The Poster Child of ed reform: Harlem Village Academy

[erodriguez]

Cathie Black's only tie with education and Mayor Moneybags' "Poster child" of ed reform: Harlem Village Academy

1. 30%-50% teacher turnover rate every year.
2. 40% ELA pass rate
3. 78 students started fifth grade, only 19 left by the time they reached 8th grade

Why is it so popular with ed reformers?

The CEO makes $500k, much of it from public money, while only overseeing 450 students.

It doesn't get better than that for these modern-day carpetbaggers.


http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/11/28/2010-11-28_its_black__her_fuzzy_facts_sits_on_charter_school_board_thats_never_held_a_meeti.html

[erodriguez]

1. Hah unrecced for the truth it seems.

There's deformers up in here.

[erodriguez]

2. A good question from a HVA parent

"The school is good in some ways, but I don't like how they keep making so many kids stay back," one parent said. "There's a lot of pressure. If the school is as good as they say, then why do they keep the kids back?"

[The Midway Rebel]

3. Well, at least...

Harlem Village Academy is one school in America that doesn't protect bad, overpaid classroom teachers with MA's in administration.

:sarcasm:

[JDPriestly]

11. 30-50% teacher turnover suggests that the school is either

not hiring competent teachers, not retaining competent teachers or both.

A school with a teacher turnover rate that high has a serious problem. Kids need consistency in the authority figures in their lives. It takes time for teachers to get to know the school and the students in the school.

That school has serious problems.

[MattBaggins]

17. Theys bustin unions. That thars good nuff for me

[Reader Rabbit]

4. It seems as if the CEO of the school is the only one benefiting.

And I mean benefiting! $500K salary? That's at least ten teachers right there.

[the redcoat]

5. It's TWICE the average salary of a college president. nt

[erodriguez]

7. It's twice the salary of the Schools Chancellor who oversees 1.1 million

The Governor of New York only makes $179k.

[Starry Messenger]

6. Isn't that more than the President of the United States??

WTF? Even with expenses allowance, the President makes less than the CEO of Harlem Academy.

President’s Salary
Effective January 1, 2001, the annual salary of the president of the United States was increased to $400,000 per year, including a $50,000 expense allowance.

The increase was approved as part of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act (Public Law 106-58), passed in the closing days of the 106th Congress.

"Sec. 644. (a) Increase in Annual Compensation.--Section 102 of title 3, United States Code, is amended by striking '$200,000' and inserting '$400,000'. (b) Effective Date.--The <<NOTE: 3 USC 102 note.>> amendment made by this section shall take effect at noon on January 20, 2001."

[MattBaggins]

18. Makes 200K more than the Chancellor of the enitre SUNY system

[Iris]

8. People need to wake the fuck up.

When will people learn that something that sounds like a fix-all miracle cure usually isn't? And how many lives and careers need to be destroyed in the meantime?

[erodriguez]

9. They are too busy believing all the bs that the rich are handing them

[snagglepuss]

10. Has anyone ever been asked to justify the salary? It is disgusting.

k and r.

[erodriguez]

12. Essentially HVA dumps its lowest third of students back into public school system.

The Post article also references a 100% passing rate on the state math exam in 8th grade. In order to be promoted in middle school you must have an 80% in each class (I am not sure if this practice is legal.) A number of students that do not have an 80 in each class choose to leave the school rather than be held back or go to summer school. In fact DOE numbers show that they lose 32% of their students between 6th and 8th grades (See the link below.) Under standing their standards for promotion, it is easy to see that the 32% of students that leave are almost all the lowest performing students. If traditional public schools withheld students that got less than an 80 it would be easy to have high passing rates, but we would have to build 30% more schools. Essentially HVA dumps its lowest third of students back into public school system.


http://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2010/11/cathie-black-on-board-of-harlem-village.html

[Supersedeas]

24. and there's the rub...they use the test scores to justify their salaries and the transfers to

distinguish and criticism public schools

[mstinamotorcity]

13. Nobody wants to say it I will.

All out lives we were told that if we go to school,work hard,get a good education and study well,Then one day we might become President. Seems like as soon as an American of color had the ability and education to become President, education is now the worst thing in America. It produces to many elitist folk.

[erodriguez]

15. Well this movement has been going a long for a while at least 10 years

In fact, President Obama is a cheerleader for charters and his agenda has pushed the responsibility of educating public school children into the hands of private corporations.

But I agree there is a racial aspect of these reforms. That is why I use the term modern-day carpetbaggers to describe these reformers. They are usually outsiders who promise poor and minority families the world, rarely deliver and get paid handsomely for it.

[blondeatlast]

14. Oh, goody! Let's run schools like Carly Fiorina ran Hewlett/Packard!

What a GREAT idea!

:puke::banghead:

[erodriguez]

16. Like I said it works for the people in charge

Not so much for the workers or the students.

But isn't that usually the free market oligarchical way?

[blondeatlast]

20. I have a teaching cert and was asked to teach at a charter school recently

by a parent.

When I laughed out loud, she was hurt--but I let her know precisely what I thought of charter schools.

Get this: she had NO idea that charter school teachers weren't required to be certed, much less even have a BA/BS. I almost felt sorry for her at that point; it was clear she was sold a bill of goods.

[MattBaggins]

19. Every time; I repeat every time, Obama talks about his school reforms,

he talks about the workers of tomorrow and training children for the next generation of jobs.

He uses the word training rather than educating.

[blondeatlast]

21. Good point; you are absolutely correct. nt

[proud2BlibKansan]

22. +1

[erodriguez]

23. Hmm I never noticed that

I guess I was too busy deciphering how his polito-babble would affect teachers and students...

But, I suppose in this new globalized marketplace training will always trump education.

I mean what business/political leader wants educated workers that question and critically analyze their world.
It is so much easier if they are docile...like a house-broken dog...trained.