Tue
May 15 2012
09:06 pm

Lots and lots about clashes erupting in TN.

(The TN chapter of StudentsFirst, which claims to have provided "a political firewall of support for legislators who have continued to back a controversial 2010 law (on)...teachers' and administrators' evaluations," has as many lobbyists on the Plaza these days as TEA has? Didn't know that...)

Zach's picture

Students first

Should they not have lobbyists?

Zach's picture

Students first

Should they not have lobbyists?

Zach's picture

Students first

Should they not have lobbyists?

Tamara Shepherd's picture

*

Did I say they shouldn't? Shouldn't? Shouldn't?

Tamara Shepherd's picture

*

Why does StudentsFirst think TN teachers should be evaluated 4X annually--and newer teachers 6X annually--when our First to the Top law calls only for a teacher's single annual evaluation?

My son attends a local high school employing 85 teachers, such that the school's principal now has to conduct AT LEAST 340 teacher evaluations annually over the 173-ish day school year.

That's two teacher evaluations per day, every day, if not more.

Why, Zach? Zach? Zach?

Tamara Shepherd's picture

*

And after you've attempted a plausible explanation for why any teacher should be evaluated up to 6X annually--or for why any principal should conduct two teacher evaluations daily, on each and every day of the school year--I have a second question:

TCA 49-1-302 enacting the new teacher evaluation law does not specifically advise that charter schools may not request waivers from the law of the Education Commissioner. Neither does TCA 49-13-105, which lists regs the EC cannot waive for charters, make any mention of his inability to waive the new teacher evaluation law for charters. A couple of education associations I've spoken with about this oddity share my perception that the EC CAN therefore entertain a charter school's request for a waiver from the new law.

Why would we want to allow that of charter schools?

Shouldn't teachers in both traditional AND charter schools be evaluated 4 to 6X annually, Zach? Zach? Zach?

Zach's picture

Students first

Sorry. I don't know why my last post went up three times.

Min's picture

TEA has eight registered lobbyists?!? Since when?

As far as I know, TEA has only two full-time lobbyists on staff, Jerry Winters, who is retiring this year, and Antoinette Lee.

jcgrim's picture

Students First- Michelle Rhee tapeworm

A mutant tapeworm was discovered in Conn and Missouri that, once ingested by it's hosts in the state legislature and departments of education, it feeds on public education expenditures. It grows in size relative to its diet. Scientists are calling it MichelleRheeTapeworm. The MR worm is nearly indistinguishable from the common tapeworm Cestoda. Unlike it's cousin Cestoda that needs 2 hosts to survive, the MR worm does not need an intermediate host. Once it infects the anus of it's first host, it spreads to other hosts through a handshake. Some scientists suspect MR mutates into new forms as soon as it is transmitted, making it difficult track and eradicate. Scientists suspect the source of the outbreak was in FL; Jeb Bush patient zero. There is some dispute as some have evidence that patient zero is Joel Klein, Rupert Murdoch's lawyer. (link...)
It has spread through the south and is now infecting up to 23 states and Washington, DC.

(link...)

(link...)

jcgrim's picture

Follow up: MRtapeworm

It's appetite is insatiable.

(link...)

The latest report on Michelle Rhee shows her collecting millions of dollars from Wall Street financiers, assorted billionaires, and mega-foundations, all to redesign American education as she sees fit. (link...)

Memphis is the next city to be hollowed out by corporate edu-reformers:
(link...)

Zach's picture

Lobbyists

The TEA has been a effective lobby over the years. The landscape in Nashville has changed dramatically over the last few years and the TEA need to adapt. Sadly it appears as if they have doubled down on there old ways. Thus, they should not be surprised if they continue to get the same results for their efforts.

Min's picture

Meaning what?

That TEA should buy into legislation or an evaluation system that is not good for Tennessee's public schools and public school teachers? The landscape has changed, because we have an anti-public education faction in the legislature that is salivating over the prospect of privatizing Tennessee's schools. TEA is pro-public education and pro-public education employees. Period. If you give up lobbying for the things in which you believe and which will actually help build better public schools, just because you're desperate for the crumbs that the legislature will throw, you aren't TEA. You're PET.

