NYC Public School Parents' blog: Charter featured on 60 Minutes had 31% pass rate.

[madfloridian]

Just think about it a minute. His charter school was featured on 60 Minutes last with Katie Couric as host, even though its scores on average were behind public schools in the district.

In fact here's that part of the interview:

But is the model working? When the fifth graders took the New York State math and reading exams, the results were disappointing. On average, other schools in the district scored better than TEP.

"Some people watching this might be thinking, 'Hey, they're paying teachers $125,000 a year. They've attracted the best and the brightest. These results don't really add up,'" Couric pointed out.

"We don't have a magic wand. We're not gonna take kids who are scoring below grade level and bring them up in a year," Vanderhoek said.

"You're the head of the school, the principal. Why do you get to keep your job?" Couric asked.

"Ultimately to build an excellent organization is going to take time. And if that doesn't happen let's say four years from now, then I shouldn't keep my job," Vanderhoek said.

Does a non-unionized school that pays teachers a higher salary get better results?

I love this coverage about Zeke Vanderhoek, the school's principal, at the blog of the NYC Public School Parents.

Zeke Vanderhoek, relentless self-promoter


Picture courtesy of NYC Public School Parents blog

Zeke Vanderhoek gets more publicity for failure than most people do for success. He got four articles in the New York Times before he even opened his charter school, The Equity Project; bragging how he would get better results with larger classes by paying teachers more, at $125,000 per year, plus bonuses if their students did well enough.

Though the test scores at his school turned out to be terrible, he still manages to score a profile in 60 Minutes this weekend. He is clearly a genius at self-promotion, if nothing else.

The blog explains that in March of 2008 there were two articles in the NYT.

It mentions another article in the NYT in October 2008, and then another in June of 2009.

He was also on WNYC on the Brian Lehrer show in March 2008 and again on the national NPR show, the Takeaway in June 2009.

There was another article last fall by Justin Snider of the Huffington Post, saying that we can no longer afford small classes...and pushing Vanderhoek's school.

From The Huffington Post:

The reality, though, is that of all the things we should worry about in providing a quality education to our children, class size isn't high on the list. Teacher quality matters a lot more. Zeke Vanderhoek, the founder of The Equity Project Charter School in New York City, knows this. His teachers are the most highly compensated public-school educators in the country, earning minimum salaries of $125,000 per year. How does the school afford such salaries? Because Vanderhoek decided he'd much rather have the nation's top educators teaching classes of 30 students rather than mediocre folks teaching classes of 20 students. And the research backs him up.

The parents' blog then reveals that his school only had a 31% success rate.

Yet Snider conveniently forgot to mention that despite all that huge pay and stellar recruitment, the test scores of the school’s students had bombed, with some of the worst in the city. As Mona Davids of the NY Charter Parents Association pointed out on our list serv:

“He should fire himself now. Equity Project only had a 31% pass rate. Where's his accountability?”

Yet now, Vanderhoek gets another free national publicity boost, featured on 60 Minutes on Sunday! Why, you might ask?

Good question, why indeed.

Where the heck is the publicity for all the great public schools and public school teachers in this country? What? No Billionaire Boys' Club members ready to pay for such promotion?

I guess not.

[louis-t]

1. You think teacher salaries will stay at $125,000 once

public school system is destroyed? Not a chance.

[Willie Wilmette]

22. Poor reporting

Nowhere do I find how these kids did before they went to this school.
The school could be excellent (or of coarse terrible), but it is impossible to tell in just one year.

We know what is cost effective, lets do some of those things. Thins that every school should be able to do.
In order of effectiveness:
Computerized training
Longer school year
Longer school days
Smaller classes

[madfloridian]

23. That principal fired 2 teachers after one year. Excuses himself? Wants 4 years??

Number one on your list should be funding public education instead of turning it over to privateers and insulting all the public school teachers.

This administration has failed miserably in this area.

Very hypocritical principal. He should be ashamed.

[Starry Messenger]

2. k&r

Ugh, he looks like a snake oil salesman. More on Zeke:

http://www.manhattangmat.com/gmat-prep-gmat-instructor-vanderhoek.cfm

Zeke Vanderhoek is the founder and Chairman of Manhattan GMAT. A Yale graduate, Zeke began teaching as a member of Teach For America, the national teacher corps of top college graduates who commit to teach in under-resourced urban and rural public schools across the country. Zeke was placed at I.S. 90, a public junior high school in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood, where he taught both sixth and eighth graders in all academic subjects.

At the same time, Zeke began tutoring a wide clientele of individuals ranging from elementary and high school students to Graduate School and MBA applicants. Ultimately, word-of-mouth referrals brought in a remarkably high number of GMAT test-takers and thus, Manhattan GMAT was born. Since then, Manhattan GMAT has emerged as the nation’s leading GMAT prep company, catering to students interested in learning advanced curricular content from a highly selective group of expert teachers. Manhattan GMAT offers GMAT courses, private tutoring, advanced workshops, and free seminars to students around the world. In addition, its preparation guides are carried in bookstores worldwide.

In January 2007, Zeke stepped down as CEO of Manhattan GMAT and began the process of founding The Equity Project (TEP) Charter School (www.tepcharter.org), a 480-seat public middle school which will serve at-risk student in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. TEP was granted a 5-year charter by New York State in January 2008 and will open with its first class of 5th grade students in September 2009. In his spare time, Zeke plays piano and guitar and eats almond croissants at his local bakery. He currently lives in Harlem with his wife Stephanie and daughter Ella.

Sounds like a nice little money maker too. I wonder how many of his students are "encouraged" to take supplemental tutoring.

[dkofos]

3. Just another way to pass on tax dollars to the private sector.

Because it's the only money left.

