Michelle Rhee's Group Asks Teachers Unions To Promote Reform Policies At State Level

[proud2BlibKansan]

The day after Michelle Rhee's education lobbying group, StudentsFirst, got dumped by progressive petition site Change.org because of intense pressure from teachers' unions, StudentsFirst waved a thorny olive branch of sorts at the nation's two largest such unions.

On Wednesday afternoon, StudentsFirst, along with other education groups such as Democrats for Education Reform, Students for Education Reform and Hispanic CREO, wrote a letter to Dennis Van Roekel and Randi Weingarten, presidents of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, asking for a "new opportunity to collaborate to improve public education for kids." A source affiliated with one of the groups noted that the letter had been in the works before the Change.org breakup.

The letter, provided to The Huffington Post by StudentsFirst, points to recent education legislation in Connecticut that ultimately created a teacher evaluation system that grades teachers in part on their students' standardized test scores; a "commissioner's network" that allows the state to take over some failing schools; and increased funds for charter schools. Despite the attack ads that appeared during the legislative process, StudentsFirst's letter to the unions acknowledges that both groups have claimed victory in establishing these policies -- in some cases even going as far as to call them a "national model."

But, the letter notes, the NEA's and AFT's state affiliates outside of Connecticut continue to protest similar policies. The Alabama Education Association recently sponsored a successful lobbying campaign against the creation of charter schools there. Unlike most arguments against charter schools, which characterize them as the tools of conservative privatizers, the Alabama campaign made its case by linking charters to such liberal causes as LGBT and President Barack Obama. "They sent out mailers saying Michelle Rhee is a left-wing Obama liberal who is trying to bring her policies here," Rhee told The Huffington Post at the time.

more ...http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/21/michelle-rhees-group-asks_n_1616382.html

[Squinch]

1. Rhee's group is asking for reform policies that have no record of success and are often destructive

Here is a little story about a teacher who was evaluated based on her students' standardized test scores. She was found to be a failure as a teacher, and quit teaching. It's very interesting:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/meet-the-worst-8th-grade-math-teacher-in-nyc/2012/05/15/gIQArmlbSU_blog.html

And here are the results of studies that show that charter schools overall do no better than public schools, even though they can cherry pick their students, which public schools can't.

http://www.data-first.org/questions/how-do-charter-schools-compare-to-regular-public-schools-in-student-performance/

So Rhee's group is pushing for measures that appeal to those who want to trash teachers, but which don't really do anything to improve education.

Nothing at all.

[iemitsu]

2. you are correct about her ideas having nothing to do with improving education.

and she has the nerve to ask teacher's unions to embrace "reforms" designed to destroy teacher's unions.
she is awful.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Welcome to DU

[eppur_se_muova]

4. O. M. G. -- AL charter schools shot down as a liberal conspiracy ... :^D

Bless their hearts.



That is just freakin' hilarious. The wingnut Repugs have been rolling along like a juggernaut since they took the State House ... nice to see them hoist by their own petard.