San Diego Schools Set a New Agenda After Backlash

[proud2BlibKansan]

District Takes Opposite Tack

Ten years after the San Diego school district gained national attention for its short-lived “Blueprint for Student Success,” a crowd of district officials last week rolled out a new improvement plan that is almost the opposite of its controversial predecessor.

The city’s blueprint reforms—largely dismantled after a charismatic and aggressive superintendent, Alan D. Bersin, left in 2005—were among the most closely watched and hotly debated of the early years of the No Child Left Behind Act.

And some experts say the story of the demise of the blueprint campaign and the rise of San Diego’s new improvement effort may hold lessons for advocates of similar wholesale interventions using federal Race to the Top and School Improvement Fund grants.

“One way to read the San Diego experience is, reforms that don’t have a local constituency and are not supported by local advocates and efforts are not likely to stick,” said Frederick M. Hess, the director of education policy studies for the American Enterprise Institute think tank. “In many ways, Bersin was a test case for how much you can force a school district to change. That’s just an enormous cautionary note when we hear Duncan talk about how we’re going to drive reform and what these superintendents are going to be able to accomplish.”

more . . . http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/09/01/02sandiego_ep.h30.html?tkn=VRSFr7x%2F06VQeobH9I9WQMV5alnvyGbxf58g&cmp=clp-edweek

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Let's just say Bersin did not leave in the best of terms

He was pushed out. period.

Yes he resigned. to save face, but...

This is my town and I know a couple people on the board, who were voted on a platform of getting rid of this.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. So, the AEI is trying to save face, or throw mud?

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Nobody here liked Bersin, period

Nobody.

He was brought from the outside, and he was pushed out.

He was a ... shall we say... very strong personality and could not constructively work with the locals.

You translate that. And let me add another clue, the board, the same board, that hired him started the effort to push him out.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. In Diane Ravitch's book, she discusses the failure of the San Diego reform

Very interesting story.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Although I have no beef in this fight

since I don't have kids, according to some, trust me this was fought in all kinds of public media. Hell even the Mayor got involved at one point.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. You have beef in the fight if you live in the community

The quality of the schools affects all of us.

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. I know that.. but to some I have no dog

but trust me, them kids are the future.

[KakistocracyHater]

4. I'm surprised it wasn't posted by Madfloridian. so the new course is

"nearly" the exact opposite of NCLB? Makes sense.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Madfloridian is not a lone crusader

:)

[KakistocracyHater]

10. no it's just her specialty, may I suggest you two join forces?

*

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Am I missing something here?

You think that only Madfloridian cares about this?

JAYSUS AGE! I care and I don't even have kids in school!

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Like we haven't?

[madfloridian]

5. More need to take a stand like that.

Too many will do anything to get the RTTT money. I hope this works for them.

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. Trust me, for the sake of the kids

me too.

Bersin was an ass, but the schools still need reforms, but chiefly money.

Kids in South East San Diego are using 20 year old books for god sakes.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. Hey it's been suggested we join forces

:eyes:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9054352&mesg_id=9054508

[Generic Other]

9. up to their eyeballs in failed Gates' reforms

Of course they failed.

[EFerrari]

13. K&R

[haele]

18. Bersin had no background in education -

He was woefully inexperienced in dealing with situations where there are no "quick fixes" or a narrow task scope where there are specific tools and protocols for specific situations - and where performance will change from year to year, no matter what system or process you use to get your results. And he couldn't understand that you couldn't just discard your product if it wasn't working out the way you thought it would.

Notice I'm talking business related "adult speak" - that's the way he thought. He just couldn't wrap his brain around the fact that when you educate children, you have to take them from kindergarten to graduation - 12/13 years. And each child is different, has new and different issues every single month of his or her growing life, and could change directions - from a successful student to a failure, or vice-versa - depending on hormones, the drama in their personal associations, or how sympathetic a teacher might be. Sometimes, without any reason - just on a whim. Or they might suddenly "get it".

Bersin couldn't handle not having stable metrics tracking predictive results. So in trying to mold the system into a "business model", he f'd up the actual process of education.
He did well with adult diplomacy, but he just couldn't handle kids.

Haele

[Liberty Belle]

19. "charismatic and aggressive?" More like "ridding out of town on a rail."