[madfloridian]

20. Passing tax dollars to the private sector....exactly.

[HockeyMom]

4. Charter on Riverhead, Long Island

Some years ago. It was shut down because: teachers didn't have degrees, aides didn't have HS diplomas, RATS and ROACHES were all over the place, kids were sick and being abused, and the charter was bilking the county of millions of dollars.

They want MORE of this?

[MichiganVote]

5. Because putting a successful public school front and center would just be so bad.

:banghead:

People could use a little hope now and again 60 Minutes. Morons.

[madfloridian]

8. Keep us feeling helpless against the media machine.

Don't want to empower those public schools too much.

[MichiganVote]

9. What good is facism without intolerance and ignorance?

[madfloridian]

6. From the blog comments from 2 favorite bloggers:

Leonie Haimson said...

If Vanderhoek promises to stay out of the limelight, I will promise to leave him alone. I really don't think he should be able to promote his school and his wrong-headed ideas in the major media, but that somehow no one should be allowed to counter them.
March 11, 2011 4:34 PM
Michael Fiorillo said...

Anonymous 3:53 PM,

Coming as he does out of the "No Excuses!" faction of the education reform debate, why on earth should Vanderhoek not be held to the same standards that are getting him so much media face time?

Or is accountability only for the little people?
March 11, 2011 4:52 PM

Indeed accountability is only for the little people...the public school and its teachers.

[malaise]

7. K & effing R

We had two good threads last night on that 60 minutes crap

[Sniper]

10. Odd thing.

Quite often I run into people who assume that the private sector will do a better job than public schools on education, even on leftish blogs. Where does this come from? It is just unwarranted faith in the market, or do people really want a tiered education system? More than we have already?

By the way, I also keep hearing that unlike other countries, the U.S. system doesn't weed out students. We do, we just don't admit it.

Check out the participation stats:

http://www.oecd.org/document/52/0,3746,en_2649_39263238_45897844_1_1_1_1,00.html

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[madfloridian]

12. Here are the test scores for that district.

http://projects.nytimes.com/new-york-schools-test-scores/counties/new-york/districts/new-york-city-district-6/schools/the-equity-project-charter-school

[Plaid Adder]

13. Class size doesn't matter?!

Can I see a show of hands from people who have taught anything to anyone...and realize that this is BULLSHIT?

It doesn't matter how "quality" you are, you will do a better job with 15 kids than you will with 30. I do not care how many of these charter people tell me differently. YEESH!

Or...is it too radical to suggest that a truly functional public school system might need to make both "quality" teachers AND smaller class size the norm rather than an exception available only at select magnet schools? I mean would making that happen nationally really cost *that* much more than the @$! Iraq invasion?

Don't answer that,

The Plaid Adder

[madfloridian]

14. It's the new talking point.

I think Bill Gates started it.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2011/02/bill_gates_to_govs_raise_class.html

And Robert Bobb, Detroit's Emergency management guy who has unbelievable power....says they might raise class size to 60.

Really and truly.

[chervilant]

16. OMG!!

Ask any teacher how difficult it is to be responsible for the academic achievement of 120+ students every school year. Ask any teacher how challenging it is to deal with a broad range of intellectual ability--from very challenged to very bright--all in the same classroom. Ask any teacher how hard it is for our very bright students to remain engaged when the curriculum has to be 'dumbed down' for the very challenged ESL and IEP students.

WHY IN HEAVEN'S NAME IS ANYONE LISTENING TO BILL GATES?!?!?!?! Gates wouldn't last ten minutes in a classroom full of disenfranchised, disinterested students.

[Plucketeer]

15. Kay & Arghhh! nt

[madfloridian]

17. Leader of New Teacher project on board of directors. Also was TFA

They are everywhere.

http://www.tepcharter.org/leadership.php

"Crystal Harmon is a partner for the Policy business line at The New Teacher Project (TNTP). This group blends rigorous research with a practitioner's deep knowledge of the real tensions that schools, districts and states face every day and provides practical recommendations to maximize access to highly effective teachers for all students, as well as advises education stakeholders on a range of education policy and legislative issues. To date, Harmon has supervised projects in New York City, Washington State, Philadelphia, Newark, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver and Arkansas. Prior to this role, Crystal worked as a Project Director and a Site Manager at TNTP and is a 2002 Baltimore Teach For America (TFA) Corps Member."

TNTP was founded by Michelle Rhee.

[Overseas]

18. Sad K&R. //nt

[madfloridian]

19. Good rant from a teacher blogger about 60 minutes and Couric

http://preaprez.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/why-nobody-watches-katie-couric/

"Why nobody watches Katie Couric.
March 15, 2011
by Fred Klonsky

I don’t watch 60 Minutes much anymore. And I never watch Katie Couric. Apparently nobody else does either. Sunday night I was sick with the flu, on the couch with a cup of tea, surfing TV. There was 60 Minutes.

Couric’s puff piece on NY’s Equity Project charter school and the strongman Zeke Vanderhoek who runs it like a dictator illustrates the problem.

She’s no reporter. She asks no follow-up questions. She assumes what is told her is truth. The story was crap.

"What the hell was that students clap once, clap twice, stamp your feet and do a work sheet thing she showed twice? Was that suppose to be an example of good teaching?"

[Iris]

25. "clap, clap, do a worksheet"

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

[madfloridian]

26. A good cry might be best.

:)

But it won't help matters. The media is pathetic.

[Iris]

27. At this point, I feel like I need a daily cry

[madfloridian]

21. There should be someone from our party vigorously defending teachers.

I find it hard to accept that the last two years the attacks against public school teachers and other public workers have escalated....and no one has spoken in our defense.

That will be hard to forget.

[demmiblue]

24. K&R

:kick:

[Jefferson23]

28. Great OP, as always..K&R, and bookmarked. n/t