energy on meeting these ridiculous mandates that there was little emphasis on actually improving our instruction or the school culture. Jerry Jordan must have been wearing rose-colored glasses, because Potter Thomas was not a school full of happy, energetic teachers much beyond the first two weeks, when all the happiness and energy had been beaten out of us by the offensive, robotic scripted curriculum (the "extensive remediation" of the Promise Academy model, which really meant Ackerman funneling millions of dollars to private textbook companies in Texas and teacher-proofing the curriculum) and the constant threats of 204s. It is a shame what is happening at Potter and all across the district. Poor children and communities of color are being shafted, as they have been for decades, by claims of "reform" which really are just more ways to funnel them into the prison system. All the Promise Academy Way is is another way to avoid educating our communities--let's just feed them inexperienced new teachers, which most of us were, who are mandated to spend all of their time on inane paperwork, bureaucracy, and pointless mandates, and who are disrespected each day by scripted, culturally irrelevant curricula which in turn disrespects the students. I am so glad to have gotten out, but think every day about the students who I left behind at 6th and Indiana, who will continue to endure their oppressive mess of a school that was only furthered by Ackerman's inane and frankly evil reforms, and by the horrendous effects that had on the already troubled school culture. This disgusting excuse for reform would NEVER happen to affluent white children in the suburbs. Ever. I wonder why people seem to think it's just fine for poor black and brown children?

Fixing this school system is much easier than anyone would expect.
1. Allow teachers to collaborate in preparing lessons and reflective assessment.
2. Insure the bottom level on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs for all children is met.
3. Ignore the calls for merit pay. Studies show these systems have an error rate of 25%.
4. Involve parents.
5. Reward students and parents by making college an affordable reality. Use Individual College Accounts (ICAs)
ICAs reward each child and parent based on their own merit, effort, and results. ICAs return taxpayer money to taxpayers and benefit all of society.
Here is how it works. When a child is born, $5000 is placed one time into an Individual College Account (ICA ) in the child’s name. The ICA matures as a 401K or 403 B would. When the child enters first grade, assuming the child is reading ready, the parents receive $2000. If the child is not reading ready, the $2000 goes right to the district the child is enrolled in to help pay for the extra costs associated with enabling this child to be at grade level reading by grade 3.
The remaining money in the account continues to mature until the child enters college or technical training school. At that time, a percentage of the matured funds based on grades, behavior, and parental involvement, are sent to the college or trade school the child will be attending.
ICAs reward taxpayers. According to national statistics, a high school graduate earns $392,000 more than a non high school graduate. Children who read at grade level are certainly more than those who do not read at grade level to finish high school. Assuming a 40 year working career at a conservative 20% income tax rate, the high school graduate will pay more than $75,000 in taxes to the federal government than a non high school graduate.
The difference in earnings between a college graduate and a non college graduate nationwide is approximately $1.1 million. Assuming the same conservative tax rate a college grad pays more than $135,000 in taxes over the course of a career than a non a non college grad.
Clearly ICAs pay for themselves!
And with a high school drop rate in many cities approaching 50% and greater, the returns from the ICA program between a college graduate and a high school graduate are even greater. This is just looking at the numbers without counting the reduction in crime and the increase in family stability which strongly correlate to high quality early education.
This program is win win for all involved. At the beginning levels of education incentives are offered to improve the raw materials. Parents are rewarded for doing their job as parents, and college becomes more affordable as the matured amount of money available is likely to be between 10 and $15,000.
Schools will be serving their clients: families and students, the people for whom school exists. Families and children will be rewarded according to their own success. Employers will have a greater selection of intelligent employees available to them. Neighborhoods will benefit from reduced crime. The family unit will be cherished, encouraged, and promoted.
Recently, Kalamazoo Mi. introduced a program similar to ICAs. An anonymous donor made a contribution promising all students who qualify a free college education. What happened after just two years is so promising the Governor of Michigan is trying to spread the program statewide.
In the first two years of this program enrollment in Kalamazoo Public Schools increased by 900 students. Property values rose by 7% and 10% leading to an increase city revenues.

Great article about Michelle Rhee in the Atlantic.

from the none-too-flattering category. Spare yourself the drama seems to be the takeaway.

sam@dogoodprojects.com

Here is link on Rhee

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/the-lightning-rod/70...

Here is article on why she failed

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/09/why-michelle-rhees-e...

I was never really fond of Arlene Ackerman, but what really bothers me is that currently there is no politician who could actually improve the education system. They are all trying to pose as the best people out there, making promises to accomplish many things if elected and ending up failing us. What we really need for the education system reform to work is to hire someone with a masters in public administration, someone who would know how to deal with the students and universities problems.