Comments on: Surprise! New York a finalist in Race to the Top contest http://gothamschools.org/2010/03/04/surprise-new-york-a-finalist-in-race-to-the-top-contest/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:54:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: jlp http://gothamschools.org/2010/03/04/surprise-new-york-a-finalist-in-race-to-the-top-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-257768 jlp Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:11:48 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=34049#comment-257768 Let's call Duncan's program by what it really is: The Race to the Bottom. He is taking tax money for unproven reforms. He wants more accountability for teachers, but not for himself. He did a poor job in Chicago, and was not held accountable for it. Now he is doing a poor job as the secretary of education but is not being held accountable for it. Let’s call Duncan’s program by what it really is: The Race to the Bottom.
He is taking tax money for unproven reforms. He wants more accountability for teachers, but not for himself. He did a poor job in Chicago, and was not held accountable for it. Now he is doing a poor job as the secretary of education but is not being held accountable for it.

]]> By: I noticed that... http://gothamschools.org/2010/03/04/surprise-new-york-a-finalist-in-race-to-the-top-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-257761 I noticed that... Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:07:24 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=34049#comment-257761 Pogue, I almost brought Milli Vanilli's album. And now people are buying into the NYS RttT being a finalist. Read my lips. I'm not lipsnycing! Pogue,

I almost brought Milli Vanilli’s album. And now people are buying into the NYS RttT being a finalist. Read my lips. I’m not lipsnycing!

]]> By: pogue http://gothamschools.org/2010/03/04/surprise-new-york-a-finalist-in-race-to-the-top-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-257680 pogue Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:34:21 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=34049#comment-257680 Wow!  This is right up there with Milli Vanilli winning the Grammy! Wow!  This is right up there with Milli Vanilli winning the Grammy!

]]> By: I noticed that... http://gothamschools.org/2010/03/04/surprise-new-york-a-finalist-in-race-to-the-top-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-257675 I noticed that... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:45:44 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=34049#comment-257675 Whoa! Now I know that corruption and dirty politics is coming out of the woodwork!! How, please tell me, how NYS went from not qualified to being one of the finalist? There's something rotten in the state of Denmark. Let's see. In January NYS did not qualify for the RttT money. Last week the chancellor sent an email to the principals suggesting that they use students' test scores (grades 3-8) as one of the evaluation item in granting teachers tenure. Today NYS is a RttT finalist. Hmmm. Whoa!

Now I know that corruption and dirty politics is coming out of the woodwork!! How, please tell me, how NYS went from not qualified to being one of the finalist? There’s something rotten in the state of Denmark.

Let’s see. In January NYS did not qualify for the RttT money. Last week the chancellor sent an email to the principals suggesting that they use students’ test scores (grades 3-8) as one of the evaluation item in granting teachers tenure. Today NYS is a RttT finalist. Hmmm.

]]> By: Dee Alpert http://gothamschools.org/2010/03/04/surprise-new-york-a-finalist-in-race-to-the-top-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-257667 Dee Alpert Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:10:10 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=34049#comment-257667 Actually, giving NYSED RttT money, or money from any new federal initiative, probably violates a few dozen USDOE and federal government rules. Indeed, Chicago-style politics rules! Duncan's tenure heading up the Chicago Public Schools has been seriously discredited by others, so there's no particular reason for me to go into the mess he made at length. Suffice it to say that the professional disability community has had nothing good to say about his term there and warned everyone else in advance ... and they wuz rite! We can expect spin, smoke, mirrors, flash and everything else a p.r. flack can dream up and circulate. What this means for the kids is quite another story. And not one likely to be endearing to those who care about how children actually do in school. The more things change ... Actually, giving NYSED RttT money, or money from any new federal initiative, probably violates a few dozen USDOE and federal government rules. Indeed, Chicago-style politics rules!

Duncan’s tenure heading up the Chicago Public Schools has been seriously discredited by others, so there’s no particular reason for me to go into the mess he made at length. Suffice it to say that the professional disability community has had nothing good to say about his term there and warned everyone else in advance … and they wuz rite!

We can expect spin, smoke, mirrors, flash and everything else a p.r. flack can dream up and circulate. What this means for the kids is quite another story. And not one likely to be endearing to those who care about how children actually do in school.

