Comments on: In a new futuristic Klein initiative, school happens via “playlist”

By: Valerie Visconti

Valerie Visconti — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:15:52 +0000

I am working on a piece about this initiative for the NewsHour on PBS. We will be visiting the school next week. If anyone is interested in talking with me about their viewpoints about this new program please contact me at 212-725-7000 ext. 246. Thanks!

Valerie

By: “School of One” test begins in NYC :: Now Possible

“School of One” test begins in NYC :: Now Possible — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:24:45 +0000

[...] learn more, check out articles in Forbes, Gotham Schools, and The New York [...]

By: Frank Ruscica

Frank Ruscica — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:19:58 +0000

Small-scale, but portentous…

On a related note, from http://edupreneursvkleptobankers.wordpress.com/

“Canonical research findings suggest that American entrepreneurs who establish popular online markets for customized education will catalyze the creation of many good jobs in America, and will end the reign of America’s kleptobankers. Some of the researchers: Clayton Christensen, Paul Romer and Paul Krugman.”

By: leonie haimson

leonie haimson — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:14:33 +0000

What $1 million dollars to these guys — while they’re laying teachers off and class sizes are rising?

Nothing.

By: Michael M.

Michael M. — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:05:49 +0000

Thanks Philissa. In all seriousness, that’s what I would have guessed, so my second point still pertains.

Why are We The Taxpayers paying to help a for-profit firm develop its software? Are we stakeholders in some kind of for-profit at-risk venture? Who will own the rights to the software? etc.

By: Introducing School Of One | TakePart Social Action Network™

Introducing School Of One | TakePart Social Action Network™ — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:51:43 +0000

[...] GothamSchools got the scoop on the pilot program, to be officially rolled out today. It’s a $1 million summer math instruction program for 80 seventh graders from Manhattan’s MS 131 being held in the library of a NYC middle school. And it’s definitely…dare I say it…innovative. [...]

By: Philissa Cramer

Philissa Cramer — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:03:21 +0000

Leonie: The “assistant teachers” are actually student teachers from NYU, I found out today.

And Michael M: The vast majority of the $1 million was start-up costs to develop the computer algorithm and build a curriculum bank. The city says those features can be scaled up to other schools without much additional cost.

By: NYC Educator

NYC Educator — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:42:21 +0000

I suppose placing computers in semicircles entails less space than placing people in semicircles, so perhaps there’s some appeal for that to Tweed. After all, if there is any space, it’s usually earmarked for Eva Moskowitz anyway.

By: Michael M.

Michael M. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:35:31 +0000

I can’t wait for the sequel: “Eradicating Education.”
Or the for-profit-billionaire-eduphilanthropreneurs’ guide: “Chumming for Charters.”

By: Philissa Cramer

Philissa Cramer — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:43:24 +0000

Thanks for the catch, Meredith. I’ve made the fix.

By: Meredith

Meredith — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:38:48 +0000

The 2nd to last paragraph says that John Chubb’s book is “Liberating Education”. The correct title is: “Liberating Learning”.

By: Pogue

Pogue — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:53:30 +0000

Oh, I hope my grandchildren get a young, fresh robot teacher and not an old one that sits around, spits out worksheets, and defrags itself all day.

By: Norm

Norm — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:34:50 +0000

“It does, however, contradict the basic cookie-cutter approach that students can only learn in semicircles or on rugs.”

NYC: you must have missed the requirement that the computers must be placed in a semicircle and on rugs in order for this program to be effective.

By: leonie haimson

leonie haimson — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:25:55 +0000

Philissa: what exactly is an ” assistant teacher” and how does that differ from the asst. teachers that DOE has blocked PTAs from hiring, and about which practice the UFT filed a grievance?

By: Diana Senechal

Diana Senechal — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:07:33 +0000

Perhaps this is not so different from Balanced Literacy as it seems. Both seem to follow the mantra of “differentiated instruction.” It has become more or less a crime to teach anything to a whole class, or to assume that there is anything substantial that a class should learn together. If you are not at least showing on paper (for the inspectors) that you are “differentiating” your instruction, you are in trouble. Of course, we do need to adjust our instruction for the different students in the room, and whole-class instruction is not appropriate all the time. But great things can be done with a whole class, and those should not be tossed out.

By: Michael M.

Michael M. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:29:56 +0000

If this program is deemed successful, I hope to hear that a 10:1 student:adult ratio is a proven winner.

And don’t forget the two high school interns — not even counted — or it would be 80:10, or 8 to “One.”

But gawd ferbid the $1M for this pilot (with expansion plans locked in before the verdict) came from a PTA.

Got iTweed Shuffle?

BTW, how does this two-month pilot cost $1,000,000? $1M for say two months is a $6M/yr pace. Knock out 80 PC’s at $1k each. Say $5.92M. Are each of these eight adults making the equivalent of $740k/yr each?

On the other hand, if the software development costs are so high, why is the city footing the bill on an unproven experiment? Where’s the Office of Accountability when ya needs one?

By: canwetalk

canwetalk — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:38:57 +0000

This is Klein’s Orwell’s 1984 and Space Odyssey 2001 initiatives. Will Klein eventually be replaced with HAL? Will Artificial Intelligence classrooms replace the personal interactions students have with teachers? Will computers sign the graduates’ yearbooks? I am assuming that some microchip will be chaperoning the cyberspace proms. Hey, George Jetson will be the chancellor of learning and teaching!

By: NYC Educator

NYC Educator — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:57:20 +0000

I don’t know precisely what it is. It does, however, contradict the basic cookie-cutter approach that students can only learn in semicircles or on rugs. Somehow, each year brings a new cry that this is the only possible way to teach, and that last year’s only possible way to teach was an utter failure.

If this administration really wanted more individual instruction rather than lip service and cool-sounding distractions it would reduce class sizes, as it’s pledged to do–and for which it’s accepted at least hundreds of millions of dollars.

By: Michael M.

Michael M. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:39:01 +0000

Is this a stealth charter, or what?

By: Michael M.

Michael M. — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:38:37 +0000

Is it just me, or does “School of One” sound a bit too much like “Army of One?”