Christie-appointed superintendent suspends four Newark principals

[starroute]

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2014/01/newark_principals_speak_out_ge.html

Newark, New Jersey, is exploding, thanks to the attempts at intimidation by Governor Christie's hand-picked superintendent of schools, Cami Anderson. Anderson came to Newark after working in New York City schools. Before that, she was employed with New Leaders for New Schools and Teach For America. She was trained by the Broad Academy, which literally wrote the book on how to close schools.

Journalist Bob Braun today carries a report on the decision by Anderson to "indefinitely suspend" five of Newark's principals. Braun explains:

"The 'incident' was a community meeting at the Hopewell Baptist Church last Wednesday where (H.G. James) spoke, praising the efforts of his students, teachers and parents. James was one of five principals indefinitely suspended in one day by Cami Anderson, Christie's agent in Newark. The others were Tony Motley, Bragaw Avenue School; Dorothy Handfield, Belmont-Runyon School; Deneen Washington, Maple Avenue School, and Lisa Brown, Ivy Hill School.

"Four of the principals...tried to answer questions from local residents worried about what would happen to their children as Anderson moves toward a wholesale transfer of public school assets to the KIPP Schools, a charter organization that operates TEAM Academy Charter Schools. Questions Anderson wasn't answering."

[riversedge]

1. oh oh. Teach for American organization is in this mess. Their primary

goal is to dismiss public education and transfer the tax dollars to charter schools.

[Squinch]

8. And they are tied financially to the Gates Foundation, and Pearson. In turn, one of Pearson's

major stockholders is the president of Teacher's College. Teacher's College created the learning assessments for the Common Core program. Pearson also funded the Stamford panel that created the teacher assessments that judge the teachers based on how well a teacher's students do on Pearson tests.

I think we can confidently call this system incestuous.

[riversedge]

2. Christie is at war with teachers and this is one of the tactics

he will use to get rid of teachers unions.

[Wilms]

3. Dumb Things White People Say About Schools: Cami Anderson

In the past, she wrote, when schools were closed for the NJEA convention, “with too many young people idle, crime went up.” Closing for two days, she wrote, hurt the schools, “making our city less safe.” The Newark Public Schools administration and the Newark Police Department could not provide evidence to back up these assertions. Statistics from the US Justice Department show the opposite to be true–most juvenile crime occurs on school days, in the hours after dismissal and in he absence of after-school programs.

http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2013/11/dumb-things-white-people-say-about.html

[madfloridian]

4. Started to post that last night. But Twitter was only source I could find then.

Good for Anthony Cody for being on top of this.

[Cha]

5. thanks starroute

[WinkyDink]

6. 5 principals. Diane Ravitch on KIPP schools:

http://dianeravitch.net/2012/08/30/why-progressives-distrust-kipp-and-tfa/

On my view, KIPP is a very regressive philosophy. It’s “work hard, be nice” mantra sounds wonderful to many people, but to me, given that KIPP is working mostly with poor students of color, it sounds very much like “get back in your place. Don’t complain. Do what you’re told.” And given that there is so much emphasis on chanting, rote, and in general the sort of bunch o’ facts education that none of its wealthy backers and cheerleaders would EVER accept for themselves or their children, it feels racist, classist, and reactionary: designed to ensure that inner-city students of color and poverty are pacified with marginal and minimal skills that will not lead them to satisfying, challenging lives with competitive salaries. Frankly, I would scream if my son were in a KIPP-style school, and so would most educated parents.

[hollysmom]

7. Just what Newark needs = for profit chain school

thanks Bill gates and facebook guy. so nice of you to put your money in pointless stuff i.e. more corruption.