The more things change …

]]> By: Invictus http://gothamschools.org/2010/03/04/surprise-new-york-a-finalist-in-race-to-the-top-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-257666 Invictus Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:04:30 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=34049#comment-257666 Geez. Another evidence that Chicago style politics have been upgraded to the Federal level, and to be honest, if this is the kind of policies that these so called educators push and preach, one needs to wonder how much "real" educating they are expecting people to do across America. Geez. Another evidence that Chicago style politics have been upgraded to the Federal level, and to be honest, if this is the kind of policies that these so called educators push and preach, one needs to wonder how much “real” educating they are expecting people to do across America.

]]> By: KitchenSink http://gothamschools.org/2010/03/04/surprise-new-york-a-finalist-in-race-to-the-top-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-257638 KitchenSink Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:04:17 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=34049#comment-257638 What's with the eastern bias? Aside from Louisiana, only Colorado is west of the Mississippi. Does that strike anyone else as odd? I don't know about NYS, Dee, it would seem that other states like Texas and California could rustle up quite a lobby but didn't get pushed through. Maybe Obama just has a soft spot for us. What’s with the eastern bias? Aside from Louisiana, only Colorado is west of the Mississippi. Does that strike anyone else as odd?

I don’t know about NYS, Dee, it would seem that other states like Texas and California could rustle up quite a lobby but didn’t get pushed through. Maybe Obama just has a soft spot for us.

]]> By: QueensParent http://gothamschools.org/2010/03/04/surprise-new-york-a-finalist-in-race-to-the-top-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-257637 QueensParent Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:02:44 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=34049#comment-257637 No California. Can that be correct? I would guess the active lobbying by the State teachers' union there to kill the application might have had something to do with it. I still think NY being left in the final cut is just political. NY won't get any money, or perhaps some small scraps thrown to NYC No California. Can that be correct? I would guess the active lobbying by the State teachers’ union there to kill the application might have had something to do with it. I still think NY being left in the final cut is just political. NY won’t get any money, or perhaps some small scraps thrown to NYC

]]> By: Dee Alpert http://gothamschools.org/2010/03/04/surprise-new-york-a-finalist-in-race-to-the-top-contest/comment-page-1/#comment-257626 Dee Alpert Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:03:32 +0000 http://gothamschools.org/?p=34049#comment-257626 Duncan's selection of the NYS Ed. Dept. as a RttT finalist demonstrates, beyond cavil, that the grant process is purely political. Official audit after audit has shown that federal funds given to NY State Ed. are at high risk of "fraud, waste and misappropriation." Follow up audits consistently show that State Ed.'s promises to clean up its act are fiction, at best. Other audits and reports show that State Ed.'s numbers re kids passing Regents and other NCLB-mandated exams, graduating and dropping out are unreliable, at best, and intentionally falsified, at worst. And then there's the little problem that State Ed.'s RttT application doesn't actually list any real parents or organizations of parents it consulted before concocting its application. Apparently that doesn't bother Flunkin Duncan at all. "Change you can believe in"? I don't think so. "Politics as usual" is more precise. When kids cheat and commit outright fraud in school, they get punished. When adults running large systems do so, ... not! At least not if they are in NYS and have powerful politicians pushing to keep federal grant pork gushing dollar goodies in their direction. Duncan’s selection of the NYS Ed. Dept. as a RttT finalist demonstrates, beyond cavil, that the grant process is purely political. Official audit after audit has shown that federal funds given to NY State Ed. are at high risk of “fraud, waste and misappropriation.” Follow up audits consistently show that State Ed.’s promises to clean up its act are fiction, at best. Other audits and reports show that State Ed.’s numbers re kids passing Regents and other NCLB-mandated exams, graduating and dropping out are unreliable, at best, and intentionally falsified, at worst.

And then there’s the little problem that State Ed.’s RttT application doesn’t actually list any real parents or organizations of parents it consulted before concocting its application. Apparently that doesn’t bother Flunkin Duncan at all.

“Change you can believe in”? I don’t think so. “Politics as usual” is more precise.

When kids cheat and commit outright fraud in school, they get punished. When adults running large systems do so, … not! At least not if they are in NYS and have powerful politicians pushing to keep federal grant pork gushing dollar goodies in their direction.

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