Zach's picture

OK. I see now. If you are not

OK. I see now. If you are not a TEA member, and you are a teacher, then you are not for public education.(sarcasm)What about teachers who choose to be a member of other professional organizations? My point is simple. The legislature is and most likely will remain in control of Republicans for the foreseeable future. Would it not be wise to support some Republican that have supported most of your agenda in the past and continue to do so. It seems to me the TEA is doubling down on the other side. When you do this, don't expect legislators to bend over backwards to help. This would be true in reverse if you switched the names.

Min's picture

TEA does support Republicans.

TEA and its local affiliates have donated money and given endorsements to Republican candidates for years, but they have to vetted as pro-public education Republicans.

After all, why would TEA support people who want to destroy the very institution that is its raison d'etre? You don't see the NRA going out of its way to give money or support to gun control advocates.

Zach's picture

TEA contributions

Please name some that had opposition in the General election. All I am saying is "if you are going to shoot at the King, make sure you hit the mark".(not literally) If not, don't expect him to do you any favors.

Min's picture

And again, I ask...

"What's your point?" If you're trying to suggest that TEA should give money or an endorsement to someone like Debra Maggart or even Glen Casada, who personally tried to extort campaign contributions from TEA prior to the 2010 elections, then that's a foolish suggestion, and no sensible person would pay any attention to it.

Zach's picture

last post

Horrible grammar.Should read "needs" and "their". Typing to fast..

fischbobber's picture

Horrible grammar.........and spelling. Right you are.

It's hard to take a person seriously in an education thread who has spelling and grammar errors in virtually every post. It makes him look like a political shill instead of an advocate for the education of our children.

Just sayin.

jcgrim's picture

New edu-reforms doomed to fail

Zach,
The AMA employs doctors to lobby.
The ABA employs lawyers to lobby.
TEA employs teachers to lobby. Until now.
The "new" education reformers employ private profiteers to lobby.

In April, 1999, the Wall Street financiers at Merrill Lynch published a 193 page “In-depth Report” titled “The Book of Knowledge, Investing in the Growing Education and Training Industry.” Early in the report they noted: “The K-12 market is the largest segment of the education industry with approximately $360 billion spent annually or over $6,500 per year per child. Despite the size, the K-12 market is the most problematic to invest in today. Entrenched bureaucracies and personal and political interests contribute to the challenges facing this sector.”

Reading comprehension question. Select the correct answer:
Why would the "new" edu-reformers lobby for invalid, unscientific, expensive, exclusionary education mandates that are doomed to fail children in public schools?
a. Hubris
b. Ignorance
c. Greed
d. Political aspirations
e. All of the above

Zach's picture

Lobbyists

jcgrim,

Check your facts. Most of the organizations you listed hire professional lobbyists. These lobbyists may be lawyers but in many cases they are not. I doubt any of them are classroom teachers. I would hope a classroom teacher would be too busy educating children to be walking the halls of the Capitol.

jcgrim's picture

But, but, but, it's for the kids!

Zach, under the pretext of edu-reforms, may you and your friends prosper off the backs of our poorest children by funneling UNACCOUNTABLE tax dollars to third parties (e.g. felon Michael Milken's TEAM/TAP fraud.) Sleep well.

Jonathan Kozol, Harpers (2007)

(link...)

Some years ago, a friend who works on Wall Street handed me a stock-market prospectus in which a group of analysts at an investment-banking firm known as Montgomery Securities~described the financial benefits to be derived from privatizing our public schools. "The education industry", according to these analysts, "represents, in our opinion, the final frontier of a number of sectors once under public control" that "have either voluntarily opened" or, they note in pointed terms, have "been forced" to open up to private enterprise. Indeed, they write, "the education industry represents the largest market opportunity" since health-care services were privatized during the 1970s. Referring to private education companies as "EMOs" ("Education Management Organizations"), they note that college education also offers some "attractive investment returns" for corporations, but then come back to what they see as the much greater profits to be gained by moving into public elementary and secondary schools. "The larger developing opportunity is in the K-12 EMO market, led by private elementary school providers", which, they emphasize, "are well positioned to exploit potential political reforms such as school vouchers". From the point of view of private profit, one of these analysts enthusiastically observes, "the K-12 market is the Big Enchilada".

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